I spent a month working in Spain. When I had time, here were a few places I enjoyed. Madrid: Palacio Real Plaza Mayor Plaza Oriental Museo del Prado (art museum) Puerta del Sol (lots of shopping) Segovia (about an hour away from Madrid): Aqueduct Alcazar (Castle) Toledo (about an hour away from Madrid): Castle I spent some time in Madrid, one day in Segovia, and one day in Toledo. I thought Segovia was the most scenic. Toledo was very similar, but without the aqueduct. I traveled around via subways and trains (Renfe has a website with schedules, I think), and it was relatively cheap. If you're planning to see Barcelona also, I've been told it's much preferred to fly (Iberia was recommended to me) than take a train, as the price difference is not much, but the time you save is considerable.
I spent months in Spain and only made it to the Barcelona train station. So I can't really compare Barcelona and Madrid, but I can say that Madrid is terrific, and there are plenty of good cheap eateries. Paris - It depends on what you like to do. If you like history and want something a little off the beaten path I would go to Vincennes. The place is an old palace/prison chocked full of history. It's where MAzarin made his headquarters much of the time. It's where Henri IV's b*stard son was imprisoned and escaped. And it's not crowded but I loved it. Lodging in Paris - I stayed at Tim Hotel. It's near the Palais Royale, and when I stayed there was relatively cheap. It wasn't fancy, but it was clean. The location is tops. I was also recently looking online at places to stay, and was suprised to see airfare/hotel bundle deals that were unbelievably cheap for staying the Hotel Louvre. I've been in the lobby of that hotel, and it looked top notch. I don't know if the deal online was a special bundle deal or not, but you may want to look into it. Near by Paris - I would go to Tours. Get a map or a guide to take to the many Chateau around the area. You can go in the morning see several really cool Chateau and be back in Paris by the evening. Again I like it because of the history angle. There is one Chateau where you can run around the woods, and on one the trees I believe, Rousseau was a tudor for the child who lived there and they carved there names on one of the trees. I haven't found it yet, in three visits to the place, but it's a great place to go. Place to stay in NY: That's a tough one. Every place in NY costs a fortune to stay at. When I was moving from NY to LA my wife and I had to stay one night out of our apt. We found a hotel with shared bathrooms(dormitory style) for $55 a night. It was on the upper west side, so we thought it might be nice. The place was gross, the bed sagged, had springs that were sprung, and was not a pleasant experience. When family members have come, they almost always ended up staying at the Mariot Marquis, or the Warwick. Sorry I couldn't be more of a help with that one.
So then Toronto is out? When are you gonna be in NYC? Might be able to swing down, depending on timetable... In terms of stuff to do in the City of Light, a la could probably advise better than I, but what kind of stuff are you into? Cultural stuff? Party stuff? Etc...
Madrid was awesome .. i spent a month down there last summer on a cultural immersion type program email me and id be glad to help you find stuff to do or good bars to hit up..ok later lnghrn4life@hotmail.com
will double check with the travel agent but i think so, as i said earlier to Dean will likely be in NY on the 3rd and/or 4th of OCtober, would love to hook up and party for a day straight.
The whole point of partying is to not end up straight... burning leaves? better swing thru Jamaica and pick up some more leaves to do comparison tests..
Do you know when you will be in Paris (specific dates)? We might be there at the same time...but only if it is early in your trip.
Smeg, Notes about Paris. 1. Check out the Orsay. As museums go, this one is incredible before you even look at a work of art. It's an enormous old converted train station, and I hope y'all can set aside a long afternoon for that place. 2. Agree with CRC that the river is wonderful at night, but I'd save the cash and walk along it. More romantic, I think, and it's the world's most walkable river. 3. I've found affordable lodgings in Montparnasse (sp), but someone like Rim would know more about where to stay. 4. Kir royale uber alles! Enjoy it!
Ha, wonderful! Montparnasse is a good area, still relatively cheap due to the amount of students. If you want really cheap, look into the Hôtel de Chevreuse...it is a one star hotel, but it is perfectly fine...you have the full variety of room options, as well, going up to a full bathroom in your room. My advice is to stay away from the C-E/Opera areas (the 8th & 9th arrondissements) unless you want to hang out with German tourists and be price gauged everywhere you go. For the most part, the Left Bank is much better for food, living, etc.. Of course, RB has the Marais, which is a wonderful area for architecture and food. Basically, email me if you want more specific info.
I'm sorry but was that suppose to be French?! Well I guess I won't have to make these phone calls after all... Too bad,my father is from Paris and he could have had a few advises. If you still aren't satisfied with the help given email me.(btw I know more south of France than Paris,if you ever come here...) ALA
speaking of cheap places in Paris, you can do Barcelona's Old City right near the Ramblas for about $40-50/night with your own full bath. I'd have to look up the name again, but the hotel is directly above a nice cafe plaza. Those plazas in the old city are uniquely hidden off the main roads. it's pretty romantic, and walking distance to a lot of cool places.
I found a cheap place on Rue Cler when I was in Paris which I really enjoyed. Rick Steves has written about the hotels on this street, which has bakeries, rotisseries, grocery stores, etc and is in a good location. http://www.ricksteves.com/news/0208/ruecler.htm Someone else mentioned the Orsay, which I completely agree with. My favorite chapel/cathedral in Paris is actually the tiny Sainte Chapelle. It probably is underneath Notre Dame and some of the other churches in Paris on the tourist trap lists, but the floor to ceiling stained glass in this Gothic chapel is amazing. http://www.paris.org/Monuments/Sainte.Chapelle/gifs/sainte.chapelle.interior.html I'd take Lisbon or Porto over Madrid or Barcelona.... but if I were you, I wouldn't trust me.
"Crazy Horse, Paris, France forgot the names, remember romance I got the photos a menage a trois Musta broke those Frenchie's laws..."
I don't have time to elaborate because I have to run to the beach now (in Barcelona), but I highly recommend Barcelona. It has everything.
I can't find the name of the hotel anywhere, and I don't own a Rick Steve's guide anymore. If I remember correctly it had a really simple name with "Cler" in the title. If you can get ahold of the guide book, I believe it was on the west side of Rue Cler about midway between Rue de Grenelle and Rue de Champs. BTW, I highly recommend keeping a travel journal. I just cracked mine open for the first time since I took that trip and there are so many things that I had completely forgotten. Unfortunately, I neglected to write down some simple stuff like the names of the places I stayed in.
