Travel Itinerary for this year is as follows:
***San Francisco to Paris, Saturday, March 13, 2010 via Air France
***Nights of March 14, 15, 16 (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday)---Paris
***Fly to Rome, Wednesday morning, March 17
***Nights of March 17, 18, 19 , and 20 (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday)---Rome
***Return to Paris by plane, Sunday, March 21
***Nights of March 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)---Paris
***Return to San Francisco, Saturday, March 27 via Air France
DETAILED ITINERARY--DOWNLOAD A PDF FILE HERE
QUICK LINKS FOR TRIP INFORMATION
**CELL PHONES
Rick Steves--Information about cell phones overseas
http://www.acetelecom.com/equipment.cfm
http://www.rentacellularphone.com/Cell-Phone-Rental-France.asp
**CURRENCY CONVERTER--FOR ATM AND OTHER INFO, SCROLL DOWN TO THE NEXT CURRENCY PARAGRAPH
**FOOD
**HOTELS
Hotel Claude Bernard---Paris
Hotel Smeraldo---Rome
**INSURANCE
**ITINERARY--A SAMPLE TO PLAN YOUR TRIP--CLICK HERE
**LAUNDROMATS--WHERE CAN YOU GO TO WASH YOUR CLOTHES
**LUGGAGE REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINE--CLICK HERE
**METRO--HOW TO USE IT, MAPS OF PARIS
**MONUMENTS--a practical list of monuments in Paris
**PARIS MAP--EASY MONUMENT LOCATIONS
**PASSPORT--CLICK HERE -verify the status of your passport application--find the link in the yellow box on the right side of the Passport Agency's web page when it opens
**PEDESTRIAN/BICYCLE/SKATING ONLY ZONES--CLICK HERE
**PHOTOGRAPHS OF PARIS
**SWIMMING POOL AND BASKETBALL COURTS
**TOURIST SITES--SOME THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD SEE
**TRAVEL TIPS
**WEATHER--FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TEN DAYS
DETAILS OF ABOVE ITEMS
Cell Phones
I will have a French cell phone number which parents and participants can use to contact me in case of emergency. I will know that number sometime in late February. If you want to have a phone yourself, there are several companies that do global cell phones. Some use French telephone numbers and others have American numbers. You can choose to order a rental phone or use your own if it is the right kind. If you have a GSM phone that is unlocked, you may replace your phone's SIM card with a French SIM card which will give you a French telephone number. If you want to know that number in advance of your trip, you must order the SIM card and have it shipped to you before you leave. Go to these web sites for comparisons and information:
http://www.acetelecom.com/equipment.cfm
http://www.rentacellularphone.com/Cell-Phone-Rental-France.asp
http://www.cellularabroad.com/
Currency Converter and Money Matters
If you want to use ATM machines while overseas (which I strongly recommend), you must have a check card that has the logos PLUS, INTERLINK, STAR, and or CIRRUS on it. Most savings account ATM cards do not have the logos and can not be used at foreign teller machines. You must have a check card that is linked to a checking account in order to use ATM machines. With certain banks, underage minors are not allowed to have checking accounts with one of these check cards attached. The only other alternative for underage minors is to get travelers cheques, however, travelers cheques are not as convenient as ATM machines.
In France, they now use Euros instead of Francs. To convert from Dollars to Euros or vice versa, go to http://www.xe.com/ucc/.
Hotels
In Paris, we will be staying at the Hotel Claude Bernard. It is ideally situated right in the heart of the 5th arrondissement near the Latin Quarter.
In Rome, our reservations are at the Hotel Smeraldo right near the Campo di Fiori. The Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Piazza Navona are all within a few minites walk in the Centro Storico.
Here is the room assignment list for both hotels.
Insurance
If you are interested in purchasing travel insurance, there are many firms that advertise on the web. One of them with comparison quotes for various companies is Insuremytrip.
Itinerary
For a sample itinerary to help you get going on your planning, you may go to this page.
Laundromats (5th and 6th arrondissements)
You should plan on doing laundry at least once during the trip, because you should not bring with you more than one small to medium-sized bag. You will have to walk a certain distance to any of the laundromats. To save money, buy a small box of detergeant to share with your friends in one of the many small markets in the 5th and 6th. You might want to bring a small, lightweight net bag in which to keep your dirty clothes and to use as your transporter for laundry when you are walking to a laundromat.
Remember, temperatures are in celsius---100 degrees equals boiling
Laverie Cent Seize
116 RUE D'ASSAS 75006 PARIS
Blan Press (Sté)
4 RUE D'ARRAS 75005 PARIS
Laverie Self-Service Monge (Sté)
113 RUE MONGE 75005 PARIS
La Pince à Linge
3 PLACE MONGE 75005 PARIS
On Sunday when we arrive, I will give you a Carte Orange Metro/Bus pass good for two weeks.
The link below (Neighborhood maps) is an interactive map and transportation site run by the RATP (metro and bus system). It allows you to see a detailed map of the neighborhood in which you are interested. It will also tell you what transportation method you should use to get to another area of Paris. To see how it works, try the instructions that follow the link once you have clicked on it:
Following is a sample of how to use the interactive map:
Under "adresse du départ", type "place st. michel, paris". That is not far from our hotels. Under "adresse d'arrivée", type "place du parvis, paris". That is the square in front of Notre Dame. Scroll down and click on "rechercher". You will then see the public transportation that you can use to get to Notre Dame.
You can also practice using the Metro, RER and bus sytems by downloading pdf interactive maps. Go to http://www.citefutee.com/orienter/plans.php. Under Réseaux, click on métro to download (with adobe acrobat--it should do it automatically for you), RER for the suburban lines, Bus Paris for the bus map, or Bus soirées for the nighttime bus sytem.
Here is the site that I prepared with additional information about using the metro including practice inineraries.
PASSPORTS
PASSPORTS-verify the status of your passport application--find the link in the yellow box on the right side of the Passport Agency's web page when it opens The nearest U.S. Passport Office is in San Francisco.
PACKING LIST
Go to this page and print it for a sample packing list for your trip.
PEDESTRIAN, BICYCLE AND SKATING ZONES
PEDESTRIAN/BICYCLE/SKATING ONLY ZONES
PHOTOS
See some pictures that I took at Christmas, 2001
Type any address at this site and see a photo of the facade of the building located at that address.
RESTAURANTS
Go to the Restaurant Page for a collection of recommended restaurants, many of which are in the 5th and 6th arrondissements.
Another restaurant site---RestoàParis site.
Also, check out les pages de Paris.
SWIMMING POOL AND BASKETBALL COURT
Go to Piscine Saint Germain for the location of a swimming pool in the area of the hotel. The Piscine Saint Germain is in a refurbished covered market that has a new Gap store and several other youth oriented clothing boutiques. It is open Tuesday through Sunday and the hours vary. For other pools, go to http://www.parisiana.com/public_pools.html
TOURIST SITES--SOME THINGS TO SEE
Below represents the beginning of a list of things that you should definitely consider seeing on your trip. Some of the items have sites linked to them. You should start getting information about these places right now so that you can appreciate your trip that much more. Buy a tourist guide of things to see in Paris that includes a list of restaurants. Check the various spots out on the Internet. Remember, part of the fun of the trip will be in its planning and your anticipation. Amusez-vous bien!
Interactive map of monuments and museums
For the official Paris tourist site, go to: http://www.paris-touristoffice.com
For the Michelin Green guide of star-rated things to see, go to http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr/dyn/controller/tourismPoiList;jsessionid=JLWEIIZKQQ2CUDOI3DJCASI?from=216
For an interactive map of monuments in Paris, go to http://www.paris.org/Maps/MM/
For a list of some cafés and their websites, go to http://www.paris.org/Cafes/
The following are major tourist places to visit:
Le Musée National du Moyen Âge (Hôtel de Cluny)
Le Marais
Le Quartier de Saint Germain des Près
L'Arc de Triomphe et les Champs Elysées
Le Palais et le jardin de Versailles
La Place des Vosges et la maison de Victor Hugo
Les Marchés sur la rue Mouffetard et la rue de Buci
TRAVEL TIPS FROM BONJOUR PARIS NEWSLETTER
For additional useful tips about Paris and environs, go to http://www.bparis.com.
WEATHER IN PARIS
For a ten day weather forecast, go to the French Weather Site.
E-mail me if you have questions about the trip.