Paris Metro options | what's the best value?

Karen Fawcett has a great weekly blog, Bonjour Paris, with great content that only an American living in Paris can offer. Check it out, and especially today's article on Free and Inexpensive Paris Activities. I was especially interested in her up-to-date recommendations on getting around in Paris. Of course, the Paris Metro is the easiest way to get to most places in the city!

If you're in Paris for four days or more, the best value is a Navigo Carte (the one-week pass that used to be called the Carte Orange). The price is just 18.85€ per week, and it buys you unlimited travel in zones 1-2 on the Métro, bus, and RER. Some tips for buying your Navigo Carte.

(1) Bring some photos of each family member with you (3 cm tall x 2.5 cm wide). Just take some head shots with your digital camera and, if you're handy with Photoshop or a similar program, you can actually put multiple copies of the photos of each family member onto a single 4x6 print. Buy one print (less than 20¢), cut out the photos, place them in a baggy, and bring with you to Paris.

While you don't absolutely have to get the photos done ahead of time, it's a lot easier, cheaper, and less confusing than using the coin operated photo machines at many Métro stations.

(2) When you get to Paris, go to the ticket window of any Métro station with your photos. The attendant will sell you plastic Navigo Cartes (one for each passenger) for 5€ and attach the photos. At the same time, you can purchase a weekly pass (you'll need a new one each week). Karen advises you to hold onto the receipt, as well as the small ticket which can be used if your Navigo Carte becomes demagnetized.

(3) Swipe the Navigo Carte at the turnstile at the Metro station - or on a bus - and you're good to go!

(4) When you leave Paris, save your Navigo Carte for your next visit (so you don't have to go through the photo routine all over again).

(5) The one-week pass is good for a week beginning on Monday, ending on Sunday.

For shorter visits to Paris, or if your stay straddles the Monday-Sunday week, you can purchase a one-day Mobilis Pass - 6.30€ for unlimited metro and bus rides on a single day. Tickets for a single trip are 1.70€ each. Do the math to figure out the best deal!

One final tip from Karen — the #69 bus. Get on the bus at the Eiffel Tower and get a cheap driving tour of the city, past Les Invalides (where Napoleon is buried), the Musée d'Orsay, the Pyramid in front of the Louvre, the Tuileries (the royal gardens stretching from the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde), Notre Dame cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle, le Marais, the Opera Bastille, and finally the Père-Lachaise Cemetery.


Paris Metro (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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Silk Rooms at The Goring

Room 59 at The Goring

The Goring is a traditional British hotel, literally around the corner from Buckingham Palace. With the largest private garden in London, this is a very special place to stay with the most choice rooms looking over the beautiful gardens. And for something even more special, book one of the "Silk Rooms" (see the picture above for an idea of their elegance).

If you're looking for something with a very British feeling, you should consider staying at The Goring (as did the Middleton family the evening before the Royal Wedding). Are large, modern bathrooms with dual vanities and separate step-in showers a must for you? Then there are better choices. But The Goring (which has been owned and operated as a family business for over a century) has a charm that larger hotels simply cannot offer.

Virtuoso guests receive the following exclusive amenities:

• Upgrade at time of booking, subject to availability 
• Daily full English breakfast for up to two in-room guests
• A personal Goring gift 
• Fruit and personal welcome letter
• Complimentary WiFi and movies
• 12 Noon early check-in, subject to availability

In Addition, the following room categories will also receive:

• One way transfer from any London Airport to The Goring for Most Splendid Silk Room, Most Splendid Balcony Room & The Belgravia Suite
• Two way transfer from any London Airport to The Goring for the Royal Suite

Just book through your Virtuoso travel consultant.

The Goring (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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left coast | right coast

Over the weekend, I announced a new addition to my luxury travel business. My daughter-in-law Jessica Ourisman has just started to work with me as a Four Seasons Preferred Partner, Ritz-Carlton STARS, and Virtuoso travel consultant. In addition to providing help in responding promptly to requests from clients, Jessica also brings geographical diversity to our agency, along with her eclectic tastes in food, wine, and culture.

Having lived on the left coast since 1992, I am very much attuned to travel in places like Hawaii, California, British Columbia, and Asia. I've visited Hawaii many times and stayed on every one of the major islands, some on multiple occasions. First-hand experience is invaluable when clients call with questions about vacations in Hawaii, Bali, New Zealand, or Thailand.

Jessica brings a right coast perspective to our business. Living in Washington, DC, she will be able to offer the same expertise on Caribbean vacations and east coast resorts. There are more than three dozen Virtuoso resorts in the Caribbean, and these will be her primary area of specialization. Click here to contact Jessica by email.

Whether you're traveling to the east or to the west, we've got you covered!


Virtuoso travel consultant (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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25 reasons to stay at a Starwood resort

If you're planning to stay at a Starwood resort between now and March 31st, here's a promotion I can offer to nine (9) vacationers who want to take advantage of the offer. I have nine numbered $25 Resort Credit Certificates that can be used at designated outlets at each resort, including food, beverage, golf, and spa. Here's a list of more than 150 Starwood resorts that will honor the $25 credit, including the incredible St. Regis Bora Bora (pictured above).

And if you're interested in hundreds of dollars of additional savings, choose a Starwood resort that is a member of Virtuoso to receive free daily breakfasts, room upgrades, and other valuable amenities. For instance, Virtuoso guests receive the following at the St. Regis Bora Bora - and the Virtuoso rate is equal to the Best Available flexible rate. Just book through a Virtuoso travel consultant.

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• Daily Full breakfast for up to two in-room guests
• Roundtrip airport transfers
• 20% Discount at Spa Miri Miri
• 4 PM late check-out, subject to availability

I provide similar amenities at over 900 luxury resorts and hotels around the world - and this Starwood $25 resort credit is just another reason to plan your next vacation today!


St. Regis Bora Bora (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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$700 business class round-trip to Paris?

Is it possible to pay as little as $700 for a round-trip business class ticket from Washington Dulles to Paris Orly? Including taxes and fees? According to Joe Brancatelli, the answer is "yes," for a very short-term deal. Check out this deal from OpenSkies. The fare requires a Saturday night stay and is good only for travel in October.

And after you've grabbed your bargain airfare to Paris, contact me to book your Virtuoso hotel in Paris. My three favorite Paris hotels are:

Four Seasons George V (for the absolute best of the best)

Le Meurice (a great five star in the perfect location, with very reasonable rates for a luxury hotel)

InterContinental Paris Le Grand (if money is tight, the Grand is a great value)

At any of these Virtuoso hotels, you'll receive exclusive amenities including complimentary daily breakfast - and a discounted room rate at Le Meurice or Le Grand.


Virtuoso hotel in Paris (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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travel to China

Much of the pleasure of traveling is the anticipation of an upcoming trip … and I will be leaving for China in exactly one month on Nov. 3 (not that I'm counting down the days). Living in the San Francisco Bay area, Asia is an easy destination to reach, Beijing being just a 12 hour non-stop flight away.

Here are some highlights of our trip:

Beijing — the Temple of Heaven, Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace

Xi'an — the Terracotta Warriors

Guilin — ride on a bamboo raft on the Li River, see traditional village life

Hangzhou — Lingyin Temple, drive through tea plantations, West Lake

Shanghai — the French Concession, Acrobatic Show, Shanghai Museum, Yu Gardens

Our tour will be led by Imperial Tours, a specialist in luxury travel to China, and we will have some very exclusive experiences not typically available to visitors - including special access to Chonghuagong, a section of the Forbidden City normally closed to the general public.

I'll be blogging during my trip with photos, reflections on the experience of being in China, and hotel reviews.


travel to China (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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