Paris on the 25th

[Abzotech]

I'm playing with the idea of going to France on the 25th when Lance Armstrong roles into Paris. Wife works for NW Airlines so I can fly free, so that's no problem. But my carry-on spending money is very limited. Any recommendation where to stay just for the last stage?

[Dekonick]

I hear the Metro is comfortable...

:rolleyes:

[Tom Robison]

Stay?!...On your feet and party all night long. :banana:

Tom

[Speedi Pig]

I was there for the last day of the Tour last year. Sorry, don't remember where we stayed but it was a hotel near the Gare du Nord (sp?) - that is, the north train station. There were several hotels in the area that I would have to guess would be comparable in quality and price. My father-in-law paid for the room, and we split the cost later so I couldn't tell you how much it cost, but I think it was around a 100 euros a night. It was by no means posh accomodations, but it was clean and included a good continental breakfast...adequate in every way though I would not have wanted anything lesser.

I think we spent roughly 20 minutes on the Metro and then walked the rest of the way.

If you want to stand on the Champs, make sure you get there EARLY. We got there at least 2 hours before the race arrived in Paris to find crowds already 5 deep lining the barriers with probably twice that many more milling around. Watch for pick pockets; they're very bad in Paris. Make sure to stick around for the post race parade and/or victory lap as much of the crowd will leave when the race is over, and you'll get to see the stars at a much slower pace. Sorry to bore you with details if you already knew this.

How long before the race were you planning to go over? Have you ever been to Europe? Would your schedule allow enough time to recover from jet lag before the race? Granted I got a poor night's sleep the day before we left and slept for something like 15 minutes on the plane, but I slept the entire day we arrived (flight came in at something like 8:00 AM local) and felt really hazy for a day after that.

If you can do it, I'd say go. I remember how much my back ached and my feet hurt from standing in a crowd for so long, but funny thing, as soon as the race finally got there, I forgot all of that. I would say it's the most impressive sporting event I've ever gone to (and I've been to the Olympics and Formula 1).

Have fun!!