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Paris - is Bastille Day the best / worst time to go....

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  • Paris - is Bastille Day the best / worst time to go....

    As per thread title....

    SHMBO has her Birthday on Bastille Day ( July 14 ).

    I'm Thinking of having her Birthday in Paris.

    Any body got any experience on whether this is a good time to do it. Ie too crowded, too hot, expensive hotel rates or fabulous fun great food and partying etc etc.

    Thanks

    HVB
    HVB

  • #2
    My SWMBO was also born on Bastille Day. Took her to Paris a few years back for her birthday. We had dinner on the 13th at Jules Verne (top of Eiffel Tower). I think bookings opened 6 mths in advance (may have been 3). I booked the 9:00 pm sitting. We had a window table overlooking Montmatre. It was still daylight when we arrived & we got to see Paris lighting up. Later on, the fireworks started all around - it was unforgettable.

    I would have booked 58 Tour Eiffel (the one half way up), but at that time you could only book in advance by more than a few weeks if you did a combined meal/river cruise deal.

    On Bastille day itself, nothing is open & the Champs-Élysées is packed up to 20 deep until well after the parade. Also, the Arc de Triomphe metro station is closed all morning. You get a better view of the parade on TV.

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    • #3
      JGM

      Thanks for the post.

      Do they have fireworks on the eve of Bastille Day not on the night itself?
      Also curious why you would have preferred the restaurant half way up the tower. Is it a better quality or is the view better?

      You've convinced me its a good idea.....booked to arrive CDG 10 july leaving 24 july.

      hvb
      HVB

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      • #4
        Originally posted by hvb View Post
        JGM

        Thanks for the post.

        Do they have fireworks on the eve of Bastille Day not on the night itself?
        Also curious why you would have preferred the restaurant half way up the tower. Is it a better quality or is the view better?

        You've convinced me its a good idea.....booked to arrive CDG 10 july leaving 24 july.

        hvb
        Fireworks on both. Seems to be the "official" display on the day, but the sky was full of them on the 13th. 58 Tour is a LOT cheaper - the credit card took quite a hit at Jules Verne. But for the experience of a lifetime it was worth it.

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        • #5
          Pay attention to how the 14th falls relative to the weekend. Europeans like to turn holidays into long weekends. One year I was driving for a week in the French countryside and had a flight the morning of the 15th, so i booked a hotel near the airport for the 14th. This was a Monday and traffic returning to the Paris area was a total mess.

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