I need suggestions on how to go about getting reasonably priced air tickets. Is it cheaper to arrive and depart from the same airport or can we fly into Luxembourg and fly out of Paris? Is it cheaper to fly weekdays or weekends?

We are thinking about renting a car because we want to do some visiting from Luxembourg and then some countryside viewing in France. The problem is Paris. Would we be best off to do the driving first and then get rid of car before Paris?

Does anyone have any suggestions for nice/fun/reasonable hotels/places to stay in Paris? We are going with our 2 daughters (14 and 16).

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Definitely get rid of the car before you get to Paris, driving there is maddening and parking is impossible. You can buy subway passes that will get you everywhere you want to go in Paris. You might consider dropping the car and then going into Paris by rail.

There are so many hotels to choose from in Paris it can make your head spin. A very general rule of thumb is that the further you are from the Eiffel Tower and Place de Concorde the lower the cost seems to be. On our last visit we stayed up by the Opera in a small hotel, the Florida, it was clean and sufficient but nothing fancy. I hesitate to recommend it since our visit was many years ago, but looking up in that area will save you many $$$.

My sister and I went almost two years ago, and stayed at the Hotel Observetoire-Luxembourg, in the 6th arrondisement, right across from the Luxembourg gardens. It was a lovely hotel, but a bit pricey. I loved it, though. We splurged because I had just gotten out of the hospital and my sister had a small baby.

Here is the URL for a list of "charm hotels" in Paris. Some look fairly inexpensive, and you might find something there.

Have a great time - I can't wait to go back!