|
"I love Paris every
moment.
Every moment of the year, I love
Paris.
Why! Oh why do I love Paris?
Because my love is here..."
- Frank Sinatra
|
|
|
Explore Paris
Courtesy of and
Welcome to Paris! This page was designed
especially for you who may visit Paris for
the first time. The idea is to give you
advices to acquaint you with the City of
Light, and help you prepare for this exciting
trip. Read on!
Prepare well for a
stroll
Once you have settled down in your comfortable
hotel room and are getting ready to take
your first stroll, take some time to
dress appropriately.
First, put on a really good pair of walking
shoes to feel comfortable in the Parisian
streets. Walking in Paris means stopping
often to look at amazing details and buildings.
This constant stop-and-go will wear you
down if you aren't comfy in your shoes.
Visiting the Eiffel Tower means waiting
often over 30 minutes to gain access to
the ticket booth, then waiting some more
for the elevator on the way up, and waiting
some more for the elevator on the way down.
So to your feet, a pair of good shoes
will make a big difference!
Parisian weather is fickle in springtime
and during fall: what starts out as a great
clear day can turn rainy and chilly in the
afternoon. Pack a sweater and a rain breaker
if you are visiting during these seasons.
Summer is usually fine (70-85°F), August
is generally hotter (80-95°F). Winter is
rainy and cold, almost as cold as in NYC.
In any case, take your umbrella along,
it may become your best friend -- especially
if you intend to take pictures of everything.
Rain and camera lenses don't like each other.
Street-savvy tips
Now that you're dressed and all ready to
venture outside, here are a couple of useful
tips:
Avoid taking a taxi during
the day, and notably in the morning
until 11:00, and in the late afternoon from
4:00 to 8:00. Streets are jam-packed during
those periods, and seeing the meter run
while you're a sitting in bumper-to-bumper
traffic is a disheartening experience.
Taxi fares: taxi meters
show your fare and one of three letters:
A, B, or C. If you are within Paris and
on the ring outside Paris (the peripheral
boulevard), the A rate applies from 6:00
PM and 8:00 PM, and the B rate turns on
from 8:00 PM till 6:00 AM. When you leave
Paris intra-muros, the driver will turn
on the B rate during the day and the C rate
from 8:00 PM. If you are far from Paris,
the C rate always applies. You will pay
extra for every luggage you load in the
trunk and if you take the cab from an airport.
Don't try to hail a cab in the street too
close to a train station: taxi drivers can't
load passengers within a 100-meter radius
from the train stations. Go to the station
taxi head instead, or further away from
the station.
French people do lunch
between 12:00 and 1:30 PM, and dinner
between 7:30 and 10:00 PM. If you wish to
avoid the crowd, lunch at 12:00 tops and
dine out from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. Restaurants
rarely serve between 2:00 and 6:00 PM.
Having a drink at the terasse
of a sidewalk cafe is a necessary experience
in Paris (skip it between November and March
though,except if weather permits). However,
terasse drinks are often charged premium
prices.
Although they are saddled
with a reputation, cafe waiters are
not necessarily rude: they're just in a
hurry. So don't take offense if they are
impatient with you. Smile and show them
what you want on the menu. They won't return
the smile, but you will get your order quickly.
In Parisian restaurants,
it is not customary for your waiter to come
back to you once you are served to see if
everything is allright: they assume this
is the case. So don't feel you are ignored:
just call the waiter when you wish to have
your bread basket replenished. If you dine
out at an expensive restaurant, waiters
will tend your table diligently. Otherwise,
it won't be the case.
Gratuity: your restaurant/cafe
check already includes a 15% gratuity. If
you feel like giving an extra tip to your
cafe waiter, leave EUR 1 ($.97) on the table.
In a restaurant, you may leave EUR 3-5 ($2.7-4.5,
more if you are in an expensive place) but
again, that's not expected in either case.
Your credit card receipt won't show any
gratuity line.
Armed with these few basic advices, you
are ready to conquer the asphalt. On to
places to visit!
Paris monuments and
hallmarks
| - |
 |
This world-famous landmark was built
for the Universal Fair of 1889,
held to commemorate the centenary
of the French Revolution. It stands
1050 ft high. Admission (elevator
to the top) is EUR 9.90 for adults,
EUR 5.30 for children under 12.
Opening hours: Jan 1-Jun 13: 9:30am-11pm
daily (stairs: 9:30am-6pm); Jan
14-Aug 31: 9am-midnight daily.
|
| - |
 |
Work on the Hunchback's gothic home
began in 1163 AD and was completed
circa 1345 AD. The house of God
can accommodate over 6,000 worshippers.
Admission in the Cathedral is free,
going to the towers costs about
EUR 6. No elevator, people with
a heart condition should abstain.
Opening hours: 8:00AM-6:45PM daily.
Towers: 9:30AM-6:45PM daily. Masses:
8AM, 9AM, 12AM, 6:45PM.
|
|
- |
 |
The Champs Elysees avenue probably
only deserves its nickname of "most
beautiful avenue in the world" for
its lower section, starting Place
de la Concorde and ending at Grand
Palais. The rest of the avenue mainly
features overpriced shops and restaurants
- with a few exceptions in the side
streets. Walk to the Arch of Triumph,
at the top of the avenue, and visit
the 50-meter high structure built
to commemorate Napoleon's victories.
Admission is about EUR 6, and free
for children under 12. Opening hours:
9:30AM-11:00PM daily from April
to October, and 10:00AM-11:00PM
daily from Nov-March.
|
|
- |
 |
The Romano-Byzantine basilica crowns
the Montmartre hill. Its construction
began in 1875 and was completed
in 1914. Admission is free, except
for the crypt and dome (about EUR
5). For a fun ride, go to the Anvers
metro station, walk to "Rue Tardieu"
and take the "funiculaire" (a one-car
train which brings you almost to
the top of the hill). Montmartre
itself used to be a village outside
Paris. The hill is famous for its
architectural landmarks, its artistic
life, and more recently, for 'Amelie'.
It counts no less than 7 museums!
|
|
 |
Its building started in 1671 under
the reign of King Louis the XIVth,
and about 30 years later. From its
inception, the place was designed
to serve as a home to impoverished
soldiers and wounded veterans of
the French army. It comprises the
veteran hospital itself, a church,
several museums, and the tomb of
Napoleon I. Admission is EUR 6 for
adults, and free for children under
12. Opening hours: October to March
31: 10AM-4:45PM, April-September
30: 10AM-5:45PM
|
|
/ |
|
Even today this quarter is associated
with the existentialism of the 1950's,
with Jean Paul Sartre and Simone
de Beauvoir writing at the Cafe
Flore, and with Boris Vian and Raymond
Queneau. The "invasion"
(over the past 30 years) of luxury
boutiques is replacing the book
stores and cinemas from this aera,
although a historical preservation
association has now been created
to preserve that which still remains.
|
|
|
|
Its construction started in the
early XVIIth century under Henri
IV. It was completed in 1612. Initially
named 'Royal Square', it was renamed
'Place des Vosges' by Napoleon I
as an homage to the inhabitants
of the Vosges region who had been
particularly quick to pay their
taxes. The square is remarkable
both by its style (it is lined with
36 buildings, all dating from Henri
IV) and by its shops and its little
park where Parisians like to loaf
on sunny Sundays.
|
| |
Find more comments on Paris landmarks
and monuments at
and
Walking in Paris
Paris offers a number of interesting itineraries
for strollers. You can follow the waterways
(river Seine, , river Bièvre) or the 17-km long
railway transformed into a most surprising
hung some 50 feet above the hustle-bustle
of the city. You can also spend some quality
time in any of the large public parks
which the city counts (Luxembourg, Buttes-Chaumont,
Montsouris, Georges Brassens), discover
the , or else decide to
learn live history and architecture in
areas like St-Sulpice and St Germain-des-Prés.
A lively and interesting
city
This is but a glimpse of the many places
you will want to visit during your stay
in Paris. Guests of the hotel are offered
a Complimentary Pass to the Members
Only section of the Paris Eiffel
Tower News website, which features a lot
more information on Paris.
The Complimentary Pass can be retrieved
from the Thank You page which displays
after your reservation request has been
received by the hotel.
The hotel personnel wishes to be of service
to you during your stay in Paris.
|
