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Explore
Paris
Courtesy of Paris
Eiffel Tower News and Monument
Paris
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!
Travel
guide for the lovers of Paris...Let’s
discover Paris with the Parisian
eyes!
www.timesofparis.com
SHOP
You can discover all the must-visit
shops
in Paris, not only famous
brands
but also creator's shops and small
concept shops.
EAT
All
the restaurants, bistros and cafés
presented here are tested by our
staff
living in Paris. From a casual
French to an Upscale one, you
can find the best places to eat
in Paris.
SEE
One of the most important things
to do in Paris... Sightseeing!
Here you can have the updated
information of Parisian
museums and monuments.
Don't forget to check it out before
you leave for Paris.
EVENT
Expositions,
Opéra, Concerts, Theaters
etc. There are so many things
to see in Paris. Here we introduce
our selection of the interesting
events for you.
PRACTICAL
INFO
How can I buy a Metro ticket?
Is it possible to charge the battery
of my camera? How do I get around
in Paris?
If you have any of these questions,
check our 'Practical
Info'.
It makes your stay in Paris much
easier, without any worries.
SPECIAL
Special reports about Paris that
you will never find in other sites.
Christmas lights of the department
store, visit typical Parisian
apartements, interview of the
creators...
DIARY
This is a kind of personal diary
of Paris made by our staff. Updated
often.
PARIS
SEEN BY
Shots of Paris taken by our staff.
You can discover many various
views of this charming town.
Paris
monuments and hallmarks
| The
Eiffel Tower - Tour
eiffel |
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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.
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| Notre
Dame Cathedral - Notre
Dame de Paris |
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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.
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| Champs
Elysees and the Arch of Triumph
- Champs
élysées et l'Arc
de Triomphe |
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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.
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| Montmartre
and the Church of the Sacred
Heart - Montmartre
et le Scrée coeur |
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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!
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| Invalides |
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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
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Saint
Germain des Pres / Quartier
Latin - Latin Quarter |
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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.
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| Place
des Vosges |
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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.
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Find more comments on Paris landmarks
and monuments at http://www.paris-eiffel-tower-news.com/ discover-paris.html
and http://www.monument-paris.com/monument-selection.htm
Walking
in Paris
Paris offers a number of interesting
itineraries for strollers. You
can follow the waterways (river
Seine, St Martin Canal, river Bièvre) or the 17-km long
railway transformed into a most
surprising walkway 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 gardens of the 14th district, 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.
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