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"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
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Explore
Paris
Courtesy
of Paris
Eiffel Tower News
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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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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| Church
of the 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
http://www.invalides.org/
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| Sainte
Chapelle |
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Located on Ile de la Cité, the construction
of this gothic church started under Louis IX
in 1240 AD to house relics believed to be Jesus's
Crown of Thorns and parts of the Holy Cross.
Amongst other remarkable details, the tall stained-glass
windows which are mainly original work. Admission
is about EUR 6. Opening hours: 10:00AM-5:00PM.
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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.
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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