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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.
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.
| | Notre
Dame Cathedral |  |
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.
| | 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! |
| 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 |
|
Saint
Germain des Pres | 
| 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. | | 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
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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