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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 Sightseeing
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!
Paris Sightseeing
SHOP
You can discover all the must-visit Paris Sightseeing, not only famous brands
but also creator's shops and small concept shops.
EAT
Paris Sightseeing 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 Paris Sightseeing.
Don't forget to check it out before you leave for
Paris.
EVENT
Paris Sightseeing. 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 'Paris Sightseeing'.
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!
http://www.tecnilog.com/cartes/
cpa/montmartre/mont.htm
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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 Paris Sightseeing.
Walking in Paris
Paris offers a number of interesting itineraries
for strollers. You can follow the waterways (river
Seine, Paris Sightseeing, river Bièvre) or the 17-km long
railway transformed into a most surprising Paris Sightseeing 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 Paris Sightseeing, 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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