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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!
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 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.
Go to our page on the Louvre Museum.
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