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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 and
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
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
and
Walking in Paris
Paris offers a number of interesting
itineraries for strollers. You can follow
the waterways (river Seine, , river Bièvre) or the 17-km long
railway transformed into a most surprising
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 , 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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