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Paris - A perfect day
Just one? Just one single day? Then we don’t have any time to lose..
Get up early, have a coffee and a croissant in one of the many bars (it’s cheaper if you eat it standing in front of the the bar then when you sit down at a table) and head for the Notre Dame. Since it is still early (you did rise early, didn’t you?) you will have marvellous views over the river Seine. When you come out of the Cathedral, you walk around the Ile de France, the oldest part of Paris and head for the Louvre.
The Louvre is about to open now (that means it’s 9:00 AM). You line up, and even though the line may be long, this is worth it. You spend the whole morning in the Louvre to see everything. I know that’s not enough, but it’s all you have.
Now you will have lunch. I suggest that you buy a sandwich and eat it in the nice gardens of the Tuileries. After lunch, we have a walk in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe, over the Champs Elysees. Although you might be tempted to take the metro because it is faster, please walk. You will see more and that’s what you are here for after all. On your way, you pass the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais.
You’ve seen him all day from a distance but now you can go up: The Eiffel Tower. It offers some great views over Paris and is a building not to be missed. Take the elevator because you’ve done quite a bit of walking already.
It will be quite late already when you go down. However, we still have to do a few things. The Hotel des Invalides is between you and the Quartier Latin, where we will spend the rest of the evening, so you might consider visiting the hotel before moving on to the QL.
Wander through the small streets of the QL and st. Germain des Pres. Small boutiques, antique shops and book sellers fill the maze of streets. When you get hungry, sit down in one of the many restaurants in the Quartier. May I suggest Lebanese food? Well, you can decide for yourself.
Now have a coffee and a stroll to digest. Walk up to the Pantheon and sit outside the Jardin du Luxembourg. You must be exhausted. Well, I told you one day wouldn’t be enough. There are so many things you haven’t seen yet….
Paris - Practical Information
Tourist offices:
Main office: 127, Avenue des Champs-Elysees. They have maps and metro leaflets, open daily 9am 8pm. For more information call: +33 (0)1 49 52 53 54 or see www.paris-touristoffice.com. There is an annexe of the tourist office at the Gare de Lyon (Mon - Sat 8am - 8pm) and a seasonal office by the Tour Eiffel (May -Sept. 11am- 6pm).
Emergency phone numbers:
Police: 17
Ambulance: 15
Fire: 18
Hospital:
SOS-Medecins, Tel. 01 47 07 77 77 or 01 43 37 77 77. They have 24hr medical help.
Post office:
Main office: 52 rue du Louvre, open daily 8am - 7pm
Paris - Shopping
If Paris had no monuments, it would still be great to go there just for the shopping. No other town has so many exquisite shops and so many well-known designers. Well, let’s face it: there is only one Paris. Here are some of the main shopping places.
Paris - Eating Out
France is famous for its food. Paris has an huge choice of restaurants, ranging from the very luxurious and expensive to the very quaint, cheaper restaurants in the Quartier Latin and more than one hundred MacDo’s where -indeed- they serve beer.
Most French restaurants have special price three course menu’s, but often the cheap prices advertised outside are for lunch only. Prices for dinner are always a bit more expensive. When you are on a budget, you might consider having a warm lunch and sandwiches for dinner.
Note: Paris does not have as much choice for vegetarians as other European capitals. Of course you can always have pizza, or have a Lebanese Mezze in the Quartier Latin, but I find it hard to find good, genuine French vegetarian restaurants. Any suggestions are welcome.
Paris - Accommodation
Although Paris is expensive in many ways, it has a good choice of cheap, decent hotels, when compared to other European cities. We have divided the hotels into three categories: sleep cheap for those costing up to 25 dollars a night for a single, mid range for those costing about twice as much as that, and first class for the rest. In the expensive category we have tried only to mention those who are actually worth that extra amount of money.
Paris - Sights
Paris has more sights than can be visited in one trip. Here we show a menu of all the different possibilities. Check out Museums - in any case be sure not to miss the Louvre, but the centre Pompidou, the Musee Rodin and the Musee d’Orsay also deserve special attention.
The beautiful Churches among them the Notre Dame and the Sacre Coeur with its great views over the city should be on every itinerary.
The famous Landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe are absolute highlights npo traveler would want to miss.
If you are a bit tired of all that you can relax in one of the many parks .
Paris - Getting Around
There are dozens of ways to get to and from Paris’ airports from rapidfire shuttle trains to the standard assortment of pokey public buses private shuttles and taxis. There’s even a bus that runs solely between the two airports. Say what you will about driving around Paris the city’s public transportation is world class.
The most charming of Paris’ public transport options the underground Métropolitain (and its sister system the RER) is a simply massive network. No matter where you are chances are there’s a metro station within a few blocks. Likewise the public bus system runs everywhere but its hours are laughable and don’t even try to hop aboard on Sunday or a holiday. The Noctambus network takes over in the heavily trafficked areas once both the underground and the day buses go to sleep.
In case you hadn’t guessed it driving around Paris is a job best reserved for the terminally aggressive - if you don’t have lots of time to kill you’re better off taking public transport. Likewise with bicycles: Parisians don’t much like to share the road and bikes aren’t allowed on the metro.
For visitors on their first trip to Paris the Batobus offers an excellent way of seeing a number of major sights from the river.
Paris - Nightlife and Entertainment
Paris by night can be a whole lot more than a bus tour to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe…
La Java
Live Latin bands followed (Thu - Sat) by DJ’s playing Latin-American Sounds. Older, energetic and friendly crowd.
address: 105, rue du Fauburg-du-Temple, 11e arr.
Moulin Rouge
On the 6th of October 1889, at the foot of the Montmartre, a new music hall in Paris opened its doors: The Moulin Rouge (Red Mill). Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler have every reason to be content. From the first day onwards, their “Palais des Femmes” is a great success.
Rich businessmen, artists such as Toulouse Lautrec and young men out to see a spectacle have gathered here ever since. Today, the Moulin Rouge still does good shows and decent dinners (albeit pricey) are served. The atmosphere has something of a tourist trap, but well, there is only one real Moulin Rouge, and this is it.
Show dinner 8pm, show 10pm, midnight, daily. Admission show, champagne 450F; with dinner 750F. Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V.
hendrickx : don’t know lah.
address: 82 blvd de Clichy, 18th arr. tel: 01.53.09.82.82.
Notre Dame Cathedral
The only way to really grasp the magnificence of the Notre-Dame cathedral and towers and view it in its entirety is to catch a glimpse of it from a bridge across the Seine. The size and scope of this almost 800-year-old church are inspiring, the two towers stretching to reach the sky above the main entrance to the cathedral.
Bishop Maurice de Sully laid the first stone of the Notre-Dame in 1163. Age shows on the darkened stones of the Gothic structure, and the dimly lit interior of the cathedral speaks to the centuries the faithful have worshipped here. As you walk around the cathedral, purchase a guidebook to point out the highlights and their significance. The church organ here is one of the biggest in the world, with 113 stops and 7800 pipes. Rose windows in the cathedral show intricately designed stained glass. Carved wood panels created during the 14th century should not be missed.
Outside the cathedral, a line forms to enter the towers around the side of the building. After climbing 387 narrow, spiral steps, you’ll be treated to a panoramic view of the city of Paris, the church’s steeple and flying buttresses. The walk outside up here, gives you an up-close-and-personal view of the many gargoyles and assorted other creatures grimacing menacingly from their stone perches.
The belfry of the south tower leads up to the cathedral’s largest bell, called Emmanuel, Ludovic, Marie-Thérèse. It weighs over 13 tons, plus the weight of the clapper – 500 kilograms, and the one-and –a-half ton beam. The bell was cast in the 17th century, and rings on important religious occasions.
Address: 6 place du Parvis Notre-Dame
Avenue des Champs-Elysees
The most famous street in Paris was built in the 17th century, but did not attract fashionable society until after the French Revolution. The avenue extends from the Arc de Triomphe at one end to the Place de la Concorde at the other. During the day, you’ll find fast-food joints and chain stores along with fine dining establishments and expensive boutiques. At night, clubs and cabarets pulse with life as crowds walk both sides of the street.
Famous marches, celebrations and events have taken place down its length – something to ponder over a cup of coffee at one of the outdoor cafés lining the street. The Avenue des Champs-Elysees is the perfect place to people-watch, even if many of those hurrying along are tourists. Plan on spending part of a day here before heading over to the Arc de Triomphe and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The Champs-Elysées is used for all the major celebrations. This is where Parisians celebrate New Year’s Eve and where the military parades are held on the 14th of July. Historic national events, like the Liberation at the end of the second World War or the victory in
the World Cup football were also celebrated on this wide avenue.
The lastest redesign of the prestigious avenue was done in 1994 by Bernard Huet. The side lanes were converted into pedestrian zones, an underground parking lot was created and new trees were planted. Cars now only occupy half the width of this grand Avenue.
Address: 127 Champs Elysées
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