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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.
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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| 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!
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
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.
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