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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.
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