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Courtesy
of Paris
Eiffel Tower News and Monument
Paris
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
| 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!
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| 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
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Saint
Germain des Pres / Latin Quarter |
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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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| 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
and http://www.monument-paris.com/monument-selection.htm
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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