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Sightseeing
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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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