Paris Travel Guide

WHERE TO STAY IN PARIS

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PARIS OVERVIEW

Every corner in Paris is enchanting in what’s widely considered of the most beautiful and romantic cities worldwide. Paris is also called the City of Light (la Ville Lumière). Paris is a top tourist destination due to its huge historical and artistic heritage, its cosmopolitan and vibrant life, its leading culture, fashion and food style.

Paris maintains both in legend and reality a deep-seated culture, history, and irresistible joie de vivre that takes both pride – and distinct joy – in its many highlights. Though the monument-filled  Paris city center that comes to everyone’s mind is relatively small and walkable, that is one of its greatest charms.

While Paris is considered one of the world’s global cities, along with New York, London, and Tokyo, it nevertheless maintains its Old World feel, with as many historical sites and monuments as pigeons in the parks. And if you stop for a bit on the worn steps of the Notre Dame, or in the guillotine’s bloody home, la Place de la Concorde, you’ll see all those centuries of philosophy and revolution start to seep from the pores of its great old stones. 

WHAT TO SEE AND WHAT TO DO IN PARIS

So many so many…but of course let’s start the visit of Paris from the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World Fair), held to commemorate the centennial of the Revolution. 320 meters tall, three levels open to the public with elevators to the top, magnificent view from above.

Then continue the visit of Paris in a row: Pompidou Centre, also known as Beaubourg, all about modern and contemporary 20th-century art; the adjacent Place George Pompidou, a free stage for tens of street performers, musicians and artists; the Notre Dame Cathedral, masterpiece of French Gothic architecture; the Louvre Museum, possibly the world's greatest art museum, displaying masterpieces like Venus de Milo, Michelangelo's Slaves, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

Than very famous in Paris are the Arc de Triomphe, the Conciergerie, the Picasso Museum, the Museum of Orsay, the Panthéon building where Napoleon Bonaparte lays to rest, the Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre which sits atop on a hill overlooking Paris. And the Luxembourg Gardens, the 23 acres large Buttes-Chaumont park, the Seine river, where you can walk the banks or get a Bateaumouch cruise, crossing some of the Paris' top attractions and architecture.

And whatever your tastes by night are you’ll find your place in Paris here: grand operas, smoky jazz clubs, cabarets, an infinite series of bars, theatres, cinemas and clubs, from the most stylish to the most underground ones

GETTING THERE

Almost every road, every rail and every airline lead to Paris, one of the most visited destinations on earth.

By air Paris is served by Aéroport d’Orly, 18 km south of the city  and Aéroport Roissy Charles de Gaulle, 30km northeast of central Paris in the suburb of Roissy, both well linked by public transport to central Paris.More of a trek is Aéroport de Beauvais, which handles charter and some budget carriers, including Ryanair and Central Wings.

By train there are six major rail stations in Paris, each with its own metro station: Gare d’Austerlitz (13e arrondissement), Gare de l’Est (10e), Gare de Lyon (12e), Gare du Nord (10e), Gare Montparnasse (15e) and Gare St-Lazare (8e). Each station handles passenger traffic to different parts of France and Europe.

GETTING AROUND

Paris is one of the largest urban areas in all of Europe, divided into 20 districts called arrondissements, going from 1 to 20 in the shape of a clockwise spiral from the centre of the city (the church of Notre Dame).

Paris bears one of the largest and oldest metro systems and an efficient suburban rail network called RER.

In Paris there are buses too, they are more scenic but can be slowed by traffic. With city sights spread across a distance no greater than 10km, the major places of interest are pleasurably walkable, the entire city can be crosses in only a few hours, and rollerblading is a good options too, as renting a bicycle.

PARIS USEFUL INFORMATION

Language: French

Currency: Euro

Electricity: 220 Volts AC

Area Code: +33 (France) 01 (Paris, drop the 0 if calling from abroad).

Emergency Codes: Ambulance 15, Fire 18, Police 17

Time Zone: GMT +1

Main Tourist Office: below the Eiffel Tower, at the Gare de Lyon train station, at 127 Ave des Champs-Elysées, at 8th Mº Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.

Climate: Continental. Winter can get very cold in Paris, with temperatures hovering around freezing a lot of the time. Typical pleasant sunny days reach 20˚C to 25˚C. Spring and autumn are pleasant and mild.