Paris

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Quick Facts

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Population

2.181.371

Metropolitan Area

12.067.000

Land area

86.9 km²

Coordinates

• Latitude: 48.856667
• Longitude: 2.350987

On Travellerspoint

• 16 Paris Apartments
• 6 Paris Guesthouses
• 17 Paris Hostels
• 201 Paris Hotels

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Introduction

Arc de Triomphe

© All Rights Reserved Team DMC

Paris, the capital of France, is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities. Known as the city of love as well as the city of light, it welcomes millions of visitors every year, in reverrence of its cityscape, culture and lifestyle. With museums housing impressive collections of artworks and sculptures, cathedrals and churches intricately designed, palaces lavishly decorated, hundreds of parks providing green spaces and tranquility, list of events that leave one wanting for more than 24 hours per day to fit everything in, and more importantly, the richness of the cuisine found in this metropolitan city and the most sumptuous feast that one can indulge in, Paris is a mistress after one's own heart.

Even Parisians dedicate their lives to be better acquainted with the city. From one arrondissement to the next, each with its own personality (in as much as its inhabitants), each proud of what their neighbourhood has to offer. From historical squares to major boulevards, from ancient temples to modern museums, the city remains dynamic while retaining what is beautiful from the past.

No stay in Paris will be complete without a picture of Mrs. Steel. That is, the Eiffel Tower. The single most iconic structure that identifies Paris to the world, in 2009, the tower turns 120 years old and the occasion is celebrated all year long with special exhibitions, fireworks, and contemporary lightshows on the Iron Lady itself.

For more information, also check the official Paris Tourism website.

Neighbourhoods/Arrondissements

Sunrise at Île de la Cité

© All Rights Reserved lil_lil

Paris is shaped like a snail and divided in 20 districts called arrondissements. The first district is in the middle of the snail. As you unroll the shell (in a clock-wise manner), you will go from the the Louvre to the Marais, taking your time on the side of the River Seine which crosses Paris from east to west. Walk up the Champs-Elysées and enjoy the city seated at the terrasse at one of the famous cafés. Montmartre, the painters and the Moulin Rouge offer another touch to a Parisian visit. Stroll around the narrow streets and appreciate the only vineyard in the capital.

The arrondissements found to the north of River Seine are said to be on the right bank, while those to the south of River Seine are on the left bank. There are two natural islands in the Seine - the larger Île de la Cité where the city was founded, and adjacent to it the smaller Île Saint-Louis. There is also an artificial island Île des Cygnes to the west of the city, where a small replica of the Statue of Liberty stands, facing towards New York City.

The arrondissements of Paris is easily identified in postal codes, which begins with the département number 75. The postal code for the 1st arrondissement is 75001, the 2nd is 75002 and so forth, until the 20th with 75020. Postal code that doesn't begin with 75 is not within Paris anymore but refers to the suburban areas within Île-de-France. (This is of particular note for choosing budget accommodations that claim to be in Paris but has non-75 postal codes.)

Each of the Parisian arrondissements has their own attractions for the millions of visitors that travel in each year. Some of the highlights per arrondissement are:

• 1st (1er) - Louvre: Musée du Louvre, Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Jardin des Tuileries, Place Vendôme, Palais Royal, Jardin du Palais Royal, Comédie-Française, Les Halles, St Eustache, Ste Chapelle, Conciergerie
• 2nd (2ème) - Bourse: La Bourse (the Paris Stock Exchange), Bibliothèque Nationale de France (site Richelieu), Place des Victoires, Opéra-Comique, Passage des Panoramas, Théâtre Musée des Capucines-Fragonard
• 3rd (3ème) - Temple: Archives Nationales, Musée Carnavalet, Musée des Arts et Métiers, Hôtel de Soubise (Musée de l'Histoire de France), Musée de la Poupée, Musée Picasso, Square du Temple
• 4th (4ème) - Hôtel-de-Ville: Hôtel de Ville, Notre-Dame de Paris, Le Marais, Centre Georges Pompidou, Place des Vosges, Maison de Victor Hugo, Tour St Jacques, Musée Cognacg-Jay, Place de la Bastille, Île Saint-Louis
• 5th (5ème) - Panthéon: Panthéon, Quartier Latin, La Sorbonne, St Etienne du Mont, Musée Nationale du Moyen Age (Musée Cluny), Institut du Monde Arabe, Jardin des Plantes, Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle
• 6th (6ème) - Luxembourg: Jardin du Luxembourg, Palais du Luxembourg (Sénat), Place St Michel, St Sulpice, St Germain des Prés, Fontaine de Médicis, Odéon Théâtre de l'Europe, Institut de France
• 7th (7ème) - Palais-Bourbon: Tour Eiffel, Parc du Champ de Mars, Musée du Quai Branly, Hôtel des Invalides, Musée Rodin, Musée d'Orsay, Assemblée Nationale Palais-Bourbon, Ecole Militaire, UNESCO
• 8th (8ème) - Elysée: Champs-Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, Palais de l'Elysée, Grand Palais, Petit Palais, Pont Alexandre III, Place de la Concorde, Musée de l'Orangerie, Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, La Madeleine
• 9th (9ème) - Opéra: Opéra Garnier, Musée de l'Opéra, Galeries Lafayette, Le Printemps, Musée Grévin, Folies Bergère, Musée Gustave Moreau, Musée du Parfum, Hôtel Drouot, Musée de la Franc-Maçonnerie
• 10th (10ème) - Enclos-St-Laurent: Église St Laurent, Église St Vincent-de-Paul, Canal Saint-Martin, Porte Saint-Denis, Porte Saint-Martin, Passage Brady, Passage du Prado, Musée de l'Éventail
• 11th (11ème) - Popincourt: Cirque d'Hiver, Église St Ambroise, Musée Édith Piaf, Musée du Fumeur, Place de la Bastille, Place de la Nation, Place de la République
• 12th (12ème) - Reuilly: Place de la Bastille, Opéra Bastille, Parc de Bercy, Bercy Village, Promenade Plantée, Quartier d'Aligre, Palais de la Porte Dorée, Cimetière de Picpus, Bois de Vincennes
• 13th (13ème) - Gobelins: Manufacture des Gobelins, Petite Asie, Place d'Italie, La Butte aux Cailles, Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) François Mitterrand, Butte-aux-Cailles, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
• 14th (14ème) - Observatoire: Observatoire de Paris, Les Catacombes, Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, Tour Montparnasse, Cimetière du Montparnasse, La Santé Prison, Parc Montsouris, Musée Lenine
• 15th (15ème) - Vaugirard: Porte de Versailles, La Ruche, Musée Pasteur, Musée Antoine Bourdelle, Front de Seine (Beaugrenelle), Musée du Service des Objets Trouvés, Musée de la Poste, Parc André Citroën
• 16th (16ème) - Passy: Trocadéro, Palais de Chaillot, Musée de l'Homme, Palais de Tokyo, Cimetière de Passy, Maison de Balzac, Bois de Boulogne, Jardin d'Acclimatation, Parc des Princes, Musée Guimet
• 17th (17ème) - Batignolles-Monceau: Square des Batignolles, Marché des Batignolles, Palais des Congrès, Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner, Marché Poncelet, Parc Monceau
• 18th (18ème) - Butte-Montmartre: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, Église St-Jean-de-Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, Musée de l'Érotisme, Espace Dalí, Place du Tertre, Cimetière de Montmartre, Musée d'Art Naïf Max Fourny, Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen
• 19th (19ème) - Buttes-Chaumont: Parc des Buttes Chaumont, Parc de la Villette, Bassin de la Villette, Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Cité de la Musique, Canal de l'Ourcq, Canal Saint-Denis
• 20th (20ème) - Ménilmontant: Cimetière de Père Lachaise, Parc de Belleville

Sights and Activities

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower (Paris)

© All Rights Reserved Bakercake

The Eiffel Tower defines Paris.
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognisable landmarks of Europe, if not the world. It is an iron structure, built in 1889 for the Universal Exhibition of that year in Paris. It is named after it's designer, the famous engineer Gustave Eiffel. Standing at 324 metres tall (including the antenna), it was built by 300 workers who joined together 18,038 pieces of puddled iron (a very pure form of structural iron), using two and a half million rivets. It is still the highest building in Paris and one of the most visited (paid) buildings anywhere on planet earth. More than 200 million people have visited the tower since its construction for the Exposition Universelle of 1889 (Location: Champ de Mars).

Notre Dame

Notre Dame is the most famous church in all of Paris and is beautiful. Although the hunchback does not actually live here, this Gothic Cathedral is still impressive. Taking over two hundred years to build, Notre Dame was finally finished in 1345. The church was heavily damaged during the French Revolution but then was restored in the early 19th century. Starting in 2000 a major cleaning effort was done to the west façade of Notre Dame removing centuries of filth mainly from massive industrial activity. This meticulous cleaning process was accomplished with the use of lasers and countless tiny brushes. Today Notre Dame is one of the most popular sights in Paris and all of France. The church is located at 6, Place du Parvis de Notre Dame.

Louvre

The Louvre is one of the biggest and most famous museums in the world. Amongst the collection you find the most famous portrait ever created: The Mona Lisa. But the Louvre is much more that just the Mona Lisa. The museum was opened in 1793, and is one of the oldest museums in the world. Musée du Louvre draws millions of people each year. The museum is located at 34-36 quai du Louvre, on the banks of the river Seine in the Louvre Palace.

The Thinker by Rodin

The Thinker is another one of the world's most famous statues that is located in Paris, it is a bronze and marble statue that was crafter by Auguste Rodin in 1902. Before making this statue, a couple of smaller versions were made. The first one already in 1880. The statue depicts a man who's is thinking, or meditating state. The statue was originally named the poet, as it should be depicting a meditating Dante in front of the Gates of Hell. The Thinker was the first statue by Rodin, that was place in the public space. It was placed before the Panteon in 1906, but moved in 1922 to the present place: the Hotel Biron, which houses the Museé Rodin since 1919.

Montmartre

Famous for its nightlife (the Moulin Rouge is right here!) and for being a gathering point of writers and artists, the quarter of Montmartre is nowadays very lively. Its uphill streets, its staircases and its unmistakable and welcoming cafés make this quarter a destination you can’t miss. Even if the whole neighbourhood is worth visiting, the most interesting place is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, built between 1875 and 1919. The Basilica is accessible through the Montmartre funicular.

Sewer tour

Take a guided sewer tour for a fascinating insight into the history of the sewage system in Paris. Also visit the Paris Sewer Museum.

Museums

Inside the Louvre, Paris

© All Rights Reserved rowdyrobby

• Musée d'Orsay is located 1 rue de Bellechasse, 7th. phone: 01-40-49-48-14.
• Centre Pompidou is located at Place Georges-Pompidou, 4th. phone: 01-44-78-12-33.
• Musée Jacquemart-André is located at 158 bd. Haussmann, 8th. phone: 01-45-62-11-59.
• Musée National du Moyen Age hermes de Cluny is located in the Hotel de Cluny, 6 place Paul-Painlevé, 5th. phone: 01-53-73-78-00.
• Musée Marmottan-Claude Monet is located at 2 rue Louis-Boilly, 16th. phone: 01-44-96-50-33.
• Musée Picasso is located in the Hotel Salé, 5 rue de Thorigny, 3th. phone: 01-42-71-25-21.
• Musée Rodin is located in the Hotel Biron, 77 rue de Varenne, 7th. phone 01-44-18-61-10.
• Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is the largest Science Museum in Europe and is located at 30 av Corentin Cariou, 19th.

Landmarks

• The Arc de Triomphe is located at Place Charles de Gaulle Etoile.
• Basilique du Sacré-Coeur is located at 35, rue du Chevalier-de-la-Barre.
• Church of the Invalides is located at Esplanade des Invalides.
• Sainte Chapelle is located at 4, boulevard du Palais.
• Bibliothèque Nationale de France-Cardinal de Richelieu is located at 58, rue de Richelieu.
• Les Halles
• Tour Montparnasse offers excellent views of the city. The tour montparnasse is located at 33, avenue du Maine.

Events and Festivals

Spring : March to May

• Six Nations, Stade de France - February/March: international rugby tournament between France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and Italy; in 2010 France will play 3 home and 2 away matches.
• Paris Marathon, citywide - April: one of Europe's most popular long-distance running events, it is held annually, usually on a Sunday, from Avenue des Champs Élysées to Avenue Foch via a truly scenic route, first heading eastward to Bastille and Vincennes, then back westward along the Seine towards Trocadéro and Bois du Boulogne.
• Foire du Trône, Bois de Vincennes - April/May: two months of funfair extravaganza (the largest in France), compounded with some charms of yesteryear.
• La Nuit des Musées (Night of Museums), nationwide - mid May: an European initiative, museums are open from about 6pm until midnight for all to visit free of charge.
• French Tennis Open (Tournoi de Roland-Garros), Stade Roland Garros - May/June: the world's premier clay court tennis tournament.

Summer : June to August

• La Défense Jazz Festival, La Défense - June: free Jazz performances at the Esplanade de la Défense, with a highlight of Jazz competition to search for the best Jazz musicians.
• Fête de la Musique, citywide - 21 June: all day and night summer solstice celebrations with free music.
• Fête du Cinéma, citywide - late June: movies/films shown at special discounted price.
• Paris Jazz Festival, Parc Floral de Paris - June/July: several weeks of Jazz at the park, with minimal charge to enter the park. There are also music and dance workshops to participate.
• Tour de France, various route - July: the world's greatest cycling race, culminates each year on the Champs-Élysées. The race runs for three weeks and the final stage that ends on the Champs-Élysées does not usually have any impact on who wins the Yellow Jersey, but it can be of importance in the competition for the sprinters' Green Jersey.
• Fête Nationale (14 Juillet), nationwide - 14 July: commemoration of Fête de la Fédération, with festivities on the Champs-Élysées attended by the President of France and other dignitaries.
• Cinéma en plein air, Parc de la Vilette - mid July/August : free open air movies that start at sunset (10pm-ish), daily except Mondays.
• Paris Plages, along the Seine - July/August: an annual operation that sees sandy beaches set up along the river Seine. It has proven quite popular since its inception in 2002 and now attracts over 4 million visitors each year. It is in place for about 6 weeks in July and August.

Autumn : September to November

• Festival d'Automne, citywide - mid September to December: music, dance, theatre and arts events.
• Journées du Patrimoine, nationwide - mid-late September: Heritage Days take place over a weekend where monuments and sites are open for free visits, with special events, open days and various entertainments.
• Nuit Blanche (White Night), nationwide - early October: an annual all-night arts festival that sees museums, galleries, churches and other buildings throw their doors open to visitors to discover Paris by night for free.
• La Fête des Vendanges, Montmartre - early October : celebrating annual grape harvest (yes, there are wineyards in Montmartre!) with music, dances, food and drinks, and more amusingly Cérémony des Non-Demandés en Mariage (ceremony to NOT get married to your partner).
• Salon du Chocolat, Porte de Versailles - mid to late October: chocolate fair with hundreds of exhibitors selling chocolate goodies, macarons, pastries, ice cream and spices. There are also cooking demonstrations, fashion show (of costumes made using chocolate) and chocolate tasting.
• Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain (FIAC), various venues - last week of October: Paris' biggest fair of international modern and contemporary art.

Winter : December to February

• Christmas Illuminations, citywide - December/January: Christmas festivities begin and main boulevards are brightly illuminated with festive lights.
• Patinoires de Noël, various venues - mid December to late February: free outdoor ice skating rinks at Hôtel de Ville, Parvis de la Gare Montparnasse, and Bibliothèque François Mitterrand (Avenue de France); skates rental available.
• Fête des Rois (Epiphany), nationwide - 6 January: marking the end of Christmas festivities, the slice of the galette des rois from the boulangeries you get may contain une fève, making you a king or a queen for the day.
• Nouvel An Chinois (Chinese New Year), 13th arrondissement - end of January/early February: a celebration with colourful parade, lion and dragon dances, and traditional performances.

Weather

Paris' climate is tempered by the North Atlantic Current, ensuring the city rarely experiences extreme temperatures. The average yearly high temperature is about 15 °C and yearly lows averaging around 7 °C. Summers last from June to August when average daytime temperatures are a pleasant 22 to 25 °C and nights are mostly around 15 °C. Winters from December to February are usually above zero during the day, though frost as night is common, especially in January. The record high for Paris was 40.4 °C, recorded in 1948. The record low was -23.9 °C, recorded in 1879. The city averages 641.6 mm of precipitation each year, with no specific season contributing more rain. Snowfall is rare, usually appearing in January or February and seldom sticking for longer than a day. May/June and September are good times for a visit, as the weather is great and you avoid the European holiday season, especially August when the entire population of France seems on the move.

Getting There

By Plane

There are two major airports in Paris, Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Orly Airport (ORY). A third option, Beauvais-Tillé Airport (BVA) is used by budget airlines, but is located quite some distance from Paris (85 kilometres).

Charles De Gaulle International Airport (CDG) is approximately 25km from Paris, off to the Northeast near the town of Roissy (which is why you will sometimes hear the airport referred to as Roissy). It's one of the busiest airports in Europe, and has hundreds of flights throughout Europe and the rest of the world. The airport is on both the RER B train line and the high speed TGV train line, making it easy to connect to Brussels and several other places in France, bypassing Paris.

Between CDG and Central Paris, these are the main transit options:

• RER B - Paris stops: Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Luxembourg, Port-Royal, Denfert-Rochereau and Cité Universitaire; Duration: 35-45 minutes depending on the stop; Frequency: 10 to 15 minutes; Fare: €8.50.
• Roissy Bus - Paris stop: Opéra Garnier; Duration: 45 to 60 minutes (often more, up to 90 minutes); Frequency: 15 to 20 minutes; Fare: €9.10.
• Les Cars Air France - airport bus which leaves every 15-30 minutes (6am-11pm); Line 2: to/fro Arc de Triomphe-Etoile and Porte Maillot, Duration: 45 minutes, Fare: €15/€24 one-way/return; Line 3: to/fro Orly, Duration: 60 minutes, Fare: €19 one-way (no return ticket); Line 4: to/fro Gare de Lyon and Gare Montparnasse, Duration: 50 minutes, Fare: €16.50/€27 one-way/return.
• Bus #350 or #351 - to Gare de l'Est (#350) and Nation (#351), then served by metro lines 4, 5, and 7 (#350) and metro lines 1, 2, 6, 9 and RER A (#351). 4 standard tickets required for the bus, and 1 additional ticket needed for metro transfer. 1-day zone 1-5 Mobilis may be used, €13.20. (See "Getting around" for standard ticket pricing.)
• Noctilien #N140 or #N143 - for midnight to early morning travel, to/fro Gare de l'Est, 4 standard tickets required.

The RER B is the cheapest and fastest way to travel to Paris and while it is safe in general, care is required particularly for very early or very late rides. Try to avoid empty cars and stay in those with other travellers if possible, as the RER passes some unsavoury suburban neighbourhoods.

Orly Airport (ORY) is located southwest of Paris near the town of Orly. It is approximately 19 kilometres to Paris from Orly airport. Although having less flights and destinations compared to Charles De Gaulle, there are still many flights throughout Europe and also to destinations further away, including quite some flights to northern and western Africa as well as to Mauritius and Reunion and other French overseas territories and departments.

The main options to travel between Orly and Paris:

• Orlyval + RER B - Automatic metro Orlyval to RER station "Antony", RER B into Paris in northward direction; Duration: Orlyval 4 to 7 minutes, RER B 12 to 25 minutes; Fare: Orlyval €7.60, RER B €2.25.
• Orlybus - Paris stop: Denfert-Rochereau; Duration: 20-30 minutes; Fare: €6.40.
• Les Cars Air France - Line 1: to/fro Gare Montparnasse, Duration: 35 minutes, Fare: €11.50/€18.50 one-way/return; Line 1*: to/fro Gare Montparnasse, Invalides and Arc de Triomphe-Etoile, Duration: 35 to 50 minutes, Fare: €11.50/€18.50 one-way/return; Line 3: to/fro Charles de Gaulle Airport, Duration: 60 minutes, Fare: €19 one-way.
• Bus #183 or #285 - from Orly Sud, to Porte de Choisy (#183) and Villejuif Louis Aragon (#285), both served by metro line 7; #183 requires 3 standard tickets and #285 requires 1 ticket for travel between Orly and the specified metro stations. Transfer to metro will require an additional ticket. (1-day zone 1-4 Mobilis may be used, €9.40)
• Noctilien #N31, #N131 and #144 - for midnight to early morning travel, to/fro Gare de Lyon, 3 standard tickets.

Beauvais-Tillé Airport (BVA) is often billed as a Paris airport and used by budget airlines, most notably Ryanair (Alghero, Alicante, Bari, Bologna, Bratislava, Cagliari, Dublin, Girona, Glasgow, Madrid, Marseille, Milan, Oslo, Pisa, Porto, Rome, Barcelona-Reus, Shannon, Stockholm, Trapani and Venice), but also Blue Air (Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca) and Wizzair (Bucharest, Gdansk, Budapest, Cluj-Napoca, Katowice, Prague, Sofia, Timisoara, Warsaw and Wroclaw). The airport is located roughly 85 kilometres out of Paris near the town of Beauvais.

Buses leave the airport 20 minutes after each flight and charge €13 for the 80 minute journey to the Porte Maillot in Paris. Tickets can be bought at the kiosk just beside the luggage carousel after immigration (cash only!) or outside the airport (exit and turn right, and walk straight on). A cab would cost in the order of €120-160 and the small shuttle buses cost around €18 per person.

For the return trip to Beauvais, buses leave Porte Maillot approximately 3 hours before flight time. Be there about 10-15 minutes ahead in order to allow time for passengers to board the bus and be filled. Ticket must be purchased prior to boarding at the ticket counter, and queue may be long. In order to save time, buy 2 one-way tickets upon arrival in Beauvais, and use the second ticket for this journey. Tickets may also be purchased ahead online but must be booked at least 24 hours prior to departure.

(All prices correct as of October 2009)

By Train

The French Railways operated by SNCF has an extensive network with frequent, fast and comfortable connections to almost any of the major towns and cities in France. From the hub Paris, the TGV (high speed trains) run east to Strasbourg, west to Nantes, and south to Bordeaux, Lyon and Marseille at speeds of approximately 300 km/hour. The Corail Intercité and Corail Téoz both connect Paris to other main French cities not serviced by the TGV, but note that reservations are required for Corail Téoz. Corail Lunéa are night trains operating similar routes to the other Corail services. TER (train express regional) is slower, regional rail service that stops at almost all stations along its operating routes.

For youth/young adult travellers, iDTGV is a new service similar to TGV but available at a lower cost, and ticket reservations and purchases are conducted strictly online. Most of their routes are between Paris and the south of France.

Train tickets may be purchased 3 months ahead of travel, from either Voyages-SNCF (in French) or TGV-Europe (English and other European languages) and the tickets will be delivered to the country of order accordingly. However, online purchase and reservation for TER is not possible. Tickets for iDTGV are available more than 3 months ahead of travel.

The Eurostar travels between Gare du Nord in Paris and St. Pancras station in London in just two and a half hours. When booking early, the non-flexible tickets can be quite a bargain compared to a flight. It is also time-saving, travelling directly from city to city and negates the extra time for travelling to/fro airports that are located outside of London and Paris. The Thalys travels fast towards Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne.

By Car

Paris is the focus of all roads that originate and terminate here. The main roads leading to/from Paris are the A1/A16 highways in norther directions towards Amiens, the A4 towards Reims, the A13 towards Rouen, the A11 towards Le Mans, the A10 towards Orleans, and the A5 and A6 in southwestern direction towards Dijon. All of them connect to other routes leading to places further away to the south for example.

By Bus

Eurolines serves dozens of destinations from Paris, including domestic destinations and cities much further away, even as far as Russia and Morocco. The stop in Paris is at the Galliéni International busstation (Metro: Galliéni) 28 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, Bagnolet. It is possible to also get tickets here, but it is better to book your tickets in advance on internet in order to avail of special online rates.

By Boat

There are no direction routes to get to Paris by boat/ferry. A common sea travel route normally involves arrival in the north of France (e.g. Le Havre, Caen, Dieppe, Cherbourg) and subsequent connection to Paris either by rail, by bus or by car. From the south of France, a common port of entry is Marseille.

Getting Around

By Car

It is advisable to avoid driving in Paris, traffic is usually extremely heavy and limited parking makes trying to find a parking space very difficult. Not only that, often the parking space is also tight, requiring an extraordinary amount of skill in "contact parking". Parking fees are also very high in Paris.

By Taxi

Alternatively there are taxis across Paris but finding one is not always easy. It is common to get them either from taxi stands conveniently positioned (usually near train stations, on main boulevards, near major hotels, popular tourist sites) or by asking your hotel concierge to order one for you. Hailing them in the street is possible although if near taxi stands, they most likely will not stop (nor are they supposed to). If a taxi is empty yet unavailable, it's most likely on its way to collect passengers who have rang for it. (Note: don't try to steal a taxi that someone has called for - it's uncool, and you will also be left embarassed when the driver denies you the service because you can't provide the correct name.)

A taxi is available if the whole top of the taxi light is brightly illuminated, a dim light signals that the taxi is occupied. Taxi prices are relatively inexpensive and are an easy way to get home after a night out and the metro has closed. The three little bulbs below the "Taxi Parisien" sign indicate which rate is being applied: A (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm), B (Mon-Sat 5pm-10am, Sun 7am-midnight, holidays all day), and C (Sun from midnight-7am). For Paris suburbs, rate B applies 7am-7pm and rate C applies 7pm-7am. For the latest rate, check this listing.

By Moto-Taxi

A relatively new initiative to allow exploration of the city on two wheels with the service of a chauffeur, the moto-taxi is supposed to be the middle ground for low emission mode of fast transport. For the "privilege" of avoiding the traffic jam and riding condition opens to the elements (e.g. rain, wind, cold temperature etc), be prepared to pay between €50 to €80 per one hour of chauffeured service. The moto-taxi must be booked ahead with companies that provide them.

By Public Transport

Paris has a great public transit system that is ideal to shuttle tourists to the sites. Depending on where your hotel is, you may be able to walk to many of the sites, but some of them areas are a bit of a hike. Services start from as early as 5.00am and end as late as between 12.30am to 1.30am, while Noctilien night buses run in between those late night hours.

Using the metro is an easy way to get around. There is usually a metro station within 500m from any location in central Paris. The map of the transit system can be found at the RATP website. There is an interactive map, and a very handy feature that will allow you to enter two addresses, and it will tell you how to get between them.

While newer metro trains have automatic doors, older ones (as well as the RERs) require the users to either push the button or pull the lever by the doors to open them. Similarly, on buses, there are buttons by the doors that need to be pushed in order to get them opened. Passengers may get on the bus from either the front or from the other doors further back.

There are a number of options for tickets to purchase. The key options are the Carnet (individual tickets in pack of 10), the Mobilis (unlimited 1-day pass) and the Carte Orange Hebdo (weekly pass). Tickets may be used on all public transport - metro, RER, bus and tram. Please note, for RER travels outside of central zone, correct Ile-de-France tickets corresponding to the zones of travel must be obtained. Similarly, bus travels outside the périphérique will require 1 standard ticket for zones 1-2 and an additional ticket for every zone thereafter (e.g. zone 3 requires 2 standard tickets).

Standard tickets can be purchased either as a "carnet" (10 tickets for €11.60) or individually (€1.60). In the carnet, the t+ ticket is valid for one journey and allows unlimited transfer between the same mode of transport (e.g. metro to metro), between metro and RER zone 1, and between bus and tram. Other transfers between metro and bus, metro and tram, RER and bus, and RER and tram are not allowed. Individually bought ticket allows metro to metro and metro to RER transfers, but not bus and tram transfers. A single journey time allowance is 2 hours for the metro/RER, and for the bus, 90 minutes is allowed between the first validation and the final validation of the ticket. The carnet is available from the metro/RER stations, the tabac, and selected newsagents.

For unlimited trips in a single day, get the Mobilis. It is a one-day unlimited pass, and for travel within zones 1-2 it costs €5.90. Please note Mobilis is not valid for travel to/fro Charles de Gaulle and Orly Airports on special airport services (i.e. RER B, Roissybus, Orlybus, Orlyval), even if the tickets correspond to the zones where the airports are situated. The Mobilis ticket is used in the normal manner for metro/RER but on the bus, do not insert the ticket into the machine for validation as it will actually render the ticket invalid. It is sufficient to show the ticket to the bus driver when you board the bus. The ticket must also be dated correctly, based on European date notation - day/month/year.

The Carte Orange gives you unlimited weekly trips (they have a monthly version as well) for €17.20 (for zones 1 and 2). It is valid strictly from Monday to Sunday (monthly version from the first to the last day of the month). Carte Orange in ticket form is being phased out and is more commonly loaded onto Passe Navigo. Ordinary Passe Navigo is only available to residents but visitors may purchase Passe Navigo Découverte at €5. A passport size photo is required for the pass.

A tourist Paris Visite card is also available, for unlimited travel of 1, 2, 3 or 5 days in either zones 1-3 or zones 1-6. This transport pass is expensive to buy particularly for a couple of days and when most travellers stay within zone 1 of the city (e.g. zones 1-3 : €9 for 1 day, €14.70 for 2 days). However, it does give discounts and reductions to a variety of services, which may be of interest to the pass holder.

(Rates for RATP valid from 1 July 2009).

By Boat

A great way to see Paris, is by a leisurely boat ride across the Seine river with Batobus Paris. It runs from February to November, and comes along every 15-30 minutes. It operates on a hop-on, hop-off basis, and stops at 8 locations along the Seine in this direction - Eiffel Tower, Musée d'Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Notre Dame, Jardin des Plantes, Hôtel de Ville, Louvre and Champs-Élysées, before heading back to Eiffel Tower again. There are several other river sight-seeing cruises that operate in full loops with commentary and without the option to get on and off as desired.

By Foot

Paris is a very walkable city and many of the main sights are close to one another that it's often more pleasant to navigate by foot than to take the metro (which normally means getting stuck underground) or the bus (getting stuck in the traffic). Away from the main boulevards, the streets may be small but there'll still always be foot path to walk on. At junctions with pedestrian lights, just walk when the light turns green, because there will still be traffic from some direction which equally have the right to drive along if nobody's crossing the road. At the roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe, if you want to go to the arch, there is an underground passage over. Do not even think about trying to run across, even if it seems quiet without much traffic around.

By Bike

Vélib' is the freebike scheme that has been in operation since 2007, and is now adopted as the model for freebike schemes in other cities including Bicloo in Nantes, Vélomagg' in Montpellier and Vélopop' in Avignon.

Pin-and-chip credit card is required to obtain a temporary subscription to Vélib' and to act as a deposit in the event of unreturned/lost bike. The short term subscription rate is €1 for 1 day or €5 for 7 days. The use of the bike for the first 30 minutes is free. Delays in checking the bike in after the 30 minutes will be charged to the credit card, and the rate is as follow (after the free 30 minutes): 1st additional 30 minutes €1, 2nd additional 30 minutes €2, all subsequent 30 minutes €4 each. E.g. a bike taken out for 1h15m will incur €3 charge; 2h15m will incur €11.

In order to avoid the supplementary charges, the bike should be returned to a station within 30 minutes of the initial hire. After checking that bike in, you may either take it out again or take another one out. This resets the time and another free 30 minutes period begins. If a station is full, enter the required information and you'll be allowed an additional 15 minutes to search for a station to return the bike. There should be another station within 300 metres.

By normal convention, if a saddle has been turned around, the bike is likely to be out of order. The Vélib' is operational 24/7, so it is useful late at night or early morning, when the public transport services are very limited or unavailable.

Eat

Paris is known for its fine and luxurious dining, boasting a high number of Michelin-stars adorned restaurants. However it also caters to budget conscious travellers, with reasonably priced bistrots and small restaurants. As a cosmopolitan city, Paris has also adopted a range of cuisine, both from regional French cuisine and international cuisine. Unfortunately, one aspect that needs improving is in catering to vegetarian needs, as dishes are often meat-based.

By law, all restaurants and eateries in France is required to display their menus and the prices at the window or by the door outside their establishments. Most restaurants have special fixed price menus that make dining out more affordable for all. It is also cheaper to eat out at lunch than at dinner. On a typical French day, it starts with breakfast in the morning, followed shortly by lunch at noon. A late afternoon goûter is common to stave the hunger until dinner at around 7pm to 8pm.

For the visitors, it can be terribly easy to have poor dining experience in Paris throughout their stay, particularly if dining out is constantly at locations close to major attractions of the city. Not only the food would be unmemorable, the price tags are usually hard to justify for the quality received. It therefore pays to search for eateries off the main boulevards, where many of them are usually filled with locals.

For more information, see Eating Out in Paris.

Drink

On Sunday night, club DJOON (Bercy) is considered one of the best nights in Paris. It's a collection of house music, soulful house, deep house, funk and soul lovers. The concept of the party is to start early from 6pm til midnight. It's perfect if u work the following day.

Sleep

Paris has accommodation options for every budget, from camp sites outside the city and hostels for the budget travellers, to luxurious 5-star hotels. A list of the main accommodation include ratings is included below.

Work

Learn

Paris offers numerous opportunities for doing a study at one of its universities. Some of the main ones include:

• The American University in Paris
• Pierre and Marie Curie University
• University of London Institute in Paris
• Paris Sorbonne University

Keep connected

Internet

France has one of the best internet infrastructure in the world and high speed internet access is available in all parts of the city. Most of the hotels and hostels also have and offer free Wi-Fi internet access.

Additionally, the Mairie of Paris offers free Wi-Fi connection for everyone all over the city, of which connection points may be found at parks and gardens, libraries, museums and town halls for each arrondissements. At areas where access point is available, look for the network called "Orange" and select "Paris wi-Fi 2h" pass.

Telephone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The international dialing code for France is +33 and the area code for Paris is 01 (mobile phone has the code of 06). French telephone number is made up of 10 digits including the area code, usually written in a set of 5 pairs of digit (i.e. 01 xx xx xx xx). To dial an international number from France to abroad, the IDD is 00, followed by the country code that you wish to dial, the area code and the phone number.

Mobile Phone Access

The most common way to obtain cell phone access in France, renting a cell phone, is also the most expensive and inconvenient. There are many cell phone rental companies that offer service for France. You will need to rent a handset for the required amount of time plus pay for the airtime usage. Cell phone rental agencies are commonly found in most international airports.

Another option is to "roam" with your current mobile service provider, the rates will be more of less comparable to the cell phone rental option but the procedure is usually less cumbersome.

The third approach, although the least known, is by far the most cost-effective for obtaining cellular service while in France. Basically, this solution is to use one of the cellular providers in France. One of the greatest benefits with this option is being able to receive unlimited free incoming calls from anywhere in the world.

Post

The post office or La Poste in Paris is also referred to as the PTT. The mailboxes are painted bright yellow and often there is a slot for local city mail and another slot for ‘outside mail’. Normally there is a queue in the post office, but most of the post offices have the self service machine installed which is quite easy to operate. Nowadays many of the ‘Tabac’ shops and even some of the souvenir shops also sell postage stamps. Normally an overseas postcard costs almost as much as sending a letter. Mails sent in France also have a zip code. The first two numbers represent the ‘department’. In Paris’s case that would be 75. The last numbers represent the arrondissement.

There are nearly 200 post offices in Paris. They are generally open from 8am to 7pm Monday through Friday, and 8am to noon on Saturdays. Apart from the basic job of mailing letters, most of the post offices do some banking activities also and some even have photocopy machines and cyber cafes for internet access.

The main post office in Paris on 52 rue du Louvre opens 24/7 and never closes. However, the number of services available during the night is reduced to postal and telephone/fax services only, so banking activities (e.g. buying postal orders) are not available until normal operating hours.