Courtesy of Paris Eiffel Tower News for
the guests of Hôtel Forum Val de Loire
"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
Welcome to
Paris! This "Paris monuments" page was designed for you, hopefully
a future guest of Hôtel Forum
Val de Loire, who may visit Paris for
the first time. The idea is to give you pieces of advice 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
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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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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:
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:
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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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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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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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. |
Find more
comments on Paris landmarks and monuments at www.paris-eiffel-tower-news.com.
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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