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F CUS GUIDES
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A short break in
Paris
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Of course, Paris has
some of the most impressive sights and monuments,
greatest architecture and art galleries, the most luxurious hotels and
the finest restaurants in the
entire world. You'd think that would be enough for one city.
But the French capital is much, much more than that. There's something
else about Paris, an intoxicating je ne sais quoi, something in the air, in
the light, in the moody, muted colours, that
quickens the heart and lightens
the step.
No wonder this is the world's favourite
city. Forget Paris in the spring. Paris all year round is a joy -
perhaps especially out of season, when tourists are scarcer, prices are
lower, and Parisians have
the place to themselves.
How does
Paris manage always to keep its magic? Rain or
shine, in shabby areas and in the most chic, the French capital is
thrilling. Whether for a honeymoon, a celebration or a birthday
treat, for high-brow culture or wild fun, Paris won’t ever let you
down.
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Paris is today known
everywhere as probably the most sophisticated and cultured of the world's
capital cities, synonymous with fine living, good food and high
fashion.
There seem to be 101 reasons to go at any time. Paris can be enjoyed simply as a
shopping trip, an indulgent celebration, or a cultural feast.
It's the most popular leisure travel destination city in the
world.
More Britons than any other nationality visit Paris, well over a million
a year. The Eurostar high-speed rail journey time from London
makes a short break – even a day trip – very feasible,
especially for those living within reach of the Eurostar
stations at London St Pancras and Ebbsfleet in Kent.
Paris has been often in the news in recent years, and for the worst possible reason.
2015 brought savage attacks by Islamists, who in January gunned
down the cartoonists of anti-religious satirical magazine
Charlie Hebdo and shoppers in a Jewish supermarket, and in
November slaughtered scores of the audience at rock venue
Bataclan, as well as people sitting at nearby outdoor cafe
tables and also attempted to set off a bomb in a crowded
football stadium. France has been in an official State of
Emergency ever since. But the response from Parisians showed the
best side of their city, passionate solidarity with the
victims, angry repudiation of the killers'
bloodthirsty
ideology, swift action in response, and not least, determination to continue a
good and normal life. In 2018 and 2019 a new phenomenon has
disrupted life every weekend - the gilets jaunes
anti-government protests. For a short time after these started, hotel and restaurant
bookings dipped, but they have since recovered as visitors and
locals alike realised - Paris is still Paris.
The Gaul of Roman
times was a patchwork of tribal territories. One such tribe, the
Parisii, occupied sites along the Seine, especially what was
later to be the Ile de la Cité. Tribes formed alliances to
prevent Roman rule, or revolt against it, but all were finally crushed in 52BC. Roman Paris - called Lutetia - was
built mainly on the left bank of the Seine, today's Latin Quarter.
The collapse of Roman rule led to invasions by German
tribes, especially the Franks, who in the 6th
century made Paris their capital. Hugh Capet was
the first King of the Franks, but his kingdom was little more
than today's Ile de France, which nevertheless became a centre of commerce and learning. The Sorbonne opened in
1150.
The Middle Ages was a period of war, turbulence and shifting alliances -
for 16 years Paris was an English city (Henry VI of
England was crowned King of France here). Through marriage
and inheritance, conquests and alliances, the French monarchy -
and Paris - gradually expanded its dominion over France.
From the 17th century onwards, Paris's authority was complete. The
city grew in every direction, many of its great buildings were
constructed, it became Europe's centre for ideas and philosophy,
arts and sciences, and was at the heart of the Enlightenment.
A unexpected result was the outbreak of Revolution in 1789.
After a period of violence and destruction, Napoleon
recreated Paris as a fitting capital for his brief European
'empire'. His nephew, Napoleon III asked Baron Haussmann
to further modernise the city, which involved demolishing much
of the centre to lay out the grand avenues and squares which
typify Paris today.
Paris can be exhilarating
– but also confusing, so it's wise to plan carefully in advance
if you are new to the city. There are hundreds of hotels, some much better located than others.
If you want to see the sights, be sure of a decent dinner and
take in some entertainment as well, it can be best to book a
short break package: these often give a choice of excursions, shows and
dinners. It's worth knowing in advance that
Paris hotel rooms – like those in many big cities – tend to be
small.
Paris tourist office
has a
comprehensive, easy to use website with booking facility for
hotels, shows, etc.
The main tourist office is at 25 rue des Pyramides (near the
Louvre). There are five other 'welcome centers' around the city.
The
Paris Passlib'
is an all-in-one pass that gives unlimited travel on public transport
for 2-5 days as well as free entry to all the main Paris museums,
and includes boat and bus sightseeing tours. Starting at
€109pp for the 2-day pass, it's a good deal if you take
advantage of everything it offers. More experienced visitors
would find it much less expensive to travel around on foot or
with ordinary bus and metro tickets visiting selected sights.
••Gare du Nord – Eurostar arrives at
this big railway station on the northern edge of the city centre.
If you
arrive by air at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, direct trains
into the city also terminate at Gare du Nord, while RER trains
continue into the centre of Paris, stopping at Gare du Nord on the
way.
••Châtelet-les-Halles – This interchange of 6 Métro and
3 RER lines is the city centre's central station, in a
busy area of shops and restaurants patronised as
much by locals as tourists, and within easy walking distance of
the Louvre in one direction and Pompidou Centre in
the other.
••Place de la Concorde – This vast square beside the
River
Seine is the heart of the city. It's close to the Louvre, while
in the other direction the Champs Elysées leads grandly away from Place
de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe.
••The Seine – the
river flows through the middle of Paris; the Rive Droite
(Right Bank) being the more 'Establishment' side, the Rive
Gauche (Left Bank) the more bohemian. In midstream are the
Iles (Islands) where Paris originated.
••The districts –
Just as France is a nation of régions, so Paris is a city of
quartiers, or districts. Hop from Montmartre in the north to
Montparnasse in the south, from Arc de Triomphe in the west to Place de la Bastille
in the east. The Métro travels from one area to another in minutes.
RATP - Paris public transport website: www.ratp.fr
(click Union Jack for English)
Walking is a great
pleasure in Paris. Each district in central Paris is small enough to
be covered on foot, and perhaps this is the best way to
absorb its flavour and atmosphere. However, the city as a whole
is too big to be explored on foot.
The
Paris Passlib'
(see above) includes travel on public transport.
Metro & RER
••To travel from one district to another, there's an excellent, punctual, clean, efficient
public transport system, especially the Métro (5.30am-12.30am),
and the RER rail lines which run from the
city centre to the suburbs.
••A carnet of 10 Métro tickets is useful for single journeys taken
from time to time. The tickets remain valid indefinitely and can
be kept for your next visit.
••The
trains are densely crowded during the morning and evening rush
hours.
Bus & Taxi
Paris also has a good bus service, including a night service.
The "Métro" tickets are also bus tickets.
Taxis are reasonably
priced and there’s no need to tip.
Public bike hire
The sturdy white bikes called
Velib’ are whizzing all
over the city, ridden by everyone from smart businessmen to students to ladies in
twin-set and pearls. At any Velib’ stand (you’ll see them every two or three
blocks), swipe your credit card to pick up a bike. Ride it to any other stand
and simply leave it there. Choose between 1 day (Decouverte) or 7 day (Sejour)
passes, longer-term passes, or opt for V-Libre (occasional or
one-off users) with which every 30 minutes, including the first
30 minutes, costs 1€. In that time you can
get almost anywhere in the French capital’s compact centre.
There are hundreds of
restaurants in all price brackets, as well as simpler
brasseries
and inexpensive eating places, including fast-food outlets. To
eat well at a good price - chose a set fixed-price menu, choose what the
restaurant is best at, and don't ask to vary the dishes.
For gastronomic
dining, consult one of the many food guides such as the
Michelin Red Guide Paris 2019 ('Les Plus Belles
Tables') - 10 Paris restaurants currently have Michelin's
maximum 3-rosette rating, 16 have 2
Michelin stars and an astonishing 90 have the 1-star grading.
Splash out to savour the cultural and historic
pleasure of the city's grand old brasseries. Have a drink or a snack at
one the greatest examples,
Brasserie Lipp on Boulevard St Germain by the
church of St Germain des Près. If you can’t get in, or can’t
afford to, try one of its almost equally renowned (and less
expensive) neighbours,
Les Deux Magots or
Café de Flore. There are
others scattered all around the city.
Paris hotels are numerous and very varied. The
tourist office website has searchable pages on the city's
hotels, and you can reserve rooms online. A few
personal recommendations for where to stay in Paris...
Hôtel de Crillon –
You’ve arrived! This is de luxe
as only Paris knows how, housed in a former palace, and with an
absolutely perfect location on Place de la Concorde at the start
of the Champs Elysées. (A Rosewood hotel)
Hôtel Terminus Nord
–
So convenient! Directly
opposite the Eurostar terminal, with friendly, efficient 24-hour
service and quiet, comfortable rooms. (An Accor hotel)
Hôtel Caron de Beaumarchais
–
Step back in time at this remarkable theme hotel with candlelit
public rooms and gorgeous antique décor and furnishings.
Hôtel du Nord
– Incredibly good
value at this simple, charming place a few minutes walk from the
Gare du Nord. Bikes available free of charge.
The city’s passion for
life continues unabated after dark, with numerous clubs (for all
tastes), music venues, cabarets and shows. The big-name cabarets
offer highly choreographed entertainment and chorus lines. The glamorous night out at
the
Lido, on the Champs Elysées, has a glitzy
new show, 'Paris Merveilles'.
Similar cabaret revues are the
Paradis Latin and
the
Moulin Rouge (inventor of the can-can).
The new
Crazy Horse revue, called 'Totally
Crazy', is the most risqué, but it’s slick, good-humoured, and the
audience mainly couples.
All Paris cabaret
spectaculars offer a choice of
either just seeing the
show, with a glass of champagne, or combining the show with a
meal.
By rail – Eurostar trains
from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord take about 2h15m. The 20-minute automatic check-in,
and arrival in the city centre, make this faster than travelling by plane
from the London area.
www.eurostar.co.uk
By air – There are frequent flights (several
daily in most cases) from London Heathrow, Luton and other UK and Irish airports to Charles de Gaulle
airport (CDG), 22km north of
Paris, with good connections into the city. A small number of flights land at Paris Orly, 15km south of
the capital, most from London City. (Beware that Ryanair’s
services to ‘Paris’ land at Beauvais and Vatry airports, some 80km
and 150km from Paris.) Several flights daily depart from a dozen US
cities, most European capitals and many other cities throughout
Europe. Airlines include BA, Air France, and all budget
operators.
By bus – National Express
London-Paris takes about 8½hrs (9¾ hrs at night). The terminus is
Gare Routière Bercy Seine, a bus station located in the
south-east of the central area, with easy access to the rest of
the city. Fares start at just £12 one-way.
www.nationalexpress.com/
By car – Paris is about 1½ hours
drive from the Calais ferry docks or the Eurotunnel terminal near Calais (take either A16,
or A26+A1).
Google map - road approaches to central Paris.
What's on in Paris - There's always a huge variety of
exhibitions and shows, concerts, musicals, plays and other
entertainment, trade fairs and consumer events large and small
taking place. In addition, the big art museums usually have
one or two major exhibitions of rarely seen works every year.
Click
here
to find current and forthcoming events in Paris
Among regular annual events...
Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival
October 2019 (dates tbc)
Join the locals in a
celebration of the new vintage from the only vineyard in Paris.
www.fetedesvendangesdemontmartre.com
Foire de Paris
27
April - 8 May
2019
Massive annual shopping extravaganza
at Porte de Versailles.
www.foiredeparis.fr
Fête Nationale
("Bastille Day")
14 July every year
Commemorates the start of the Revolution,
so has a special importance in Paris.
Celebrations begin on the previous day.
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The Eiffel Tower
South of the Seine,
and west of the city
centre's other sights, this Paris sights is the most familiar
symbol of the city
and
ultimate tourist
cliché. Which doesn't mean you should give it a miss - going up
the lifts inside the astonishing iron framework of Tour Eiffel
is one of the great Paris experiences.
The 3rd (top) floor gives almost an aerial
view of Paris. From the 2nd
étage you can
identify landmarks and get a thrilling overview of a beautiful
city centre. The newly reconstructed 1st floor, 57m above the ground, has a
discovery circuit and spectacular glass floor.
The Tower is covered
with 20,000 lights that blink on and off during the first ten
minutes of each hour after nightfall until 2 am in the summer
and 1 am in the winter.
The Eiffel Tower is also the setting for two good restaurants, buffet
counters and a champagne bar.
Métro:
Bir-Hakeim, Trocadéro.
www.tour-eiffel.fr
Musée du Louvre (The Louvre)
Though it today contains the world’s greatest art collection,
the Louvre – formerly the palace of the king of France – is more
than a museum. It’s an experience, and to do it justice would
take weeks. The art collections cover the world's art over the
last 3000 years.
Plan ahead! There's far too much to see, so you have to be
selective – if you gave every item just 1 minute of your time and it would
take over 3 months to see everything in this extraordinary treasure
house. Instead, set a reasonable goal: decide in advance what
type of art, of which period, you wish to see. But even a quick visit is rewarding.
The Louvre's most
famous works are, among paintings, the Mona Lisa, and Radeau de
la Meduse; among sculptures, the Victory of Samothrace, and the
Venus de Milo; among historic artworks, the Ancient Eygptian collection.
The entrance is
through a monumental glass pyramid designed by American
architect I.M.Pei. On one side of the Louvre are the Tuileries
Gardens, a handsome park beside the Seine.
Address:
Place du Louvre.
Métro: Musée du Louvre.
www.louvre.fr/
Musée d’Orsay
On the south (Left) bank of the Seine stands the bright,
spacious Musée d’Orsay,
a former railway station, now housing a huge collection of art,
notably several of the world’s finest Impressionist paintings in
a special upstairs gallery.
For many, the d’Orsay building and collections are more
enjoyable than the venerated Louvre treasures.
Address:
62 rue de Lille.
Métro: Solférino.
www.musee-orsay.fr
Les Invalides (Musée
de l'Armée)
The huge structure of
Les Invalides was Napoleon’s grandiose hospice for wounded
soldiers. Its Dome church contains Napoleon's tomb. The building
is now an impressive Musée de l'Armée, or Army Museum.
Address:
129, rue de Grenelle.
Métro: Invalides.
www.musee-armee.fr
Champs-Elysées
One of the city's most compelling qualities is its inspiring vistas and
majestic avenues. The Avenue des Champs-Elysées
is one of the best examples.
The Tuileries Gardens run as far as the gigantic Place de la
Concorde, beyond which opens the immense avenue.
Stroll between its shops and cafes towards the massive Arc de Triomphe, a memorial to
France's fallen soldiers (fine
view from the top).
Before you stop for a
drink at one of the thousands of Champs-Elysées pavement tables,
reflect that their prices, like the architecture, are on a grand
scale.
The boulevard has a special place in the heart
not only of Paris, but of France - here the people come en masse
to mark great moments in the nation's history and celebrate at
times of national rejoicing. On ordinary days, though, it is
crowded, with a lot of traffic. And for the most part, the Champs-Elysées doesn’t offer
real luxe. For that, turn off to parallel Rue du Faubourg St
Honoré.
Métro: Concorde, Champs-Elysées,
Roosevelt, George V, Etoile.
www.champselysees-paris.com
Latin Quarter
The
lively Latin Quarter, or Quartier Latin, on the Left Bank is the low-budget student area around
the Sorbonne University.
In narrow streets and lanes to either
side of the vivacious main thoroughfare, Boulevard St Michel (or Boul’ St Mich’), an
abundance of cheap eateries, jazz venues,
piano bars, café theatres, bookshops and street-fashion
stores keep the place buzzing day and night.
Métro: St Michel, Cluny.
Notre Dame and
the islands
Cross the water onto
the Ile de la Cité – there are five bridges to choose from.
Paris – home of the Parisii tribe conquered by the Romans – was born
2000 years ago on this island in the middle of the river. Now
it’s an island of peace in the midst of the capital. It's covered
with dignified historic buildings. Chief among them the gloomily
majestic Notre Dame cathedral and the much more appealing
Ste-Chapelle
church. Daily flower markets brighten the river quays.
Cross directly from Ile de la Cité to smaller and quieter, Ile St Louis, which –
surprisingly – is mainly residential and has almost a village
feel, albeit with some very wealthy residents.
Address:
Place du Parvis de Notre Dame.
Métro:
Cité.
www.cathedraledeparis.com
Marais
This former Jewish quarter on the Right Bank close to Ile de la
Cité is one of the most fascinating and enjoyable parts
of the city and one of the few keeping some of the appearance of Paris before
the Revolution.
With an intriguing mix of narrow lanes and fine
squares, shabby terraces and splendid mansions, it has changed
from being one of the least desirable places in the city to one
of the most fashionable. There are many listed buildings and
historic 'hotels', one of which houses the Picasso Museum (see
below).
The area has an abundance of good restaurants, bars and nightlife, and a
lively gay scene, while around the
old main street Rue des Rosiers there are a few Jewish
eateries ranging from falafel take-aways to popular restaurants.
Métro: St
Paul.
Picasso Museum
In payment of inheritance tax,
Pablo Picasso's estate gave the French nation this
extraordinary collection of 200 paintings, some 160 sculptures
and more than 3000 drawings, the comprehensive collection
spanning all of Picasso's 'periods'.
Also on display is
Picasso's
own
personal collection of works by other
modern artists. The museum is located in a handsome 17th-century mansion, Hotel Salé.
Address:
5 rue Thorigny.
Métro: Saint-Sébastien
Froissart, Saint-Paul.
www.museepicassoparis.fr
Pompidou
Centre
(Centre Beaubourg)
The weirdly inside-out Pompidou Centre (also
known as the Beaubourg; its full name is Musée National d'Art
Moderne Centre Beaubourg-Georges Pompidou),
although itself arguably a ridiculous, dated-looking
monstrosity, houses the
city's leading collection of late 20th/21st-century art and has
many imaginative exhibitions and events. Named
for the president who created it, the museum's aim is not to be
a "temple of culture" but an open, free, accessible place
bringing contemporary art to all.
Address:
Plateau Beaubourg, 19 rue Beaubourg.
Métro: Hôtel-de-Ville,
Rambuteau, Châtelet.
www.centrepompidou.fr/en
Montmartre
If sleaze can be atmospheric, there’s plenty of atmosphere at the foot of Montmartre
hill, the “Butte” as
Parisians call it, north of the city centre.
The
once-risqué
Moulin Rouge, with its landmark
windmill, is a respectable evening out
compared with the newer offerings alongside.
Montmartre itself, on the higher ground, is a popular, crowded, intoxicating mix
of elegant and bohemian, with charming squares and lanes, cafés
and cabarets. It lives on the memory of its heyday, a century
ago, when it was home to many young painters later to become the
great names of modern art – among them Pissarro, Sisley, Degas, Manet, Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec,
Renoir and Van Gogh. Several
houses and cafes look familiar from their paintings.
The district is full of surprises. For example, it has a
vineyard, in a side street, producing a drinkable
wine. Above it all rises the vast, Byzantine white
shape of the Sacré-Coeur basilica, reached up a multitude of
steps (or, by funicular!), to give the best view in all
Paris.
Métro:
Lamarck-Caulancourt (on N. side), Anvers (foot of Sacre-Coeur
steps), Abbesses (SW side), Blanche (outside Moulin Rouge).
Smart Paris
Narrow, picturesque Rue du Faubourg St Honoré has masses of
charm and some of the classiest shopping in Europe, with Gucci,
Versace, Hermès, and Karl Lagerfeld and several other top
fashion names almost next door to each other. Dripping jewels
and perfume, it deserves a lingering window-shop if nothing
else.
Rue du Faubourg St Honoré culminates in Rue Royale and
Place de la Madeleine, where the greatest of Parisian food
stores – and that’s saying something – surround the square.
There are specialists in truffles, in handmade chocolates, in
caviar, and the queen of all food halls,
Fauchon, where
gastronomic luxuries are stacked high.
Grand Magasins
Head a few minutes up Rue Tronchet to Boulevard Haussman,
location of the city’s famous department store,
Galeries Lafayette.
Unaccountably this seems to have become almost more of a tourist
attraction than a shop, and is jam-packed with foreign visitors
admiring its Belle Epoque architecture.
Classy Left Bank
Nip across the Seine, by Métro or
on foot, to the St Germain des Près district. This is the posh
end of the Left Bank, haunt of Paris society’s most successful,
intellectual or creative elite. There are bookshops, art
galleries, bistrots with white-aproned waiters. Another local
highlight is the city’s oldest department store,
Le Bon Marché,
at 22 Rue des Sèvres. It’s a cornucopia of quality foods,
fashions, gifts and souvenirs.
Markets
Most Paris districts have their weekly or daily markets selling
fresh food. These may be either in the street or in "halles"
–
covered market places.
A couple of personal favourites: the little
gathering of stalls at Rue Buci is in the Latin Quarter, a few
minutes walk from the Ile de la Cité; and the much bigger,
busier market arranged along the cobbles of ‘La Mouffe’, as
locals call narrow Rue Mouffetard, where a sophisticated range of edible delectables
is on offer, while among the shops behind the stalls you’ll see Boulay, the master cheesemaker, and chocolatiers
Jeff de Bruges and Nicolsen.
Dozens of specialist markets focus on
flowers, birds, books, antiques and more.
The postage stamp market is off
the Champs-Elysees, there's a flower market in
Place de la Madeleine (daily except Mon), and a curious
Bird Market at
Place Louis Lepine on Ile de la Cité.
For hidden treasure buried under mountains of junk, rummage in the flea
markets
Puces de Clignancourt (Metro Porte de Clignancourt) and
Puces de Montreuil (Métro Porte de Montreuil), both open
all day every day except Sun.
Malls and
Galeries
The old Les Halles marketplace
was recreated as
the city centre's principal indoor shopping and leisure area. In the
Sentier and Opéra
districts just north of it, explore the more historic version in
attractive covered galeries.
When to go: All year is wonderful except
maybe January (too
cold – and many things are closed). August is hot, but
has its own appeal, as most Parisians are away on vacation,
there's less traffic, and parking is free even in the city
centre. Autumn is the
conference season – so book well ahead at that
time. Best of all is spring and early summer.
Best
add-on: A Museum Pass
allows unlimited visits, without queuing, at the city’s
greatest art museums including the Louvre, d’Orsay, Beaubourg
(Pompidou) and the Picasso.
What’s on:
Pariscope or L’Officiel des Spectacles, from newsstands, are the
main guides to the coming week in Paris.
••Where is it?
In northern France.
••International phone
dialling code:
00 33 (+ drop
initial 0 from local number)
••Time zone:
GMT/BST + 1 hour.
••Money:
Euro (€).
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