"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 Muguet, 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!
Travel guide for the lovers of Paris...Let’s
discover Paris with the Parisian eyes!
www.timesofparis.com
SHOP
You can discover all the must-visit shops
in Paris, not only famous brands
but also creator's shops and small concept shops.
EAT
All
the restaurants, bistros and cafés presented
here are tested by our staff
living in Paris. From a casual French to an Upscale one, you can
find the best places to eat in Paris.
SEE
One of the most important things to do in Paris... Sightseeing!
Here you can have the updated information of
Parisian
museums and monuments.
Don't forget to check it out before you leave for Paris.
EVENT
Expositions,
Opéra, Concerts, Theaters etc. There
are so many things to see in Paris. Here we introduce our selection
of the interesting events for you.
PRACTICAL INFO
How can I buy a Metro ticket? Is it possible to charge the battery
of my camera? How do I get around in Paris?
If you have any of these questions, check our 'Practical
Info'.
It makes your stay in Paris much easier, without any worries.
SPECIAL
Special reports about Paris that you will never find in other sites.
Christmas lights of the department store, visit typical Parisian
apartements, interview of the creators...
DIARY
This is a kind of personal diary of Paris made by our staff. Updated
often.
PARIS SEEN BY
Shots of Paris taken by our staff. You can discover many various
views of this charming town.
Paris monuments and hallmarks
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The Eiffel Tower:
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:
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! |
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Church of the Invalides:
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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Sainte Chapelle: 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: 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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