 Courtesy of
Paris Eiffel Tower News
for the guests of
Hotel Pavia
"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
|
Explore Paris
Welcome to Paris! This "Paris
monuments" page was designed for you, hopefully a future guest of
Hotel Pavia, 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
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.
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.
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.
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
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/
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.
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. |
