Go to Paris! It is a wonderful city, full of cultural places, good food, exciting shopping possibilites and gives all sort of wonderful surprises. You got to have a map or a guide of Paris. The Guides Cartoville Gallimard, published in many languages, are very handy and provide sufficient info of Paris. You can also get free maps of Paris at the airports and train stations.

How to get around

There are many ways to get to the best places in Paris. The public transport as the Metro trains is good: it is cheap, it is efficient and you can mostly rely on it. But you should also try to walk around! Paris is not that big and it is in fact possible to see the highlights in the central of the capital by walking.

There are other exciting ways to go around like using the riverboats. There are riverboat shuttle service on the Seine, for instance if you want to reach the various quarters of the capital and have different views of Paris. You can board at any of 8 stops in central Paris as and when you please. Have a look at www.batobus.com, which offers info in 5 languages!

You can also explore Paris from an open top deck bus. The Paris l’Open Tour has 4 routes and 50 bus stops. There are guides who commentary in 8 languages! Have a look in www.paris-opentour.com

Why not take a city tour by coach. Paris Vision Tour offers city tours as well as cruises on the Seine to see the main buildings in Paris. They have many different offers, and some of them also include lunch. They even offer a Da Vinci Code Tour and a guided visit of the Louvre Museum. And they promise: No queuing with Paris Vision! They are all guided. www.parisvision.com

Paris Visite is the travel pass for exploring Paris and its region by metro, bus or train. The travel pass also offers exclusive reductions on admission to numerous places of inters around Paris. You can buy it at all principal metro stations. www.parisvisite.com.

The museums
Paris has many museums like the famous Louvre, the Museum d’Orsay, Picasso Museum and many many more. You can buy a pass, which gives you access to over 60 museums and monuments. There are three options to choose from: 2, 4 or 6 days. A 2-day pass cost (January 2007) 30 Euro. You can buy the pass at the participating museums or in the Paris Tourist Office in Rue des Pyramids. With the Paris Museum Pass you gain free entry and as many times as you wish. And nearly best of all: without queuing. www.parismuseumpass.fr

The food

Once French General de Gaulle said: “How can you expect to govern a country which has 366 different types of cheese?” Well, I am sure there are even more now nowadays, it is really exciting what you find in the fromageries as well as in a just plain supermarket. But not only “fromages” but also wine, pastries, bread – ah Paris has it all. Wine merchants, fromageries, charcuteries, patisseries and greengrocers – you find them everywhere and they make Paris even more attractive.

You can taste The French cuisine everywhere. There are cafes and bistros and brasserie and restaurants and you can easily find the good authentic French cuisine. Look at the menus hanging outside the places, look into the places and you see what you get. If the place is crowded, be sure it is good – indeed also if you find the local people there.

Entertainment

Paris is also fun and joys in other ways. If you want to watch a cabaret or a dancing show, go to The Lido on Champs-Elysees – oh la la. You can make reservation on www.lido.fr. The web site has an English version. You can also enjoy cabarets at the famous Folies Bergère, www.foliesbergere.com, and ballets s at the Paris Opéra. There are many choices of listening to concerts at the Opéra national de Paris at Place de la Bastille, www.operadeparis.fr

Shopping

Paris is a shopping heaven, however much or small money you have. There are many big department stores in Paris, as for instance Samaritaine. An other one is Grand Magasin Printemps. It is possible to have a 10% discount card for this shop – it goes with the free map of Paris you can have in the airports and in the train stations. Printemps is also the place where you can watch a free fashion show every Tuesday at 10 am. There are 8 restaurants and they claim they have the biggest beauty department in the world! www.printemps.com/international

An other very famous department store is Galeries Lafayette. Find out of more on www.galerieslafayette.com

Books and music you will find in the huge FNAC and Virgin Megastore. There are so many other bookstores, boutiques, and art exhibitions, as well as flea markets in Paris. I told you Paris is fun and joy!

The Parisians

Well, some people say the Parisians do not have a very good reputation for being welcoming foreigners, but it is not true. If you meet them with a smile and say in your very best French: “Bonjour” you are treated with smile and politeness.

There are several Office du Tourisme in Paris. The main welcome center is in 1-25, rue de Pyramides, but you also find them in Gare du Nord and Gare du Lyon and other places. Info of Paris you find on the web site – in 8 languages, also in Chinese: www.parisinfo.com

More info

The Paris Times is a free monthly magazine, which offers fresh insights into life in Paris”. You can also get info from their web site on www.theparistimes.com. And it is in English!

Do not forget: the French government bans smoking in public spaces. You can risk a 68-euro-fine. So now this new decree ensures that all public sites like offices, stores, hospitals and schools will be smoke-free by February this year! And last info to your: do remember: next door to Paris you find Disneyland!

More web sites

Street maps and directions in Paris (and all of France): www.mappy.fr - it is in 12 languages!
France weather forecasts: www.meteofrance.com
Theater locations, movie times and film reviews: www.allocine.fr
Translation dictionary: www.wordreference.com
Bonjour Paris: www.bonjourparis.com
The Eiffel Tower: www.tour-eiffel.fr