Vacation sightseeing tips for Paris

Buy airline tickets for travel to France and you'll be enjoying a holiday in the largest country in Western Europe.

The French capital of Paris is one of the great cities of the world and is a sightseeing paradise. France has produced many of history's greatest writers and painters. And the French district of Champagne gave us...

France is the home of holiday romance and Paris is likely to steal your heart. The country is considered expensive for travel, but read this site for numerous tips on how to enjoy a cheap vacation while sightseeing in France.

Culture drips from the many stately buildings and monuments that line the streets of Paris, a city that has long been an international centre for education and the arts, and a holiday travel magnet for lovers of style.

Even its main university is more than 800 years old!

(Read more...)

Paris vacation tips

Paris, three hours by train from London, is home to about 13 million people.

Most travellers will arrive in Paris via Charles de Gaulle Airport. Take note before you arrive that a taxi from the airport to central Paris will cost about 50 euros at 2007 prices. If the traffic is particularly heavy, the taxi fee could be even higher.

If the Gare du Nord central train station is your first port of call when arriving in Paris, be prepared for a chaotic and confusing time as the station can be bewildering for foreigners looking for directions.

To save money, it's wiser to catch a Roissy bus from just outside the airport terminal. A bus fare to central Paris costs about 8.50 euros. The trip takes about an hour and passengers are dropped off near the Metro at Opera.

If you're flying out of France, it's advisable to get to Charles de Gaulle Airport about three hours before take-off due to the lengthy queues caused by tight security procedures. Avoid carrying anything in your hand luggage that is vaguely liquid and be aware that items such as make-up must be carried in an official plastic bag purchased at the airport - not your own plastic bag.

Many of the best-known tourist attractions in Paris are conveniently located along the Seine River and the city is fantastic for walking tours that allow you to visit plenty of museums and monuments in a fairly small area.

In a nutshell, the left bank of the Seine is the intellectual and artistic hub of Paris while the right bank is home to the business and political fraternity.

Believe it or not, the city of Paris is cradled in an area just 13km by 10km. The city is effectively divided in two by the Seine and has 20 different districts (arrondissements).

Travel tip ... it's much more rewarding and cheaper to walk than catch the underground Metro if you want to fully appreciate the many sightseeing attractions of Paris. Nevertheless, the Metro is a quick and efficient transport service that takes you to most places in Paris. Single tickets cost 1.40 euros at 2007 prices with discounts for block purchases.

"Must see" locations during your vacation in Paris include the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Georges Pompidou Centre and, of course, the Eiffel Tower, pictured above.

The picture above to the right is the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower overlooking the Palais de Chaillot, which extends all the way to the 18th Century Ecole Militaire (Military Academy).

The Eiffel Tower, designed by Frenchman Gustave Eiffel for the Paris Universal Exposition in 1889, took two years to build using the skills of 50 engineers, 100 iron workers and 132 builders.

The French people originally considered the tower useless and ugly. It would have been pulled down in 1909 except that by then it was useful for telecommunications.

The Eiffel Tower is 324 metres high and was the world's tallest building until the early 1930s. In strong winds, the top sways up to nine centimetres. The tower is completely repainted every seven years, requiring about 60 tonnes of paint, and the tower lights flash on the hour.

Elevators and staircases go up the legs of the tower to the second level and a glass elevator is thereafter the only way to travel to the top, providing spectacular views over as much as 80 kilometres of Paris in good weather.

You can climb the Eiffel Tower at night to see Paris in lights, but take warm clothing.

The Eiffel Tower has three restaurants, a post office, numerous exhibits and even a skating rink. Adult tickets to the top cost 11.50 euros at 2007 prices (first floor 4.80 euros, second floor 7.80 euros).

The tower is a highlight of travel in France. However, long queues of tourists wait to buy tickets to climb the Eiffel Tower... so be warned.

A much cheaper alternative is to climb the 59 floors of the 210 metre Tour de Montparnasse to enjoy stunning night views across the city without the crowds. The 56th floor, which has a restaurant, and the terrace on the top floor are open to the public for viewing the city. You can see for 40 kilometres from the top of the Tour de Montparnasse.

Tickets into monuments and museums in Paris can be expensive, although there is usually one day each week when entry is free or prices are cut substantially.

Admission to The Louvre is 9 euros at 2008 prices (plus 5 euros if you want an audio guide). Be warned that queues can be very long at The Louvre and most other Paris museums, one solution being the purchase of a Museum Pass which allows you to bypass the queues and enjoy multiple entry (41 euros for two days, 63 euros for four days and 79 euros for six days at 2007 prices).

Entry to the Louvre is usually free on the first Sunday of every month. Louvre entry tickets also drop from 8.50 euro to 6 euro on Wednesday and Friday nights after 6pm when the museum is open till late.

Take note that the Louvre is an enormous museum and deserves several days to properly see all of its treasures, including the famous Mona Lisa. Most major museums have free access for children under 18.

Cheaper entry to the Musee d'Orsay is also possible on Sundays and two hours before closing time on all days.

About 3 million tourists visit the Musee d'Orsay every year so expect queues. A quieter alternative is the Musee Rodin and a new museum attraction in Paris is the Musee Branly, which celebrates indigenous art and culture interpreted through modern technology. Note that there are about 100 small museums throughout Paris.

Another popular tourist spot is the Pantheon in the Latin Quarter, a magnificent building offering sweeping views over the city. The Pantheon also houses the bodies of Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau, Zola, Louis Braille, and Pierre and Marie Curie.

Again, be aware that there are often long queues to get into major tourist monuments in Paris, the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame in particular.

Near Paris is the famous Palace of Versailles, which enjoyed a 12 million Euro restoration completed in 2007 of the magnificent ceiling artwork painted by Charles Le Brun between 1678 and 1684 in the 800sqm centrepiece Hall of Mirrors. The Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I was signed in the hall.

Example prices for entry to must-see tourist spots in 2008:

• Notre Dame Catherdal: admission free with entry to towers from 6 euros for adults
• Arc de Triomphe: admission 7 euros
• Napolean's Tomb: admission 7 euros
• Sacred Heart Basilica: free admission

The average annual temperature in Paris is 12 degrees Celsius but it can drop below freezing in winter and sometimes tips 40 at the height of summer.

There are numerous holiday sightseeing attractions throughout Paris. Apart from the obligatory climb up the Eiffel Tower, try catching a barge on the 5 kilometre Canal Saint Martin which winds its way through the 19th Century streets of working-class Paris (take the Metro to Bastille).

The cheapest way to see the River Seine is aboard the Batobus, which operates as a riverine bus service including eight stops at key tourist sites. In 2008, a one day pass cost 12 euros (6 euros for children under 16), 14 euros for a two day pass, and 17 euros for a five day pass.

A full day should be devoted to exploring the Latin Quarter of Paris, recommended highlights including the superb food shops along the ancient rue Mouffetard, the Jardin des Plantes, the river edge, the Cluny Mesum and the Grand Paris Mosque. The Latin Quarter is renowned for its late night restaurants and bars. Worth visiting in the Latin Quarter are the National Museum of the Middle Ages, the Arab World Institute, the National Museum of Natural History and the macabre Catacombs.

Le Marais is a trendy area on the Right Bank well worth visiting as it boasts a wonderful assortments of shops and cafes, as well as a multicultural mix of locals including Europeans, Africans, Asians and Arabs (take the Metro to Bastille or St Paul). Famous sites in Le Marais are the Place des Vosges (the oldest planned square in Paris where you can explore the former home of Victor Hugo), the Picasso museum, the Hotel de Ville town hall and the Place de la Bastille, the former site of the Bastille prison. Also highly recommended is the world-famous Rue Cler, a pedestrian street with market stalls on the cobblestones including ham and cheese shops, patisseries and cafes (take the Metro to Ecole Militaire).

An evening stroll along the Champs Elysees is magical and there are some stunning department stores such as La Samaritaine (take the Metro to Pont Neuf) providing free views over Paris that are almost as good as the views from the Eiffel Tower.

As soon as you arrive in Paris to enjoy your vacation, it's a good idea to buy a cheap book with maps of the city from any kiosk or newsagent, plus a copy of the cheap weekly magazine Pariscope to get an idea of what's happening and where.

The underground Metro train system is a very convenient way to travel through Paris. More than 200 kilometres of track service 371 stations on 16 lines, and the system carries an average six million passengers a day from 5.30am to 1am. A carnet (book) of 10 tickets is the cheapest way to navigate the underground rail system, each trip costing just one euro at 2010 prices. Further savings can be made by buying one, two, three and five days passes for various zones.

The famous catacombs beneath the streets of Paris can be accessed from the junction at Place Denfert-Rochereau in Montparnasse, about five kilometres south of the city centre. Be warned that the catacombs are a claustrophobic, grim and long tunnel lined with the bones of millions of dead.

Always popular with tourists, the Montmartre district of Paris has a rich history as the home of artists such as van Gogh, Pacasso and Renoir. It is now a busy commercial district of tourist traps, sleezy bars and strip joints with artists of dubious talent trying to sell their creations to tourists. The district, which has a web of steep lanes and backstreets, is best viewed in the early morning or evening once the crowds have dispersed. Built on the highest hill in Paris, the Montmarte district has spectacular city views and is instantly recognisable by the white-domed Sacre-Coeur Basilica on its summit.

A free walking tour starts at 11am and 1pm each day in front of the fountain at Place Saint-Michel in the Latin quarter, covering all the main sights including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Place de la Concorde. This is a must for backpackers on a budget.

While in France and Paris in particular, don't be slack about your personal security just because of the country's sophisticated culture. Plenty of gangs roam public transport routes watching for travel bags not closely guarded by gullible tourists.

If you plan on visiting Paris for more than a week, it might be worthwhile renting an apartment instead of paying top dollar for a hotel room.

Off-season rates for a single-bedroom apartment within minutes of central Paris are as low as 60 euros a day. With your own apartment cooking facilities, you can save even more by buying food and drink from the city's many supermarkets, where prices are reasonable. Quality French wines are also well-priced.

A cheap but delicious Paresean lunch is a fresh, crusty baguette with ham, cheese, chicken and/or salad (about 3.50 euros in 2007), a slab of camembert (2 euro in 2006) or a bordeaux (4 euro in 2006).

Paris has plenty of great markets with cheap fresh food. Among the best is Rue Mouffetard, which is about an hour's walk from the Seine. Also worth checking is the Marche au Puces (also known as Clignancourt market) boasting more than 3,000 open-air stalls on the northern fringes of Paris which is open from 10am to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays (nearest metro is Porte de Clignancourt).

Although Europe is cold and dark at Christmas, this can be the best time for holiday travel in Paris as hotel fares are considerably cheaper and many Parisians have departed the city for their own holidays, leaving the streets, restaurants and museums uncrowded and quiet. The city's Christmas tinsel is always spectacular and you can enjoy huge discounts at the ritzy shops during their new year sales. Take note that many Paris museums have shortened hours during the cold winter months but you won't have to put up with the summer queues and crowds.

Paris is dotted with small cafes and restaurants offering a hearty two-course lunch with bread and wine for as little as 11 euros, including the service charge and taxes (2007 prices).

Ethnic cuisine from the former French colonies is usually a cheap way to enjoy dinner, the best multicultural eateries concentrated around Belleville (birthplace of Edith Piaf) in the north-east of Paris and Chinatown in the south-east (around Metro station Porte d'Ivry).

Public transport in Paris is cheap but comfortable. A subway or bus ride cost 1.40 euros in 2006 (cheaper if you buy blocks of tickets). A full-day pass cost 5.40 euro and a weekly pass 15.70 euro in 2006.

If you're into the arts, a Museum and Monument Card allows access to 70 of the city's premier sites for a full day at 18 euro. The cards are available at museums and major Metro stations.

If you buy a copy of the Pariscope magazine (40 euro cents in 2006 with an English section in the centre), you can check weekly listings of films, plays, concerts and exhibits. The magazine's music section lists daily classical concerts in churches and cathedrals, and these are often free.

Another way to save money in egalitarian Paris is to buy a Paris City Passport, a 5 euro booklet containing about 300 euro in savings coupons for museums, cabarets, nightclubs, bus tours and river cruises. The Paris City Password is available at tourism offices and train stations or can be purchased online at www.parisinfo.com.

Well worth visiting is the Haute Vallee de Chevreuse, one of France's largest national parks, about 40 minutes south of the capital on the RER B line to the St-Remy-les-Chevreuse station. The park was created in 1985 to protect this rural region from modern development. It boasts about 240 kilometres of trails through the park's 28,700 hectares of protected forests, wetlands and farms. These are dotted with picturesque villages and historic monuments. Landmarks in the national park worth visiting include Coubertin farm, the medieval village of Chevreuse, the Chateau de la Madelaine, Breteuil Chateau, the 12th century Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, and the Abbaye des Port-Royal des Champs founded in 1204.

For a more intimate view of suburban Paris, try walking along the Plantee Promenade - an attractive walkway of trees and gardens, elevated in some parts, that weaves through residential neighbourhoods in the 12th arrondissement on the Right Bank.

Budget travellers might consider visiting Pere-Lachaise Cemetery in the north-east of Paris, a beautiful 48 hectare cemetery containing more than 300,000 graves including the resting places of composer Frederic Chopin, novelist Marcel Proust, writer Collette, actress Sarah Bernhardt, painter Delacroix, Baron Haussmann, poet Alfred de Musset, mime artist Marcel Marceau, singer Edith Piaf and Doors frontman Jim Morrison. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit Pere-Lachaise Cemetery every year. Entry is free, guided tours are available and free maps are available at the cemetery entrance.

It's well worth exploring the Bois de Boulogne, an 890ha public park full of glorious oak, beech, redwood and elm trees. The park has 35 kilometres of footpaths and eight kilometres of cycleways, as well as 29 kilometres of tracks for horse riders. The Bois de Boulogne features an open-air theatre, a folk art museum, the Longchamp racecourse and Roland Garros tennis complex on its border. Another Paris park worth visiting is Bois de Vincennes, covering 970 hectares and renowned for the Paris zoo, museums and lakes.

If you want to see the Bastille Opera on a shoestring, a limited number of standing room tickets can be snapped up for just 5 euro (in 2006). The sales begin just 45 minutes before the curtain rises.

Note: About 5000 homeless people wander the streets of Paris and in July, 2006, the Medecins du Monde charity group erected hundreds of tents throughout the city to provide protection against the winter chill, many visible from tourist attractions including the Champs de Mars and the banks of the Seine River. In August 2006, the French Government reacted by announcing it will build durable 24 hour shelters across France by March 2007, so the "problem" of vagrants at night in Paris may be reduced. The most dangerous suburb of Paris is Seine-Saint-Denis.

Since July 2007, the French Government has supplied thousands of low-cost rental bicycles from hundreds of bike stations positioned around Paris in an attempt to reduce traffic and pollution. There are more than 20,000 bikes at 1450 stations situated about 300 metres apart. In 2010, the so-called Velib hire bicycles were free for the first half hour and thereafter cost a euro for one hour, 31 euros for five hours and a lot more for a full day. Most travellers have found they are great to cycle from one location to the next, return the bike to a stand, and then hire another free bike to get to their next destination. The Paris landscape is mostly flat so cycling is not strenuous, although the historic district of Montmartre is an exception with a 130 metre hill. Abundant rental bikes are also available in the city of Lyon and they are almost free for users, dependent upon time travelled. Bicycle helmets are not mandatory in France.

It might be of interest that Pariseans love their pets and there are more than 300,000 dogs in Paris, their droppings often noticeable on the pavements. Another inelegant aspect of Paris is the tendency for people to relieve themselves in public places, the smell of urine sometimes noticeable as you walk the banks of the Seine.

Note: In 2008, a group called the Paris Greeters has been created to show travellers around the city. About 150 volunteers are available to act as tour guides. No fee is charged but tourists are expected to pay their own necessary transport fares and the friendly guides must be booked at least two weeks in advance because of their popularity.

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