Crowded with people, chock-a-block with attractions and crammed with tempting activities day and night, the ‘premiere arrondissement de Paris’ is unquestionably the city’s hot spot and fashionable area.Being the geographical centre of Paris and a major transport hub through which most metro and RER lines…Read More

Crowded with people, chock-a-block with attractions and crammed with tempting activities day and night, the ‘premiere arrondissement de Paris’ is unquestionably the city’s hot spot and fashionable area.

Being the geographical centre of Paris and a major transport hub through which most metro and RER lines are routed, it is essentially a place that brims with numerous iconic and historic landmarks and with quite a few of the world’s most visited tourist sites. The Louvre, which is perhaps the most elegant and artistic museum of fine arts in the world lies within the first district. The Royal Palace located opposite the north wing of the Louvre and embellished with landscaped gardens, colonnaded archways and wonderful architecture is a major attraction for history buffs.

Contrasting strongly with all this Parisian ethos and refinement stands a thirty-year old underground shopping centre that is distinctly different from other building structures within the first district. Known as the Forum des Halles, it is a massive and colourful shopping mall filled with trendy fashion stores, food markets, restaurants, cafes and entertainment spaces.

All this seems familiar. However, one has to consider as well the distinctive and controversial outside architecture of Les Halles to determine whether this project was a success and an enrichment or a failure and a calamity to the city centre. Initiated in 1971 when the former old marketplace was demolished and completed in 1986 when it was opened with great fanfare, it has been in the mouth of Parisians ever since.

One elegant ‘Parisienne’ referred to this project as a stopgap, a filling-up structure intended to hide the big hole that remained when the traditional central market was demolished. Another Parisian lady informed me that some shops have closed up while others intend to close in the future. "Go inside" she said, "and check for yourself. La plupart des magasins sont vacants ou fermes, n’est-ce pas?" But why? Paris is not an underground city and Parisians prefer to buy from small specialized street-level shops rather than from characterless department stores. The adjacent Rue Saint Honore filled with luxury boutiques that sell cutting-edge fashion brands of international renown is a case in point.

A senior citizen whom I met in the below-street-level open-air central area reading Le Monde was less critical of the project. He said that rightly so, the shopping mall was intended to hide the metro traffic further down. With a sigh of relief, he added that within the whole city of Paris, there’s no better place to relax and enjoy the summer shade than on a seat within one of the three recreational areas of Les Halles.

I have visited the majestic Forum des Halles several times since its opening in 1986. The number of elegant shops, chic boutiques and first-class traditional restaurants that formerly embellished the shopping mall are gradually becoming less and far between; in most cases, they are being taken over by fast-food outlets. High quality design clothing stores and charming bourgeois cafes that were frequented by locals and tourists alike are giving way to poor quality clothing outlets and gastronomic tourist traps.

However, throughout all these years of commercial activity, one thing has remained intact. It is the avant-garde architectural design that stands as a breathtaking evidence of the artistic skill of Jean Willerval who was responsible for the plan and implementation of the ground level structure. Love it or hate it, praise it or criticize it, Jean Willerval’s design stands out for its uniqueness and originality. Consisting mostly of rows of orderly web-like concrete curvatures that twist and straighten again to form huge archways that are pleasing to the eye and architecturally unique, the structure is more aesthetically artistic than functional. The recreational outdoor spaces thrown in to complement the whole structure are dotted here and there with modern artistic sculptures that add to the exquisite design of the area.

Architecturally unique and pleasing as it is, Les Halles has not succeeded in fulfilling the delicate character of the people of Paris. Some have called it a steel-and-glass mushroom, others referred to it as a bombastic jungle of concrete while others used the traditional nickname of ‘le ventre de Paris’, the latter being a reference to Emile Zola’s novel with the same name set within the walls of the old marketplace in the 19th century.

The days of Les Halles as we know it are counted since a new architectural design intended to renew the area is in the pipeline. It is said that a huge glass canopy will protect the new recreational outdoor areas in view of making them usable day and night both in summer and winter. One has to wait quite a few years to see how this major renewal project will proceed and affect the architecture and functionality of the area. Parisians will undoubtedly comment on the outcome.

Even if Les Halles is not your Paris favourite or you regard its architecture as nothing more than a tangle or maze of jumbled concrete pillars, the area in its close vicinity and within walking distance incorporates several redeeming factors that offer visitors a blend of historic and modern works of art.

One structure that will unquestionably satisfy your crave for anything historical is L’Eglise Saint Eustache, a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. Located a stone’s throw from Les Halles and detached from its ground level by a small landscaped garden, it is a magnificent edifice whose lacy exterior architecture complements the detailed conglomeration of its interior Renaissance decorations. Parisians are proud of their historical heritage and they consider L’Eglise Saint Eustache as a monumental edifice few other churches in the world can surpass with regards to architectural magnificence. However, it is rarely advertised in tourist brochures although it encloses in a nutshell a diverse range of rich architectural styles and historical artefacts. In addition to this, consider visiting the church on a Sunday evening when you can enjoy a free organ recital of church music played on the largest and most elaborate church organ in France. I found a graffiti written in French on a garden wall near the church on Place Rene Cassin. It read like this:
"Plus d’une eglise, ce monument historique est un palais de fees."

Also within walking distance of Les Halles but on the opposite side of Boulevard de Sebastopol lies the answer to Madrid’s Reina Sofia, the most exquisite museum of contemporary art in Spain.

Named after the ex-prime minister and later president of France Georges Pompidou, it stands for all that is modern and radical in Paris and symbolizes change, creativity and innovation. Georges Pompidou, long gone, is immortalized through this ‘grand project’ of modernism and originality.

On looking at the huge front elevation of the structure from Place Georges Pompidou, one gets mixed feelings about its queer and peculiar architecture. Is it strikingly beautiful? Is it pleasing and fine-looking? Or is it ugly and dreadful? On looking carefully however, one concludes that the exterior architectural style of Centre Pompidou with inside recesses turned outside is not only surprisingly queer but also practical. The rows of protruding trumpet-like circular windows are charming and eye-pleasing.

But one has to go inside to appreciate fully the wonder that surrounds this spectacular museum. Enormous exhibition spaces on the fourth and fifth floors are devoted to modern art, including works by members of the Surrealist and Cubist movements. A wide range of contemporary artworks by French and foreign artists are also on display here. From time to time, Centre Pompidou also houses temporary exhibitions in two large open spaces on the sixth floor. In addition to this, musical performances and drama are put on stage on a regular basis in the centre’s theatre while films of calibre are shown a few times daily in the adjoining cinema. Also forming part of the complex is the Bibliotheque Publique d’Information, a huge library and information centre that occupies the second and third floors of the complex.

Even if modern art is not your preferred realm of the artistic world, make sure to visit this stunning place at least once. There is here much more than bright colours, intersecting planes, brush strokes and still lifes.




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A twenty-minute metro ride on Line 1 or a RER ride on line A leads one to the city’s western outskirts of La Defense, a major commercial district dedicated to business, offices and administrative centres.Consisting mostly of endless rows of towering skyscrapers and outstanding buildings…Read More

A twenty-minute metro ride on Line 1 or a RER ride on line A leads one to the city’s western outskirts of La Defense, a major commercial district dedicated to business, offices and administrative centres.

Consisting mostly of endless rows of towering skyscrapers and outstanding buildings of contrasting heights, this immense space of extraordinary urbanism stands out against the historical character of downtown Paris. While the inner city is mostly renowned for a diversity of stunning ecclesiastical architecture that stands as a breathtaking evidence of a long cherished era of Christianity, the western district of La Defense is a permanent exposition of modernism in all its forms.

Visitors to Paris, even if they are not attracted by high-rise glass-and-steel constructions will definitely find the district of La Defense interesting and visually stimulating. Cut across by a traffic-free esplanade that is a pleasure to walk through in summer, the district of La Defense is dotted here and there by miniature parks and recreational areas, some of which embrace modern art sculptures and monuments. The highlight of these monumental edifices is a not-so-modern sculpture that dates back to 1883 and stands in commemoration of the defence of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 – 1871.

The greatest architectural wonder within La Defense, both for its sheer size and grandeur as well as for its structural originality and uniqueness is La Grande Arche, a 106-metres high rectangular archway in white Carrara marble that dominates the westernmost space of the district and overlooks the forested region of the Bois de Boulogne. Although I succeeded in getting a bird’s eye view of Paris after climbing via a state-of-the-art elevator to the viewing platform on the 35th floor in 2008, I didn’t have the chance to embark on the same endeavour in 2011 since the roof section was closed to the public when I visited. Would-be visitors should disregard the view from the top and concentrate on the Grande Arche at night. Impressively lit, it offers amateur snapshooters the opportunity to exercise their skills in creative night photography, combining the light available to illuminate the Arch with long exposure. The results can be very stunning photographic images that encapsulate diverse colour shadows and are a pleasure to view and share with friends.

La Grande Arche is just one of the gigantic structures that adorn the district of La Defense. Much higher than the Grande Arche but not as innovative with regards to structural design is the Total Coupole, a huge monolith built in 1985. Composed of five joined towering structures, it is directly accessible from the Grande Arche metro station. Most of the offices inside are occupied by the multinational petroleum company 'Total' but one can also find a large parking space, an auditorium, a sports complex and several fast-food outlets.

Below the tourist information centre on Place de La Defence, one can admire a small museum that traces the development of La Defense since its birth in 1950. Several drawings, photographs, architectural plans and scale models of existing buildings and structures that are still in the pipeline waiting for development are featured in a detailed step-by-step exposition that shows the growth and gradual expansion of the district.

La Defense counts more than 100 towering structures, most of which are used as administrative offices by government departments, private enterprises or multinational companies, employing thousands of workers. With so many people confined to a relatively small ground space on a daily basis, one expects to find an incessant flow of people roaming from one building to another either on business trips or else in search of a light bite or a drink. La Defense is in fact a fast-food territory where the usual fast-food outlets have opened at least one eatery. To these, one has to add the stylish restaurants and cosy cafes on Place de La Defense and Place du Dome. Here, those looking for a decent meal can sit at a table and feel like a Lilliput looking at gigantic edifices of enormous proportions.

An easy metro ride from the metro station ‘Esplanade de La Defense’ on the easternmost edge of the district to metro station ‘Concorde’ or ‘Louvre’ takes visitors back to the city centre. Those who have time however are encouraged to test their physical fitness and stamina through walking. At the eastern end of the esplanade on La Defense, Pont de Neuilly over the Seine leads to Avenue Charles de Gaulle, a huge thoroughfare where car enthusiasts can admire rich Parisian drivers testing their driving skill on red Ferraris or Lamborghinis. After all, roads are for cars. Avenue Charles de Gaulle, however, lined on both sides with wide pavements that are detached from traffic by a row of chestnut trees is also ideal for walking. Place de la Porte Maillot, the first roundabout on Avenue Charles de Gaulle where one also finds a metro station with the same name can be reached on foot in about an hour.

Eagerness to walk further on Avenue de la Grande Armee for another half hour brings one face to face with a second roundabout of huge proportions on Place Charles de Gaulle. The centre of the roundabout is adorned with the Arc de Triomphe, a monumental edifice and symbol of Paris, built in commemoration of Napoleon’s war victories. An endless number of tourist coaches fill in the parking spaces on the numerous avenues that radiate from here towards every part of the city. Take the underpass where tickets to climb to the top are sold, then join the crowd of visitors, all eager to climb 284 steps to the viewing platform. The view from the top over the Seine and inner Paris is both picturesque and rewarding and gives viewers the opportunity to get a good orientation of central Paris. You can’t miss the huge steel structure of the Tour Eiffel and the golden dome of Les Invalides.

Place Charles de Gaulle and the Arc de Triomphe mark the westernmost end of Avenue de Champs Elysees, a wide mall of elegant shops, first-class restaurants and cafes. More chic than London’s Oxford Street, Champs Elysees is where Parisian women of panache and style go to buy their wear. All famous fashion brands and cutting-edge designs are exhibited here. If you can’t afford to buy a leather handbag or a pair of heels for your demanding girlfriend whom you love dearly, try to avoid such shops as Louis Vuitton or Cartier. After all, chic and elegant as they are, such buys are very expensive; consider buying instead at a cheaper price from Galeries Lafayette and Le Printemps, both on Boulevard Haussmann.

One shop on Champs Elysees that is affordable and catches the attention of those with a sweet tooth is a renowned chocolatier. With your back towards the Arc de Triomphe, it is located on the left-hand side of Champs Elysees, a five-minute walk from the Arc. Handmade chocolate cookies, some of which represent famous landmarks in Paris are made fresh by specialist chocolate makers. Chocolate candies filled in with almond paste are to die for. No free samples but one can see the specialists concocting their sticky melange.

Further eastwards on Champs Elysees, one finds a three-floor Citroen showroom where the most innovative Citroen models are exhibited. Besides street models, one can get enthusiastic about a couple of racing models or innovative designs that are still on the drawing board. Definitely head turning for car buffs.

Champs Elysees changes into a green boulevard lined with old chestnut trees on approaching Place de la Concorde. Devoid of commercial outlets that are here replaced by green groves and recreational parks, this is perhaps the best section of Champs Elysees that is ideal for walking. Get here a breath of fresh summer air, particularly as you get closer to the Seine. The wrought iron green-and-gold bridge you see on your right as you approach Place de la Concorde leads straight to the Esplanade des Invalides. But closer to Champs Elysees than the bridge, one can admire the outside architecture of two palaces that face each other on Avenue Winston Churchill: the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, both gems of architectural magnificence.

Some metres further east, Place de la Concorde boasts a central granite obelisk that was donated to France by the pasha of Egypt in 1831. Place de la Concorde joins the Jardin des Tuileries, a formal garden and fashionable site where one can find ideal spots for relaxation in the shade of old linden trees and weeping willows.










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The three of us found that sometimes the most interesting, surprising adventures come along while traveling the streets of Paris between points of interest.Stalled in traffic leaving the EuroStar station, we saw an unusual parking lot. Cars could jump the curb on a boulevard and…Read More

The three of us found that sometimes the most interesting, surprising adventures come along while traveling the streets of Paris between points of interest.
Stalled in traffic leaving the EuroStar station, we saw an unusual parking lot. Cars could jump the curb on a boulevard and park between skimpy little poles. Weather protection canvas could be rolled out to cover the vehicles.
Street intersections were sometimes marked with American standard type of name on a stick signs, but more often the street names were on a plaque afixed to the corner of a building. That was a great help for finding our way around.
Stop and look at the doors. Beautiful embelishments of distinct style added to the richness of our walking experience.
Open air markets were a fun stop. We saw stacks of fruits and veggies along with deli cases with breads, prepared quiches, tarts, and other meals. Watching the citizens here doing their shopping or lounging at asidewalk cafe added to the experience.
Street musicians ususally set up on or near the bridges are entertaining with varying degrees of talent.
We were absolutely thrilled to be able to find and use the self cleaning toilets. Oh, how I wish these would catch on in the States. I admit we pushed the wrong button once and were locked out while the cleaning process repeated itself. Our other experiences were usually at cafes. These are tiny, dark, often uni-sex rooms in the basement that you have to negotiate narrow steep stairways to find. Sometimes the men's stalls only have those swinging saloon style doors on them. Thats difficult for our MidWestern sensibilities.
Once there you often have to pay or leave a tip for the attendant.
Kiosks with adverisements were an architectural gem in themselves. Fun to read some of the ads, too.
Locks of love.
One of the unusual things we saw crossing the bridges were paddlelocks permanently afixed to the rails. Initials of lovers were etched or painted onto the locks before attaching. I laughed at the poor man's locks of love which were made form plastic bags tied to the rail.
Flea markets, and sidewalk vendors lured us it. In fact my favorite souvenir of the Paris trip was found at a canvas walled sidewalk shop on Blvd. St. Germain. The vendor sold amber jewelry and fur hats. His wife is the milliner. I was able to strike a bargain with him as I didn't have the amount of cash he wanted and he didn't take plastic. He settled for what I could spare from my cash. I am very happy with the deal we struck. I have total strangers cross crowded rooms to tell me they like my brown fox fur hat.
Walking up the Champs Elysees was a bit of a disappointment for me. I did buy a T-shirt and an ornament at one of the many stores. I took an obligatory picture of the Arch de Triomphe. The one highlight was a cafe with copper pots covering the ceiling and a kiosk outside was topped with pots.
The streets of the city have a certain uniformaty due to building height restrictionof 8 floors. This really lends to a classy look to all the neighborhoods. Iron grillwork is featured widely. In most parts of the city you can catch a glimpse of the Eiffle Tower.
The city is vast and I know we only covered a small part of it. I never felt uncomfortable or lost. It was an excellant experience.   Close

In London we loved the cab rides. In Paris we learned to love the Metro. Our hotel was a block from one station and two blocks from another. The price was right. Now all we had to do was get our courage up for the…Read More

In London we loved the cab rides. In Paris we learned to love the Metro. Our hotel was a block from one station and two blocks from another. The price was right. Now all we had to do was get our courage up for the adventure. Tickets are needed to get through the turnstiles. Books of tickets can be purchased from vending machines. Sounds simple. Well, be prepared with the proper coins or you will slow down the line for the others. And remember to discard your used tickets as they won't work again and will cause a traffic jam if you try to use them by accident. The good news is: once you get by that turnstile you can ride all over the city for one low fare. The color coded maps are easy to understand, and you don't even have to try to pronounce the names of the stations. Some of the tunnels are decorated with poster art, some have elaborate tile decor. We felt completely safe even though we did see a few vagrants sleeping on the platform benches. Except for some very long stairways connecting tunnels, it was an amazing experience. Who needs taxis!   Close

Without a particular destination in mind, just walk the city! It's so beautiful, and easily walkable. There is always something to see, a cafe to discover, artist along the Seine to watch. One of my walks began outside the Cite Metro station…Read More

Without a particular destination in mind, just walk the city! It's so beautiful, and easily walkable. There is always something to see, a cafe to discover, artist along the Seine to watch. One of my walks began outside the Cite Metro station on line 4. You are on the Ile de la Cite, where Notre Dame Cathedral is. Walk all the way around it and marvel at the architecture; perhaps take the stairs to the top and see the gargoyles! Morning light is great around the cathedral for spectacular pictures. Make sure you go on the bridges and look back at Notre Dame - there are wonderful views from many angles. Stroll down to Place Dauphine with its old world charm and the Palais du Justice, and cross the Seine so you don't miss the statue of Victory on the Chatelet Fountain, the Tour St. Jacques, and the Hotel de Ville. Follow the Seine toward the Louvre, taking in the views from the Pont des Artes bridge of the Pont Neuf and Ile de la Cite. There are many beautiful old buildings in this area. The Louvre and its pyramid and the Tuileries Gardens shouldn't be missed! When you get to the Place de la Concorde, there is a great little crepe stand where you can have a bite to eat, and see the Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The Pont Alexandre III bridge has beautiful carvings, and the Dome des Invalides is where Napoleon is buried. If you still have time to soak in your surrounds, continue on to the Eiffel Tower for its hourly night light show. Just a few of the sights Paris has to offer, but this walk can easily take all day!   Close

Having spent significant amounts of time in cities like Beijing, Seoul and Shanghai, I am used to using some of the most ultra-modern mass transit systems in the world. As a result, I am extremely au fait with sleek and shiny carriages whirring along between…Read More

Having spent significant amounts of time in cities like Beijing, Seoul and Shanghai, I am used to using some of the most ultra-modern mass transit systems in the world. As a result, I am extremely au fait with sleek and shiny carriages whirring along between stops in near silence. Many of the systems in China are scarcely five years old and are clear examples of the country's vast expansion and unbelievable development over the past decade. Therefore, when I I took my first ride on the Paris Metro, I felt that I had been transported back in time. Whilst the newly built system in Tianjin and the Beijing subway – which was revamped for the 2008 Olympics - were images of twenty-first century global development, the Paris version seemed to have more in common with other earlier eras.

The impression of time travel created by the Paris Metro seemed to work on two separate levels. In one way – the most overt of the two – the style and design of the French capital's transport system seemed more akin to the 1920s than the early twenty-first century. This began with the signs that stood outside the gate to each station. These looked as though they were made from stained glass and their design evoked images of art-nouveaux style. It genuinely gave the impression that they had not changed for perhaps one-hundred years. The old-time style continued with the wrought iron railings that surrounded the gates and then led down into the bowels of the station.

Inside many of the stations – particularly some of the older ones in the centre of the city – the stairways and platforms are tilled with the type of ceramics that give the feel of nineteenth century development – they felt as though they belonged in the era of the nineteenth-century European Industrial Revolution. The feeling of industrial growth and strength is compounded by the riveted girders that hold up the ceiling. The same is also true of many of the trains that ferry commuters around the city. They are neither sleek nor shiny and there is not the slightest hint of the aero-dynamics that define more modern systems. In fact, many of them are rather blockish and seem to have more in common with the days of steam than with modern express links. An rather quaint example of this is the doors. In Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai, there are illuminated electronic buttons on many carriage doors that allow passengers to open them with a swish of hydraulics. In Paris, many carriages still have a mechanical handle that clunks the doors open with a creak.

The Paris Metro not only sent me back to the 1920s and beyond, but also, in a very different way, it transported me to the 1970s and 1980s. IN many of the countries I have visited, not only the trains but also the the stations and the system as a whole are clean and sanitized like some futuristic utopia. Even in London, many of the Victorian-era stations have been revamped into modern transport hubs with LCD screens and suicide barriers. They have been cleansed of much of the grime and squalor that was on show in the 1980s, when the underground was not always the cleanest or safest way to travel. I was expecting much the same to be the case in Paris. However, there seemed to be a layer of decay on much of the system. There were plenty of beggars, homeless and buskers. And, in several stations, there was a less than pleasant odour.

Perhaps the image I paint of the Paris Metro seems excessively negative. However, I do not mean it to be so. I found the antique feel to be decidedly charming and gave it a character missing in modern transport systems. There are also plenty of modern touches that make travel very easy.   Close

Paris is such an beautiful city with so many amazing museums to vist. Unfortunately it is also one of the most visited cities in the world and at nearly every one there will be a large queue and this is where the Paris museum pass…Read More

Paris is such an beautiful city with so many amazing museums to vist. Unfortunately it is also one of the most visited cities in the world and at nearly every one there will be a large queue and this is where the Paris museum pass becomes a must buy if you intend to visit the most popular.

It cost's 35 Euros for a 2 day pass, 50 Euros for a 4 day pass and 5 Euros for a 6 day pass. With the pass it entitles you to free entry to over 60 of the cities most popular museums and attractions inclusing The Louvre, Musee de Orsay and The Pantheon.

For 35 Euros I definately think it represents value for money and we used our 2 day passes quite extensively saving us quite a bit of money. For example if you just visit 4 of the most popular attractions such as the Louvre, Musee de Orsay, the Arc de Triomphe and Centre Pompidou then the card will already have paid for itself.

The best thing about the card and the main reason that we decided to buy it was because it allows you direct entry into the museums bypassing the queues. For anyone who has ever visited the Louvre then you will know just how long the queues can take. With the pass we were able to just walk past all the people queuing straight to the ticket booth which made this pass absolutely invaluable and something I would have happily paid extra for.

If you want to buy the Paris museum pass then you can either buy it from the official website before you leave for Paris but you need to make sure you order at least ten days before you leave to ensure it arrives in time.
The easiest way and what we did was just buy it when we arrived in Paris at the tourist information centre. You can also pick one up at any of the museums and monuments that the pass covers.    Close

"A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it." – John SteinbeckIt's such as coincidence my last visit a mere 6 years ago the SNCF (folks who runs the metro, trains and TGV) were striking, little did…Read More

"A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it." – John Steinbeck

It's such as coincidence my last visit a mere 6 years ago the SNCF (folks who runs the metro, trains and TGV) were striking, little did I know history was indeed repeating itself. This time around the main argument was surrounded by increase in retirement age from 60 to 62. 62 year old isn’t that bad at all compare to 65 in the US and 66 in Germany and possibly 65 in UK, the approved change in France is lowest age.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has repeated stated this is what the country needs and refuses to rescind the decision to increase the retirement age.

How visitor are’s effected:

1) There are less train running and remaining trains are very crowdy and requires passengers to cramp in, picture 5 people in a phone booth.
2) Many of the national heritages sights are compromised and no longer follows the normal open and close times, for example the Musee D’orsay postponed opening on Tuesday for 2 hours and then close down the museum all together after long discussion. Same goes for other sights like Eiffel Tour and Palace of Versailles.
3) Visitor with car rental face the toughest challenge, many stations are out of gas and the ones that still do have a queue about 12 cars deep.

Eyewitness
No visitor in foreign countries wishes to have their itinerary thwarted by civil unrest, however to under the struggles and appreciate the cause French people are fighting for is a unique experience all together. On my way to exchange money in the latin quarter, there were loud drums and protesters marching up the streets, mostly composed of students and there were a few laborers, with signs protesting the president comparing him to Petain (French general who collaborated with the German).
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The idea of riding bikes in a foreign city was initially a little intimidating. I ride a bike almost every day in London and am aware of the constant dangers that riding on the city roads presents. However, when I ride in London at least…Read More

The idea of riding bikes in a foreign city was initially a little intimidating. I ride a bike almost every day in London and am aware of the constant dangers that riding on the city roads presents. However, when I ride in London at least I know my way around and I am used to riding on the other side of the road.

The Velib scheme was set up in 2007 and although it has had various teething troubles, I found it be a fairly efficient and easy to use programme. It is also one of the best ways to see what is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

The Velib website has a handy download for UK visitors to read through before you get to Paris. Admittedly I didn’t look at their website too carefully beforehand but the leaflet has some great tips and guidelines. It can be found at http://www.velib.paris.fr/ Click on the ‘Download’ UK icon in the top right corner for instructions in English.

I would say that riding in Paris is probably best for confident cyclists only. The heavy bikes take some getting used to and it is definitely not an activity I would recommend to learner cyclists.

There are over 1,500 Velib stations across the capital and it normally doesn’t take too long to come across one. The stations in the centre of Paris tend to be quite full, while bays further out are less so or even completely empty.

We first gave the Velib scheme a try at station number 6028 on Rue des Quatre Vents. You can purchase a one day or one week pass. We only needed a one day pass, which is charged at 1 euro per person although you have to agree to a security deposit of 150 euro in case the bicycle isn’t returned. This deposit is only collected if the rider doesn’t comply with their terms and conditions.

For some reason, the first credit card we tried didn’t work. A credit card or Maestro debit card with EMV-chip and PIN is required to sign up. The second card we tried did work so we registered for two people and selected two bikes from the adjoining rack.

The seat height can be adjusted but that’s about all. The website advises checking the bikes to make sure you don’t pre-select one that is in poor working order. Some kind-hearted people turn the saddles around 180 degrees to indicate if there is a problem with the bike. Issues like flat tyres are a bit easier to spot but some things, like a saddle that won’t adjust, are a bit trickier. It is possible to select your language at the machines, which makes the process a little easier for the first time user.

Unlike in London, dedicated bike lanes are plentiful and where there are none, the roads are wide enough that you feel comfortable riding alongside city traffic. Many one-way streets will have a no entry sign that say ‘sauf’ with a bike symbol, meaning ‘except bikes’, which afforded us greater flexibility when we did take the odd wrong turn.

The off-road cycle lanes are great though and make for a more relaxing ride. We rode almost exclusively on a pavement cycle lane from the Gare du Nord station to Place de la Republique.

Apart from the Sacre-Coeur area, the city is very flat, meaning that it is not too challenging for those who are not quite in peak physical condition. The first half hour of the rental is free so it pays to make short hops. We went over the thirty minutes a couple of times but even then, we were only charged a euro for the additional half hour.

We had a few moments of getting lost, getting caught in the rain and almost riding into a tunnel on the Rive Gauche. Asides from that, we had a fun time exploring the streets of Paris and after only two days of cycling, felt that we had been able to see far more of the city than if we had opted for the Metro.   Close

I already owned the Rough Guide to Paris but felt that it was too heavy to take with me on a short trip where I would be walking around the city a great deal. I went in search of a guide book that was lighter…Read More

I already owned the Rough Guide to Paris but felt that it was too heavy to take with me on a short trip where I would be walking around the city a great deal. I went in search of a guide book that was lighter in weight and was delighted when I found the Everyman Mapguide for Paris 2010. Paris 2010 is a guidebook with fold-out maps – ten of districts of Paris, as well as one for the city of Paris as a whole and one for the Paris Metro. Fold-out pages at the start of the book give very brief information on history, architecture, ethnic Paris and excursions that can be made. These pages also provide details of emergency phone numbers, internet cafes, opening times and a diary of events among other topics.

As there are just ten double pages each with a fold-out map, each covers more than one arrondissement of Paris. To give a few examples, there is one for Les Halles and Le Marais, another for Montmartre and the Grands Boulevards, and yet another for the Invalides, Tour Eiffel and Trocadero. In each case the double-page feature gives an overview of the area concerned along with a selection of restaurants, tearooms, cafes, bars and clubs. A few notable shops are also listed. A short paragraph of information is given for each listing, and there is a row of colour photographs along the top of the two pages.

You can then open up the map which is mainly in grey and green with the River Seine indicated in blue. At the bottom of each map the principal museums and monuments are listed, again with a short paragraph of information for each one. Most of them are shown in the row of colour photographs that runs either above and below or down the sides of each map. Not all the maps have the same scale: some are 1 cm to 150 metres while others are 1 cm to 200 metres. The names of the main streets and monuments are printed in black and I found them easy to read. It has to be said that the grey print used for the smaller streets is not so easy to decipher. The paper used is of a good, thick quality that withstands plenty of folding and unfolding.

The fold-out pages at the end of the book give a list of hotels in ascending order of price. In addition there is some concise information on public transport, Paris airports and seeing Paris by boat. A couple of small maps and a few colour photographs are included here. The book ends with a two-page index of streets, monuments and places to visit; a map reference is given for each.

The beauty of this guidebook for me is that it is very light in weight with just seventy-two pages, and the maps are large enough to be clear and detailed. The book is described as having a hard cover, but it is slightly flexible and certainly not heavy. The information is concise, the print is small and the photographs (all in colour) are tiny, yet everything is well presented and organised. Paris 2010 is an ideal guidebook for anyone on foot in the city who doesn't want to be carrying a weighty tome. I would have liked a larger map of the whole of Paris, but it is possible to get a free one from a tourist information office. Visitors on an extended stay may look for a guide that gives more detailed information. Those, like myself, on a short break requiring a compact, concise book are likely to find this Everyman Mapguide ideal.

Paris 2010
by Clemence Jacquinet and Shelley Wanger
Everyman Guides, 2010
Hardcover, 72 pages
ISBN 9781841595269
Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.19)   Close