USEFUL INFORMATION
COVID RESTRICTIONS
Travelling to France:
There are currently no restrictions for vaccinated travellers from the EU
Travelling inside France:
Since 16 May, there is no obligation to wear a mask on public transport
VISITING PARIS
Paris is one of the greatest and most glorious cities in the world. It is like Vienna, but on an even grander scale. It is extremely romantic. It is full of wonderful history, architecture and culture.
To make this a holiday to remember:
1. Be safe!
Crime is a fact of life, especially in a big city. As a tourist, you must be a bit more careful than when at home. Hang on tightly to your possessions in crowded places, especially on public transport, dress inconspicuously, do not carry anything expensive or visible valuables, nor too much cash, do not go into strange or isolated places, beware of strange-looking people trying to engage you in conversation, especially if they speak to you in English. When sitting in a restaurant or cafe, do not leave your wallet or mobile phones, etc. anywhere in sight, especially not on the table.
2. Avoid tourist traps!
There are a lot of cafes, restaurants and attractions that are famous but cost too much and are completely overrun by tourists, with long queues and poor service. I recommend you avoid these places, or look at them from a distance.
For instance: Cafe de Flore is famous because it used to be frequented by philosophers. These philosophers are now long gone, and all that's left is a very expensive cafe...full of tourists.
The Eiffel Tower is famous and popular, but it's so big, you can see it from far away, without queueing in the crowds or paying for it. It even looks better from far away!
3. Look around you!
I recommend that you walk as much as possible when in the centre of Paris, especially in the quiet, historic parts, just to see all you can of this wonderful city, with its tremendous historical, artistic, literary, culinary and architectural heritage.
4. Enjoy cafe life
Find a table outside a cafe overlooking a busy
place where lots of people are walking to and fro, and there are not too many
cars, and sit down and enjoy watching the world go by: it's one of the nicest and
most Parisian things to do in Paris! Do it at the edge of place du Tertre in
Montmartre, on place de la Bastille, on the Quais of the Seine, on some of the Grands
Boulevards, on Boulevard Saint Germain (6th arrondissement, Left
Bank), anywhere you want to stop and relax for a bit.
Always sit facing the street - so both of you can watch!
5. Eat at a brasserie
Brasseries are the archetypal restaurant of Paris, they normally serve down-to-earth, modest food, and have an atmospheric interior, and usually an outdoor terrace. Look out for a brasserie where you hear people speaking in FRENCH, that will be a good indication that the food must be decent, since the local people go there. You can have a light snack, or a drink, or a whole meal there.
Asnieres sur Seine, immortalised by Georges Seurat in 1884
Asnieres today: at the top left-hand corner, you can see the local railway station, Les Gresillons,
it's the triangular blue building. One block down, is rue Maria Montessori.
Rue Maria Montessori is the street crossing from bottom left to top right.
No. 3 is a dedicated aparthotel building, the brown building with the red roof.
The red place-marker shows where you will be staying, relative to Paris.
Your local railway station, Gare des Gresillions, is on the RER C line and is just 1 block away from the hotel. This is probably your best option for getting into Paris, apart from a taxi. Don't forget, when travelling to town, to check where the train you want to take is heading, and the platform you need to use. When returning home, look out for a train that goes to Pontoise. By taking the RER C train, you have direct access to a lot of places in the centre of Paris:
RER C trains depart every 15 minutes. It takes around 27 minutes to reach Pont de l'Alma, and 35 minutes to get to Saint-Michel - Notre Dame. However, on weekends, trains only run to Invalides, and you have to change there for the other stops.
I recommend you get the Bonjour RATP app for your mobile phone - it's free. You can skip the registration process at the start, and just use it to find connections. The most useful connections are to Metro Line 14 at Saint Ouen, and Metro Line 1 at Neuilly Porte Maillot, and also to the RER C to Versailles at Champs de Mars.
THINGS
TO DO
IN PARIS
1 - RIVERSIDE WALK or BOAT CRUISE
Paris is built around the river Seine. Many of the most impressive monuments and sights are along the river. Also many of the city's traditional attractions, such as the bouquinistes' stalls.
One of the best things to do in Paris is to either walk on the 'quais' (the banks of the river) or take a boat cruise on the Seine river. There are normal cruises, or cruises with lunch or dinner (these cost more and you have to dress up a bit smartly).
For a boat cruise, try
Bateaux Mouches
- book in advance
Boarding: Pont de l'Alma
For a walk along the river, I suggest taking the RER C, getting off at Champs de Mars station and walking to the Ile de la Cite. Cross the river on the bridges whenever you see something interesting on the other side (and there's lots to see!). Sit in cafes when you see one that's particularly well located. Return home by RER C train from Saint Michel Notre Dame station (see the map below).
Take water with you, and hats - it's a long walk, especially
under the summer sun.
Don't hesitate to stop at a bistrot to have a drink!
2 - PICNIC ON THE RIVER
If the weather is nice, why not have a picnic on the river? You can buy some good food from
Monoprix.
This is a chain of good quality supermarkets. There is a branch on Boulevard St. Michel near
the station. Bring wine glasses, some tap water to wash fruit and vegetables,
some paper towels, and some cutlery, especially knives, from your hotel.
Then walk to either Ile de la Cite (the Island
of Notre Dame Cathedral), or Ile Saint Louis (the smaller island, east of the
Cathedral), and find your way to the lower embankment, near the river. The red
circles suggest the best spots. There is a famous ice cream shop on Ile Saint
Louis, in the middle of the island, Berthillon.
I also remember sitting outside Brasserie de l'Ile Saint Louis,
on Ile Saint Louis, beside the bridge to Ile de la Cite, overlooking the
Cathedral. It's nice to sit there!
Ile de la Cite is home to the magnificent Notre
Dame cathedral, currently undergoing renovation after burning down a few years
ago. There is also the often overlooked but beautiful Sainte Chapelle, and the once dreaded
Conciergerie, formerly a prison, where poor Marie Antoinette, daughter of Maria
Theresa of Austria and Queen of France, was imprisoned just before her show
trial during the French Revolution. Also check out Place Dauphine, a very
impressive, hidden little square.
From Square du Vert Gallant (inside the small red
circle) you look out onto the river and the Louvre
museum, which is well worth a visit, whether you just want to stroll around
the grand courtyards and the Tuileries
gardens, or you want to dedicate a few hours to the exhibits of this magnificent
museum, one of the greatest in the world, famous for Leonardo da Vinci's painting
of the Mona Lisa.
3 - THE MARAIS
The Marais is one of the most historic and eclectic districts of Paris, full of first class museums, including the Picasso Museum, rue Thorigny, the Musee Carnavalet, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, and art galleries on beautiful place des Vosges.
The Place des Vosges, which was built as a showpiece square of mansions during the reign of Henry IV at the beginning of the 17th century, has several magnificent hotels particuliers, including Hotel de Sully, the Pavillon de la Reine. You can visit Victor Hugo's house, and there's even a hidden synagogue.
A few minutes' walk to the west is the Jewish quarter (blue blob), centered on rue des roziers, and next to it, the Gay quarter (pink blob). Walk a bit more west, and you will reach the famous Centre Pompidou modern art museum, and the Hotel de Ville (Rathaus) by the river.
There's a lot to see and do in the Marais!
For food, try brasserie Bofinger, in rue de la
Bastille, near place de la Bastille, or another brasserie on place de la Bastille,
which is a busy but exciting square. Or a falafel in the Jewish quarter: As du
Falafel, in rue des Roziers. Or the Royal Turenne, a small brasserie
at the junction between rue des Francs-Bourgeois and rue de Turenne.
I used to live on this junction, at no. 27 rue de Turenne, on the second floor!
And of course, there's another option called Monoprix, and it is marked on the map!
4 - MONTMARTRE
Montmartre is a very picturesque 'village' on the highest hill in Paris. Once at the top of the hill, you can admire views of the whole of Paris, from the steps below the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, or on Place du Calvaire, a tiny, quiet square just off place du Tertre.
Place du Tertre is a famous, picturesque and romantic square with dozens of painters and restaurants. Take a look around and enjoy the atmosphere, but be warned: what's on sale isn't always what it seems, most of the paintings are in fact made in the Far East. Most of the restaurants here are tourist traps and without inside knowledge, better stick to a romantic glass of wine, at an outdoors table, on the upper edge of the square, watching the people walk by, rather than a full meal.
There is a well-known traditional restaurant called Le Moulin de la Galette, 83 rue Lepic. Otherwise ask people or use a guide book to pick the right place to eat...or do as I would do, eat a sandwich on a bench on place du Calvaire, if you find a reasonably clean one. I used to live at no. 6, on the top floor!
Most of all, do walk around this beautiful neighbourhood at the top of the hill, This is one of the most romantic parts of Paris and used to be the main hangout of some of the most famous artists in the world in the late 19th / early 20th centuries.
5 - VERSAILLES
For tickets and information, click here.
The Palace of Versailles is the French version of the Schoenbrunn palace. But it's even bigger. I never went there, but I include this here as it is reckoned to be really special, it is in the middle of a huge park, and it is of interest to most visitors to Paris. Also, being on the RER C, you can easily get there.
The palace is magnificent, but you've probably seen magnificent palaces before. On the other hand, it's also got huge and magnificent gardens, fountains and vast water features.
On a hot day, you could rent a rowing boat at the Grand Canal in the park of the Chateau, and have a picnic on the boat! The boats are available from 10:30 to 18:15. Cost: 18 euros per hour. And of course, there's a Monoprix supermarket near the RER station where you can get all the things you need for the picnic!
You could then row your boat to the Domaine de Marie Antoinette, a little corner of Austria in France, where you will find the Petit Trianon, a pretty house in the middle of a bucolic assemblage of make-believe farm buildings, that King Louis XVI gave to his wife, Marie Antoinette. They didn't have much of a married life together, so Marie Antoinette mostly lived here, away from the stifling boredom and formality of the court, having the time of her life, entertaining and influencing her many friends, ordering lots of nice things delivered "online" while listening to the latest hits by the most popular songwriter of the day, DJ Mozart, and being romanced by her dear friend, Axel von Fersen.