Paris

When to come ?

Summer time (Mid-June / Mid-August) is a good season to visit Paris but it is a bit overcrowded with tourists.

Autumn (Mid-August / End-September) seems to be the best time to setup a trip : nice weather, less tourists.

How to get there ?

By plane

There are 2 airports in Paris :

• Roissy Charles De Gaulle
  
• Orly
  

Depending on your budget, your choice to get into Paris will be either Taxi or the subway transit system :

• From Roissy : find or ask for "RER B" station and buy a ticket to go to Paris intramuros
• From Orly : find or ask for "Orlyval" station and buy a ticket to go to Paris intramuros (you will switch to RER B at "Antony" station.

What is the weather like ?

The weather is continental : Not too hot in the summer and not too cold in the winter. You can find pretty good forecasts on this météo france 4 day forecasts for Paris.

Another good forecast channel is the yahoo paris forecast.

How to get around ?

The Bus and subway system is very dense in Paris. You will easily find "Metro" signs in the streets. Climb down the stairs and buy your tickets down there. There have special fares for tourists. You can take the bus with the same tickets.

If the sun is on your side, you can also use a "velib": There are many stations where you can take or drop a bycicle for a very small daily fee.

Paris is also a very nice city for walkers - try walking in the "Marais" (Subway Station Saint Paul) or in the "Quartier Latin" (Subway Station Saint Michel).

Where to stay ?

Staying in Paris is quite expensive. You can find many of them or reservation websites on the internet. Try to stay in the center of the city (zipcode 75001 to 75006) but avoid cheap hôtels in "Châtelet Les Halles".

If you like the Hilton international network, you can try and book a room in a the Paris Hilton Arc de Triomphe Hotel.[1]

What to eat ?

It is very nice to have a late breakfast on a "Terrasse" near Saint Michel and order "viennoiseries" :

• croissants
• baguette
• pain au chocolat
  

If you like fish or traditional meals, try out one of Paris original "brasserie" - La coupole for example. Order sea fruits, "foie gras", meals with truffle or, more simply, snails ;-)

You will find restaurants nearly everywhere because french people love eating. The offer is very international and you can easily find any food you like.

There are many restaurants in Paris held by french "Chefs" (did you see "Ratatouille" movie ?). There are given stars (from 1 to 3) by the Michelin guide. You should make your reservations at least 3 months before your trip.

If you want to have a nice lunch in the sun during a week-end, find the "marché des enfants rouges" in the upper-Marais (zipcode 75003). You will find pizza, cajun food, Tajines,...

What to Buy ?

For standard souvenirs, you can always grab a mini-eiffel tower or an eiffel tower snow ball. Merchants tend to always have great ideas of things to do with the Eiffel tower.

Jewelry (check out "place Vendôme") or leather bags (Vuitton on the Elysées).

Walking on the Champs Elysées will surely give you gifts ideas.

If you want to be sure to have everygift possible in one place, check-out the "grands magasins":

• printemps,
• galeries lafayette,
• bon marché

What to do ?

Monuments

Don't miss the Eiffel Tower to grab a very nice view of Paris ; Other very nice monuments include:

• L'Arc de Triomphe (on the Champs Elysées)
• Les invalides
• Notre Dame
  
• Montmartre
  

Places

• Le marais (subway "Saint Paul"):
• walk south to the "village saint paul", one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Paris
• walk north via "rue vieille du temple" to "rue des francs bourgeois"
  

• Saint Michel (subway "Saint Michel") - visit the "Quartier Latin", see the Sorbonne university.
• Montmartre - an old part of town on a hill where you get a feeling of the Bohemian Paris (Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse used to live there)