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DESTINATION GUIDE

Travel Guide Paris printable version
Paris Introduction
Sacré-Coeur by night, Paris. Photo credit to Paris Tourist Office

From Monet by the Seine to Montmartre's steps, Paris is the epitome of all things French and fabulous

Escape: To fountain-strewn Jardins du Luxembourg, the Jardin des Plantes' fragrant botanical gardens, Bois du Boulogne's shady woods, the Hammam de la Grande Mosquée for a steam and scrub in a marble-and-mosaic mosque.
Discover: Mile after mile of art in the Louvre, Paris illuminated atop the Eiffel Tower, the Cluny Museum's mille fleurs (thousand flower) garden, relaxed sightseeing aboard a glass-topped bateau-mouche.
Take Home: An excellent bottle of rouge from Lavinia's cavernous cellar, Sephora's candy-coloured cosmetics, cheese truffles from master chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin.
Paris Lowdowntop
Highlights

Time your visit to catch top Paris events like the Paris Film Festival (Mar-Apr), Féte de la Musique (Jun), Paris Jazz Festival (Jun-Jul), Bastille Day (14 Jul), Paris Beach (Jul-Aug), Festival Ile de France (Sep-Oct), Tasting Week (Oct) and Ice-Skating at the Hôtel de Ville (Dec-Mar).

Electricity

220 volts

International Dialling Code

+33

Money (currency)

Local currency is the Euro (€)

Time

GMT: precisely, GMT plus 1 hour in summer

British Consulate

Address: 18 bis rue d'Anjou
75008 Paris
France
Tel: +33 1 44 51 31 00

Paris Tourist Authority

Address: 127 Avenue des Champs-Elysées
75008 Paris
France
Tel: +33 1 4952 5341
Web: Paris Info

Halifax Travel Insurance

Tel: 0800 032 1751

Web: Halifax Travel Insurance

Halifax Travel Money

Tel: 0845 246 0006

Paris Experiencestop
Best Attractions

Drift past Paris' sights on a River Seine cruise around Ile-de-la-Cité and see Paris spread out beneath you atop the 312-metre-high Eiffel Tower. Hear Notre Dame's bells clang and climb Montmartre's summit to Sacré Coeur, a sugar-white neo-Byzantine basilica. Marvel at Leonardo da Vinci's enigmatic Mona Lisa in the vast Louvre gallery and Van Gogh's Starry Night in the Musée d'Orsay.

Best Hidden Gems

Unearth medicinal herbs and courtyards in the Cluny Museum's medieval garden, glimpse The Kiss in the Rodin Museum and see light hit the rose windows in Gothic chapel Sainte-Chapelle. Admire 15th century Italian sculptures in the sumptuous Jacquemart-André Museum, Pierre Cardin's Art Nouveau gems at Collection 1900 and cutting-edge art at the hip Palais de Tokyo.

Best Views

The 1665 steps will take your breath away and so will the view from the top of iron icon, the Eiffel Tower. Come at night to see Paris illuminated. Enjoy sweeping city views from the Pompidou Centre's rooftop observation deck, Sacré-Coeur's dome and the top of steely Grande Arche de La Défense.

Best Buys

Find designer bargains at La Vallée shopping village, haute couture in the chic boutiques that line the Champs-Elysées and Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, and scents from the world's biggest perfumery in Galeries Lafayette.

Best Dining

For a true taste of Paris, pull up a chair at a petit bistro in the Marais or Montmartre. Blow the budget on fusion cuisine in Les Halles and Opéra's smart restaurants, or choose no-frills brasseries in the Latin Quarter that dish up world flavours from Moroccan couscous to Vietnamese noodles.

Best Nightlife

Mingle with Paris' party crowd in the hip bars dotting the arty Marais, lively Bastille and Sorbonne districts. For late-night clubbing and creative cocktails, head for Saint-Germain des Près and the Champs Elysées. See sequins glitter at the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret in Pigalle.