Here's a set of random places and things to do, mostly around our neighborhood of the 2e arrondissement (our comments are in blue)-
Covered Passages Walk, marked on the map attached separately and on our neighborhood map below
These "malls" of the mid 19th century are fairly unique to our part of town, and good if the weather isn't so great and interesting anyway. A couple of articles are below. This is definitely "non-tourist". We recommend starting in the gardens of the Palais Royal (sitting by the fountain and reading for as long as you like first), go out the north end, go up to the rue des Petits Champs and across the street to the Galierie Vivienne where the following article begins
(from Jack-Travel)
This is an original, off beaten path walk in the 2nd arrondissement. You will follow only the "passages", just to add a little unusual to a little mystery. The passages had their golden age in the 19th century. In those times, construct a passage and rent the boutiques and their dwellings was the most profitable investment a speculator could realize. Not surprising that in 1840 more than 130 passages existed! Then came the decline tied to the soar of the department stores and the more important role of the automobile. People walking les and less, they forgot the passages. Today, as a sign of returning justice, the traffic jams brought back the pedestrians on the side walks and the passages experiment a new youth. They are not all commercial, some are just a unusual communication between 2 streets. Advantage of my itinerary: you're protected in case of rain.
The Galerie Vivienne gives you a big smile at 4, rue des Petits Champs. Look at her mosaic floor tiles, rotundas, glass stands, iron worked staircases and " bourgeois tranquillity. A lot of boutiques,fine food groceries, book shops, painting galleries, tea parlor. Also the fashion pole, the super-trendy boutique of creator Jean-Paul Gaultier. From there go to Galerie Colbert. Very well restored, very nice rotunda. Exit rue de la Banque to rejoin the cute and bigot little place des Petits-Peres. The Passage Choiseul begins with an elegant facade at 23, Rue Saint-Augustin and ends 40, rue des Petits-Champs, protected by an iron structure. Just the contrary of the Galerie Vivienne: active, gaudy, populous. The employees working in the area, when they lack time to do their shopping on the avenue, can find all in this Galerie. O.K. it's quickly done, but note that at no.23 the editor Lemerre, Verlaine published his first poems. You never know, you could show off to your girlfriend! Le Passage des Panoramas 11, bd.Montmartre is a grand boulevard in reduction, animated, colored, glittering with hundred lights and presenting a few amazing boutiques. It was here that in 1817 the first tests of lighting with gas were experimented. To see absolutely, the unique boutique of engraver Stern. Opened in 1840 the decoration of the boutique hasn't changed. The window displays are small museums: old engraved cards, superb examples of his production, See inside the magnificent sculpted wainscots. Also a few shops for stamp collectors, from the common stamp to the "Cartier" stamp with certificate of authenticity. Exit 10, rue St.Marc. Le Passage des Princes lies between 97, rue de Richelieu and 5, boulevard des Italiens. After a very expensive clean up and restoration you can explore it today in all his panache of last century. The restoration architects did a good job by leaving most of the original elements ( marble pedestals, Napoleon II staircase) and kept the atmosphere of this passage.
Rights of Passages
Paris’ historic “passages” were an ingenious way to commercialize the insides of city blocks
By Vivian Thomas
On one of my first trips to Paris, I arrived on the same November day as the Beaujolais Nouveau. It was a golden afternoon, and Paris was festive: wine bars and restaurants were festooned with grapes and flags, and little bands played on street corners. Dazed with jet lag, I couldn’t help feeling that the city was welcoming me rather than the wine. When a friend took me on a whirlwind walking tour that finished at the Bistro Vivienne, we toasted my visit with a glass of the new wine.
The bistro was charming, the wine light and refreshing. But the best part came at the end. “Let’s go out the other way,” he suggested. “I want to show you something.” We had entered from the street, but he led me instead out a side door and, to my surprise and delight, into a beautiful arcade. Unlike the cozy, wood-paneled bistro, this was a soaring, luminous space. Soft light filtered down from a high glass roof, brightening the colors of an intricate mosaic floor. Brass lamps, sculpted columns and painted medallions were remnants of another era, but huge arched shop windows held the trendiest of wares: wine accessories, silk flowers and pricey clothes. The atmosphere was calm and dreamlike, a world away from the traffic and hurrying crowds outside. When I learned that the Vivienne was one of about 20 Parisian “passages,” I vowed to visit them all.
Threading through the heart of Paris, the passages have a wonderfully secret feel. They’re easy to miss. I discovered this when I began searching for them, only to realize several times I’d unwittingly passed some of them. Inside, you’re in an intimate and sheltered world. Often the realm of toyshops and tearooms, passages also house some of Paris’ most unique specialty shops. Want your stationery engraved where Napoleon III got his? A custom-blended makeup base created just for you? A shell grotto built in your home or garden? You’ll find them all in the passages.
Dating from the late 18th through the first half of the 19th century, the passages, or “galeries,” as the most prestigious were called, were developed after the Revolution by speculators, many of whom took advantage of property newly “liberated” from estates of the aristocracy and the Church. Winding between center-city buildings, they were an ingenious way to commercialize the insides of city blocks.
With glass roofs that admitted light but sheltered shoppers from the rain, muddy streets and horse-drawn carriages of pre-sidewalk Paris, they were wildly popular from the beginning. The success of the first ones, in the 1790s, launched a speculative frenzy, and by the mid-1800s there were over 100. Parisians shopped, ate, drank and met their friends there; strolled and flirted there; and stopped in after the theater to admire the city’s first gaslights (installed in passages long before they made it to the streets).
Their golden age lasted until the late 1800s, when Haussmann’s boulevards had transformed the city, and when department stores, sidewalks, buses and trains changed shopping and entertainment habits. Suddenly the passages were passé. Many were torn down, while others fell into irreparable decay. The lucky ones simply slumbered until fashions changed again.
Today the survivors range from the sophisticated to the seedy. Beautifully restored examples like the Vivienne encapsulate a romantic past, while others, like the Brady, reflect a grittier present. But each one has its own personality, specialties and allure.
Clustered around the Palais Royal are the most upscale passages, including the Vivienne, still my favorite. I’m not the only one who considers it the most beautiful-Jean-Claude Delorme, in his book “Passages Couverts Parisiens,” calls it “la plus belle, la plus élégante et la plus prestigieuse des galeries.” It was a success from the start. When the notary Marchoux, who lived at 6 Rue Vivienne, decided to try his luck in the passage business in 1823, he bought a house on the Rue des Petits-Champs and another on today’s Rue de la Banque. Hiring an architect, he linked the three entrances with a passage he first called the Galerie Marchoux. Quickly rebaptized the Vivienne, it was inaugurated in 1826.
A recent renovation has restored the Vivienne’s luster. Symbols of commerce (ships, scales, sheaves of wheat) adorn the walls; the glorious mosaic floor is proudly signed by the artisan. The tables of A Priori Thé, a tearoom famous for its brunches, are always filled with conspicuously beautiful people smoking and talking on cell phones. Si Tu Veux, where giant teddy bears guard the door, sells irresistible toys. And Jousseaume, a bookshop with a great postcard selection, is run by a bookseller straight from Central Casting: tweed jacket, fragrant pipe and charming twinkle in his eye.
Two recent updates have made the Vivienne even better. The Bistrot Vivienne, taken over by a quartet of hot young chefs, is now lunchtime headquarters for young stockbrokers and fashionistas. And the venerable Lucien Legrand, with a picture-perfect épicerie on Rue de la Banque and stellar wine shop inside the passage, has expanded. An inviting wine bar now offers a huge selection of wines by the glass or bottle, along with light lunches and dégustations.
A few doors away, the Vivienne’s one-time rival, the Galerie Colbert, opened the same year but never matched the Vivienne’s popularity. Built on property once owned by Finance Minister Colbert, the grand galerie fell into such disrepair that it narrowly escaped demolition. Granted landmark status and acquired by the Bibliothèque Nationale in 1974, it was restored and until recently housed several library departments. Now it’s closed again, to reopen later this year as the Institut National de l’Histoire de l’Art, a teaching and research establishment.
Fortunately, Le Grand Colbert, a splendid period piece of a restaurant with high ceilings, gleaming brass fixtures and colorful friezes, has its own entrance at 2 Rue Vivienne and remains open. This lovely landmark serves lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and late supper until 1am for theatergoers who swarm in from the nearby Comédie Française.
While the Vivienne and Colbert are light-filled spaces with creamy walls, the Véro-Dodat is dark and atmospheric, with mahogany paneling and an old-fashioned floor of diagonal black-and-white tiles. Developed by a pair of wealthy charcutiers who gave it their names, it opened in 1822 and was an immediate success. Nicely restored, the Véro-Dodat, perhaps more than any other passage, retains its original character, with 38 identical boutiques displaying their wares in narrow arched windows surrounded by gilt edging.
The most attractive of those windows belong to Robert Capia, an antique dealer specializing in dolls who’s been here over 40 years. It’s worth visiting this passage just to see his groups of fragile “poupées” with delicate bisque faces, long curls and pearly teeth staring solemnly back at window shoppers. One wears a tomboyish sailor suit; another, a white lace dress, tiny turquoise earrings and the smallest ring I have ever seen on her porcelain pinky.
Across the passage, a newer arrival is the ultra-chic makeup shop By Terry. In 1997, while Terry de Gunzburg was still designing the Yves Saint Laurent makeup line, she started her own company here, offering custom-blended foundation for anyone willing to spend about $730 for a year’s supply. Wanting a secluded and elegant place where customers could come for consultations, she chose the Véro-Dodat.
“We have many well-known clients-princesses, for example,” a white-smocked vendeuse explained. “They appreciate the fact that there aren’t too many people around.” Now Terry has three shops within the passage: her original location still sells custom makeup, while a larger space carries her ready-to-wear cosmetics-the same quality and rich colors in less expensive packaging. A third shop features her home-decorating collection.
Not all the passages are as chic as the Véro-Dodat and the Vivienne. On the other side of the Palais Royal, the Passage de Choiseul is decidedly downscale. But it’s busy at lunchtime, when Chinese and Greek restaurants overflow with employees of nearby businesses who don’t seem to mind the linoleum floor, walls with peeling paint, and safety net slung under the glass roof to catch falling bits. Despite its illustrious history-Offenbach founded the still-lively Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens here in 1855, and Paul Verlaine’s first poems were published here-the Choiseul shows how passages can deteriorate over time.
Although it has landmark status, along with all the other passages listed here, that doesn’t help much financially. Passages are private property, not national monuments, so most restoration and maintenance costs are borne by shop owners. It takes a lot of money to care for a passage, and an enormous organizational effort to get co-proprietors to agree to, and pay for, a maintenance program. Some 50 different “immeubles” make up the Passage de Choiseul, for example, each with its own “syndic,” or management organization.
Ironically, landmark status makes upkeep more expensive. The Passage Bourg-l’Abbé, tucked away behind Les Halles, needs renovations costing some 76,000E. Ivan Lulli, a cabinetmaker whose shop is there, explained in a recent Journal de Paris article that they’ve obtained about 25 percent of that amount in government aid. “But,” he adds, “that just covers the extra expense incurred because, with landmark status, we can only hire specialists registered with the historic monuments commission.” Work is scheduled to begin this fall.
Its neighbor, the Passage du Grand-Cerf, just went through the same process, and the results look good. Paris’ highest passage now houses contemporary designers, with jewelers, milliners and home-decorating shops sharing the lofty, light-filled space.
Not far away, the Passage du Caire, in the Sentier, is worth seeing only for its facade, a fantasy of lotus columns, friezes and bas-reliefs of Egyptian deities. The longest passage, it owes its name and decoration to Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt. Although open to the public, it’s of little interest inside, being completely devoted to the wholesale garment trade.
The city’s northernmost passages show the most neglect, and are worth the trip only if you’re in the market for a cheap Indian restaurant or a 6E haircut. Straddling the Boulevard de Strasbourg, the Brady, grand enough when built in 1828, was chopped in two by Haussmann. Lack of funds and a changing demography did the rest. Today it’s busy at lunchtime, when mingled scents of incense and curry are overwhelming, but it’s a dismal place in need of major repairs. Not far away, the Prado is similarly rundown.
Between the high-end galeries and the shabbiest survivors are some of Paris’ most interesting passages, four of which offer pedestrians a peaceful promenade near the busy grands boulevards. Off the Boulevard des Italiens is the last one built in Paris, the Passage des Princes (1860). Beautifully restored a decade ago, it remained empty for a while. Now it’s been reborn as a children’s paradise, with eight shops selling everything from simple wooden toys to the latest computer games.
The Boulevard Montmartre boasts one of the city’s oldest passages, the 1799 Passage des Panoramas. Its name derives from two cycloramas, huge cylindrical paintings mounted in silo-like buildings that once towered over the boulevard. All of Paris flocked to the panoramas, paying a franc and a half for an experience that, with cleverly designed perspectives and lighting, mimicked a hot-air balloon ride over Rome, Athens or even Moscow in flames. The entrepreneur responsible for them was Robert Fulton, an American who used his profits to subsidize the prototype steamboat and submarine he was trying to sell the French.
The panoramas disappeared in 1831, but the passage that linked them remains. With several branching corridors, the passage today, while not as elegant as some, is lively with shops, antiquaires and restaurants. Among these eateries is the tearoom l’Arbre à Cannelle, one of my favorite lunch spots, in the gilded setting of a former chocolate shop. A few doors away is an engraving shop called Stern, which has been in business since 1834. Patronized by everyone from Lenin to Charles de Gaulle, it’s worth a visit for its museum-quality display windows and wood-paneled interior.
Across the Boulevard Montmartre from the Panoramas, the Passage Jouffroy is quieter and prettier. Don’t miss the unique shop named for its owner, Thomas Boog, an artist who works with seashells. His extraordinary creations range from lamp stands and jewelry to entire rooms and grottos. The Jouffroy also houses two hotels, the Mercure Ronceray Opéra (rooms cost 133-244E) and the atmospheric Hôtel Chopin, whose basic but very quiet rooms (55-91E) are booked far in advance.
The Verdeau, which continues the Jouffroy, is a haven for collectors, with antiques, classic film posters and vintage postcards. A perfect spot to stop for lunch or an afternoon coffee is Le Verdeau, a colorful salon de thé. Relax at a table in the passage, let the lovely light filter down on you, and enjoy the feeling of sitting on an outdoor terrace watching the world go by.
Other passages are scattered throughout the city, each one a reflection of its neighborhood and all worth at least a quick look. While I love Paris for its grand perspectives and majestic monuments, I also appreciate the charm, peacefulness and human scale of the passages. Whether chic or shabby, they preserve fascinating fragments of the city’s past-Paris history under glass.
•Passage Bourg-l’Abbé: 120 Rue Saint-Denis, 3 Rue de Palestro, 2nd.
•Passage Brady: 43 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin, 46 Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis, 10th.
Restaurants
Strolling the rue Montorgueil about 6 pm is great fun. Walk as far north as rue Réaumur, checking out the restaurants as you go, then turn around and sit down in a cafe somewhere along the street and watch the world go by. We like the Grille Montorgueil at # 50.
Chez Georges - 1 rue du Mail
We've gone here several times, love the food and they're incredibly friendly. The ratatouille is to die for, but don't fill up on it early. Some of the wines you can order a bottle of and they'll just charge you for what you drink, so you can have white first and switch to red. It's in several guidebooks so tends to attract tourists, but it's worth it. Call for reservations 01-42-60-07-11. Closed Sunday. [note in 2008 – seems very expensive when the exchange rate is bad]
Here's Patricia Wells' review - http://www.patriciawells.com/reviews/iht/1998/1505.htm
Au Bascou
This is on the street at the north side of our neighborhood and about 7 blocks east, in the Marais. Had a great lamb stew there. Somewhat off the beaten path,so less tourists.
Restaurant Au Bascou, 38 rue Réaumur tel 0142726925. Closed Saturday for lunch, Sunday,
Monday for lunch and August. Metro: Art et Métiers.
A basco béarnaise cuisine, which will be served by excellent wines, since the
chef is a great connoisseur and amateur of the divine grape. A warm and
convivial place, blushing with colours, a comfortable dining room, authentic.
And what an enthusiasm to prepare you excellent dishes! You feel impregnated by
a sweet laziness, ready to let yourself go in the hands of all this
savoir-faire. Morue pil-pil, chipirons sautés, thon à la Biscaye, tourtière à
l'armagnac, boeuf braise aux anchois, and the all classic, ever well served
parfait glace au touron, in the dessert menu since many years. Carte 28 Eur.
L'Épi d'Or
This is near our apartment, and we had a good meal here. Actually, we went
twice in the same evening - the first two courses of dinner, then we ran over
to the Palais Royal to see a dance performance, then went back for dessert!
Reserve, as is always recommended for the more popular places, and ask for a
table near the street - they appear to stuff the Americans in the back room
otherwise.
(tel 01 42 36 38 12, 25 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1er metro Louvre-Rivoli). This oh-so-Parisian bistro east of Les Halles serves classic, well prepared dishes such as gigot d'agneau (leg of lamb) cooked for seven hours to a surprisingly well-heeled crowd. There's a menu and it's open for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday and on Saturday evening.
Walking Tours
We sometimes do two walking tours a day. Wear comfortable shoes.
Concerts
In contrast with Boston, where most music moves out of town in the summer, there are great concerts every night in Paris. Unfortunately, the Pariscope magazine has just dropped their English language section which lists events in English, but it's still worth picking up for concert listings. The Sainte Chapelle usually has a concert every night, mostly baroque warhorses, but we've been to several great ones, and the setting is unique in the world - an acre of gothic stained glass that king Louis IX constructed to house the "crown of thorns" he had just acquired from some rug merchant in the middle east during the Crusades. There are posters all over town listing the programs and times so keep your eyes opened for them, or decipher it from the Pariscope (available at any news kiosk on the street).. Go to the early show so you can see the stained glass while it's still light, and go out for dinner afterwards. It's mind-boggling.
Parks
One of our favorite things to do is just walk around the parks and sit down and read. The ones we like the best:
Gardens of the Palais Royal - the residence of the Cardinale Richlieu. The fountain in the middle is where we usually end up, but check out the southern end where there's often world class theater /dance /concerts this time of year and a really weird courtyard with stripped columns. Read the menu at Le Grand Véfour at the opposite end on the north side left of the middle, one of Paris' top restautants.
Luxembourg Gardens - very large, check out the Medici fountain on the east side of the Senat building, which is closest to the Odéon Theatre. There are lunchtime concerts in a bandstand just south of the fountain, up a little hill too, which are fun (usually American groups like what Alex did).
Place des Vosges - in the Marais. One of the most sublime urban spaces I know of. The whole Marais is worth just wandering around in. It's between the Bastille and our neighborhood. This part of Paris suffered less of an impact from Hausmann's urban reconstruction of the mid nineteenth century, so there are more older buildings. It has become the gay spot. The Picasso museum is near here, as is the Jewish quarter.
As far as I'm concerned, the whole length of the river on both sides, but especially along the banks of the islands, is a park meant for strolling. I'm not sure if they are doing this again this year, but in past summers they have turned the highway along the river from the center of town towards the east into "Paris Plage" which means Paris Beach, complete with sand and palm trees.
Otherwise
There's the Flea Market at St. Ouen / Porte de Clignancourt which is always incredible. Just be sure that you get out of the metro and walk the 3 blocks north, going under the highway overpass to the real one, and don't just stop at the junky clothes part in the beginning and the leave like some people have done. My favorite of the seven markets is the one one the north west corner of the rue des Rosiers and the ave. Michelet (the street that goes under the highway). Start there and wander around to the west of there. It goes on and on (weekends only).
The Paris Saint-Ouen Flea Market celebrated its centenary in 1985. Hosting 2500 dealers and covering more than 17 acres (7 hectares), it is the world's largest antiques market. Every weekend, between 120,000 and 150,000 visitors from the world over come in the hopes of finding a rare and treasured object. The market has become one of the highlights of Paris for locals and tourists alike, looking for particular items or simply delighting in a stroll through the massive complex of vendors.
Our neighborhood map. The Louvre is just below the left hand side of the map.
Have a great time!
General Paris Travel Advice (from the Internet)
WAITERS: To call one, say, "monsieur!" (mon see ur) Or "madame" (ma dom) or mademoiselle (ma dom wah zelle), as the case may be. The old "garcon" is no longer acceptable, unless you are 95 years old, a member of the French aristocracy, and dripping with dusty old crown jewels. It is not unusual for waiters to become totally unavailable at check time. We don't know why. It's just one of those things. It is not personal. The check is l'addition (la diss yon) si'l vous plait ( see voo play.) The universal check sign also works universally. And they usually understand "the check please." However, in Port Jefferson, for example, most French visitors would have the brains to ask for the check in English rather than in French. So, it seems appropriate that we return the courtesy. Thank you = merci bien (mare see be yen).
ALL-TIME FAVORITE LUNCH SPOT: On the Isle St. Louis (eel san loo ee), buy some stuff at a local "deli," and go down the stairs to the quay-side by the river on the Isle St. Louis, where you can sit, have a picnic with a drop-dead view of the back of Notre Dame (probably better than the front view at the moment, as I understand there is scaffolding in the front, possibly because of recent vandalism.). If you feel like Audrey Hepburn or Catherine Deneuve, you are. If a modern-day "Jean Gabin" stops by, tant pis (tahn pee, or so be it).
SUNDAY STROLLS: If you are in Paris on a Saturday or even better on a Sunday, try the Jardin Luxembourg if it is nice out. Will likely be swarming with Parisians lolling about, strolling, etc. Sort of living theater without a ticket or reservation. Look for the guy doing Tai Chi. You can buy soft drinks or a snack in the park. Stroll around, pull up a chair, people-watch. Photograph statues with pigeons on their heads.
TIPPING: Restaurants: Most include a 15% service charge and tax in their prices, referred to as service compris (sair vees com pree). If a meal or service has been particularly good, leaving another 10 francs is customary, as is leaving the waiter small change from your bill if you paid in cash. If service is not included in the price (service non-compris) a 15% tip is customary.
WHEN THE FRENCH ARE RUDE (no more often than New Yorkers, and, of course, you were being polite): Option #1 - be charming (pretend you are Maurice Chevallie.). If that doesn't work instantly, waste no more time. Go to Option #2 -- Flash back with 'tude. They respond well to that. And you feel much better. Difference between NYC and Paris? "'Tude might get you a blow to the head or an unfortunate mess on the street. In Paris, it gets respect. Don't let bureaucrats in post offices or banks get away with it. Stay put, stand your ground. Raise your voice to a nice, cold decibel level, calmly. In English. (Pretend you are Prince Philip.) Ask to see a supervisor, and be charming to the supervisor. Or not. Might have to move quickly to Option #2 with him/her, too. Point is, don't give up till you get what you want. They expect you to stick at it. Sometimes, I think they are disappointed when someone gives up and shrinks away. Where's the conflict? Where's the story? They like a good story; the taller the better. Doesn't matter a fig if they believe it. Life should be interesting, n'cest pas? (nest pa? - means, " right?") Sah vah means "Okay." Sah VAH? means "Okay?." Never, ever, attempt to deal with a conflict in French, unless you are completely fluent. Be aware, that your "fluency" may diminish if you are understandly excited. By continuing in polite, slightly loud, totally controlled English, you have the advantage. Your turf, not their's. To wrap up, if you are going to duke it out, do it on your "turf." It works!
GETTING AROUND THE PARIS METRO: There are wonderful "interactive" maps in the metro stations. The different metro lines have numbers and are identified by their numbers and by the name of their terminals. There is only one class of carriage in the metro but still two in the RER, the Regional Express metro lines, which are identified by a letter. The metro and RER runs from 5:30 am to 12:30 am approximately. Don't forget to keep your ticket for inspection. You will never, ever, be required to show it until the day that you do not have it. The metro in Paris is safe and pleasant relative to NYC, but still watch out for pick-pockets. For information on the Paris transportation services, call from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm 43.46.14.14 and ask for an English-speaking person.
THINGS TO SEE & DO & HOW TO DO IT INTRO TO PARIS: For a little concert and show on 2000 years of Paris history and its monuments, try PARISTORIC. Every hour from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. At 11 bis, rue scribe, 75009 PARIS. Metro: Opéra. (ll "bis" means like 11 B, or the next door/entry from the building marked number 11)
TOURIST INFORMATION: Special hotlines to answer your questions: In the U.S.: France On Call 1-900-990-0040 (50c per minute from anywhere in the U.S.) In France: American Express Toll-Free Hotline 05-201-202 (effective 5/1-10/31, 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday). French Government Tourist Office, 628 Fifth Avenue New, York, NY 10020-2452 Tel: (212) 757-1125 Fax: (212) 247-6468. France on Call Hotline at 1- 900-990-0040 (50c per minute anywhere in the U.S.) or visit one of their public information offices. In France, tourist information offices are also located in the train stations. Open daily 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. .
WHAT'S ON IN PARIS? 24 hour recorded information in English Tel: 49 52 53 56 Office du Tourisme de Paris (Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau) 127, avenue des Champs-Elyses. Paris Tel: 49 52 53 54. Metro: George-V or Charles-de-Gaulle/Etoile. International Herald Tribune will keep you in touch with the world. The teleivison in the apartment may have cable, with CNN and SKY NEWS.
PERIPHERY OF PARIS: There are lovely places to visit for the day, a short drive from Paris, besides Versailles (vair sigh), Giverney (gee vair knee) and Chartre (shart). Get the Green Michelin Guide in English "Environs of Paris," which contains a lot of information about these places. You can easily combine the chateaux (shah toe) of Malmaison (mahl may zon) with Rambouillet (ram boo YEAH), for example.
FRENCH MUSEUM & MONUMENT PASS: Free and direct access to the permanent collections housed in 70 museums and monuments in Paris and the Ile de France region.. Individually, these visits add up. What's nice about the pass is you don't have to wait on lines to get your ticket each time you want to visit something. Also, you can duck in and explore something you come across on one of your strolls to somewhere else and leave in a ½ hour without thinking about how much it costs to go inside in the first place. Sale of Pass: o at participating museums and monuments oat major metro stations oat Tourist Information Bureau (Carrousel du Louvre) o at Paris Tourist Bureau, 127 avenue des Champs-Elysées, Paris 8e. o at railway stations' Information-Tourist Bureau: Montparnasse, Nord, Est, Lyon, and Austerlitz o at FNAC ticket counters or check for a US Tour Operator selling the Pass. Please note: The pass does not permit access to temporary exhibitions or guided visits. 1998 prices1-Day pass:80 FF.3-Day pass:160 FF.5-Day pass:240 FF. A list of the museums and monuments that are included in this pass: Antiquités Nationales (Musées des) Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye Place du Château - 78103 Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Tel: 01 34 51 53 65. RER: A Saint-Germain-en-Laye - 9:30am-5:30pm - Closed on Tuesdays. Gallo-roman and Merovingian archeological museumAuvers-sur-Oise 20 miles from Paris - easily accessible by train. .Have lunch in this nice little town. Van Gogh. The simple inn in the village of Auver-sur-Oise, where Vincent van Gogh spent the last 70 days of his life, has recently been restored and opened. La Maison de van Gogh is now one of the most moving museums in the Paris region. Céramique (Musée National de la) Place de la Manufacture-92310 Sèvres. Metro: Pont de Sèvres. Tel: 01 41 14 04 20. 10am-5pm. Closed on Tuesdays and Public Holidays. History of fine china and pottery through all ages and civilizations. The Manufacture Royale de Sèvres was founded in 1738. Fontainebleau (Musée National du chateau de) 77300 Fontainebleau. Tel: 01 64 22 27 40. Train station: Gare de Lyon, station "Fontainebleau Avon"+Bus A or B . Open: 9:30am-12:30am-2pm-5pm. Closed on Tuesdays and Public Holidays. If you are driving, combine it with having lunch at a restaurant in town of Barbizon. Malmaison et de Bois Préau (Musée National des Châteaux de)1, avenue du Château, Rueil-Malmaison. Tel: 01 47 49 20 07. RER: line A Rueil-Malmaison. Summer: 10am-12noon, 1:30pm-5pm. Winter: 10am-12noon, 1:30am-4:30pm. Closed on Tuesdays. Museums devoted to the story of Napoléon and Joséphine. Saint-Denis (Basilica) Place de l'Hôtel de Ville Saint-Denis. Tel: 01 48 09 83 54. RER: line D Saint-Denis. Metro: Basilique-Saint-Denis. Summer: 10am-7pm. Winter 10am-5pm. Sundays: From 12 noon. Closed on Public Holidays. Funeral Art Museum. Tombs of the Kings of France. Versailles et de Trianon (Musée et Domaine National du château de)Versailles. Tel: 01 30 84 74 00 RER: line C Versailles Rive Gauche. Bus: 171 Pont de Sèvres. Train station: Gare Saint-Lazare: Station Versailles Rive Droite. Summer: 9am-6:30pm. Winter: 9am-5:30pm. Closed Mondays. The Royal Apartments, the Hall of Mirrors, the Chapel, the Royal Opera and the French History Museum. A park with statues, fountains, the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon, the Temple of Love and the Hamlet. Fêtes de Versailles (from May 4 til October 12, 1997- every Sunday and August 15, ): The fountains of Versaille's gardens set to music! At the "Grande perspective" bassin: 11:15 to 11:35am. Grandes eaux:3:30 to 5:00pm, Grand Final (Bassin de Neptune)5:20 to 5:30pm. Grande Fête de Nuit: Royal fireworks, music and illuminated fountains: at 10:30pmJune 27, 28 - July 4, 5, 18 and 19 - September 5, 6, 12 and 13.
VAT/TVA: Your can get a refund of the value-added tax on purchases of 2,000FF or more at any single store (need passsport.) Discount from 10 %to 22 %, depending on classification of goods. You can combine purchases in department stores. Leaving France, show your goods and the V.A.T. refund forms filled out by the store at customs (la douane). French Customs will keep pink pages, mail in the envelope provided by the store, and give you the validated green page, which you should keep in case of dispute. Documentation must be processed at airport customs' counters before you check your luggage (you must be prepared to show merchandise), at the boarder customs office, or by the train's customs officer if leaving France by rail. Refunds are sent a few weeks later or credited to your credit card. (Shopping with a credit card makes the paperwork easier.) Returning home, your duty-free allowances: $400. For the next $1000 worth of goods, a flat 10% rate. Also allowed 1 bottle perfume, 1 liter alcohol. More perfume? Open one (or two) and put them in your purse. Don't forget to go to the airport customs counter BEFORE you check your bags through at the airline check out counter.
SHOPPING/DEPARTMENT STORES: I like the department stores, particularly Printemp and Galeries LaFayette. Shopping there and getting your VAT stuff in all one place is convenient. Samaritaine used to be a bit Sears-ish, but that probably has changed - along with me -- but it is good for its free view of Paris from the top (as opposed to the Tour Eiffel - tour eee fell -- which has a charge and long lines). Its restaurant has a nice view, too. For everyday purchases, try Uniprix and Monoprix. There are "hypermarkets" now in France and around Paris. With a car, I am sure you can easily get to one. The Tourist Office should be able to tell you where they are.
SHOPPING/MARKETS & FOOD SHOPPING: A kilogram ( 1,000 grams) is roughly 2 pounds, 500 grams roughly 1 pound. If you are shopping for meat, figure about 150 grams per person, depending on the cut, fat, and appetites. There are marvelous "deli" type food shops with prepared dishes. Usually very good. And you can eat Parisienne at home without cooking. The following markets marked with a star are known also for their food.) The first two are in the 6th. All of the information on market was provided by StCirq, to whom we are in debt. Merci, StCirq, *Marché St-Germain, rue Mabillon et rue Lobineau (Tues. through Sat, 8am-1pm and 4-7 pm, Sun. 9am-1pm). *Rue de Seine et rue de Buci, Tues.-Sat., 8am-1pm and 4-7 pm, Sun. 9am-1 pm. This one always seems to have a more cheerful atmosphere than others. *Marché de rue Lépic, Tues.-Sun., 8am-1pm. Marché rue de Lévis, Blvd. des Batignolles, Tues-Sat., 8am-1pm and 4-7 pm, Sun. 9am-1pm. *Rue Mouffetard, Tues-Sun., 8am-1pm. Tourist-laden in recent years, but it's a great place to learn about goat innards and odd shellfish. *Rue le Cler -- Very nice, but don't know the days and times. *Marché rue Poncelet, Tues-Sat., 8:30am-12and 4-7:30 pm, Sunday, 8am-12:30 pm. Marché Président Wilson, avenue Président Wilson between Pont d'Iena and rue Debrousse, Wed. and Sat., 7 am-1pm. More chic than the others. *Marché Raspail, blvd. Raspail between rue du Cherche-Midi and rue de Rennes, Fri. and Sat., 7am-1 pm. Marché Enfants rouges, 39, rue de Bretagne, Tues.-Sat., 8am-1pm, Sun. 9 am-1pm. Dates from 1620 and is perhaps one of the most charming. On weekends, street performers make it particularly lively. *Marche couvert St-Quentin, Mon, through Sat. 8:30- am-1 pm
PRACTICALITIES TELEPHONES: Most public telephones only accept phone cards, which can be bought from a post office or a café/tabac for 40FF or 96FF. To call a region of France from Paris dial 16 followed by the eight digit number. To call Paris from the provinces dial 16 then 1 followed by the eight-digit number. To be connected with an English-speaking operator in the U.S. dial "19" from any phone, wait for the tone, then dial "0011" for AT&T USA Direct Service, dial "0019" for MCI, or dial "0087" for Sprint. If you have a phone card that works internationa;;, bring it with you, along with the directions.
NEED HELP? Throughout France: Telephone information: 12 - SAMU (24 hour ambulance); 15 - Police. 17 - Fire. American Hospital in Paris 63, boulevard Victor-Hugo, Neuilly Tel: 46 41 25 25. British and American Pharmacy 1, rue Auber Tel: 47 42 49 40 . Pharmacie Anglaise 62, avenue des Champs-Elyse; Tel: 43 59 22 52. Pharmacies in France are big on homeopathy, and you can hunt and peck and find some nice mild organic stuff for various mild maladies. The staff will help you. (Make a brew of cherry stems if you are retaining water, for example.)
PASSPORT: If you lose your passport: U.S. consulate will give you a three-month temporary passport. U.S. consulate in Paris: 2, rue St-Florentin, 75001. Tel: 42 96 12 02 or 42 61 80 75. Other cities with U.S. consulates: Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, and Strasbourg. Mandatory in France to carry some proof of identification at all times. Remember: You will need your passport when you shop if you want a tax refund. -
Electrical appliances: Current in France is 220 volts AC and current alternates at 50 cycles, not the 60 in use in U.S. If you bring electrical appliances, you need a voltage transformer and a plug adapter. - Units of capacity: 1 liter = 1.7 pints = 0.88 quarts 10 liters = 2.64 US gallons 1 pint = 0.56 liter, 1 quart = 1.136 liter = 2 pints 1 US gallon = 3.73 liters. - National holidays: New Year Day January 1; Easter Sunday and Monday April 3 & 4;Labor Day, May 1; V.E. Day May 8; Ascension Thursday May 12; Pentecost Sunday & Monday, May 22 & 23; Bastille Day July 14; Assumption Day-Feast of the Virgin Mary August 15; All Saints Day November 1; Armistice Day November 11; Christmas Day December 25. -National museums, in general, are closed on Tuesday (always check)and municipal ones closed on Monday. Some museums are open late on Wednesday. - Major international banks - most have offices in Paris. Banks open weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Banks closed Sundays, holidays, and the afternoon before holidays. Also closed Saturdays in Paris and Mondays in the provinces. - Post offices are marked PTT and open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. In Paris, main post office at 52, rue du Louvre is open 24 hours a day. Stamps can be purchased at tabacs, hotels, and some newsstands. As can les cartes postale .