``But, you can’t even speak French,’’ a friend said as I toasted my Schengen Visa. Paris may be the most romantic city in the world, but the web is full of stories of snobbish Parisians who wouldn’t deign to respond to a query in English. I needn’t have worried (I remembered another tip on a travel forum – Parisians reserve their meanest behaviour for the Americans).So even as I practiced my ``Monsieur’’ ``Merci’’ and ``Vouz Parlez Anglais’’, in Paris `Thank You’ was equally acceptable at shops, metro ticket counters or with a stranger on top of the Eiffel Tower who offered to take our photographs (well, again he could have been an American).
The Eiffel Tower, Museums, Gothic cathedrals, gardens, palaces and some more museums – Paris has them all. When another friend recently asked about information on Paris and Amsterdam, my long delayed travel piece finally got wriiten.
All you need to know about Paris
Getting out of the airport:
The Charles de Gaulle International Airport also known as the Roissy airport is situated to the north east of the city. There are three options of getting to the city.
*Take the RER-B station from Terminal 2 and 3. Tickets cost about €8, 50.
* Take the airport-city bus service the Roissy bus that will take you to Opéra Garnier.
* Take a cab (It has Taxi Parisiens sticker on its roof). May turn out to be a bit expensive upwards of € 45, but it’s the easiest way to get to your hotel if you are going to Paris for the first time. Be warned that the traffic jams during weekdays are bad and the cab meter will go on ticking.
Imp Tip: Buy a Paris Museum pass at the airport info kiosk. (Read info below)
Getting around:
The Metro is the best way to get around Paris and see the sights. Paris has an excellent underground metro network. Your hotel will have a map of the train network. Keep a couple of them with you; it will prove handy.
A single ticket costs €1.50. If you are in Paris for more than a day -less than 4 days, buy a carnet of 10 tickets costing €11.10. This is valid for unlimited metro, RER, bus and tram transfers during one hour and can be bought at any of the stations from automatic vending machines or the ticket counters.
If you are staying for more, it makes sense to buy the Carte Orange weekly/monthly pass.
Things to do:
Open Bus Tour: One of the first things you should do is take the hop on-hop off Paris L’Open Tour Bus – an open topped double decker bus with head sets. The bus has four routes and is the best way to get a feel of the city and check the major attractions. A one day pass will cost €26 and a two day pass is €29. Ask your hotel reception for the pass – they usually stock it.
Paris by boat: Batobus, Bateaux Mouches have sightseeing cruises.
Things to see:
Eiffel Tower one of the wonders of the world.
Arc de Triomphe Paris’ Gateway of India, but trust me bigger, better and grand it has the grave of the unknown soldier under the arch.
Notre Dame Cathedral A magnificent Gothic cathedral that was made famous Victor Hugo in his novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Sacré Coeur A church that offers awesome views of Paris.
Père-Lachaise Cemetery graves of Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde among others.
Sainte Chapelle Another church, but this is famous for its stained glass windows.
Chateau de Versailles You have to travel outside the city to see the home of King Louis XIV.
The Louvre One of the best museums in the world. Perhaps more known for it’s most famous resident Mona Lisa.
Musée d'Orsay Once a train station, it has an impressive collection of the impressionists, including Van Gogh
Other places to see Pantheon, Luxembourg gardens, Centre Georges, Pompidou, and Picasso Museum.
Paris Museum Pass: A pre-paid card, it is one of the most convenient and value for money ways to see the important sights in Paris. It allows entry to 70 museums and monuments, and most of the times allow you to jump queues. A 2-day pass cots €30), 4-day (€45) and 6-day (€60).Before you go:
You would need a Schengen Visa from the French Consulate in your city.
Booking hotels:
I spent hours on the site www.booking.com, checking out hotel deals and then getting first hand reviews of the hotels from www.tripadvisor.com.
Getting out:
If you plan to use Paris as a base to travel to other parts of Europe, you can book railway tickets on trains including the high speed Thalys on the website www.sncf.com. It’s the French national railway network, have regular discounts. Click on the flag of Great Britain at the end of the page for English.
PS: Carry a copy of your passport and Schengen Visa, especially in Amsterdam. A darker skin tone, can mean you are subjected to a security check by the police, if you are traveling on your own.
This is a rough itinerary that I drew up for short Paris-Amsterdan trip.
Day 1
Take Open bus tour of Paris.
Go see the Eiffel tower in the evening
Day 2 –
See the Louvre. It’s huge and you may spend aimless hours just wandering. So make a list of the major works that you wanna see beginning with the Mona Lisa, get a map and start ticking the list.
Evening: Champs Elysees, Arc De Triomphe
Day 3
Musee d'Orsay
Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle
Evening – River cruise
Day 4
Sacre-Coeur, Explore Montmartre or go visit Versailles
*In the evening go to Marais, the most happening and gay part of Paris.
*If you are not much of a Museum person you can always do the Moulin Rogue or Lido
Amsterdam
Day 1
Visit Dam Square and go see the red light district
Day 2
Take a canal cruise
Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum
Day 3
Visit Zaans Schaans (the wind mill area) or Anne Frank Museum and Vondel park
Day 4
Go visit the gay book stores and the Homo Monument.
Things you have to do:
Visit Cock Ring the happening gay bar, and Prik a lounge bar.
