Paris started life as the Celto-Roman settlement of Lutetia on the Île de la Cité. It takes its present name from the name of the dominant Gallo-Celtic tribe in the region, the Parisii. At least that's what the Romans called them, when they showed up in 52 BCE and established their city Lutetia on the left bank of the Seine, in what is now called the "Latin Quarter" in the 5th arrondissement.

The Romans held out here for as long as anywhere else in the Western Empire, but by 508 they were gone, replaced by Clovis of the Franks, who is considered by the French to be their first king. Clovis' descendants, aka the Carolingians, held on for nearly 500 years though Viking raids and other calamities forced a move by most of the population back to the islands which had been the center of the celtic village. The Capetian duke of Paris was voted to succeed the last of the Carolingians as king of France, insuring the city of its premier position in the medieval world. Over the next several centuries Paris expanded onto the right bank into what was called "the Marais". Quite a few buildings from this time can be seen in the 4th arrondissement.

The medieval period also witnessed the founding of the Sorbonne. As the "University of Paris", it became one of the most important centers for learning in Europe, if not the whole world, for several hundred years. Most of the institutions that constitute the University are found in the 5th, and 13th arrondissements.

The Capetian and later the Bourbon kings of France made their mark on Paris with such buildings as the Louvre and the Palais Royal, both in the 1st, but the Paris which most visitors know and love was built long after they were gone in the 19th century when Baron von Hausmann reconstructed adding the long straight avenues, and demolishing many of the medieval houses which had been left until that time.

New wonders arrived during la Belle Époque, as the Parisien golden age of the late 19th century is known. Gustave Eiffel's famouse tower, the first metro lines, most of the parks, and the streetlights which gave the city its epethet "the city of light" all come from this period.

The twentieth century was hard on Paris, but thankfully not as hard as it could have been. Hitler's order to burn the city was thankfully ignored by the german General von Choltitz who was quite possibly convinced by a swedish diplomat that it would be better to surrender and be remembered as the savior of Paris, than to be remembered as its destroyer. Following the war the city recovered slowly at first, and then more quickly in the 1970s and 1980s when Paris began to experience some of the problems faced by big cities everywhere: pollution, housing shortages, and occasionally failed experiments in urban renewal. During this time however Paris enjoyed considerable growth as a multi-cultural city, with new immigrants from all corners of the world, especially francophonie, including most of northern and western Africa as well as Vietnam and Laos. These immigrants brought their foods and music both of which are of prime interest for many travellers.

Immigration and multi-culturalism continues! The 21st century has seen a marked increase in the arrival of people from latin america, especially Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. In the late 1990's it was hard to find good Mexican food in Paris, for instance, today there are dozens of possibilities from lowly taquerias in the outer arrondissements to nice sit-down restaurants on the boulevards. The chili pepper has arrived. Meanwhile Latin music from Salsa to Samba is all the rage (well, alongside Paris lounge electronica).

The 21st century has also seen vast improvements in the general livibility of Paris, with the Mayor's office concentrating on reducing pollution and improving facilities for soft forms of transportation including a huge network of cycle paths, larger pedestrian districts and newer faster metro lines. Visitors who normally arrive car-less are the benificiaries of these policies as much as the Parisiens themselves are.

Parisians have the reputation (deserved or otherwise) of being more brusque (or even downright rude) and business-like than other French people. This is in keeping with the fact that it is a very big city, and of course the stresses of city life can drive anybody to be a bit brusque. Be sure to be polite: in particular, do not ask a service of anybody, even of a shopkeeper, without at least saying a polite greeting ("hello" or "bonjour"). In fact it's customary to say "bonjour" to shop owner, or the first shop worker you meet after entering any shop, especially a smaller one.

Parisians undergo pretty much constant requests from beggars, salespeople, and buskers every day. Sometimes these requestors turn out to be downright crooks, so naturally the parisian becomes a bit suspicious of strangers asking for anything, even their time. Try to keep this in mind when you need to ask for directions in the Métro. Aside from being polite to a fault it's probably advisable to dress up a bit when in Paris, perhaps about a step up from what you would normally wear at home. Of course you will need to adapt the same attitude as parisians to some degree, being a bit better dressed will make you a target for the aformentioned crooks, etc.

Yes, the french look just like folks back home (at least for many English speakers) but the local language really is French. For most people English is something they had to study in school, and thus seems a bit of a chore. People helping you out in English are making an extra effort, sometimes a considerable one. Younger people are much more likely to be fluent in English than older people.

Complicating things a bit more is the fact that the French generally learn British English in the "received pronunciation" also known as "The Queen's English". Since hardly anybody really talks that way there can be some condsiderable problems trying to communicate in English with a French speaker who learned English in school. Always do try to speak slowly and clearly, and maybe affect a bit of a Margaret Thatcher accent, but please don't shout.

Even worse, the French taught in schools in America tends to be written French which bears only a passing resemblance to real spoken French, so unless you have an advanced level and can at least sort of understand French Movies you should assume that it will be difficult for people to understand what you are saying. To play it safe you might want obtain some index cards before you leave home and write the names of your hotel and some other destinations.

When in need of directions what you should do is this: find a younger person, or a person reading some book or magazine in English, who is obviously not in a hurry; say "hello" or "bonjour"; speak slowly and clearly; write down place names if necessary. Smile a lot. Also, carry a map; given the complexity of Paris streets it is difficult to explain how to find any particular adress in any language, no matter how well you speak it.

What you should not do is this: stop a random person in the métro (like, say, some middle-aged hurried person who has a train to take) and without a greeting start asking questions in your own normal way of speaking English, perhaps requesting directions to some attraction to the other side of town that request two changes and some street walking. The person in front of you is likely to depart quickly with a word of apology.

Like city dwellers everywhere, Parisians generally expect people to speak in a measured voice when in a crowded place. They are likely to look down on people who talk very loudly in a train or subway car. While it's unlikely that anybody will say anything such behaviour will mostly get you classified as rude and is likely to reduce the possibility that you'll get help should you need it.

Several autoroutes link Paris with the rest of France: A1 and A3 to the north, A5 and A6 to the south, A4 to the east and A13 and A10 to the west. Not surprisingly traffic jams are significantly worse during French school holidays. Online visual traffic information is available at http://www.sytadin.equipement.gouv.fr/.

The multi-lane highway around Paris, called the Périphérique, is probably preferable to driving through the center. Another beltway nearing completion La Francilienne loops around Paris about 10 km further out from the Périphérique.

There are several stations serving Paris. You will probably want to know in advance at which station your train is arriving, as so to better choose a hotel and plan for transport within the city.

• Gare du Nord, , Métro: Gare du Nord - TGV trains to and from Belgium and the Netherlands (Thalys), and the United Kingdom (Eurostar) and regular trains from Northern Europe.
• Gare Austerlitz, , Métro: Gare d'Austerlitz - regular trains to and from the center and southwest of France, Spain and Portugal and arrival of majority of the night trains.
• Gare de l'Est, , Métro: Gare de l'Est - trains to and from Eastern Europe
• Gare de Lyon, , Métro: Gare de Lyon - regular and TGV trains to and from Southern and eastern France: Marseille, Lyon, Dijon, Switzerland: Geneva, Lausanne and Italy.
• Gare St Lazare, Métro: St-Lazare - trains to and from Basse-Normandie, Haute-Normandie
• Gare Montparnasse, Métro: Montparnasse-Bienvenue - TGV and regular trains to and from the west and south-west of France (Brest, Nantes, Bordeaux and Spain)

The SNCF (French national railway authority) operates practically all trains within France excluding the Eurostar to London and the Thalys to Brussels and onward to the Netherlands and Germany. There are also a few local lines of high touristic interest which are privately owned. All SNCF, Eurostar and Thalys tickets can be bought in railway stations, city offices and travel agencies (no surcharge). The SNCF website is very convenient to book and buy tickets up to two months in advance. There are significant discounts if you book early. To get the best rates you should book at least four weeks ahead. Surprisingly, round trip tickets (aller-retour) with a stay over Saturday night can be cheaper than a single one-way ticket (aller simple). A very limited selection of last minute trips are published on the SNCF website every Tuesday, with discounts of more than 50%.

There a a number of different kinds of high speed and normal trains:

• TER Regional trains and normal day or night trains (no special name) operate to and from most cities in France and are usually your best bet for destinations all over France. These are the trains you'll find yourself on if you have a Eurorail pass, and don't want to pay extra for reservations.

• TGV [1] - the world-famous French high-speed trains (Trains à Grande Vitesse) run several times a day to the Southeast Nice and Avignon, the East Geneva or Lausanne, Switzerland and Dijon, the Southwest Bordeaux, the West Rennes and the North Lille. Eurostar to London and Thalys to Brussels use almost identical trains.

• Thalys [2] - a high-speed train service running daily to/from the Netherlands and Belgium - it can be a bit expensive compared to normal trains

• Intercity Intercity trains leave for all parts of Europe, including overnight trains to San Sebastian in Spain, Porto and Lisbon in Portugal.

• Eurostar [3] - the Eurostar service connects Paris with London directly and Brussels indirectly, as well many other destinations indirectly through the various west European rail services. Travel time between Paris and London Waterloo International currently averages at 2 hours 40 minutes and will decrease even further with new tracks being laid up to 2007.

• Eurolines is a transeuropean bus company that offers trips to Paris. http://www.eurolines.com/

Paris is served by three international airports - for more information, including arrival/departure times, check the official sites:

• Charles de Gaulle International Airport (Roissy CDG), to the north-east of the city at the northern terminus of the RER-B line. [4] There is also a TGV stop on the line from Paris to Brussels. CDG is one of the major hub airports of Europe.
• Orly International Airport, to the south-west of the city, and served by a southern branch of the RER-B line [5] . This older international airport is used mainly by Air France for national lines, and other international carriers in Europe.
• Beauvais (Aéroport de Paris Beauvais Tillé) [6] , to the north of the city, is a smaller regional airport is used by some low-cost carriers, such as RyanAir. The airport operates a shuttle service connecting with the Métro at Porte Maillot station. Buses leave 20 minutes after each flight arrives, and a few hours before each flight departs. Exact times can be found on the Beauvais Airport website. The journey will take about an hour in good traffic conditions, and costs 13€ each way (as of April 2005).

In addition to public transport, Air France operates shuttles between Charles de Gaulle and Paris (10€ - 12€), Orly and Paris (7.5€) and between the two airports (15€).

You should not discount the time it takes you to reach the city itself. For CDG this means roughly an hour via train (RER) to Metro Chatelet; the price is 8.30€. Orly is roughly forty minutes via the OrlyBus, which departs from Metro Denfert-Rochereau; the price is 5.80€.

Walking in Paris is one of the great pleasures of visiting the City of Light. It's possible to cross the entire city in only a few hours, if you can somehow keep yourself from stopping at numerous cafés and shops. In fact within a few years walking combined with biking and the Métro will be the only way to get around the very center of Paris: The Mayor's office has announced plans to declare the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th arrondissements almost totally car-free by 2012.

The smartest travellers take advantage of the walkability of this city, and stay above ground as much as possible. A metro ride of less than 3 stops is probably best avoided since walking will take about the same amount of time and you'll be able to see more of the city. Just don't forget to keep your eyes open for the merde.

To get a great orientation of the city on foot while seeing many of Paris' major cites, you can do a West to East walk from the Arc de Triumph to the Ile de la Cite (Notre Dame). This walk takes about 2 hours without any stops. Start at the top of the Champs Elysees (at the Arc de Triumph) and begin walking down the Champs Elyees towards Place Concorde. On the way towards the obelisk at Place Concorde, you'll see all of the major stores and restaurants of Paris' most famous avenue. Once you've passed the main shopping area, you'll see the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais to your right. At Place Concorde, you'll have many of Paris' major sites in every direction. In front of you is the Tuilleries, behind you is the Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triumph, to your right is the Tour Eiffel and Musee D'Orsay, and finally, to your left is the Madelleine. Continue straight ahead and enter the Tuilleries garden and take in the fountains, flowers and lovers in the park. As you continue straight ahead, and out of the garden, you'll see the pyramid entrance to the Louvre directly in front of you. With the pyramid directly in front of you, and the Tuilleries directly behind you, turn to your right and walk towards the Seine. Now you can walk along the Seine (Eastwardly) until you reach Pont Neuf. Cross Pont Neuf and walk through the Latin Quarter and also by the Notre Dame cathedral on Ile da la Cite.

Paris has an excellent subway train system, known as the Métro. There are 14 lines (lignes) on which trains travel all day at intervals of a few minutes between 5am and 1.30am, stoping at all stations on the line. In addition there are 5 express lines called RER A, B, C, D, E. They can be used within Paris with a regular subway ticket. RER trains run at intervals of about 6 - 7 minutes, and stop at every station within Paris. For stations which are outside of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, check the information board on the platform.

A single ticket cost 1.40€; for shorter visits a carnet of ten tickets can be bought for 10.70€ at any station, that will bring the price per ticket down to 1.07€. There are also 1 to 5 day passes, called Paris Visite, available, starting at 8.35€ for one day of unlimited travel within Paris and inner suburbs.

If you're staying a bit longer it might be interesting to get a Carte Orange Hebdomadaire (1 week pass, 15.4€ for Paris and inner suburbs) or Mensuelle (1 month pass). For the Carte Orange you need one small photograph -- you can use a photomat in a larger métro station or photocopy and trim your passport photo. Note that an Hebdomadaire (eb-DOH-ma-DAYR: in French you don't pronounce the H) starts on Mondays and a Mensuelle on the first of the month. There is some confusion about whether tourists are permitted to buy the Carte Orange rather than the more expensive Paris Visite passes. The Carte Orange info has been removed from the English-language metro (RATP) website but is still on the French version as of April 2005. If one agent turns you down for the Carte Orange try going to a different window.

RATP is responsible for public transport including metro, buses, and some of the high speed inter-urban trains (RER). The rest of the RER is operated by SNCF. However, both companies take the same tickets, so the difference is of little interest for most people except in case of strikes (because RATP may strike while SNCF does not, or the converse). Current fares can be found at their website.

The lines are named according to the names of their terminal stations (those at the end of the line). If you ask the locals about directions they will answer something like : take line number n toward "end station 1", change at "station", take the line nn toward "end station 2" etc. The metro system has started implementing a color code, and on some lines N E S W directions. They are apparently ignored by the locals.

Each station displays a detailed map of the surrounding area with a street list and the location of buildings (monuments, schools, places of worship etc.). Maps are located on the platform if the station has several exits or near the exit if there is only one.

Renting a bike is a very good alternative over driving or using public transport. A few years ago Paris wasn't the easiest place to get around by bike. That however has changed dramatically in recent years, starting perhaps with a lengthy bus and traffic jam. The city government has taken a number of steps in strong support of improving the safety and efficiency of the urban cyclist as well, in establishing some separated bike lanes, but even more important a policy of allowing cyclists to share the ample bus lanes on most major boulevards. The Paris bike network now counts over 150km of either unique or shared lanes for the cyclist.

You can find an excellent map of the bike network called Plan des itinéraires cyclables at the information center in the Hôtel de Ville.

Bikes can be rented in from numerous private vendors, but the best deal is available from Roue Libre, a joint project of the Mayor's office and the RATP. In addition to operating a number of bike rental busses, they have some permanent locations, including:

• Roue Libre Les Halles, [7] . 1 passage Mondétour (face au 120 rue Rambuteau), Métro: Les Halles. : +33 8 10 44 15 34. Opening hours from 9 am until 7 pm. Bikes can be rented for one weekend (€25), Monday to Friday (€20), a working day (€9), or one day in the weekend (€14).
• Roue Libre Bastille, [8] . 37, boulevard Bourdon, Métro: Bastille. +33 1 44 54 19 29. Opening hours from 9 am until 7 pm. Bikes can be rented for one weekend (€25), Monday to Friday (€20), a working day (€9), or one day in the weekend (€14).

Since the Métro is primarily structured around a "hub and spoke" model, there are some journeys for which it can be quite inefficient, and in these cases it is worth seeing if a direct bus route exists. The Parisian bus system is quite tourist-friendly. It uses the same single-ride tickets and Carte Orange as the Métro, and electronic displays inside each bus tell riders its current position and what stops remain, eliminating a lot of confusion.

These same payment devices are also valid in the Noctambus, the night bus, where tickets normally cost 2.70€. Noctambus routes all begin hourly at Chatelet and run to outlying areas of greater Paris. It pays to know one's Noctambus route ahead of time in case one misses the last Métro home. Women travellers should probably avoid taking the Noctambus on their own.

Taxis are relatively cheap, especially at night, when there are no traffic jams to be expected. In the daytime, it is sometimes a bad idea to take a taxi on certain routes, as walking or taking the metro could be faster if there are traffic jams. When a taxi stops, he will pull down his window and expect you to tell him where you want to go. Sometimes, a taxi can be difficult to stop, and you have to expect to try several times before one stops. If the driver does not feel like going where you want at that time, he will might tell you directly in a sometimes rude manner not expected of a taxi driver. Also, you might not always expect the taxi to drive you to the doorstep, if they want to let you out a block away if the route is difficult, they will do so. Be careful and watch that the driver gives you the correct change, as you might risk that they drive away with your money otherwise. Usually the taxi driver will not let you sit in the front seat, and will expect you to enter in the back. Parisian taxi-drivers are individualists, and come in all types, some nice, some rude, some wanting to chat, some not. You will clearly feel the difference. Although smoking in taxis is generally not allowed, if you ask it might be that the taxi driver himself wants a cigarette, and will let you smoke in his car if you accept that he, too, smokes a cigarette. If you liked the service, you can give up to 15% tip, but it is not strictly necessary, especially considering that the service is not always up to par. For all the problems that are with Parisian taxi drivers, it is worth the effort to try and be nice to them anyhow, even though you have to expect the unexpected - as a few of them can be really nice if you try to talk to them. Even more so, if you know a little bit of French.

One of the best value and most convenient ways to see the sights of Paris is with the Carte Musées et Monuments [9] , a pre-paid entry card that allows entry into over 70 museums and monuments around Paris and comes in 1-day (€18), 3-day (€36) and 5-day (€54) denominations (prices as of June 2005). The card allows you to jump otherwise sometimes lengthy queues and is available from participating museums, tourist offices, Fnac branches and all the main Métro and RER train stations. You will still need to pay to enter most special exhibitions.

Note that most museums and galleries are closed on either Monday or Tuesday - check ahead to avoid disappointment! - and most ticket counters close 30 - 45 minutes before final closing.

All national museums are open free of charge on the first Sunday of the month.

These listings are just some highlights of things that you really should see if you can during your visit to Paris. The complete listings are found on each individual district page (follow the link in parenthesis).

A good listing of almost everything to do in Paris are the 'Pariscope', the 'officel des spectacles', and the much hipper 'Zurban" , weekly magazines listing all concerts, stageplays and museums. Available from many kiosks. Unfortunately their website is of no use at all.

• the Eiffel Tower (Tour d'Eiffel) . One of the most famous (and tallest) landmarks in the world.
• Père-Lachaise Cemetery . See the grave of Jim Morrison amongst many others.
• Catacombs . Used to store the exhumed bones from the overflowing Paris cemetery.
• Arc de Triomphe . The grave of the unknown soldier is under the arch.
• Notre Dame Cathedral . Impressive Gothic cathedral that was the inspiration for Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
• Sacré Coeur . A church perched on top of the highest point in Paris. Behind the church is the artists' area, in front are spectacular views of the whole city.
• Sainte Chapelle (1st). Far more beautiful than the famous, but gloomy, Notre Dame.
• Pantheon . Underneath, the final resting place for the great heroes of the French Republic; above, a marvellous view of the city.
• Chateau de Versailles (Versailles). On the outskirts of the city, the "must see" home of the Sun King Louis XIV.
• Grand Arche de la Defense (La Defense). A modern office-building variant of the Arc de Triomphe. Has a viewing platform.

• The Louvre . One of the finest museums in the world of art, art-history, and culture through the ages.
• Musée d'Orsay . Home to the great artists of the 19th century (1848-1914) - Impressionists, post-Impressionists, and the rest...
• Centre Georges Pompidou . the great museum of modern art, the building an attraction in itself...
• Picasso Museum . Contains the master's own collections.
• Rodin Museum . His personal collection and archives, in a charming hotel and sprawling garden.
• Delacroix. National museum housed in the home of painter Eugene Delacroix.
• Invalides . Museum of arms and armor from the Middle Ages to today.
• Carnavalet. Museum of Paris history; exhibitions are permanent and free. Noted for its collection of French Revolution artifacts, such as David's famous painting Serment du Jeu de Paume. Located in the Marais.
• Cluny. Paris's medieval museum, housed in a medieval building.
  
  

• Paris from above. Check out the skyline from the roofs of Printemps, the Galleries Lafayette

• Techno parade. During mid-September a DJs and (usually young) fans from across Europe converge on Paris for five or six days of dancing etc. culminating in a parade whose route traces roughly from Pl. de Bastille to the Sorbonne.

• Inline Skating. Every Friday night and Sunday afternoon (except when raining) hordes of inline skaters take to the streets of Paris on a preplanned route, for about 3.5 hours. Even if you don't participate, find a cafe near the route and watch them fly by. More information at http://www.rollers-coquillages.org/ and http://www.pari-roller.com/ .

The Cinémas of Paris are (or at least should be) the envy of the movie-going world. Of course, like anywhere else you can see big budget first-run films from France and elsewhere. That though, is just the start. During any given week there are at least half-a-dozen film festivals going on, at which you can see the entire works of a given actor or director. Meanwhile there are some older cult films like say, What's new Pussycat or Casino Royal which you can enjoy pretty much any day you wish.

Many non-French movies are subtitled (called "version originale" or "v/o"). Still it's probably a good idea to be sure of a movie having subtitles if your French is not adequate to follow fast conversations.

There are any number of ways to find out what's playing, but the most commonly used guide is Pariscope, which you can find at newstands for 0.40€. Meanwhile there are innumerable online guides one of which is http://www.allocine.fr/film , which has information on "every" cinema in Paris.

• It should go without saying that Paris is an excellent place to learn French. Université de Paris IV offers courses for foreigners in French language and culture, which start at various times of year.

  Paris also has many universities, where you can learn about anything.

  • Université de Paris I-XIII: the various numbered universities specialize in different subjects.

  There is also the parallel system of elite Grandes Ecoles, generally only available to those who pass through the gruelling system of concours, or competitive exams, which demand years of preparation.

Dining in Paris can be a real treat, or can be surprisingly ordinary, so it's worth some effort to seek out the former rather than settling for the latter. The restaurant trade began in Paris, but some people prefer the French cooking found in little rural restaurants, closer to the farms and with their focus on freshness and regional specialties. Even amongst French cities Paris has long been considered second to Lyon for fine dining. For a complete discussion of French gastronomy see the Eat section of our article on France.

That said the Parisien restaurant trade is very much alive and well, and in fact experiencing a bit of a renaissance after having nearly been eclipsed by certain English-speaking cities such as San Francisco, Sydney, and (the shame of it!) London during the 1990s. Today you can find hundreds of beautiful restaurants with thoughtful (or just trendy) interior design and well-planned and executed cartes and menus offering a creative mélange of French and exotic foreign cuisines. It's safe to say that Paris is once again catching up to if not passing its anglophone rivals.

Of course there are also some really fantastic traditional offerings, and for the budget conscious there are hundreds if not thousands of traditional bistros, with their sidewalk terraces offering a choice fairly simple (usually meat centered) meals for reasonable prices.

Remember that many attractions are situated in upscale areas of town, and that mass tourism attracts price gougers. It is frequent to hear of people complaining of very high Parisian prices and poor service, because they always tried to eat close to major tourist magnets. Try to go eat where the locals eat.

Those travelers on a budget will be very pleased with the range and quality of products offered both at the open air markets (eg. over the Canal St. Martin in the or in any other arrondisement). If your accommodation has cooking facilities you're set, especially for wine and cheese: a decent bottle of French wine will set you back all of about 3-5€, while the excellent stuff starts at around 7€. Bottles for less than 3€ are not recommended. Keep in mind, that the small 'epiceries' which open until late are more expensive than the 'supermarche' (franprix, casino, Monoprix, etc). For wine, the price difference can be up to 2€. Recommendation: buy a baguette, some cheese and a good bottle of wine and join the Parisian youth for a pick-nique along the Seine (especially on the Ile St. Louis) or at the canal St.Denis.

For seafood lovers, Paris is a great place to try moules frites (steamed mussels and French fries) (better in fall and winter), oysters, sea snails, and other delicacies. Meat specialties include venison (deer), boar, and other game (especially in the fall and winter hunting season), as well as French favorites such as lamb, veal, beef, and pork.

For vegetarians, eating in traditional French restaurants will require some improvisation, though there are lots of Italian, Thai, Indian, and Mezo-american places where you will have little problem. In Rue des Rosiers (4th arrondissement) it is possible to get delicious falafel in the many Jewish restaurants. Another falafel place is at 112 Rue Oberkampf (11th arrondissement). Take away falafel usually goes for 4€ or less.

Morrocan and Algerian cooking is common in Paris - vegetarian cous cous is lovely. Another good option for vegetarians - are traiteurs, particularly around Ledru Rollin (down the road from Bastille) take away food where you can combine a range of different options such as pomme dauphinoise, dolmas, salads, vegetables, nice breads and cheeses and so on.

Libanese cooking is also a very good idea for vegetarian with there delicious vegetarian mezze. severals good snack and restaurant around charles michel station (troika, delices de l'orient) but also manouché (snack) (62, Rue Rambuteau near Beaubourg) or the famous al dar (snack or restautrant as u prefere) (8, Rue Frédéric Sauton 75005 near "notre dame")

When you are looking for a restaurant in Paris, be a little careful of those where the staff readily speak English. These restaurants are usually - but not always - geared towards tourists. It does make a difference in the staff's service and behaviour whether they expect you to return or not.

Sometimes the advertised fixed price tourist menus (10-15euros) are a good deal. If you're interested in the really good and more authentic stuff (and if you have learned some words of french) try one of the small bistro where the French go to during lunch time.

Each of Paris' 20 arrondissements has its own fair share of bars, cafés, taverns, but there are a some areas where various aspects of nightlife, or afternoon-life are concentrated.

• The Marais The Marais boasts a large number of trendier new bars mostly in the and to a lesser extent the with a few old charmers tossed into the mix. A number of bars and restaurants in the Marais have a decidedly gay crowd, but are usually perfectly friendly to straights as well. Some seem to be more specifically aimed at up-and-coming hetero singles.
• Bastille There is a very active nightlife zone just to the northeast of Place de Bastille centered around rue de Lappe and rue de Charonne in the . Many of the bars closest to Bastille have either a North, Central, or South American theme, with a couple of Aussie places mixed in for good measure, and as you continue up rue de Charonne the cafés have more of a traditionally French but grungy feeling.
• Quartier Latin - Odeon If you're looking for the nouvelle vague style, student and intellectual athmosphere of Paris in the 60's and 70's, you'll find a lot of that (and more hip + chique) places in the quartier latin and between place Odeon and the Seine. The neighborhood is also home of many small artsy cinemas showing non-mainstream films and classics (check 'Pariscope' or 'l'officiel du spectacle' at any newspaper stand for the weekly programm).
• Rue Mouffetard and environs The area in the on the south side of the hill topped by the Panthéon has a little bit of everything for the nighthawk, from the classy cafés of Place de la Contrescarpe to an Irish-American dive bar just down the way to a hip, nearly hidden jazz café at the bottom of the hill.
• Châtelet In some ways the Marais starts here in the between Les Halles and Hôtel de Ville but with between all of the tourists and the venerable Jazz clubs on rue des Lombards the area deserves some special attention.
• Montmartre You'll find any number of cozy cafés and other drinking establishments all around the Butte de Montmartre in the , especially check out rue des Abesses near the Métro station of the same name.
• Oberkampf-Ménilmontant If you are wondering where you can find the hipsters, then look no further. There are several clusters of grungy-hip bars all along rue Oberkampf in the , and stretching well into the up the hill on rue de Ménilmontant. It's almost like being back in the lower Haight.
• Dames-Batignolles Another good place to find the grungy-chic crowd is the northern end of the around rue des Dames and rue de Batignolles, and if you decide you want something a little different Montmartre is just around the corner.
• Port de Tolbiac This previously deserted stretch of the river Seine in the was re-born as a center for nightlife (and Sunday-afternoon-life) a few years ago when an electronic music cooperative opened the Bat-O-Far. Nowadays there are a number of boats moored along the same quai, including a boat with a Caribbean theme, and one with an Indian restaurant.
• Saint Germain de Près Classic. This area boasts two of the most famous cafés in the world: Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, both catering to the tourists and the snobs who can afford their high prices. This part of the is where the Parisien café scene really started, and there still are hundreds of places to pull up to a table, order a glass, and discuss Sartre deep into the evening.

For individual bar listings see the various Arrondissement pages under Get around.

Of course there are lots of interesting places which are sort of off on their own outside of these clusters, including a few like the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz which are not to be missed in a serious roundup of Parisien drinking, so check out the listings even in those arrondissements we haven't mentioned above.

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Generally one should be aware that Paris hotels, almost without regard to category or price, observe high and low seasons. These differ slightly from one hotel to another, but usually the high season roughly corresponds to late spring and summer, and possibly a couple of weeks around the Christmas season.

Be aware that when a hotel is listed in any guide or website this will eventually make it a bit harder to get a room at that hotel. That means that you will probably need to book ahead for anything you read about here, especially in the high season. However, if they don't have a room they sometimes know another place close by that does have a room available.

When with two it can be a much better deal to find a hotel room than to get 2 hostel beds. More privacy for less money.

For individual hotel listings see the various Arrondissement pages under Get around.

For those who are staying for a while renting a furnished apartment might be a more comfortable and money-saving option, especially if you know how to cook. Furnished apartments differ considerably in quality, so it is important to choose carefully. There are a huge number of websites in the business of helping you find one, but most charge a steep commission of 10% or more. There are however a couple of considerably cheaper non-profit options which for whatever reason do not turn up near the top of a Google search:

• Allô Logement Temporaire, 64, rue du Temple, +33 1 42 72 00 06. fax: +33 1 42 72 03 11. Métro: Hôtel de Ville or Rambuteau [10] This non-profit apartment placement association will place you in contact with an apartment owner, and provide translation service if necessary. They charge an annual fee of 50€ for renters, plus 35€ per months you actually stay in Paris.

• France Lodge Locations, 2 Rue Meissonier, +33 1 56 33 85 85, fax: +33 1 56 33 85 89. Métro: Le Peletier [11] Another non-profit with very good rates but a smaller number of places. Book ahead. They charge a 15€ annual membership fee.

• MetroSpaces Paris Apartments, [12] offers a selection of lovely restored and antique Parisian flats around Paris. Prices from 100€ per night.

• Bon Séjour, [13] 5 typical parisian apartments for rent.

Paris is of course one of the great fashion centres of the Western world, up there with New York, London and Milan, making it a great place to do the clothes shopping.

Paris has 3 main flea-markets, located on the outskirts of the central city. The most famous of these is the Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen (Porte de Clignancourt) (Clignancourt Flea Market) [14] , Métro: Porte de Clignancourt, in the , a haven for lovers of antiques, second-hand goods and retro fashion.

Paris is in general a very safe city, certainly by North American standards. However, there are some areas, like Barbès (18th), where it's better not to hang around alone at night, but they are easily recognizable by their raunchiness. In these areas, a lot depends on the way you behave and if you know how to adapt to the situation. If you know what you are looking for, speak some french and feel comfortable, there is no problem to stroll around a poor, diverse neighborhood like Barbes. Meanwhile, if you are easily identifiable as a rich American tourist who's lost in the quartier, better stay away. Also some parts of the banlieue are better to avoid, but the banlieue is, exept from very few tourists spots (Fontainebleau, Versailles, Basilique de St. Denis) not a place where the normal tourist will go anyway. The biggest problem for tourists are pickpockets. Especially the main tourist areas (esp. Champs Elysee, Chatelet, Montmartre) are frequented by pickpockets operating alone or in groups in highly effective ways.

The metro is relatively safe, but again, pickpockets do work in the stations and on the trains especially near tourist destinations. If you are carrying a bag make sure that it's closed tightly (all zipped up or whatever). If you have a wallet in your pocket keep a hand on it while entering or exiting the trains. Don't carry any more cash than you can afford to lose. Keep your cash on different parts of your body: some in your money belt, some in your purse/wallet, some in your shoe. Keep the contents of your purse/wallet to the bare essentials: money, one debit/credit card, I.D., emergency contact information, medical I.D. When you have to access your money belt, do so in private.

• Chartres. The 12th century cathedral of Notre Dame at Chartres is one of the highlights of Gothic architecture.
• Versailles - on the SW edge of Paris, the site of the Sun King Louis XIV's magnificent palace
• Saint Denis - on the northern edge of the metropolis, site of the Stade de France and St Denis Abbey, burial place of French royalty
• Chantilly - wonderful 17th century palace and gardens (and the birthplace of whipped cream)
• Giverny - the inspirational house and gardens of the Impressionist painter Claude Monet are but a day-trip away
• Disneyland Resort Paris - in the suburb of Marne-la-Vallée. The Disney corporation chose this site east of Paris as the site for their European theme park franchise. It can be reached from Paris via car, train, or bus.
• Parc Astérix, north of Paris
  

• The official tourist website of Paris Ile-de-France Paris region
• Pages Jaunes - The French Yellow Pages