PARIS TIPS by Kerry Wilson To Begin Take a sightseeing tour by water, an absolute must for that first, jetlagged, day in Paris -- for an overview of the beautiful city, and an up-close look at the Seine’s many bridges. Catch your bateau mouche at Pont Neuf rather than at other embarkation points; Pont Neuf has its own metro station. Exit the metro, directly cross the bridge, and descend to the wharf. The one-and-one-half hour tour is ideal. Recommended Exploratory Walks Le Marais Go on a Sunday; it’s particularly lively on that day. This is the old Jewish Quarter. Everything is closed there on Saturdays. In Le Marais you’ll find the National Picasso Museum and the History of the City of Paris Museum. A swamp until the Middle Ages, towards the end of the nineteenth century this area surrounding rue des Rosiers became home to Jews ejected from Eastern Europe. The synagogue at 10 rue Pavée was designed in 1913 by Art Nouveau architect Hector Guimard, famous for having designed several Paris metro stations. The streets are original cobblestone and some of Paris’s oldest houses still stand in the neighbourhood. Art galleries and upscale boutiques are gradually taking the place of modest family owned shops and businesses. Eat a falafel sandwich from a take-out stand. From there, same day, you may want to continue on to: Place des Vosges This is a short walk from Le Marais. There are three dozen fine brick mansions with arcades built around a park, constructed under Henri IV. Victor Hugo, among other famous Frenchmen, lived at number 6, now a museum. Restaurants, cafés and art galleries have found homes in what were once private residences. This is a lovely spot to stop for coffee. A door in the southwest corner of the complex opens onto a courtyard where you’ll find the Hôtel de Sully gardens and a photography museum. From here you can walk to the Bastille, a neighbourhood that once housed the infamous prison. A monument to the Revolution marks the spot. La Promenade Plantée (or La Coulée Verte) This is a nature walk across a portion of the city along a former railway bed rehabilitated as a pedestrian and bicycle pathway. It crosses the 12th arrondissement for 4.5 kilometres. (The train terminal was at La Bastille, where the new Opera house stands.) One end of the Promenade begins behind the new Opera house and runs overtop the avenue Daumesnil to Reuilly Garden; this is the famous Viaduc des Arts.aL’allée Vivaldi is where artists’ workshops were built into the viaduct openings. They are below the walkway. You’ll pass through tunnels and over bridges and parks. The path ends at the Porte Dorée on the edge of the Bois de Vincennes (a wood). Bercy Village Former wine warehouses near the river house restaurants, bars and upscale shops. Adjacent to this lively pedestrian mall are lovely landscaped public gardens. You can relax in the gardens all afternoon. Bercy station’s unmanned metro train is very modern and worth a ride. Latin Quarter This neighbourhood surrounds the Sorbonne (University of Paris). It’s filled with people all day and night. Take the metro to St-Michel. Start your walk at the big fountain (you can’t miss it). Follow boulevard St-Michel along parallel side streets slanting somewhat to your left; cross boulevard St-Germain. On the left is the Musée de Cluny (Roman baths, worth a visit). Just outside the main entrance to the Sorbonne are sidewalk cafés, worth a stop. Le Jardin du Luxembourg A magnificent park at rue Soufflot, popular with families and students, friends and lovers. Take a picnic. The park contains fountains and pools, statuary, large trees and gardens. The French Senate is housed in the Luxembourg Palace on the site. There’s a playground for children, pony rides, and a puppet theatre. Visit the indoor botanical garden and Orangerie, or lounge around outside on one of a hundred chairs provided for that purpose. A small restaurant and buvette are popular, and there are public washrooms near park entrances. (Keep a coin or two handy.) Place de la Contre Escarpe is behind the Panthéon (formerly a church, now a crypt where lie the remains of famous French citizens; worth a visit). A charming street dating from Roman times, La rue Mouffetard, runs off the square. The area has remained relatively unchanged because of its location on holy Saint Genevieve Hill, saved from Baron Haussmann’s redevelopment during the reign of Napoleon III. There’s a regular outdoor market in the neighbourhood. Quaint restaurants and cafés surround the cobbled square. St-Germain Take in the very old St-Germain Cathedral and Place de l’Odéon (statue of Danton in front of metro entrance). Locate the street across, called rue de l’Ancienne Comédie, with its original cobblestones and very old commercial establishments. Here is the oldest café in Paris, Le Procope. Look for La Jacobine tea-room in the same street, highly recommended. L’Ile de la Cité & Ile Saint-Louis This is the original site of ancient Paris, and where the Cathédrale de Notre Dame was built. Take St-Michel or Hôtel de Ville metro. Visit the Roman excavations under the plaza in front of the Cathedral. Explore the lovely, very old neighbourhoods of Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis, on islands connected by bridges. This is where a good guidebook can help you identify historic landmarks. Enjoy ice cream at Berthillon. Cross the Seine and visit Shakespeare & Co., an English bookstore that is a Paris landmark. Opéra Take Opéra metro. The Opéra has guided tours, if you’re interested. But this is the neighbourhood, too, of the big, gorgeous department stores Le Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, known for both fashion and architecture. Tip: Le Printemps has a 9th floor cafeteria and outdoor rooftop terrace, highly recommended, great for families. Continue your walk to: Place Vendome You can window shop at top-drawer jewellery stores in this neighbourhood. The immense square with its green column is fabulous, a great place for photos. Visit the bar of a world-class hotel; there are several of the most beautiful hotels in the world here. Rue de Castiglione takes you to: Rue de Rivoli There are more great hotels here, upscale boutiques and two English bookstores. You’re in the neighbourhood of the Louvre museum, the Palais Royal, and the Comédie Francaise. Enjoy window shopping under arcades along the Rivoli. Champs Elysée This is where everyone goes to saunter and to be seen. From Place de la Concorde, walk on wide sidewalks all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. This is a beautiful walk to do at dusk. The presidential palace is along this route, also famous restaurants and large shopping galleries. Notice, one Paris monument leads to another. Montmartre Take the metro to Blanche and exit North (one stop further is Anvers, but this Moulin Rouge neighbourhood is a little seedy for night strolling). Explore the old, winding, climbing side streets until you glimpse the impressive hilltop Sacré Coeur, a medieval church overlooking Paris. (You may visit the church.) A long flight of stairs takes you to the hilltop, or you can ride the funicular (metro tickets valid). Artists paint and hawk their works on the Place du Tertre. Tip: Go mid to late afternoon, not too late. Have a look around the square, walk the old streets, visit the little park, and then enjoy cocktails at a sidewalk café. (It doesn’t get more French than this!) If you like the evening atmosphere, stay on and listen to gypsy guitar music in a tavern on the square. Montmartre’s restaurants are largely tourist traps, so not recommended you plan on eating dinner here. Walk down the hill again and find a restaurant a little further away. Take a cab home if it’s late (metro runs later on weekends). Things to See & Do Tip: Pariscope, published every Wednesday, is your guide to What’s On everywhere. Always carry a city map and guidebook and bus and metro schedule. Buses are great for sightseeing, especially the ones that run along the Seine. Seine River Walk On Sundays and holidays, roads along the river are closed to cars (all day between 9 and 5). Easy-to-follow routes have large signs posted showing the designated streets that alternate along the Right and Left banks of the Seine, running through tunnels, over historic bridges, and past monuments. Walk eastward (upriver) from the Eiffel Tower (metro Bir-Hakeim) to the Musée d’Orsay and the Jardins des Tuileries. Seine River Bike Rent a bike from a shop or use the city’s Vélib stands. There are enough bikes for everyone. Purchase a one-day (1 Euro) or seven-day (5 Euros) ticket at any service point. A huge security deposit is required (150 Euros) for these short-term hires due to theft and vandalism but you’ll get your money back in the end. Punch in the code on your ticket, press the button, and the bike is freed. The first thirty minutes are free; charges follow after. The second additional hour is 2 Euros. The third additional half-hour is 4 Euros. Paris has well indicated, designated bicycle lanes being upgraded all the time. Bus lanes are accessible to bicycles. Exercise caution – buses run the other way on some routes. Seine River Night Drive If you have access to a car, or a driver, take a night drive along the banks of the Seine.