Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'City Trip Paris'

Useful addresses

New York

Consulate General of France

934 Fifth Avenue
(between 74th and 75th Streets)
New York, NY 10021
Tel.: 212 606-3600
Fax: 212 606-3620

London

Consulate General of France

6A Cromwell Place
P.O. Box 57
London, SW7 2EW
E-mail: visas.londres-fslt@diplomatie.gouv.fr
Tel.: 020 7073 1250
Visa information line (24h): 09065 508 940 (£ 1/min.)

Population

The French are helpful if you speak French. They can't or won't speak English. And if you ask something in English, they'll answer in rapid French. So take a dictionary and make an effort to speak a little French.

In some stores and subway stations you can pick up a free "Metro" (newspaper). It sometimes has good tips for going out. The magazine "Time Out Paris" is also free and has interesting tips as well.

Food and drink

There are about 13.000 places where you can eat: bistro, brasserie and restaurant, enough choice.

In the morning the French eat croissants and pains au chocolat. But you can also order baguette.

Thin pancakes are called "crêpe" and are supposed to be the street snack of preference. There are different kinds, varying in price from € 1,50 (take out) to € 5,00 on terraces.

Accomodation

Via Charming Accommodation Paris you can book over 650 hotels & apartements in Paris.

Hotel Reservation Desk Paris offers another 300 accommodations.

Via À la Carte Vacations Paris you can even book around 900 hotels in Paris.

Many hundreds hotels in Paris are also bookable via Cheap Hotel Reservations Paris and Budget Hotels Paris.

Money

You can pay with a debit or credit card everywhere. France's currency is the Euro.

If you know in advance which places you're going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's where you can use your MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa to withdraw money.

Transportation

People drive like crazy. Take the subway.

The subway is easy and cheap. A "carnet", ten tickets, costs only € 10,50. They can be used in the subway, buses and RER (commuter trains).

If you're planning to do a lot of sightseeing in one day, it's probably cheaper to get the "Paris Visite" pass: a day pass valid on the bus, the subway and the RER: € 8,00.

Traveling on the subway is easy and fast in Paris. Like in London and Barcelona, every subway line has its own color and a number. You only have to find the destination on the subway map, follow the line to the final stop to make sure you take the right train.

You can use the same ticket to travel as long as you want and change trains as often as you want, as long as you stay underground. As soon as you leave the subway and go back in again, you have to use a new ticket.

Tourist offices have city maps that show exactly where all the sights are and which subway line you need.

Plan your trip to France online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.