France- Paris
Paris, the cosmopolitan capital of France, is one of Europe‘s largest cities, with 2.2 million people living in the dense, central city and almost 12 million people living in the whole metropolitan area. Located in the north of France on the river Seine, Paris has the well deserved reputation of being the most beautiful and romantic of all cities, brimming with historic associations and remaining vastly influential in the realms of culture, art, fashion, food and design.
The city of Paris itself is officially divided into 20 districts called arrondissements, numbered from 1 to 20 in a clockwise spiral from the centre of the city (which is known as Kilometre Zero and is located at the front of Notre Dame). Arrondissements are named according to their number. You might, for example, stay in the “5th”, which would be written as 5e in French. The 12th and 16th arrondissements include large suburban parks, the Bois de Vincennes, and the Bois de Boulogne respectively.
You can print your own using our maps. The various tourist information centres and hotels in Polo Paris also provide various city and metro maps for free: they have all the necessary details for a tourist.
A great tool for navigation around paris is the Rome2Rio App. Simply enter your destination, and it will give you detailed directions of how to get there, including comparing costs and times of Taxi / walking/ public transport. It will even give you the Metro line numbers and train timetables. (I always screen shot my desired route in case I lose internet coverage en route!)
Each arrondissement has its own unique character and selection of attractions for the traveller:The Layout of Paris by district
- 1st (1er). The geographical centre of Paris and a great starting point for travellers. The Musée du Louvre, the Jardin des Tuileries, Place Vendôme, Les Halles, Palais Royal, Comédie-Française, and Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel are all to be found here.
- 2nd (2e). The central business district of the city – the Bourse (the Paris Stock Exchange), Opéra-Comique, Théâtre des Variétés, Passage des Panoramas, Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens and the former Bibliothèque Nationale are located here.
- 3rd (3e). Archives Nationales, Musée Carnavalet, Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers, Hôtel de Soubise, the Former Temple fortress, and the northern, quieter part of the Marais can be found here.
- 4th (4e). Notre-Dame de Paris, the Hôtel de Ville (Paris city hall), Hôtel de Sully, Rue des Rosiers and the Jewish Quartier, Beaubourg, Le Marais, Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville, Mémorial de la Shoah, Centre Georges Pompidou, l’atelier Brancusi, Place des Vosges, Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal, Saint-Jacques Tower and Parisian island Île Saint-Louis can be found here.
- 5th (5e). Jardin des Plantes, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Musée de Cluny, The Panthéon, Quartier Latin, Universités, La Sorbonne, Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Église Saint-Séverin, La Grande Mosquée, Le Musée de l’AP-HP are located here.
- 6th (6e). Jardin du Luxembourg as well as its Sénat, Place Saint-Michel, Église Saint-Sulpice,le musée de la Monnaie de Paris and Saint-Germain des Prés can be found here.
- 7th (7e). Tour Eiffel and its Parc du Champ de Mars, Les Invalides, Musée d’Orsay, Assemblée Nationale and its subset administrations, Ecole Militaire, and Parisian mega-store Le Bon Marché can be found here
- 8th (8e). Champs-Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, le Palais de l’Elysée, Église de la Madeleine,Jacquemart-Andre Museum, Gare Saint-Lazare, Grand Palais and Petit Palais can be found here.
- 9th (9e). Opéra Garnier, Galeries Lafayette, Musée Grévin, and Folies Bergère can be found here.
- 10th (10e). Canal Saint-Martin, Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est, Porte Saint-Denis, Porte Saint-Martin, Passage Brady, Passage du Prado, and Église Saint-Vincent-de-Paul can be found here.
- 11th (11e). The bars and restaurants of Rue Oberkampf, Bastille, Nation, New Jewish Quarter, Cirque d’Hiver, and Église Saint-Ambroise can be found here.
- 12th (12e). Opéra Bastille, Bercy Park and Village, Promenade Plantée, Quartier d’Aligre, Gare de Lyon, Cimetière de Picpus, Viaduc des arts the Bois de Vincennes, and the Zoo de Vincennes can be found here.
- 13th (13e). Quartier la Petite Asie, Place d’Italie, La Butte aux Cailles, Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF), Gare d’Austerlitz, Manufacture des Gobelins, Butte-aux-Cailles and Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital can be found here.
- 14th (14e). Cimetière du Montparnasse, Gare Montparnasse, La Santé Prison, Denfert-Rochereau, Parc Montsouris, Stade Charléty, Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, and Paris Catacombs can be found here.
- 15th (15e). Tour Montparnasse, Porte de Versailles, Front de Seine, La Ruche and quartiers Saint-Lambert, Necker, Grenelle and Javel can be found here.
- 16th (16e). Palais de Chaillot, Musée de l’Homme, the Bois de Boulogne, Cimetière de Passy, Parc des Princes, Musée Marmottan-Monet, Trocadéro, and Avenue Foch can be found here.
- 17th (17e). Palais des Congrès, Place de Clichy, Parc Monceau, Marché Poncelet, and Square des Batignolles can be found here.
- 18th (18e). Montmartre, Pigalle, Barbès, Basilica of the Sacré Cœur, Église Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre, and Goutte d’Or can be found here.
- 19th (19e). Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, Parc de la Villette, Bassin de la Villette, Parc des Buttes Chaumont, Cité de la Musique, Canal de l’Ourcq, and Canal Saint-Denis can be found here.
- 20th (20e). Cimetière de Père Lachaise, Parc de Belleville, and quartiers Belleville and Ménilmontant can be found here.
- La Défense. Although it is not officially part of the city, this skyscraper district on the western edge of town is on many visitors’ must-see lists for its modern architecture and public art.
WEATHER
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily highs (°C) | 7 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| Nightly lows (°C) | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 54 | 44 | 49 | 53 | 65 | 55 | 63 | 43 | 55 | 60 | 52 | 59 |
I have visited Paris a number of times with my Family and my favourite method of Transport is walking. I could walk all day around Paris, and often have. My personal favourites are The Marais district, this area is a labyrinth of small streets and hidden boutiques and restaurants, visit the Musee Picasso in the stunning Hôtel Salé. You will be amazed how close you can get to some of Picasso’s amazing art. I actually prefer this museum to the over-touristed Louvre, then take a leisurely wander down Rue De Rivoli, past Hotel De Ville towards the Louvre, and make your own decision!
If you want to visit the Louvre, get there early (or enter via the Metro Station to avoid the queues that form at the main entrance). Wander all the way to the Place De La Concorde and have Glace from Paris’ friendliest street vendor. A second generation Glace seller!. Tell him Andrew sent you!
Another great day can be spent walking around MonteMarte. More Arty in nature, and definitely more hilly…… so prepare those walking legs! There are lots of galleries and artists at work, as well as the beautiful Sacre- Coeur, overlooking the Paris Skyline.
If you want to spend a day like a Parisian, and not like a tourist, pack a picnic and head to Buttes-Chaumont Park, a sprawling park, with huge expanses of grass, lakes, waterfalls and laughing Parisians. Or why not the Canal Saint-Martin which opens out to a playground of boat hires/ playgrounds and Paris’s way of bringing the seaside to Parisians.
First-timers to Paris should consider the hop-on-hop off boat on the Siene River, it gives you access between all the main attractions, and is a great way to relax on the river between these atttractions!
For Paris’ best Croissants, head to Bd Saint Germain/ Rue Monge, There is a market square located there, with a small Croissant store overlooking it. …… I challenge you to find a better Croissant. If you are there on the correct day, you will also be treated to a market with fine French Antiques and Vintage Wares. Truly a treat.
If you have always dreamed of a Parisian escape, please let Little Travel House book us into one of our favourite Boutique Hotels. We have some favourite traditional hotels located in the best locations to live your Paris dream! We also have access to some great day tours like a ‘Paris by Bike’ or ‘Paris by 2CV’. We love Paris, We are certain you will too!
Au Revoir!
