TRAVELOGUE

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Whirlwind ParisHow To Soak In The Whole City Of Lights,Even If You Have Just A Few Days To Do It

By Kristin Harmel

ou could spend a year in Paris andstill have sites to spare. Although not

the largest city in Europe, it’s jam-packed with an unparalleled blend of

history, culture, romance and modernexcitement. Most people are overwhelmedby the sheer number of things to do duringa short stay in Paris, but it is, in fact, possi-ble to get a perfect mix of all the city hasto offer in just a few days—and still havetime to relax.

When you arrive in Paris, take a littlewhile to get oriented. The main sites arerelatively close together—most are withinwalking distance—but first-time visitorsshould take the time to look at a good mapof the city—and then hop on an English-language bus tour through the city. Thebest is L’open Tour, a double-decker bustour through the city’s best sites with com-mentary provided in English and French.Purchase your tickets and board in front ofthe Eiffel Tower—on the same side as thepark—and spend two hours on the Parissites tour, which passes—and explains—such sites as the Louvre, the Notre Dame

Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe and theInvalides.

After you’ve taken the bus tour, you caneither stay on the bus to be transportedfrom site to site (An easy way to travelbetween the major tourist attractions, thebus tour allows passengers to hop on andhop off), or you can disembark and getfrom place to place on foot. However, ifyou’re planning to hit any of the Parismuseums—including the must-seeLouvre—you’d do well to purchase a ParisMuseum Pass at any subway station ormuseum ticket office. With the pass—which can be purchased for 1, 3 or 5days—you’ll have access to 70 museums,but the best part of the pass is that it willlet you skip lengthy museum lines, whichwill save you very valuable time on a shorttrip. It’ll also get you into the Arc deTriomphe, the Pantheon, the Musee d’Or-say and the Musee National du Chateau deVersailles, to name just a few.

To make your Paris experience evenmore authentic, avoid American restaurantssuch as McDonald’s and try to dine in the

sidewalk cafes that Paris is famous for. Thefollowing sites will provide you a perfectblend of history, art and modern Parisianculture:

THE EIFFEL TOWER: Obviously amust-see site while in Paris, you’ll see theEiffel Tower from all over the city whileyou’re exploring the rest of Paris. At 320meters (including the antennae that sit atopthe tower), it towers above the city. Youcan take elevators up to three different lev-els (each costs a bit more than the last).The first level is at 57 meters and affords agreat view of the Seine and the nearbyattractions and monuments. The secondlevel is twice as high at 115 meters, andthe third level sits at a spectacular 276meters, almost the top of the tower. Youcan venture out on the open-air promenadeand see far past the boundaries of the city.Little signs on the rails point out sites thatcan barely be seen with the naked eye. It’sa breathtaking experience.

You can also have dinner or a snack inthe Eiffel Tower, which includes two res-taurants and a few snack bars. Make reser-vations ahead of time for Altitude of thefirst level or Le Jules Verne on the secondlevel. The Jules Verne has a wonderfulview but is very expensive. The Altitude issignificantly cheaper but still has a rare andbeautiful view. The Tower’s hours are from9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Jan. 1 throughJune 10 and from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.From June 11 through Aug. 31, it’s openfrom 9 a.m. until midnight.

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monument sits at the top of Paris’s mostfamous street. The Arc was commissionedby Napoleon in 1806 and built in theRoman style he so admired. His plan wasto march through the arc into Paris withhis victorious troops, but as he wasdeserted at the Battle of Waterloo, thisnever happened. Today, it’s inscribed withthe names of 128 battles of the Republicand Napoleon’s empire and 600 generalswho took part in them. Six hundred thou-sand tourists a year take elevators or stairsup to the top of the 49-meter arc, wherethey can enjoy a wonderful view of thecity. Admission is included in the price ofyour museum pass.

While you’re in the neighborhood of theArc, take some time to stroll downChamps Elysees, a tree lined street at thecenter of Parisian life. It’s lined with nicerestaurants and very exclusive shops,including Charles Jourdan, Guerlain andYves Rocher. European celebrities andnobles shop here, but it’s as much a touristattraction as anything else. In fact, it’s theonly place in France where English is theprimary language.

NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL: TheNotre Dame Cathedral is another must-seeon your Paris trip. A breathtaking master-piece of Gothic Art, it dates back to the12th century and has been the ParisCatholic cathedral since the middle ages.The way the light pours through its grandpicture windows is stunning. Visitors canclimb up 386 stairs to view the city fromtowers that soar 69 meters above theground. It’s a narrow climb, but it’s worthit. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. and2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from8:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 7p.m. on Sunday. You can also check withthe church to find out what time you can

attend mass in the cathedral.

THE LOUVRE: You can easily besucked in for days, but the trick to squeez-ing the Louvre into a short Paris trip is tosee it quickly and efficiently. However, it’sdefinitely worth as much time as you pos-sibly have to spend there, so if you’re doneexploring the city, come back for a seconddose. The Louvre, once a glorious palaceand now the world’s grandest art gallery,houses more than 300,000 works of artdating from ancient times to the middle ofthe 19th century. You can’t leave themuseum—or Paris—without seeing the

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TRAVELOGUE Cont inued

Mona Lisa; you’d never forgive yourself!Pick up a free brochure at the museum’smain information desk; it will show youhow to find the Mona Lisa and themuseum’s other most-famous works,including the Winged Victory ofSamothrace. Just follow the map to thehighlighted works of art and browse alongthe way, but set a time limit for yourselfbefore you go in—I suggest three to fourhours—or you could be stuck there for-ever, absorbing some of the most beautifulart the world has to offer. Admission is

included in theParis Museum Pass.The pass mightcome more inhandy here thananywhere else;lines can reach 3hours long. Themuseum is opendaily from 9 a.m. to6 p.m. but is closedon Tuesdays.

MUSEED’ORSAY: Thismuseum sits in aconverted train sta-

tion. A short walk across the river from theLouvre, it can be see much more quickly.If you’re into Impressionism, this museumis heaven. While the first two floors offersome great works of art, proceed to theimpressionism floor to see some of themost famous works by Manet, Monet,Whistler, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro,Cézanne and Van Gogh. Admission isincluded in your museum pass, and it canbe see relatively quickly if you’re runningshort on time. Some of the world’s mostrecognized and most frequently-repro-duced is housed here. Don’t miss it. It’sopen Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and

Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., onThursdays from 9 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. and onSundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Themuseum is closed Mondays.

RUE CLER: This is another must-seeduring your trip to Paris, although it won’tbe in every tourist book or city brochure. Aquaint Parisian market street, it’s beenclosed to traffic since 1984 and is an inte-gral part of Parisian daily life. No matterwhere you’re from, you can blend into theflow of traditional Parisian daily life here;there’s nowhere else in the city where tour-ists can soak in the culture so fully. RueCler is lined with wine, cheese and choco-late shops; florists; bakeries; an old bankand a post office, and visitors can pick upjust about any food they associate withFrance. Corner bakeries abound, fromage-ries overflow with hundreds of differentcheeses, cafes spill into the streets, fruitstands burst with ripe choices throughoutthe summer and butchers sell a variety ofraw meats and salad creations.

Walk down Rue Cler in the morning, andyou get lost in a crowd of Parisians eagerto start their days. Old women bustlethrough the crowds with straw basketsoverflowing with everything from flowersto baguettes to wine bottles. Young womenpush strollers and hold hands of toddlers asthey move from market to market. Peoplewalk poodles through the human traffic.You can pick up a picnic breakfast or lunchon Rue Cler -- just like the Parisians do—and head down to the park at the end of the

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TOUR EIFFEL - Champ de Mars, 75007PARIS - www.tour-eiffel.fr

TOURS DE NOTRE DAME DE PARIS - 1,rue du Cloître Notre Dame, 75004 PARIS- www.monum.fr

ARC DE TRIOMPHE - Place Charles deGaulle, 75008 PARIS - www.monum.fr

MUSEE DU LOUVRE - Entrée principalepar la Pyramide, Cour Napoléon, 75001PARIS - www.louvre.fr

MUSEE D’ORSAY - 1, rue de la Légiond’Honneur, 75007 PARIS - www.musee-orsay.fr

MUSEE DES INVALIDES - 129, rue deGrenelle, 75007 PARIS -www.invalides.org

If You Go...

street that affords a spectacular view of theEiffel tower. Go early in the day; the mer-chants start shutting down in the afternoon.

THE INVALIDES DE PARIS: It’s nota necessary element of your trip, but youcan whisk through the Invalides in just afew minutes and be able to say you saw thegrave of Napoleon, one of the greatestmilitary leaders of all time. One a Frenchmilitary hospital, the Invalides now ishome to a grand and ornate circular roomthat houses Napoleon’s tomb.Commissioned by Louis XIV in 1670, theInvalides includes a large church topped bya golden dome. It’s a masterpiece ofFrench classical architecture, and it’s

included in the price of your museum pass.In addition, the neighborhood around theInvalides includes many sidewalk cafesthat aren’t too touristy, so you can get anauthentic taste of Paris while you’re there.The Invalides is open from 10 a.m. to 5p.m., 6 p.m. from April to September.