Get a General Idea
A breeze of times long ago blows through the streets between Sacré-Cœur and Hôtel des Invalides, between Triumphal Arch and the Île de la Cité. A quite different universe on the other hand are the skyscraper quarters like La Défense. That past, presence and future are not incompatible, that proofs Paris! Paris is a metropolis with legendary, world-wide popularity. Almost 20 million tourists spend each year their holidays at Paris. Thereby the French capital stays ahead in the global competition of city tourism. Peak saison are the spring and summer months – although you can count also between March and October more on the rain than on the sun...
Paris is the capital of France, the «Grande Nation», which is in spite of all endeavours still stamped centralized. The city has both the cultural and economical «pole position» of the republic. Although the city's plane (105.4 sqkm) amounts only 2.1 % of the republic's one, indeed 18.9 % of the whole French population are living here. Paris is situated with 2°20'14'' Eastern length and 48°50'11'' Northern width right in the heart of Europe. The city embraces an urban area of 105.5 km² and is the homeland of approximately 2.3 million inhabitants (the metropol region included it is 13 million alltogether!) who live in 20 snail-shell-formed arranged arrondissements and 80 quartiers. Paris owns not less that eight independent universities, among them the world-famous Sorbonne with single-handedly almost 200'000 (!) students. For the 21 million tourists each year, 75'000 hotel rooms and 8'500 restaurants are at one's command. --- Oh, not to forget the indeed 1'500 bakeries, 180 theatres, 800'000 parking spaces and 397 parks with almost exactly 410'000 trees... You see, Paris is well prepared to realize wonderful days for you!
Due to the high media frequency «la capitale» is one of the few cities everybody thinks to know already before his first visit. Who has heard nothing at all about Notre-Dame, Triumphal Arch and Eiffel Tower? But Paris has such a multitude of facets that it is not difficult to discover new things during each stay. Finally that is because Paris presents itself outwards with pleasure cosmopolitanly – but in reality it is taciturned. The inhabitants are reserved and prefer to stay apart. And then we also have the «pariserism», «those self-evident manners to believe oneself is the umbilicus of the world» (Gabriele Chr. Schenk-Sedlmeier, 2000). You will experience it when you speak no French. Than videlicet you receive a distanced sniff instead of an answer to your hopeful question.
The living expenses are especially for tourist quite high. This includes also the accommodation whose price-performance ratio seems to have its own rules. But although you should surely not miss your opportunity to visit the «most beautiful city on Earth».
► Excursion:
The History of the «Ville Lumière»
Weather and climate
In the midsummer it can become very hot in Paris. That is why the Parisians use traditionally the months July and August for their own travels. During this period the city is relatively empty and ceded to the hosts of tourists. Very comfortable are as travel time the months March to June as well as September and October. When in spring every green blooms and warm temperatures invite for a city tour, the yearly run of the guests begins. Almost overran is Paris during the Easter holidays. In winter it rains often. White snow landscapes are explicitly seldom because of the moderate, maritime air-stream.
The average temperature is 4.2°C (39.6°F) in the depth of winter and 19.6°C (67.3°F) in the midsummer. Each year it rains on 172 days; the incident solar radiation amounts 1'758 hours.
► Temperatures in Paris
The Paris ABC
Also without an explicit notice you can borrow the arrondissement from your destination address. When statements like «4ème» or «19ème» stand in context to addresses they mean always «4th Arrondissement» resp. «19th Arrondissement» and so on. Further informations you get from the postal code: The first three figures are constantly «750», the remaining two positions of the number represent the number of the arrondissement (e.g. «75009»).
Each telephone number in France has ten digits. The first two numbers show the regional access code (the Parisian one is «01») which has to be dialed e.g. for calls from Paris to Paris, too! Do not forget to enter at first the international acces code for France (from all over Europe «0033») when you call from foreign countries. In this case please out the «0» of the regional access code.
A breeze of times long ago blows through the streets between Sacré-Cœur and Hôtel des Invalides, between Triumphal Arch and the Île de la Cité. A quite different universe on the other hand are the skyscraper quarters like La Défense. That past, presence and future are not incompatible, that proofs Paris! Paris is a metropolis with legendary, world-wide popularity. Almost 20 million tourists spend each year their holidays at Paris. Thereby the French capital stays ahead in the global competition of city tourism. Peak saison are the spring and summer months – although you can count also between March and October more on the rain than on the sun...
Paris is the capital of France, the «Grande Nation», which is in spite of all endeavours still stamped centralized. The city has both the cultural and economical «pole position» of the republic. Although the city's plane (105.4 sqkm) amounts only 2.1 % of the republic's one, indeed 18.9 % of the whole French population are living here. Paris is situated with 2°20'14'' Eastern length and 48°50'11'' Northern width right in the heart of Europe. The city embraces an urban area of 105.5 km² and is the homeland of approximately 2.3 million inhabitants (the metropol region included it is 13 million alltogether!) who live in 20 snail-shell-formed arranged arrondissements and 80 quartiers. Paris owns not less that eight independent universities, among them the world-famous Sorbonne with single-handedly almost 200'000 (!) students. For the 21 million tourists each year, 75'000 hotel rooms and 8'500 restaurants are at one's command. --- Oh, not to forget the indeed 1'500 bakeries, 180 theatres, 800'000 parking spaces and 397 parks with almost exactly 410'000 trees... You see, Paris is well prepared to realize wonderful days for you!
Due to the high media frequency «la capitale» is one of the few cities everybody thinks to know already before his first visit. Who has heard nothing at all about Notre-Dame, Triumphal Arch and Eiffel Tower? But Paris has such a multitude of facets that it is not difficult to discover new things during each stay. Finally that is because Paris presents itself outwards with pleasure cosmopolitanly – but in reality it is taciturned. The inhabitants are reserved and prefer to stay apart. And then we also have the «pariserism», «those self-evident manners to believe oneself is the umbilicus of the world» (Gabriele Chr. Schenk-Sedlmeier, 2000). You will experience it when you speak no French. Than videlicet you receive a distanced sniff instead of an answer to your hopeful question.
The living expenses are especially for tourist quite high. This includes also the accommodation whose price-performance ratio seems to have its own rules. But although you should surely not miss your opportunity to visit the «most beautiful city on Earth».
► Excursion:
The History of the «Ville Lumière»
Weather and climate
The average temperature is 4.2°C (39.6°F) in the depth of winter and 19.6°C (67.3°F) in the midsummer. Each year it rains on 172 days; the incident solar radiation amounts 1'758 hours.
► Temperatures in Paris
The Paris ABC
Also without an explicit notice you can borrow the arrondissement from your destination address. When statements like «4ème» or «19ème» stand in context to addresses they mean always «4th Arrondissement» resp. «19th Arrondissement» and so on. Further informations you get from the postal code: The first three figures are constantly «750», the remaining two positions of the number represent the number of the arrondissement (e.g. «75009»).
Each telephone number in France has ten digits. The first two numbers show the regional access code (the Parisian one is «01») which has to be dialed e.g. for calls from Paris to Paris, too! Do not forget to enter at first the international acces code for France (from all over Europe «0033») when you call from foreign countries. In this case please out the «0» of the regional access code.
- America: The American way of life is a horror for each French – but indeed that keeps noone in Paris off from having a look at Hollywood strips or indulging occassionally in fat nourishment at «McDonald's» round the corner. Actually germanisms are «en vogue» in the everyday French, anglicisms completely out: Global terms like «computer» become «ordinateur», «CD-ROM» (abbreviation of «Compact Disc Read Only Memory») becomes «cédérom» (abbreviation for absolutely nothing).
- Arrogance: Of that the Parisians have a great many! Their thinking is engraved by the image of the capital of the 19th century. But not only foreigners reap sniffs to a greater or lesser extent – French provincials alive the same destiny! Paris saw itself for decades as centre of the world. A change of view takes place only slowly.
- Bank holidays: January 1st (New Year's Eve, «Jour de l'An»), Easter Monday («Lundi de Pâques»), May 1st (Day of Work, «Fête du Travail»), May 8th (day of liberation 1945, «Fête de la Liberation»), «Ascension», Whit Monday («Lundi de Pentecôte»), July 14th (national holiday, «Fête Nationale»), August 15th (Assumption, «Assomption»), November 1st (All Saints' Day, «Toussaints»), November 11th (armistice 1918) and December 25th (Christmas Day, «Noël»).
- Banlieue: The périphérique (built on the foundations of the old town-wall) forms the boarder between Paris and its suburbs. And the suburbs themselves form the banlieue. Residential estates like Gargas-la-Gonesse and Sarcelles are dreary satellite towns out of ferroconcrete which offer their inhabitants besides unemployment and dearth of prospects for the future nothing else than social hot spots. The armed gangs' criminal repertoire includes all crimes. Please be carefully especially in the North and East out of Paris. With the exception of Versailles and Fontainebleau all Parisian suburbs are absolute no-nos for tourists.
- Call boxes: In Paris there are no more any coin-box telephones; for each public phone you need a telephone card («Télécarte») which you can get from all post offices and kiosks. The availability of mobile networks is almost 100 per cent in Paris.
- City tours: The best operators for the first, comfortable overview: «Cityrama» (4, place des Pyramides · F 75001 Paris (1st arrondissement) · Phone: 01.44.55.61.00) and «ParisVisions» (214, rue de Rivoli · F 75001 Paris (1st Arrondissment) · Phone: 01.42.60.30.01).
- Clochards: The cliché of the idyllic life of the Parisian casual paupers is past: Today there are no more homeless persons with the red nose, the bottle of red wine and the bivouac under the Seine bridge or on the park bench in Paris. The city has taken all pains over concealing social weakness and banishing it into the suburbs. A new challenge are the illegal immigrants from East-Europe who beg in the métro and install their orange tents along the watersides.
- Concièrge: The fairy godmother of each house! Above all the Concièrge – today called political-correctly «gardienne» – begotts rumours, distributes post and eyes each stranger in her house most suspiciously. And nevertheless no Parisian would really like to renounce the helpful «receptionist»...
- Costum: The private travel traffic within the scope of the EU is not limited by injunctions as long as the products will be used for personal consumption. The maximum quantity for Non-EU citizens are as follows: One litre spirits, two litres wine and 200 cigaretten, 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars.
- Emergency call: Ambulance: Phone 15, Police: Phone 17, Fire departement: Phone 18. ATTENTION: Please dial from your mobile the emergency call of your homeland without any access codes! Your call will be passed on to the Parisian colleagues. In the whole city you have a big choice of pharmacies with night service. Here you can get the French versions of all medicines you might need.
- Health insurance: Your health insurance confirms you your pretensions with pleasure on the basis of an International Health Insurance Card. As for each travel it is adivisable to effect an additional foreign travel resp. return insurance.
- Money: In 2002 the French Franc has been replaced by the EU community currency, the Euro. In the general bank traffic of today the Franc is no more accepted and old stocks has to be changed at the Banque Nationale de France. In Paris each usual credit card is accepted. Above all with EC («EuroCheque») cards it is easy to draw money around the clock at one of the numerous cash dispensers. The banks themselves are open from monday to friday daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- «Pardon!» («Sorry!»): Whatever you want, whatever you do: Start your sentence always with a «pardon» – in France in general. If you have a question say it carefully and politely, but throughout energetically if someone is in your way.
- Pets: For import of dogs or cats a confirming notice of rabies vaccination is necessary. The injection should have took place at least 30 days before arrival, but not before more than twelve months ago. Dogs must have a tattoo for identification (possible is alternatively also a microchip implantation). In France exists for them partially a muzzle compulsion; fighting-dogs are strictly prohibited in general.
- Post: The opening hours of post offices are monday to friday daily from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The main office of Paris is filled on seven days a week around the clock. You find it in 52, rue du Louvre. It is attainable by métro 1 («Louvre»). Aside from that you can get stamps at the kiosks, too.
- Shopping: The big stores «Lafayette», «Printemps» and «Samaritaine» almost provoke a shopping tour. They are daily except on sundays at your disposal until 8:00 p.m. Many smaller shops and markets are not opened troughout (lunch break!). Food shops open partially earlier and are looking forward to your visit still at late night.
- Smoking: Smoking in public rooms is in France prohibited already since November 1st, 2002. To these belong also métro stops, train stations and restaurants, at which the last ones have normally still today separatly placed and generally accepted smoker tables.
- Tourist informations: You can get general informations on national instructions of France from the «Maison de la France» (www.franceguide.com), the French tourist traffic office, which represents the country all over the world. Specialized on Paris is the «Office de Tourisme et des Congrès de Paris» (Phone: 08.92.68.30.00 (0,34 €/Min.) · Internet: www.paris-touristoffice.com), which operates establishments in Paris:
→ Bureau d'Accueil Gare de Lyon: 20, boulevard Diderot · F 75012 Paris (12th Arrondissement) · Métro: Gare de Lyon · Opening hours: Daily except on Sundays and bank holidays 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.;
→ Bureau d'Accueil Tour Eiffel: Champs de Mars · F 75007 Paris (7th Arrondissement) · Métro: Bir-Hakeim · Opening hours: May until September daily 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., October until April closed;
→ Bureau d'Acceuil d'Île-de-France: 99, rue de Rivoli · F 75001 Paris (1st Arrondissement) · Métro: Palais Royal/Musée du Louvre · Opening hours: Daily 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; - Traffic: For car, motor bikes and mobile homes until 3.5 t the following speed limits are valid: In towns 50 km/h, on streets with two driving traces 110 km/h (in the case of wetness 100 km/h), on highways 130 km/h (110 km/h), on other streets in general 90 km/h (80 km/h). As in the entire EU exists also in France strict obligation to fasten your seat belts. The blood alcohol limit lays at 0.5. In Paris itself you find only short-time parking zones («Zone Bleue»). Yellow stripes mean parking prohibition. Unauthorized parking has punishments and tow off as consequences – what the gendarmes know to acclompish due to their uncountable tyre claws!
- Travel documents: For entry into France EU citizens do not need any special papers due to the Schengen agreement. For Non-EU cizitens a passport is necessary. The international green insurance card is indispensible for everyone who travels by his own car.
→ Bureau d'Acceuil Opéra: 11, rue Scribe · F 75009 Paris (9th Arrondissement) · Métro: Opéra · Opening hours: Daily except on Sundays and bank holidays 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.;
→ Bureau d'Acceuil Gare du Nord: 18, rue de Dunkerque · F 75010 Paris (10th Arrondissement) · Métro: Gare du Nord · Opening hours: Daily 1:00 to 8:00 p.m.;
→ Bureau d'Acceuil Montmartre: 21, place du Tertre · F 75018 Paris (18th Arrondissement) · Métro: Abesses · Opening hours: Daily 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
![[paris-tourist.com] Footer](../images/footer_eng.jpg){kind=small}