- Paris
- (749)
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France
Take a small kettle or heater and teabags as the French cannot make a decent cuppa or always have drink facilities in hotel rooms.
Pascal le Glacier specialises in some of the most luxurious ice creams in the city.
The secret of this family run business is its superb ingredients and a long tradition.
The ice creams come in a mind-boggling array of more than 50 flavours - with more flavours on the way apparently.
Rhubarb, white peach and blood orange are among the crowd favourites. Evian water is used along with fresh fruits, which makes the ingredients sparkle. The beauty of this place is that you can enjoy the ice cream in the busy but never crowded - and always beautiful - Luxembourg Gardens, which is just around the corner.
Paris dining can be an intimidating experience: the city’s culinary supremacy can easily strike fear into the hungry gut of a simple étranger.
A welcome antidote to this is Au Rocher de Cancale. This friendly bistro, with its beautiful neo-Renaissance façade, dates back to 1846 – when the oyster market was at its peak.
Thankfully, the ambience has remained: it’s easy to imagine former diners such as Balzac settling in for a satisfying feast. The food is served with integrity rather than vanity – Brittany’s best oysters, roast salmon with basil sauce, and generous, fresh salads all designed around quality ingredients.
One of the nicest ways to spend a day in Paris is to visit the beautiful Musee d'Orsay.
The restaurant on the top floor offers a very reasonably priced lunch and the tea rooms will restore you and your feet with an afternoon tea or something stronger later in the day.
The No69 bus is ideal for when the legs are too tired for walking. This bus journey travels across Paris taking in some of the most wonderful views of the city along the way with plenty of places to jump off for a bite, cafe or kir!
My favorite place to catch a film in Paris is at the fabulous MK2 Quai de Seine/Quai de Loire Cinemas: two cinemas that are on either side of the Basin de La Villete Canal near metro Jaures.
They play a fine selection of art-house movies, boast of two cafes and a cool cinema-theme bookshop. The best part is- buy a ticket on either side of the water and take a free little boat that will shuttle you to the other side. Where else can you arrive at the cinema by boat?
Splash out at the Effiel tower by having the set lunch at the Jules Verne restaurant.
You avoid the queues to get up the tower as they have a private lift. There is excellent food, brilliant views, and they'll let you out to go higher up the tower and let you back in so you use their exclusive lift to get back down.
Take a good pair of shoes, it's a great walking city.
Restaurant Georges, 6th floor Centre Pompidou is a great place to lounge on a warm Sunday afternoon.
Stay in the Hotel des Alpes, in a little corner just of the Place d'Italie. Walk down the Avenue de Choisy into Chinatown, or you might not even get that far.
There are tempting south-east Asian cafes along the avenue. One specialises in noodle soup in the style of Hue, the ancient capital of Central Vietnam.
When you are feeling tired after sightseeing in this great city, give yourself a treat and visit the Paris mosque in the Latin Quarter.
It was built from 1922-26 from pink marble and contains mosaics, wood carvings and wrought iron brought from Morocco.
It covers over a hectare and is worth a visit for the splendours of the building and its artefacts.
However, there is another reason for visiting: the Turkish baths. These are inexpensive to visit and you can enjoy a tranquil environment while having a massage or chilling out in the steam rooms.
The restaurant serves refreshing mint tea and light meals and is in a delightful courtyard. There are also shops where you can buy those last-minute and original gifts. There are separate days for men and women to visit the baths.
There are guided tours at the very reasonable price of three euros (two euros without a guide). Entrance is free for children under seven. You could spend a day here, if you are in Paris for a few days, or just a few hours if your time is limited.
The address is 39 Rue Geoffrey St Hilaire, Place du Puits-de-l'Ermite, 5e. Nearest Metro stop is Monge.
The telephone number is 01-45-35-97-33
Porte de Vanves fleamarket on a Saturday and Sunday closes up at 1pm despited advertised times of much later - but it's the best and friendliest fleamarket, much easier to get around than the massive Clignancourt markets.
On a day trip to Paris, arrive in time for lunch in a bistro, explore an area in the afternoon and then head for Rue St Jacques, near Jardin du Luxembourg to find all you need for your picnic home on Eurostar; shops selling wine, cheese, cold meats, bread and fruit are close by.
Stay at the Villa Royal Hotel, Pigalle!
We had a great stay there, at great value. It's an uber-rococo place, that balances chintz with gaudy.
The first (but not the last; we'll be going back) time I've watched a massive flatscreen TV housed in a gold frame, from the comfort of a jacuzzi bath.
And all for £75 per room per night.
The cafe downstairs is great and with Moulin Rouge and Montmartre within 5 minutes walk you can sin and be forgiven in the time it takes to return your free Velib bike!
Romantic brunch or pre-dinner cocktails at Le Fumoir just behind the Louvre! Artists, writers, couples - you'll see it all!
Use Paris as the start of your Europe-by-rail trip - it's the perfect two day stop off before catching the overnight train to Rome or Barcelona.
Do not get conned! The street vendor sells cardboard cut-outs of Mickey and Minnie Mouse that dance magically on the pavement.
Tourists buy them for five euros to take home to their children or grandchildren and find out later that they've been conned.
The figures are actually suspended on clear fishing line and are attached to the vendor's backpack on one side and to some other object on the other side.
There's a motor inside the backpack that jiggles the figures around so that they seem to dance.
Place St Marthe in the 12th Arrondissement is a lively square with two great restaurants, surrounded by many little known artists' ateliers to browse through.
There is a great South American restaurant just off the Place too.
Head for the Cafe de la Paix for the best cafe in Paris, situated at place de l'Opera (boulevard des Capucines). It's great for food and has great views!
Go to the Parc Buttes-Chaumont, with some cheese, bread, wine.
You may be entertained by an acoustic guitarist or a man dressed as Jesus carrying a cross. Or just marvel at the waterfalls, cliffs, and the lake - it's amazing!
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