Rather than lug your purchases around with you on your speedy business trip, why not pick them up at Gare du Nord right before Eurostar check-in? As you exit the Metro in the 'Magenta' part of the station, there's a small stall run by a chap from Provence, who dispenses great wine, cheese, pate and meats to those London-bound. Great for picking up some goodies before heading up to the Eurostar terminal.

Gare du Nord, Paris. SNCF says: France des Provinces Niveau -1 (Level -1) sous la verrière Transilien, face au couloir RER E

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Forget those designer boutiques and get on the metro to head to the Place d'Aligre for a fascinating market full of clothes, antiques and world goods (particularly great for African crafts).

There really is something more enjoyable about grabbing a bargain at the market than flashing the credit card down the Champs Elysees!

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For a formidable fondue feast, I recommend the Refuge de Fondues, 17 Rue de Trois Freres (near bottom of Sacre Coeur). It's a fab little restaurant with graffiti-covered walls and long tables where you eat elbow to elbow with other diners.

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Directions to one of Paris’s best-kept secrets: Take the Metro's Line 5 and get off at Laumière. Climb up Rue Laumière until you reach the main entrance of the most beautiful Parisian garden: Les Buttes de Chaumont.

Climb up the hill around the lake, up to the view point. Now the real secret: if you happen to be there on August 30th at about 8.20pm, you'll see the sun setting right behind the Sacre Coeur and the Montmartre hill, now that's a view that will stay with you for a while.

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If you're an avid reader, chances are you'll have read the Da Vinci Code. Did you know you can take a Da Vinci Code Tour? Visit all the places named in the book and decipher the clues for yourself. It's an amazing experience and leaves you with a memorable lasting impression of Paris.

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Take Metro 11 (brown) to Porte des Lilas, walk down Rue Belleville using the Metro stations as your guide. Pass through neighbourhoods such as Jourdain, Pyrenees, Belleville and, passing canal St Martin, finish in Republique, the venue of many a Parisian Riot.

Alternatively, at Pyrenees, turn right on to Avenue Simon Bolivar and head for the surreal, landscaped Parc des Buttes Chaumont (19th Arr), complete with its own mountain, waterfall, temple and an incredible view of the Sacre Couer.

To finish the day, head to restaurant Au Pied du Sacre Couer, for fine yet inexpensive French cooking (metro Lamarck-calaincourt, 18th Arr).

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For an authentic Parisian experience, visit the market on Rue Mouffetard (Latin Quarter) on a Sunday morning. Start at the top end, enjoy a coffee in Cafe Delmas in pretty Place Contrescarpe, then work your way down the narrow cobbled street, fresh fruit, veg, meat and cheese either side, then turn left onto Rue Monge before finishing off your shopping at the market in Place Monge. If you've got time, nip across the road to see Paris's very own Roman amphitheatre (reconstructed).

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Fantastic food, brilliant service and opulent surroundings. Feels like you are dining in the 1920s in a French film noir. The cheese board isn't so much a board as a table!

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Visit the Deportation memorial on Ile de la Cite behind Notre Dame. It is the most poignant, peaceful place imaginable and cannot fail to bring me to tears that in the middle of such a beautiful city there is a reminder of the horrors that cleaved Europe in the 20th century. Everyone should visit, sit and think.

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Slightly off the beaten track, the Grand Mosque at the 5th Arr. has a large, sunken garden, fountains and a 33-metre high minaret.

The internal courtyards, lined with Andalusian mosaics, are offset by dark eucalyptus and cedar trim. The mosque's adjoining cafe and restaurant, serves excellent north African cuisine such as couscous, tajine and sweet mint tea to all.

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After many stays in mediocre and cramped hotels we've finally found the one for us - Clos de Medicis in the 5th, just five minutes' walk from the Luxembourg RER station - itself 4 stops from Gare du Nord.

From Eurostar to hotel in half an hour. It's a great area too, many good restaurants and walking distance to the Ile de Paris, Louvre, Marais - well everywhere really. Very friendly and well designed hotel - just a gem.

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If, like me, you know that going to Paris means going clothes shopping then here is a treat: mens’ and ladies’ wear shop Comptoir du Marais.

It has two floors packed with stylish but wearable designs by young French designers and is unbelievably cheap! The shop has a tea room and small gallery where you can relax with your bags - inevitably full of clothes you have just bought. Tucked away at the end of Rue des Mauvais Garcons (street of the naughty boys) in the heart of gay Paris – this boutique is well-behaved wallet-pleasing fun.

8 rue de Moussy, 75004 Paris. + 33 1 4274 0606
www.comptoirdumarais.com

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The baccarat glass museum near metro Chateau d'eau is a gem. Wonderful exhibits and, if you can't afford the original baccarat paperweights (they're expensive!), you can buy fine glassware at discount prices in the shops in the quartier.

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Take a leisurely stroll along the left bank of the Seine, past Notre Dame and go into the Shakespeare and Company bookshop. Climb the narrow wooden stairs, pick out a dusty old tome, take a seat on a worn but comfy sofa in the corner next to the contented sleepy black cat and peruse it at your leisure.

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Studio de l'Ermitage is in Montelimontant - easy to access by metro; to me it was a mixture of where I imagine locals in the know would go, a whiff of old Paris and a private fantasy all rolled into a laid back music venue.

The night I went there was a bal musette, and these are organised on a monthly basis, among an interesting programme of old, new and live music - some partygoers dressed for the occasion to add to the ambience, but if you hadn't, you didn't feel out of place.

The atmosphere was lively, with a fantastic sense of enjoyment and fun. People of all ages danced together and it was a treat to watch and be part of something reflecting the spirit of Paris.

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A culinary gem serving ONLY a simple salad start with two rounds of stesk and chips to follow but with oodles of Parisian style. Right in the heart of St Germain, a great place to begin an evening.

20 bis rue St. Benoit, nearest metro St. Germain des Pres

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For literary Paris, go and visit Proust's bedroom at the Carnavelet Museum, 23, rue Sévigné

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Hotel Therese in the 1st arrondissement - cute, inexpensive, personal hotel with an unbeatable central location.

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For a glimpse of the Paris of Toulouse Lautrec visit Chartier, a restaurant which looks as if it hasn't changed in a hundred years. It's cheap, cheerful and full of Parisians. Find it in the Rue du Faubourg de Montmartre

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If planning on multiple journeys or using the Metro over several days, purchase a Paris Visite pass (valid 1, 2, 3 or 5 days) which gives unlimited travel in either 1-3 or 1-6 zones, discounts to attractions and can be purchased in advance.

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