Paris Travel Blog

If you save one number into your cell / mobile phone, make sure it is 112 – this is the European general emergency number. It’s extremely unlikely you will have an accident during your stay in Paris but it is as well to be prepared. European citizens who have an EHIC card ( https://www.ehic.org.uk/...

  Spa water to drink at home © Renata Rubnikowicz What is a spa? If you want to find a spa in France look for the words “les Thermes” or “les Bains” after the name of the town or village. The French have been “taking the waters” for every crise de foi (liver problem) or crise...

Map of Tour de France 2011 courtesy of organisers Ever since it began in 1903, the annual Tour de France cycle race has been a spectacle that engages everyone in France. Cycling is a very popular sport here and who wears the prestigious maillot jaune (yellow jersey) of fastest rider is a hot topic in...

Before you leave home If you decide to bring your pooch to Paris, you’ll need to have the right vaccinations and paperwork to be allowed into France. This will vary according to the country you are coming from – your vet should be able to help you. Fido has friends But once you’ve arrived, you’ll...

Will Bastille Day, usually known in France as le quatorze juillet (14 July) see you up bright and early at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arc de Triomphe, waiting for the start of the military parade down the Champs-Elysées? Or will you be nursing a hangover and sore toes after dancing in the street...

Rue Norvins © Paris Tourist Office / Amélie Dupont Especially if it’s your first time in Paris, Montmartre is probably on your top ten of places to visit. The hill – or Butte – of Montmartre affords a wonderful view over the city from the terrace in front of the white meringue of Sacré-Coeur...

What makes half a million people a year visit the Impressionist painter Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny? For me, May was the perfect time for a first visit to find out. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, the frogs were on the lilypads and the wisteria was in flower. As a result, the Japanese bridge...

You may have difficulty finding a taxi today (Wednesday 25 May 2011). The newspaper Le Parisien reported this morning that three of the largest taxi companies have called for a “national day of action” to protest against rising fuel prices and taxes. The action is expected to affect taxi services...

Tomorrow, Saturday 14 May, for one night only, nearly all of the museums in Paris will be open late, mostly until midnight, celebrating the annual European Museums Night. As well as keeping their doors open way past their usual bedtime for visits to their regular collections and their temporary exhibitions,...

Even more than le vin (wine), le pain (bread) is the basis of French gastronomy. People swear by certain bakers and each Parisian has his or her favourite boulangerie. Can there be a more affordable or delicious way to get into the French psyche while you’re here? Of the 1,200 boulangeries in the city, ...