Paris For Dummies

Stroll the Champs-Elysées, visit the top of the Eiffel Tower, or linger in a cozy café. Take in the theater, a symphony, or dance the night away. Enjoy gourmet French cuisine or a picnic in the park. Savor a café au lait or a glass of Beaujolais. Go power shopping or bargain hunting. With this guide, you're ready for your exciting trip. Bon voyage!

Open the book and find:

• Down-to-earth trip-planning advice
• What you shouldn't miss —and what you can skip
• The best hotels and restaurants for every budget
• Lots of detailed maps

Paris at a Glance
Taking in all the Spectacular Sights
For most people, the real reason tvisit Paris is tsee those quintessentially French attractions for which the city has come tbe known. Are the sights really as great as returning travelers say? Yes, yes, and yes. The Eiffel Tower continues tgrace the city skyline with its lacy presence. Tcelebrate the Millenium year, it was rigged tsparkle with twinkling lights for ten minutes once an hour; you can still see this beautiful light display throughout 2001. Notre-Dame is now the original ivory color its builders intended-centuries worth of dirt has been cleaned off. The Louvre has even more exhibits-in fact, you can see its new primitive art exposition near the Denon Wing until 2004 when the Musée Branly is scheduled topen and take over that collection. Take a tour boat down the Seine, and see the towers of Notre-Dame highlighted against the sky as lights from bridges older than the United States cast reflections in the water. Or watch the sunset from one of the footbridges across the Seine. Consult Chapters 16 and 17 for the best sights tsee and things tdin Paris.
Wining and Dining and Wining Some More
Parisians are on an eternal quest for the perfect meal and make a pastime of sharing that information with their friends. And what wonderful meals they have tchoose from! In the last decade, the city has seen the rise of "baby bistros"-restaurants opened by celebrity chefs that offer simpler and less expensive meals than those served at their deluxe establishments. Even the talented young apprentices of these celebrity chefs have opened their own restaurants.
Paris dining runs the gamut, from ultra-fancy high cuisine thearty home cooking-and all fabulous. Dine under the stained glass ceiling at Bofinger-Paris's quintessential belle-epoque brasserie-while waiters in long aprons deftly make a fuss over you. Or nurse a drink at Brasserie Lipp, where author Ernest Hemingway penned many a short story. You soon find that you aren't just sitting down ta meal, but entering the life of a thriving city. Chapters 13, 14, and 15 give you the lowdown on Paris dining, including the addresses of some of the best restaurants, and tell you how tfill up quickly when you don't have time for a three-course meal.
Introducing Ground Zerfor High Fashion
Shopping in Paris has never been better. A recent upswing in France's economy has seen many new stores open and others expand. Paris has a well-deserved reputation as a bastion of over-the-top luxury; all you have tdis head for the 8th arrondisement (district, abbreviated 8e) tsee why. At the same time, the young and trendy are heading tthe Sentier area in the third arrondisement (3e) for the season's funkiest looks at lower prices. At press time, a strong dollar and a falling Eurmeant that the city was much more affordable for non-European Union visitors. Chapter 19 tells you all you need tknow about shopping in Paris.
Sampling Culture, Both Day and Night
Paris is a great place tpursue culture-the recent multimillion dollar renovations of the Opéra Garnier and the Châtelet, home tThéâtre Musical de Paris, are just some examples of the interest residents take in enlightening themselves. Even if your French is rusty or not up tpar, you have alternatives tFrench-language plays with many avant-garde productions and English-language theater. See Chapters 22 and 23 for more info.
Painting the Town at Clubs and Cabarets
Paris is an ongoing party, and you find that each neighborhood makes a different contribution tthe nightlife scene. The Marais is the center of gay clubs and bars as well as some of the best dance clubs; the Bastille attracts bohemian types and clubgoers. The side streets of the Champs-Elysées are home tupscale bars and discos, and a new generation of trendsetters is turning Pigalle inta rock music lovers' paradise. Jazz lovers find it easy tclub-hop around Les Halles or on the Left Bank. The naughty can-can dancers are still drawing the crowds at the Lido, Crazy Horse Saloon, and Moulin Rouge clubs, though the torch singers that made these clubs famous have given way tglitzy light shows, special effects, and recorded music. One thing hasn't changed: flesh is plentiful and on display everywhere. Chapters 23 and 24 tells you how tdance the night away or catch a show.
Going Green in the Parks and Gardens
From flowers tplants tcity views tpuppet shows tpony rides and museums-Paris has parks for every taste and interest. Whichever parks you decide tvisit, you can relax in the beauty and serenity of planted gardens, splashing fountains, and arrow-straight paths-and kids love them. Chapter 17 steers you toward the best green spaces in town. Stunning beauty doesn't stop at the city limits, either; in Chapter 21 you find side trips like Versailles, Fontainebleau, and Giverny that offer their own sprawling splendor.

Cheryl A. Pientka works in book publishing and has contributed to France For Dummies and Europe For Dummies. A graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the University of Delaware, she lives in New York City.