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Chinese New Year
 In February, the Chinese in Paris celebrate their New Year, the year of the Tiger. On this occasion, parades are held by Chinese organizations. The shops in the Chinese districts are decorated with red lanterns, the color of happiness. Dragons and lions perform dances and there are lots of firecrackers and other fireworks.
Where and when are the parades?
The largest Chinese quarter is in the 13th arrondissement between the avenue de Choisy and the avenue d'Ivry. Celebrations take place from 9-21 February. You can watch the parade on Sunday, February 21 at 13.30 hours. Route: avenue d'Ivry, avenue de Choisy, place d'Italie, avenue de Choisy, boulevard Massena.
In the Chinese quarter of the 3rd district celebrations take place from 8-14 February. The parade is on Sunday, February 14th at 14 hours. Start at 14 hours in front of the Hôtel de Ville. Route: rue du Temple, rue Turbigo, place des Arts et Métiers, rue Beaubourg, rue du Renard, place de l'Hôtel de Ville. |
Work in progress at Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay has started an extensive renovation that will last 18 months. During this period the museum remains largely open. Especially the 5th floor, home of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, will be completely done over. That's why that floor is closed from mid-December 2009.
 The galleries are redesigned and rearranged for a better visitors’ flow and to improve security. The famous paintings of the 5th floor (Manet, Monet, Cézanne, Degas and Renoir) move temporarily to level 0, as are the paintings by Van Gogh, Seurat and Gauguin. After renovation, the Impressionists go back to the 5th floor, but the Post-impressionists stay on the ground floor.
Here is a map of the museum during the renovation. If you are looking for a certain work of art or a particular artist, you might try the Orsay search engine.
12/2009
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Online tickets for the Eiffel Tower
At last! You can now buy your tickets for the Eiffel Tower online. Previously this was only possible for groups, but since December 1 also for individual visitors. You can choose from two types of tickets: one for all 3 floors and the elevator and one for the 1st and 2nd floor and the elevator.
You first choose the type of ticket, the date of your visit and the number of persons. Then you choose a visiting time, you sign up as a customer and finally you pay with your credit card. You can print the tickets at home, download them on your mobile phone or have them sent by mail (this costs extra). You have to show the tickets at the foot of the Eiffel Tower at visiting time, where they will be scanned. Now let's hope that the rows will disappear ...
On the website of the Eiffel Tower is an explanation of the ordering process (in French).
Prices Eiffel Tower (in Euros) |
1st and 2nd floor
(with elevator) |
1st, 2nd and 3rd floor
(with elevator) |
adults |
8 |
13 |
12 – 24 years |
6.40 |
9.90 |
4 – 11 years |
4 |
7.50 |
0 – 3 years |
free |
free |
disabled |
4 |
7.50 |
12/2009 |
 Faces on the wall
Maybe you have seen it already somewhere in Paris: a face on a wall that is sticking out its tongue. This is street art by Gregos, an artist in Paris. Two years ago he started with colorless faces, but from this year he painted them before he glued them to the wall.
From 2009 Gregos has painted some 40 faces and stuck them on a wall somewhere in Paris. You will find most of them in the Montmartre area, but also in other tourist neighbourhoods. On Gregos’ website you will find more faces and also a map with the location of the faces.
11/2009
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First time in Paris
Your first time in Paris can be difficult: there are a dizzying number of attractions from which you must choose. How to make a choice from all the beautiful buildings, interesting museums and trendy shops?
You can find many suggestions in A day in Paris. But here is a day program that you can start with in minutes, with complementary walking directions. It is menu 15: from the Arc de Triomphe to the Champs-Elysées and the avenue Montaigne, to the Paris museum of modern French art, the Eiffel Tower and last but not least a Seine river cruise.
Menu 15: Champs-Elysées - avenue Montaigne - Princess Diana's Memorial - Musée d'Art moderne de la ville de Paris - Eiffel Tower - Seine river cruise
Go to place Charles de Gaulle and cross the street using the pedestrian tunnel. Visit the Arc de Triomphe.
Take the Champs-Elysées at your own pace (there are lots cafés to have a coffee or take a lunch) up till the Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées.
Go right into avenue Montaigne. Here you willl find the boutiques of haute couture like Prada, Gucci, Chanel and Dior, jeweler Bulgari, top hotel the Plaza-Athenée and the art-deco Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.
 Follow the avenue Montaigne untill place de l’Alma. A replica of the torch of the Statue of Liberty indicates the Memorial for princess Diana, who died here in 1997 in a car accident.
Walk to the Seine and turn right down avenue New York. On the other side of the Seine you will see the modern musée du Quai Branly and behind that the Eiffel Tower. On your right stands the Palais de Tokyo, that houses the Paris collection of modern art by French artists, the Musée d’Art moderne de la ville de Paris. The collection is worth viewing, especially the halls of Henri Matisse and Raoul Dufy.
Follow the avenue de New York and admire the view of the Eiffel Tower on the other side of the river. Opposite the Eiffel Tower is the Palais de Chaillot and the Trocadéro Gardens. Cross the river at the Pont d’Iéna. Watch the tower from the outside or buy a ticket and go up.
Go back to the Seine. Here are the quays where you can embark on a Seine river cruise. It is a very nice way to see all the beautiful buildings and bridges that border the river. And you can rest your feet!
10/2009 |
Villa La Roche by Le Corbusier restored
 Villa La Roche, built by architect Le Corbusier in 1925, has been thoroughly restored. After 15 months of work, the villa in the 16th arrondissement is open to the public again. It is fully refurbished and restored to the situation in 1925, the year of building. The building is also adapted to to modern security standards.
The most striking aspect of the renovation are the walls, repainted in the original colors. Before, all walls were white, but now they're sienna, ocher and gray-blue. Moreover, the lighting has been restored to the original state. Interior photographs from the twenties were used to copy the original lamps. Apart from the hall, the painting gallery and the dining room you can now also visit the the guard’s area, the kitchen, the bathroom and the bedroom. The pictures of the rooms before and after the restoration show the difference.
 Villa La Roche was built for a friend of Le Corbusier, the banker and art lover Raoul La Roche. The house meets his 5 points of architecture: supporting pillars, a roof garden, the ribbon windows, the free plan and the free facade. Although the house is now 84 years old, it still looks very modern.
www.fondationlecorbusier.fr
10/2009
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 Parc André Citröen up for renovation
Beginning this autumn the Parc André Citröen (15th arrondissement) will undergo a large-scale renovation. Visible neglect is already present; dried up channels and ponds, withering flora, damaged masonry and lifeless fountains bear sad witness to the situation.
During the next few years refurbishment and an expansion will take place. The entrance will be placed on the south side of the park, near the Goreges Pompidou Hospital. Houses adjacent to the hospital are going to be demolished, thus creating room for an expansion of almost 9000 m2.
Parc André Citröen dates from 1992 and is famous for its modern design, greenhouses, colour gardens, fountains and waterworks. Previously the Citroën car factories were situated here.
9/2009
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Picasso Museum closed
 Since August 2009 The Picasso Museum has been closed. Plans are afoot for the extensive transformation of the 17th century Hôtel Salé that houses the museum , adapting it to technical and safety standards of the present age. The work is scheduled to be finished in 2012. The architect, Jean-Francois Bodin, has already re-designed three other Parisian museums. Cost: 20 million Euros.
The first phase of the work consists of the renovation of the exhibition spaces and the entrance. Simultaneously, the entire collection will be examined and catologued. During the whole of the renovation the Picasso masterpieces will journey to Spain, Abu Dabi, Japan, Hamburg and Seattle for exhibition. The proceeds of this tour will contribute to the expenses of the renovation.
The second phase of the renovation involves the placement of a new building next to the Hôtel Salé in the gardens, intended for educational activities and an auditorium.
9/2009
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Guide to the metro
 What does a ticket machine look like? How to find the correct line? How do the entry gates work? How to find the correct platform? Questions already asked by numerous visitors to Paris. Luckily a brochure is available in both English and French which explains all. Parisian Public transport, RAPT, offers a booklet with photos and written explanations about buying tickets, passing the gates, finding the right platform and even how the exit works. This booklet can be downloaded from the RAPT website.
Everything you might want to know about Paris and Ile-de-France transport can be found at Paris by train.
Incidentally, the prices for tickets and subscriptions were increased on the first of July 2009 (Paris Visite in November 2009). The price of a single ticket is unchanged (1,60 Euros) but the price for a book of ten tickets (a carnet) has been raised from 11,40 to 11,60 Euros.
8/2009/updated 11/2009
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 Parisian public holidays
On official public holidays many shops and museums in Paris are closed while others can be open, as are a number of other sights and monuments. Even at a restaurant you may find the door closed. Which public holidays should you take into account? And when is what closed?
The French official holidays are: |
| Janary 1 |
New Year's Day (Jour de l'An) |
| April 5 (2010) April 25 (2011) |
Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques) |
| May 1 |
Labor Day (Fête du Travail) |
| May 8 |
Liberation Day 1945 |
| May 13 (2010) June 2 (2011) |
Acension Day (Ascension) |
| May 24 (2010) June 13 (2011) |
Whit Monday (lundi de Pentecôte) |
| July 14 |
Fête Nationale (Bastille Day) |
| August 15 |
Assumption (Assomption) |
| November 1 |
All Saints Day (Toussaint) |
| November 11 |
Armistice Day (Armistice 1918) |
| December 25 |
Christmas (Noël) |
On January 1st and December 25th, most shops, restaurants and museums are closed. Consult the list of museums and monuments that are closed on public holidays.
8/2009
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Architecture by bus
A scheduled bus tour along strikingly modern buildings and projects in the field of architecture. This is the Archi-bus. An idea made up by the Parisian public transport organization RATP and the Pavillon de l'Arsenal (The Museum of Parisian Architecture).
 For bus routes 64 and 96, the local Ney-Flandre bus and the T3 tramway there is a brochure describing around 15 noteworthy 20th century buildings along the route. These are, among others, residential flats, offices, schools, utility buildings, sports halls, cinemas and museums.
You can download the brochures from the site of the Pavillon de l'Arsenal. Each building is described and the architects and dates of construction are listed. A road map shows all the noted buildings.
5/2009
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The difference between metro and RER
Metro and RER are both rail networks by which you reach your destinations in and outside Paris. But what’s the difference between the two? Are the tickets interchangeable? Can you travel on both networks with one ticket? How many lines does each network have? Take a look at the list below. |
| |
metro |
RER |
what does the name mean? |
Métropolitain |
Réseau Express Régionale |
what is it? |
an underground train system |
a commuter train system |
where does it run? |
within the Paris city limits |
In Paris and the surrounding area (Ile-de-France) |
how many lines? |
16 lines (14 main lines and two branch lines, 3bis and 7bis) |
5 lines, A - E |
how many zones? |
2 |
1-6 |
tickets? |
ticket t+ (fixed price) |
ticket t+ (fixed price) inside Paris, outside Paris a billet Ile-de-France (variable price according to distance) |
| schedules service? |
no |
yes |
keep ticket for exiting? |
no |
yes, you exit the station by putting your ticket in the ticket slot |
change lines? |
to other metro lines, RER, bus or tram within Paris |
to other metro lines, RER, bus or tram within Paris |
under or above ground? |
mostly underground |
within Paris mostly underground, outside Paris aboveground |
passes? |
Mobilis, Passe Navigo Découverte for a week or month, Paris Visite |
Mobilis, Passe Navigo Découverte for a week or month, Paris Visite |
system map? |
system map of metro and RER |
5/2009
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Paris at your feet
The Eiffel Tower offers a spectacular view of Paris. The  city lies at your feet, and in clear weather you can see for 50 km. But perhaps it was raining just when you were there, or was it foggy? Then check this video for a clear view.
• A panoramic visit from the 2nd floor at 115 m altitude.
• Looking in four directions: north, south, east and west. Click on "Selection d’un vue" and choose a direction.
• The flashing lights of the Eiffel Tower at night.
4/2009
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| translation: Spencer Stuart/Els van der Vos |
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Last checked
23-01-2010
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