Modern Paris is ever-changing. Here's the latest on important developments in the City of Light.
For the general public seeking information in Paris, the main welcome office at 127 Champs-Elysees has closed for good. From 2004 onward, today's tourist offices are found at:
- Opéra-Grans Magasins
11 rue Scribe 9th
9am-6:30pm, Monday-Saturday.
Metro: Opera, lines 3, 7 and 8
RER: A Auber - Gare de Lyon
20 bd Diderot 12th - Main line arrivals
8am-6pm, Monday-Saturday
Metro: Gare de Lyon, lines 1 and 14, RER: A & D - Gare du Nord
18 rue de Dunkerque 10th
12:30-8pm, every day except Christmas Day and May 1st
Metro: Gare du Nord, lines 4 and 5, RER: B & D - Montmartre Tourist Office
10am-7pm, 7 days a week.
Metro: Abbesses, line 12; Anvers, line 2 - Espace du Tourisme d'Ile-de-France
Carrousel du Louvre - Place de lay Pyramide Inversée-99, rue de Rivoli - 1st
10am-7pm, 7 days a week.
Metro: Palais Royal/Musée du Louvre, lines 1 and 7.
Chances are you'll be flying to France on the new Air France-KLM, the world's biggest airline in terms of revenue. Air France in 2004 acquired control of the Dutch airline. During most of 2005, passengers will note little change. But as the months go by, the two airlines will begin coordinating their schedules and fares, acting as a unit. KLM spokesman Bart Kloster claims the merger will lead to lower costs, reduced fares, and better connections between flights. Critics differ, claiming the merger will lead to a few choices of flights and higher costs. Only time will tell.
Paris Hotels
Following a $23 million renovation taking two years, the deluxe Le Trémoille, 14 rue de La Trémoille, 8e (tel. 01-56-52-14-00), has reopened in a subtle blend of contemporary and traditional styling. In the haute couture district of Paris, the 93-room posh palace was built in 1883 as a private residence of the noble Dupre family. Once turned into a hotel, it attracted such guests as General de Gaulle, Orson Welles, and his friend, Marlene Dietrich. Today Richard Gere and Johnny Depp show up.
Those seeking a Parisian version of Bed & Breakfast can book through Alcôve & Agapes, 8 bis rue Coysevox, 8e (tel. 01-44-85-06-05), representing more than 100 choice properties in the City of Light. You can reserve high-quality accommodations in individual homes with gardens in the center of Paris; bedrooms with a private terrace (some opening onto views of the Eiffel Tower); artists' workshops, and even white-stone apartments constructed in the early part of the 20th century. Each host receives only one set of visitors, either family or friends. You can surf the web at www.bed-and-breakfast-in-paris.com for a property that might interest you.
Mandarin Oriental is moving into Paris and has taken over the Hotel Royal Monceau, 37 av. Hoche (tel. 01-42-99-88-00). Long recognized as one of the great palace hotels of Paris, the property will be extensively renovated and renamed the Royal Monceau Mandarin Oriental. The renovation, to be completed in 2005, will include all the guest rooms, public spaces, and its two Michelin starred restaurants, as well as its spa.
Paris Restaurants
The new power lunch venue of the hour is Senso, in the revamped La Trémoille, 14 rue de La Trémoille, 8th (tel. 01-56-52-14-00). On exquisitely beautiful dishes some of the most delectable food in Paris is served, including such exotic treats as squid stuffed with chorizo and sole with fresh ginger and spinach. The contemporary French cuisine also features other dishes such as stuffed tomatoes with beef and fresh herbs and, an unusual combination, chateaubriand served with Provençal monkfish soup. Designed by the famous Sir Terrence Conran, the restaurant is ultra-modern in its appointments. The fashionably cool bar area is decorated with ivory leather sofas and subtle lighting that changes from blue to red throughout the day.
The famous Taittinger family has opened its Baccarat-laden Cristal Room, 11 Place des États-Unis (tel. 01-40-22-11-10), in the former townhouse of the art patroness Marie-Laure de Noailles. She is famous as the benefactor of such artists as Man Ray or Salvador Dalí. Philippe Starck designed the stunning minimalist décor, with a bow to the Surrealists, and the chef is the brilliant Thierry Burlot. He is a total original, creating his own take on such classics as oyster ravioli or even a caramel soufflé, each dish having a distinctive flavor.
Publicis Drugstore, 133 avenue des Champs Elysées, 8e (tel. 01-44-43-77-64), was once a Paris hot spot when it opened in 1958. Over the decades it had grown stale. Now it's been completely overhauled, and even France's most famous chef, Alain Ducasse, has been hired as a consultant to both its restaurants. The new complex has not only dining, but two cinemas, a wine shop, a bookstore, an international newsstand, a Cuban cigar shop, and, of course, a pharmacy (as befits its name). Le Drugstore still remains the most reliable place to find a hamburger deluxe with foie gras after midnight.
Americans wanting breakfast like mama made are flocking to Breakfast in America, 17 rue des Ecoles, 5e (tel. 01-43-54-50-28), run by Craig Carlson, a New England filmmaker. This diner serves big American style breakfasts, the best of their type in Paris. Even Parisians used to much lighter continental fare such as croissants and coffee are flocking here to discover the delights of bacon omelettes and fluffy pancakes Southern style.
Paris Attractions
In a bizarre twist, following a mass the heart of the 10-year-old heir to the French throne, Louis XVII, was laid to rest at Saint-Denis Basilica, 2 rue de Strasbourg, St-Denis (tel. 01-48-09-83-54), near the graves of his parents, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. The heart was pickled, stolen, returned, and two centuries later, DNA-tested. Ceremonies recognizing the royal heart put to rest two more that two centuries of rumor and legend surrounding the child's death. Genetic testing has persuaded even the most cynical historians that the person who might have been the future Louis XVII never escaped prison. The boy died of tuberculosis in 1795, his body ravaged by tumors. The child's corpse was dumped into a common grave, but not before a doctor secretly carved out his heart and smuggled it out of prison in a handkerchief. The heart of the dead boy was compared to DNA from hair trimmed from Marie-Antoinette during her childhood in Austria. It was a perfect match.
More and more visitors are discovering that Paris, like New York, has a Chinatown. Take the Métro to Porte d'Ivry in the 13th Arrondissement. Quartier Chinois, just a five-minute walk from Place d'Italie, centers around avenue d'Ivry. Here you will find 250,000 residents (the population grows all the time) living in a center of food stores, Asian restaurants and markets, and rows of teas and spices straight from China. The center of the sector is Tang Frères, the largest Asian food market in Europe. Spend a morning exploring here and stick around for lunch. We'd recommend Le Mer de Chine at 159 des Rentiers, serving the best Cantonese cuisine in Paris.
The newly reorganized and amusingly named Fat Tire Bike Tours-Paris, 24 rue Edgar Faure, 15th (tel. 01-56-58-10-54), is a Texas-based company that offers guided English speaking bike tours of the City of Light. This is a great way for an orientation to Paris, as you cycle by such monuments as the Eiffel Tower or Napoléon's impressive tomb. There are also night tours available. Either day or night, tours cost 70 eu ($84) per person.
Shopping
The hottest new parfumerie in Paris is lunx, 48-50 rue de l'Université, 7th (tel. 01-45-44-50-14). This Shiseido-backed boutique is centered around a so-called "olfactory journey," as customers move through lunx testing more than 60 fragrances. Buttons or levers dispense bursts of scent. The shop has five "sniffing stations." To create the scents, fruits, fragrant woods, and spices are emphasized more than flowers such as the rose.
Outside of Paris
Outside Paris at Château de Versailles, (tel. 01-39-50-36-22) the French government is going to pour $455 million into a grand restoration of this splendid palace and its magnificent gardens. The project, it is estimated, will take 17 years, but the attraction -- one of the most visited in Europe -- will remain open during the work in progress. The grand design of the architects is to make the palace, dating from the 17th century, look much as it did when it was home to Louis XIV, XV, and the ill-fated XVI. Some features will be removed, such as a wide staircase ordered built by King Louis-Phillippe in the château's last major rebuilding in the 1830s. Other features will be added, including a replica of the grille royale that was torn out and melted after the 1789 revolution. Facilities for those with disabilities will also improve.