A weekend in Paris
Weekends in Paris can be whatever you want them to be – but if you're a business visitor who needs some downtime, why not start as you mean to go on – by turning your back on the world of work? The most literal way to do that is to climb on a Saturday morning to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and make a point of facing south-east, rather than north-west. Behind you, in the distance, is the La Défense business district, with its convention centres, skyscrapers and the imposing ‘Grande Arche’ de La Défense, symbol of the commercial centre of Paris; but of course, you won't be looking that way. Instead, in front of you, is your pleasure ground for the next 48 hours – the Champs-Elysée, the Tuileries, the Louvre and the Seine – while to left and right of you are other great sights like Sacré Coeur and the Eiffel Tower. Yes, it's touristville. And yes, it's got to be done. (Arc de Triomphe, Place Charles de Gaulle; +33 1 55 37 73 77;
arcdetriomphe-paris.com)
Start off by taking the metro a couple of stops to Concorde, for Le Jardin des Tuileries (75001 Paris;
louvre.fr) – the famous formal gardens in front of the Louvre, where you'll find two of Paris' smallest museums. On the right as you face the Louvre, and reopened in 2006 after restoration work, is the Musée de l'Orangerie (Paris 75001; +33 1 44 77 80 07,
musee-orangerie.fr), home to Monet's Waterlilies. If you've seen those before, its counterpart on the left is the Jeu de Paume (1 Place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris; +33 1 47 03 12 50,
jeudepaume.org; originally a venue for a game similar to real tennis, played without racquets), which has ever-changing photography exhibitions. But it's just as pleasant to walk in the gardens, mugging up on sights that you'll recognise in Impressionist paintings for years to come – and many of which are hanging in the Musée d'Orsay across the Seine. Finally, finish off your afternoon by skipping the queue for the Louvre, entering by the Galerie du Carousel entrance – because, of course, you were organised enough to buy your tickets online in advance. (Musée du Louvre, 75001 Paris;
louvre.fr)
Remember the film Les Amants du Pont Neuf? In reality the Pont Neuf isn't half as romantic without Juliette Binoche waterskiing underneath it as fireworks go off in the background, but walk across it anyway, with the Louvre behind you and Notre Dame on your left, to the heart of the tourist zone that is Le Carrefour d'Odéon. If you don't have a reservation at Le Comptoir du Relais (9 Carrefour de l'Odéon, 75006 Paris; +33 1 44 27 07 97) – and it can be tough to get one, with chef Yves Camdeborde being the brasserie king of France – then La Cremerie for wine and nibbles (9 Rue des Quatre-Vents; +33 1 43 54 99 30) or Le Christine (1 Rue Christine, 75006 Paris; +33 1 40 51 71 64) for a more traditional bistro.
Next morning, do what everyone else does on a spare day - and take a trip out to Montmartre. It's not at all clear from the metro map, but the station you need is the Anvers – where you can change for the funicular railway that takes you straight up to the basilica of Sacré Coeur (35 Rue du Chavelier-de-la-Barre, 75018 Paris; +33 1 53 41 89 00,
sacre-coeur-montmartre.com). After a day wandering the winding hilltop streets, take the metro back to Hotel de Ville – and finish off your weekend in Paris with a trip down the Seine. Batobus (various locations including Port de la Bourdonnais, 75007 Paris; +33 825 05 01 01,
batobus.com) runs boats between most of the major sites of Paris, every 15 to 20 minutes, daily until around dusk – so if you're quick, you can catch one just in time to arrive by boat as the Eiffel tower (see one hour in Paris, below) as it lights up.
24 hours in Paris
If you only have a day to enjoy this beautiful city and you want to get yourself away from the world of work, it’s a good idea to join a tour of Paris from the left bank to the Marais – taking in avant-garde art and bohemian alleys, as well as chic boutiques.
Starting on the left bank, start your day by wandering among the booksellers on the Quai de Montebello opposite Notre Dame. Known as the bouquinistes, these stallholders pay less than €100 a year for one of the best shopping locations in Paris – but with competition intense, you can wander up and down all morning finding the best bargains on second-hand books and prints. If you want to be sure of finding English-language books, head round the corner to the literary institution that is Shakespeare & Company (37 Rue de la Bucherie, Paris; +33 1 43 25 40 93;
shakespeareco.org) – though don't arrive too early, because with an audience of intellectuals to cater for, it doesn't open till noon.
When you're done with book-finding, cross the river to the Pompidou Centre (Place Georges Pompidou, 75004 Paris; +33 1 44 78 12 33;
centrepompidou.fr) and get yourself some art. The Pompidou is everyone's favourite gallery in Paris, and it's easy to see why: both the building itself and the exhibitions are designed with entertainment in mind. It's also a good place to stop for a bite to eat – or you could try Le Hangar, a small bistro down a nearby alley (12 Impasse Berthaud, 75003 Paris; +33 1 42 74 55 44).
From here on, it's time to make the most of Marais. This region, to the east of central Paris, is full of big old mansions, galleries and shops – and one of its most buzzing spots is the area around Rue Charlot, which has enough to keep you occupied for a month of afternoons. Near the north end of the street is the Marché des Enfants Rouges, on the Rue de Bretagne – the perfect lunch spot with any number of relaxed little cafes; while at the south end are two top museums, one well-known, the other less so: the Musée National Picasso (5 Rue de Thorigny 75003 Paris; +33 1 42 71 25 21;
musee-picasso.fr) is rightly famous for its extensive collection of works by the avant-garde master; while the Passage de Retz (9 Rue Charlot, 75003 Paris; +33 1 48 04 37 99;
passagederetz.com) is home to temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. The whole street, in fact, is given over to galleries and boutique shops selling art, wines, French movies, furniture, fashion and more.
Just north of here, a swish place for pre-dinner drinks is the five-star fashionista Murano Urban Resort hotel (13 Boulevard du Temple, Paris 75003; +33 1 42 71 20 00) – it's achingly minimalist and trendy, with prices to match, but just about carries it off – while a slightly less intimidating dinner option, not far south of here, would be one of Paris' most traditional brasseries, Bofinger (5-7 Rue de la Bastille, 75004 Paris; +33 1 42 72 87 82).
One hour in Paris
You're in Paris on business. You've finally shaken off your work contacts, and you have one hour's free time to yourself to do exactly as you choose.
What's that, you say? You're not planning to go up the Eiffel tower? Okay, you might know all about Paris' greatest monument already. You know it was built by a chap called Gustave Eiffel, in 1889 – which, when you think about it, is closer in time to the French Revolution that it is to today. You know it was universally hated when it was built; that it was only supposed to be there for months; but that the Parisians started to like it, in a warm and fuzzy way, and because of that it got to stay.
But even if you've been up to the top before, it's the sheer weirdness of the thing that tempts you up in the end. Think about it. It's a building that isn't really a building (because it doesn't have any sides); and you go up in a lift that isn't really a lift (it's more like a funicular railway, because the tower's legs aren't straight). It's made of iron, which is an impractical building material at the best of times: it has to be repainted every seven years, just to protect it from rust. And when you finally change lifts at the second floor to the main lift that goes straight up the middle of the beast, you get a wholly different perspective on Paris. It's not just the views you get of the most romantic city in the world, it's the way couples clutch each other as the observation platform sways gently in the wind; and the way life, at more than 300m off the ground, seems that little bit slower, and more precious.
Next time, you promise yourself, you won't come up here alone. (Tour Eiffel, Champ de Mars, 75007 Paris; +33 1 44 11 23 23;
tour-eiffel.fr)
