10.31.08
Posted in Planning Your Trip at 4:54 am by Paris Ambiance Blogger
“Paris is always a good idea.” Sabrina
Though any time is a great time to visit Paris, some times are better than others. Often trips are scheduled around work, vacations, or the low season for special rates. Under these circumstances, go whenever you can! However, if you are able to choose your times, there are some things to consider.
Typically, the best times to visit are considered high season by the travel industry. For Paris, high season is May-July and September-October. In August, Parisians depart the city for their holidays. Typically, their vacation leaves Paris less congested. However, many of the privately owned shops and smaller businesses close during this time. Also, with fewer Parisians, you may find less of the personality that makes Paris so distinctively French.
The French holidays are another consideration. There is nothing like having a few days in Paris, only to discover that it is a French holiday and everything is closed! Though there are not many of these holidays, it is important to note them. Almost everything closes on May 1, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
We love to visit Paris during the Christmas holidays, when the streets are lined with lights and the stores are decorated for the shoppers. As in most places, the French decorate early for Christmas and leave the decorations up through the first part of January. What a wonderful way to experience Paris!
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10.29.08
Posted in Expert Advice at 5:50 am by Paris Ambiance Blogger
Paris is amazingly easy to navigate. Much of the credit for the beauty and the order of this well-planned city belongs to Baron Haussmann. In the 1860’s, Haussmann redesigned Paris with grand boulevards, parks, and large open spaces for monuments and public buildings. Today, millions of tourists a year enjoy the wonderful “walking city.” In addition, Paris has a very accessible public transportation system to facilitate sightseeing in every direction.
In the early 19th century, Paris found itself in the condition of most European cities: over-populated, dirty, and cramped. Napoleon III gave the task of modernizing the medieval city to Baron Haussmann. Haussmann succeeded in transforming Paris into one of the world’s most beautiful cities.
Perhaps one of my favorite features of Paris’ design is its symmetry. Some of the primary thoroughfares line up for miles throughout the city. Standing at one fountain in the Jardin des Tuileries, one can look through the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel to the pyramid in the Louvre courtyard. From the fountain at the other end of the Tuileries, one can see a direct line of landmarks from the obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, to the Arc de Triomphe, and on to La Defense in the business district. Then standing in the Place de la Concorde facing the obelisk, one can look up Rue Royale to see the Madeleine Church, and then look left across the bridge to see the Assemblée Nationale, each sitting like large bookends of Greek architecture. The symmetry and order of the city is truly a work of art.
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