Feeling at home in Paris
LISA DAVIS
THERE’S something surreal about your first visit to Paris. Everything seems so familiar, even if you’ve never been there before.
Visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe, I felt that I already knew them. Maybe it’s because these are iconic symbols of a city that attracts almost 15 million tourists a year.
Paris is a truly multifaceted city — what other place can please gourmands, history-buffs, fashionistas and lovers of Disneyland, all at once?
There is so much to see and do in Paris that a short visit is just not going to be long enough to pack everything in.
However, there are certain essentials for that first trip to Paris. Drink French wine, for instance. Eat pate, croissants and baguettes, preferably not together.
A visit to all of the famous monuments is imperative, of course, as is a walk down the Champs Elysses (which boasts some of the most expensive real estate in the world), a day spent in the Louvre, a walk along the Seine and a night out at the lively Moulin Rouge.
My partner and I dutifully did all the “tourist” things on a recent trip — the first time in Paris for both of us — and they made us feel as though we were in a movie.
The architecture and those wide boulevards in the heart of Paris are stunning. Those amazing Art Nouveau Metro signs really do just pop up around the city and Paris manages to be a historic, beautiful metropolis and a modern city all at once.
It wasn’t all d√©j√† vu, of course. Some experiences surprised us, such as the complete lack of rudeness on behalf of the French (take that, cultural stereotypes!); the heavily-armed police presence; and the number of stairs involved in taking a train around the city (travellers in wheelchairs or with limited mobility aren’t advised to try it).
A great place to base yourself is the Saint James Paris, a boutique luxury hotel on Avenue Bugeaud in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, in the west of the city.
The only chateau-hotel in Paris, it boasts the rare benefit of having its own gardens -— and the hotel makes the most of it, with outdoor brunches and live music as well as private marquees.
The building dates from 1892 and is heritage listed. Examples of its history can be seen in the paintings in the lift and the antique writing tables in the lobby.
The rooms are spacious while the beautifully furnished suites come with large sitting rooms that would be useful for business meetings.
Dogs are accepted at the hotel (how very French!) and the food in the restaurant is fantastic (the chef used to work at Maxim’s).
The facilities — which include a health club with gym, a meeting room and a bar in the library — are only for the use of guests, making it very quiet and private, and also, I was told, attractive to celebrities. Saint James Paris is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
For more information, www.slh.com/saintjames
Top Paris attractions
Notre-Dame Cathedral (13.6 million visitors)
Sacre-Coeur basilica (10.5 million)
The Louvre (8 million)
Eiffel Tower (6.7 million)
Pompidou Centre (5 million)
Museum d’Orsay (3 million)
Arc de Triomphe (1.5 million)
Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle (1.3 million)
Musee Rodin (1 million)
Museum de Quai-Branly (1 million)
Source: Paris Tourism Research Department Note that tourist figures are for 2007.
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