PARIS AND AROUND PARIS HOTELS
PARIS AND AROUND – WHY GO?
Paris is the iconic city of romance – and this metropolis of boulevards, brasseries and bridges makes it capital for a weekend of lurve. it's hard to beat wandering hand-in-hand along the River Seine, sitting in a cafe in Montmartre or watching the city lights from the deck of a Bateau-mouche sailing past the Eiffel Tower.
No matter how many times you've been here before – Paris keeps getting better. See the blockbuster sights like the Champs-Elysées and the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, but leave plenty of time for the city's hidden corners. It's the little bars of the Left Bank, the quiet side streets of the Marais
and the beauty of Paris's graceful Belle Epoque buildings that linger longest in the memory.
Paris is a city to enjoy on foot, so kick off the killer heels – at least till evening – and get out and join Parisian cafe society. Build in plenty of time to kick back on a café terrace and just watch the world go by.
Ile St Louis, tucked behind the cathedral of Notre Dame and lined with little shops, galleries and cafes, is made for slow meanders. Rakish Rue Mouffetard has a more ethnic vibe while Montparnasse has its share of grand buildings. The big boulevards are lined with designer temples for label lovers, while the backstreets are packed with little finds.
Paris by night is also pretty memorable. The Paris Opera stages some fabulous productions (and the backstage tour is well worth taking), while there’s theatre to suit every taste. For a throwback to the Fifties, take a trip to the legendary Moulin Rouge for some real Parisian can-can, or try the cabaret at Le Lido.
There are plenty of late-night bars to keep you up in the Quartier Latin, Saint-Germain and Boulevard Montparnasse – to name just a few spots.
Prefer more rural surrounds? Stay outside Paris in one of the region's grand châteaux, and you arguably have the best of both worlds. Versailles, Chartres and Fontainebleau are all within easy reach of luxurious Château d'Esclimont, an hour from the capital.
