The City

The capital of France boasts a vast array of culture, history and magnificent architecture, whilst being an important centre of economic activity. The city’s charm though is subtle and lies much deeper than in the generic characteristics listed above, which could be attributed to many of Europe’s finest cities. A whistle stop tour of Paris may leave you with the impression of a city which is fast moving and impersonal, but step back and you cannot fail to appreciate the certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ feeling (clichéd but very true) which consumes you as you wander the Parisian streets.

When consulting a guide or asking someone for directions, you will find places are referred to by arrondissement or by district. Visualising the geographical location of each ‘quartier’ may seem difficult at first, but an easy way to remember where a particular ‘arrondissement’ is located is to think of Paris as being set out in a snail shell pattern. For example the first arrondissement is right in the middle and beyond that the quarters spiral outwards in ascending numerical order, on both sides of the Seine.

The centre of Paris and the location where the city was founded is Ile de la Cité, one of two islands on the Seine, which features several landmarks such as the Notre Dame, the Prefecture de Police and the Palais de Justice. This part of Paris is immersed in history and evokes memories of landmark events in France’s history, such as the French Revolution, as it was here at the Conciergerie where Marie Antoinette awaited execution.

Bastille- in the east of Paris and the former location of the famous prison, is now a vibrant centre for nightlife and home to the Opéra National de Paris. Many of the bars and bistros situated on the actual ‘place’ tend to be uninspiring and overpriced in view of their location. A better option is to explore rue de la roquette, rue de lappe and rue Faubourg Saint-Antoine, just off the square. Here you will find a host of bars, restaurants and clubs open until the early hours. Bastille is certainly lively albeit rather touristy.

Latin Quarter- the 5th arrondissement, situated on the left bank, got its name from the numerous Latin schools here at one time. The area’s main attractions are La Sorbonne (The University of Paris), Le Panthéon and its various museums. It is also bordered by the Jardins de Luxembourg, in the Luxembourg quarter, which are part of one of the nicest parks in Paris. Its nightlife on rue Mouffetard and around Saint Michel can be compared to that described above (Bastille) as door to door fast food outlets and cheap happy hour bars are prominent, which may or may not appeal. That is not to say you won’t have a good time...

Saint Germain des Près- next-door to the Latin Quarter, in the 6th arrondissement, is a very chic area which was once at the centre of the existentialist movement. Situated along the Boulevard de Saint Germain and around the ancient Abbey (now the Eglise de Saint Germain), the area is packed with cafés, bistros, galleries and bookshops. It is here where the famous Café Flore, Les Deux Magots and the Brasserie Lipp are found, cafés which were often frequented by Jean Paul Sartre and the like. Drinks and food are expensive here though places such as rue Buci are not to be missed, if for nothing but the ice creams!

Opera- 2nd and 9th arrondissements- the avenue de l’Opera takes you from the Louvre up towards the Opera district. It is in this area you start to see the grand avenues and Haussmanian architecture, aswell as the Opéra Garnier itself. Boulevard Haussman will take you to the famous huge department stores; Printemps and Galaries Lafayette, which span several street blocks.

Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysées 1st and 8th arrondissements- the Place de la Concorde lies in between the Tuileries gardens and the Champs Elysées, formerly the place de la révolution, and is surrounded by important buildings such as the National Assembly, the prestigious Hotel Crillon and the American Embassy. Crossing the place it is very easy to become awe struck by the sheer magnitude of the surrounding buildings and landmarks in such a concentrated area, with the Eiffel tower providing a fitting backdrop.

The Champs Elysées is one of the most famous streets in the world and is the broadest and most prestigious of Paris’ many avenues. It is lined with cafés, shops and cinemas all the way along its 2km stretch, at the top of which lies the Arc de Triomphe. Many of the streets branching off from the Champs provide the location for trendy bars and restaurants for a chic night out, such as the fashionable Manray bar on Rue Marboeuf.

Other areas which shouldn’t be ignored are; the Marais district (3rd and 4th arrondissements) charcterised by its large Jewish community and growing gay presence, Pigalle which despite its reputation as a red light district can have its charm, Montmartre (18th arrondissement) formerly a principal artistic centre and the location of the Sacré Coeur and the Butte de Montmartre (Paris’ highest point).

Transport

One of the attributes which makes Paris so appealing and convenient is its transport network, and in particular its metro system. The 16 lines which serve the city make it incredibly easy and quick to reach most parts of Paris, and to add to that at a very reasonable price. For a single journey you pay just 1.40€ which allows you to change as many times as you like as long as you remain within the system. A monthly pass is called a ‘carte orange’ or a ‘pass navigo’, which is the newer version similar to the Oyster card system used in London, and is also very reasonable in price. Pricing depends upon which zones you choose and reductions are available to students with the ‘imagine R’ pass, and for those who work within Paris half the amount of their transport costs are normally reimbursed by the company you work for. It is the ‘RATP’ who run the metro and transport system and their website provides more specific pricing information http://207.210.122.42/cities/paris/www.ratp.fr

University

There are hundreds of different colleges and schools throughout Paris, however there is one that stands out above all, the Sorbonne. A world renound university that competes with Oxbridge and the Ivy League, the Sorbonne is a privilege, only the crème de la crème of French students get the chance to go there, so if you manage to spend a year there you really should count yourself lucky.

The Sorbonne can be found just off the banks of the Seine in Paris’ 5th arrondissement. It is understandably well serviced by the metro with a few different lines and stops to choose from in the close vicinity which makes the university very easy to get to. The metro is usually quite busy around this area as many tourists use it to visit Notre Dame de Paris which is only a stones through away from the University gates.

Food and Drink

Eating out in Paris caters for all tastes as there is such a wide range of restaurants due to its multicultural nature. The number of restaurants available is outstanding and far too expansive to go into detail so we will leave this to be discovered! In every area, among the offers of world cuisine you’re almost certain to find your standard French bistro which is normally a safe bet for good traditional French food. Regarding price, eating out doesn’t have to break the bank, particularly if you opt for a set menu or ‘formule’, which although often limited in choice offer excellent value. Wine can also be very affordable as in most places the standard house wine is available by the carafe, often coming in 25cl or 50cl with the latter costing around 7-8 euros.

At lunch time a good thing to look out for as a student are the ‘formule etudiant’ available at most boulangeries or traiteurs, which normally consist of a large baguette sandwich, a drink and a dessert for around 5-6 euros.
One area which can be expensive is drinking in bars. For example a pint of beer will cost you around 7-8 euros and a ‘demi’ or half around 4 euros. Most bars do advertise a happy hour during the week but even then you will be lucky to find prices below 5 euros a pint.

Tourists are often frightened by the whole subject of French etiquette when it comes to cafes and restaurants. French waiters can certainly enjoy their power to keep you waiting if you rub them up the wrong way but as long as you stick to these simple rules you should be ok!

• Unless stated most places will offer table service

• Be patient, waiters will not necessarily rush over to you as soon as you sit down. Any awkward attempts to attract the waiter’s attention will often delay proceedings

• Service charges are normally included in the bill but sometimes French people may leave a small nominal amount as an extra tip.

Out on the Town

Paris nightlife is vibrant and unsurprisingly diverse. Again there are tons and tons of bars and clubs around the city which are worth a visit. One of the liveliest areas is around the Bastille. The narrow streets are packed full of bars and clubs and the atmosphere on the weekend is fantastic. Barrio Latino, situated on rue Faubourg Saint Antoine, is well worth a visit with its 4 floors of Latin beats and salsa rhythms.

In the Saint Germain area popular areas for foreign students include the Irish bar ‘The Coolin’ (metro line 10 Mabilon), which clears out its tables on a Saturday night and turns into more of a club and also towards the Saint Sulpice church a few doors down, one of the four British ‘Frog’ pubs in Paris.

Paris has a series of grand and well known clubs where top DJ’s play occasionally. ‘La Loco’ next to the Moulin Rouge on the boulevard de Clichy and ‘Queens’ on the Champs Elysees fit into this bracket. Entry to clubs can be far from routine, especially in large groups, and entry fees can often be expensive not to mention the drinks inside. 15-20 euros is the average charge to get in…although those of the female sex are often exempt and get in free!

For a cheaper night a good tip is to find one of the Erasmus student nights which take place at several clubs on various nights of the week. Entry is free with any student card.

A good place to find out what’s on is the free metro paper or the weekly-published ‘pariscope’.

Day Tripper

If you feel you want to explore beyond the centre of Paris there are several sites to see within its ‘couronne’ (the general Paris region) The town of Versailles with its famous chateau is well worth a visit, and takes only a short 20 minute ride on the RER to get to. The RER network is basically an extension of the metro system. The two mainlines are the A and the B which cross Paris East to West and North to South respectively. The RER is particularly handy for trips to both the Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports.

For a bit of greenery Paris has two huge parks, to the East the Bois de Vincennes and to the West the Bois de Boulogne. The former has a reputation as a bit of a red light district at nightime, though during the day it is a favourite destination for Parisian walkers, cyclists and horse riders. It is also home to the famous Auteuil and Longchamp horse race courses and on the edge lies the Roland Garros tennis courts which host the French Open in May/June, and the Parc des Princes football stadium, home to Paris St Germain, the city’s football team.

Tickets for the tennis can be hard to come by, though for the football tickets are generally easy enough to come by due to its 50,000 capacity. Tickets can be bought either at the stadium or at FNAC shops throughout the city. Paris’ largest stadium is the Stade de France which hosts national games and other ‘spectacles’. The ground is located just north of the city in Saint Denis and holds an impressive 80,000 people.

The boring stuff

These are the boring things which can be stressful to sort out, especially in France, but are important to get out the way.

Housing Benefit; As a student in France you will be eligible for housing benefit. It is a monthly payment offered by the state to help students to afford their rent. In order to receive this benefit you must apply for it at the Caisses d’Allocations Familiales or CAF as it is better known. You can apply for housing benefit either on-line or at the CAF itself.

We do recommend that you try to complete the necessary paperwork on the internet as the waiting time at the CAF is notoriously long. If you have any problems filling out the forms don’t hesitate to ask us for a hand! Depending on when you apply, payments can come through very quickly, and even if you do not get round to this at first payments can be backdated.

Gas and Electricity; EDF are the main suppliers of gas and electricity in France. Once we have secured your accommodation we will contact EDF to inform them that you are the new tenant. You will get your bills from these guys which we suggest you pay as soon as they arrive. Failure to pay may mean disconnection at a charge of 30 euros. If you would rather us pay you electricity bill on your behalf then we will be more than willing to do that, repayment will be into our English account in GBP. If you have any problems with the supply of gas or electricity get in contact with the supplier and notify the landlord. The number for EDF (your region) is: 08 10 33 30 61.

Bank Account; When you arrive we recommend that you open a bank account ASAP. Having a French bank account will allow you to pay bills and manage your money more efficiently. There are a number of Banks to choose from all offering slightly different packages. We can however recommend La Banque Postale. This is a subsidiary of the post office ’La Poste’. The advantage of having a bank account with ’La Poste’ is that you will be able to access your money and carry out transactions from practically anywhere in France, unlike other banks who often require that you return to the holding branch to carry out any transfers or transactions.

Alternatively with international banks such as HSBC, if you are an account holder already, you can set up your account before even leaving for France. Make sure to do this well in advance. If you are going to the bank make sure you choose your hours carefully as a number of branches are often closed at the weekend and close for lunch time.

Transferring Money Thanks to our English banking service you are able to pay your rent and utility bills into an English bank account so you will not be charged a transfer fee or be stung by exchange rates. In order to fully benefit from this fact we suggest that you use traveller’s cheques to transfer money between accounts. Traveller’s cheques are secure and there is no charge for cashing them. It is an ideal way to move money between your English and French account without losing money.

Alternatively, with several banks it is possible to transfer money from you account back home for a small fee of £9, which will take up to 6 working days normally. All the details needed for this will be featured on your ‘RIB’ which is a small slip of paper which contains all of you account details. Your French bank will give you a book of these when you receive you cheque book, card etc. as you are often required to submit one when applying for internet connections, gym memberships, mobile phone contracts etc.
Useful information

Shops; It is well worth noting that on a Sunday after 1 o’clock you will struggle to find any kind of shop open, whether a supermarket or your local boulangerie. Monoprix is one of the biggest supermarket chains throughout Paris, which although are not as big as some out of town stores like Carrefour, do sell a wide range of products and most have a household section where you will find most things you need. Alternatively there are other slightly cheaper and smaller supermarkets such as Champion, Franprix, Ed and ATAC. Convenience stores are often more expensive.

Internet; Like in the UK there are many companies offering competitive internet packages. Your internet connection may already be provided in your flat and the price included in your rent. If not companies such as Free, Orange, Neuf Telecom and Darty offer basically the same package of high speed broadband, telephone and a TV box for 30 euros a month. Recommendations may differ depending on individual experiences although Free generally seem to have a good reputation. If your phone line is not connected you will need to obtain a reference number for your line from France Telecom in order to set up your connection.

Guide written by Ben Stephany, working abroad Paris, 2006/2007.

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:: Maisaa | 27 Feb 2008

I have been in Paris for one semester and I have one semester to go. There is a lot to be said about Paris, first of all it is truly one of the most beautiful cites in the world. The food, patisseries, atmosphere, shopping and the people are amazing. But the best of all it is that is is very affordable comapring to London.
Even though Paris is ...

:: Frances | 03 Mar 2008

I have just finished 6 months as a stagiaire living in Paris and working in the suburbs and I am completely in love with the city. I spent my time in Paris commuting (I decided to live in the centre but I worked in the suburbs), arguing with banks (don't open an account with LCL), drinking (Pub. St. Germain, Corcoran's, Coolin, Café Mabillon, L...