Travel Destination » Travel to Paris Swinging Lovers

SWINGING PARIS ON A SOBER BUDGET
So you have always wanted to visit paris - the world capital of romance, perfumes and fashion — but never had the guts to, what with its reputation as one of the most expensive European capitals. Yes, Paris has always been the favorite summer destination of the very rich and famous, for whom purse strings matter a fig. And its attraction for artists, writers and eccentric scientists has only added to its image of being a rich people’s city.

If, however, you want to visit Paris on a shoestring budget, read on, for it is possible to see most of its attractions without blowing big holes in your bank account. Of course, you may have to sacrifice some things: for instance, you can see the shows at the Moulin Rouge and the Lido, the oldest and most famous night clubs of Paris, but you may have to sacrifice the champagne dinner.

Paris on a shoestring requires some planning and a lot of commonsense. First, draw up a rough itinerary of what you may like to do, because Paris has museums, art galleries, massive shopping arcades, must-see tourist destinations like the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre, a Disneyland, palaces like Versailles and of course, gardens, over 400 of them.

What you want to do in Paris could well decide the timing of your visit. If you are a shopping maniac, choose summer — June to August or December-January. If you are crazy about theater and art then again summer may be the peak period when most of the shows are held. But if you’re watching your budget as well, October-March may be your season. Though a Parisian summer is a celebrated one, it is also the peak tourist season for all of Europe. In fact, July and August are the worst months when hotels are overbooked, as are trains and airplanes, and hence everything is more expensive. As the tourist season ends, the prices begin to decline. The prices of entry into museums too, vary with demand, and as demand ebbs with winter, you can save oyi the sizeable fees. Even Euro Disney.

Traveling within Paris is relatively easy. The city is well-connected by its not so clean and rather crowded metro network that crisscrosses it several times over. It is possible to be in a metro station anywhere in the city by walking no more than 10 minutes.

Also available are Paris Visite cards for tourists with a duration of one, two, three or five days costing respectively between 50 and 350 Ffr (Rs 375 to Rs 2,625) depending upon various combinations. This card also entitles you to discounts on entry to a host of places of tourist interest. However, for a city reputed for its night life, the public transport comes to a’ halt really early. Most buses do not ply after 8.30 pm while the last train leaves at 12.30 am. Though there are night bus services, they are few and far between and serve limited areas of Paris. So after midnight, it is taxis, which become about 50 per cent more expensive after 7 pm.

It is perhaps accommodation that takes maximum credit for making Paris an expensive tourist destination. Unless you are visiting in the winter months, a reasonable two-star hotel not far from the city center or Champs Elysees can put you back by over 550 Ffr (Rs 4,125) per ni fora double room. Even single stars can cost up to 350 Ffr (Rs 2,625). But if you plan your stay carefully, you can find hotel accommodation for about 200 Ffr (Rs 1,500) a night, and even less than that at youth hostels. You can also book a bed and breakfast with a French family which could work out to be the cheapest option. There are two beautiful camping sites in Paris, with lots of greenery around, but these are located about 20 km from the city center and are accessible only by a private vehicle.

Haven For Art Lovers
If you are an art freak, Paris is just the place for you. It has nearly 100 museums, ranging from those housing Rodin’s and Picasso’s works to museums of French and Parisian history and culture, the most outstanding ones being the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay. Spread over a hectare of prime land, almost adjoining the Seine, the Louvre is a must on any tourist’s itinerary. Previously the palace of several French monarchs, the Louvre opened as a museum in 1793, four years after the revolution. It has since grown m stature and today houses some of the best works of art in the world, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Michelangelo’s Slaves. The Louvre has undergone a massive expansion and refurbishing exercise since 1983 (which came to a close in 1998), and is open for visitors from 9 am to 6 pm, except Tuesdays and some bank holidays.

Just across the river from the Louvre lies its less familiar and less grand cousin — Musee d’Orsay, located inside the Orsay station, which wasthe first station in Paris to be electrified in the first decade of this century. In 1977, it was designated as a museum for the works of the second half of the nineteenth century. It received its paintings, sculpture and architectural displays from several other museums including the Louvre. Some of the interesting works here include Rodin’s The Thought and Monet’s The Cathedrals. Orsay is open from 9 am and is dosed on Mondays.

If you get tired of art, there are plenty of distractions here. About 32 km southeast of Paris is Euro Disney Park, a must if you want to experience one of the biggest roller coasters in the world. With over 40 attractions, the park is a mini city in its own right with seven big hotels and a convention center, plus the Disney village with its own restuarants and bars. You can reach Disneyland either by a regular train, a TGV, by road or even fly. It has a small heliport of its own. The park is open every day and costs almost 200 Ffr (Rs 1,500) besides the lowest train fare of 90 Ffr (Rs 675) return.

A lesser known but very exciting park is the Parc Asterix. Based on the comic books of Asterix, this is a life-size reproduction of the Gaul village and has shows and rides. It is 30 km north of Paris. The ticket costs 160 Ffr (Rs 1,200) and it is accessible by train or road.

If you are the shopping kind, there is enough to keep you occupied for days. Paris has some huge departmental stores — Galeries Lafayette being the most famous. Located near the Opera on Boulevard Hausmann, this store occupies two huge buildings, has shop floor space of 30,000 sqm and receives an average of 35,000 customers each day. Besides Lafayette, there are two M&S stores, a Printemps and a Samaritaine.

You could also visit the huge shopping complex of Les Halles, which was previously the cheap market for poor Parisians. Then, of course, there are the famous shopping complexes on Champs Elysees Fund Rue de Rivoli.

Those less inclined to unabashed consumerism can look for a more natural outlet, like a walk along the beautiful banks of the Seine. A trot through the numerous gardens of Paris can be very refreshing, even if Paris is not the cleanest city in the world. Of course, if you have walked down the beautiful and clean promenades of the Thames and the Hudson, the Seine does appear a bit down market and unkempt, though a boat ride on it, especially on a full moon night, is specially recommended. With a beautifully illuminated city for company, the boat ride shows the most famous monuments of Paris in a new light.

If you are the adventurous kind, you can enjoy the famous night life of Paris as well. The city has nearly 50 night clubs that host topless cabarets and Can Can dances every evening. The two most famous spots are the Moulin Rouge, near the Bastille, and the Lido at Champs Elysees. Most shows come with at least a wine, and cost upwards of 300 Ffr (Rs 2,250). If you want a royal evening, dinner and drinks at Moulin Rouge will set you back by almost 1,000 Ffr (Rs 7,500).

And you don’t have to feel guilty the next morning. For Paris has numerous famous cathedrals where you can wash off “your sins.” Notre Dame on the banks of the Seine and La Madeleine are amongst the most famous cathedrals of Paris. They are also architectural splendors in beautiful Gothic style and painted glass. Built over a period of two centuries between 1163 and 1345, the Notre Dame is the most famous and a masterpiece of French Gothic art. La Madeleine was built at the request of Napoleon I as a Greco-Romantemple. Its huge columns are carved with beautiful sculpture.

Parisians often refer to their city as the world capital of gastronomy-A reputation perhaps well earned, with its more than 7,000 restaurants offering a wide variety of cuisines. Besides traditional French food, these restaurants also offer delicacies from various regions of the country like Bretagne, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Corsica etc. Of course, no self-respecting French meal comes without a host of accompanying wines. Then there are numerous restaurants that offer cuisines of former French colonies like Morocco, Algeria, Gabon, Rwanda and even Indo-China. Paris also has a large number of Chinese restaurants and the best ones can be found in the Chinese quarter, Belleville. And if you want to try some delicious pasta and lasagna, go to the Italian quarter at the base of Montmartre.

But if you would like to eat familiar fare, don’t panic. Paris also has some Indian restaurants, though a large number, run by Indians who came from Pondicherry in 1967, offer very limited fare. Such eating houses can be found at La Chappelle, but there are some good restaurants like Vishnou at Montparanesse which do some justice to Indian cuisine.

At La Chappelle and Bobigny, in northeast Paris, is a mini India where you see more Indian faces and Indian shops than European. And, of course, if you want inexpensive south Indian food, head towards La Chappelle. You can also buy Indian products ranging from Horlicks and Dabur hair oil to Tips cassettes. Of late, one also discovers an increasing number of Indian entrepreneurs — most of them of the illegal migrant kind — hawking their wares on the Champs Elysees or opposite the Eiffel Tower. So that’s Paris for you. You can easily spend a week here if you wish to discover the heart and spirit of the city, but most Indians treat Paris as a stopover en route to London New York. That way you get highlights and can boast to your friends that you have seen Paris. B you will have missed its soul.