It’s not too early to start staking out your spot for the triumphant arrival of the Tour de France in Paris. This year (2008), the Tour de France cyclists will zoom along the Champs Elysees, do their final circle round the Arc de Triomphe on Sunday, July 27th.
If you plan on being in town for that Sunday, you may want to take an early stroll down the Champs Elysees to choose among the innumerable cafes ranging from burger joints to ornate tea salons, but sentimentally speaking, I’d be hard put to go anyplace other than the Publicis Drugstore, 133 Avenue des Champs Elysees. That’s the place where we first saw the Tour de France tear up the pavement.
Not only that, but the Publicis Drugstore is perfectly situated at the corner of the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe so you do get a great vantage point.
There are other cafes along the Champs that have a more time-honored reputation such as Fouquet’s or La Duree, but ‘Le Drugstore’ holds a particular place in my heart - as being one of the few places on the Champs where as a poor student, I could afford to splurge on a ‘Salade caifornienne’. Even back then ‘Le Drugstore’ was a stylish place to wander about on a Friday or Saturday night.
Still, to this day, I don’t know how we managed to find a table to watch the Tour de France several years ago, but I think we ended up standing on tip-toe.
These days ‘Le Drugstore’ has reinvented itself - evolving with each generation. It cheered along France’s soccer team in 1998, creating a facade to match the team’s colors and, at the beginning of the new millenium went through another revamping.
If you’re wondering why I’m making such a big deal about a ‘drugstore’, the first thing to understand is that the Publicis Drugstore has never been anything comparable to an American ‘drugstore’ or a British ‘chemist’. The closest shop concept in the U.S. might be a ‘Sharper Image’ if the ‘Sharper Image’ also included a Brasserie and a more upscale restaurant.
Add to that a movie theater, a cigar boutique, and an international newspaper and magazine kiosque, a winery complete with winetastings … you start to get the picture. This is your down-the-corner Mom & Pop ‘drugstore’ gone Gucci with everything under the sun - even pharmaceuticals (but you’ll hardly recognize the traditional green cross that you see posted for the typical French ‘pharmacie’.
Another good reason to scout out Le Drugstore well before July 27th is to catch the Design Lovers which will be highlighting some of France’s most revered designers including Philippe Stark and Jean Nouvel. The fun begins today July 18th and will last through August 29th. You’ll find some samples of France’s top designware right here at Le Drugstore at surprisingly affordable prices.
When you do arrive at the Champs Elysees (get off at the Metro: Charles de Gaulle Etoile or Metro: George V), be sure to pick up a Tour de France t-shirt. A great souvenir for wearing to your work-out when you’re back home.
For those that can’t stand the crowds (I hear you!), Google has come up with a great way to enjoy the arrival of the Tour de France in Paris without ever leaving your computer station. I know that nothing compares with actually being there and absorbing the anticipation of that first cyclist leading the pack . . . but the Google visual map of the Tour de France route is frankly amazing. The video image of various towns in France makes you want to hop on your Velib bike and retrace the route.
Trivia: Did you know that the Tour de France’s final stage didn’t originally end up at the Champs Elysees? Originally, the race ended at Parc des Princes. It wasn’t until 1975 that ‘La Grande Boucle’ graced Paris’s most famous avenue and circled the Arc de Triomphe.
You can find more Tour de France Trivia Tidbits (in French) but I’ll translate some of these for you in the next few days. ““Ten Anecdotes on the Tour de France”
ALSACE (L’) - An all-night Champs Elysees brasserie serving big fresh seafood platters and Alsatian specialties: foie gras au gewurztraminer, choucroute (sauerkraut with ham and sausages). Daily 24 hrs. €€ (Cards: all) 39 ave des Champs-Elysees (8th), 01.53.93.97.00. Franklin D. Roosevelt
(This is one of the traditional Champs Elysees cafe/brasseries with plenty of outdoor seating)
(We tried Deli’s Cafe once - I noticed that it was listed in ‘Sortir a Paris’, but I honestly can’t say that it really stood out in my memory - except that it should be less pricey than some of its more glamorous neighbors).
World Heritage Sites normally conjure of images of jaw-dropping natural beauty - or architectural feats like the Taj Mahal and the Egyptian pyramids wrought by thousands of anonymous hands, yet, now and then, personal excellence gets recognition.
Certainly Sebastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban, King Louis XIV’s Marshal of France, brilliant tactician and royal military engineer is a name recognized by many who’ve visited the French northern coastline. His fortifications are easy to recognize once you’ve caught onto his star pattern formations. (You can even see the similar star pattern in Quebec City’s citadel - whose layout was approved by Vauban).
One of the reasons Vauban was considered the best man to rebuild the fortifications of almost 300 cities throughout France was his equally remarkable ability to break through a city’s defenses. He had numerous occasions (56 sieges) to prove his worth in battles where his attack strategies had good results.
Just as he sought out the weakest points in a city’s fortifications when he attacked, likewise, he optimized every building device in his defense constructions to create a vantage point that ‘had no blind spots’. Often he would use the natural coastline’s topography as part of his fortification plans.
One of my favorite places to admire Vauban’s engineering skill is along the coastline of the Normandy fishing port St. Vaast-la-Hougue. Thanks to friends, France and Toby Fleming, who introduced us to St. Vaast, we’ve returned many times. This town is famous, not only for tasty oysters, but also for huge naval battle, The Battle of Barfleur and La Hougue, 1692, and the remaining Vauban fortifications which nowadays make for a great seaside ramble. It’s also one of the 12 locations chosen to be recognized by Unesco as part of the World Heritage site honoring Vauban.
Considered by many to be Vauban’s masterpiece, The Citadel at Lille is a great example of his star-shape formation particularly when viewed from an aerial photo. Although we have yet to visit the Citadel, any Vauban fans will want to include a stop in Lille as part of their tour. How handy that you can get to Lille with Eurostar!
Another fun seaside town which is just a train ride from Paris, Rochefort, is also home to the reconstruction of the ‘Hermione’ the ship which Lafayette outfitted for his participation in the US War for Independence or the American Revolution. Rochefort was a military hospital town and you can quickly grasp the stark geometric lines of classic military construction.
Rochefort-sur-Mer
Vauban was much more than a military engineer and an officer. He had plenty of ideas (like Thomas Jefferson) about a myriad of subjects. One of his more unusual concepts was suggesting to the king that he should actually give up some territory to consolidate France’s fortifications. Although this advice was unorthodox for its time, Vauban’s real downfall was suggesting that Louis XIV should establish a ‘flat tax’.
Vauban had the audacity to suggest that even aristocrats might pay a tax. This brilliant idea ended up getting him banished from Versailles and died within in a year’s time.
UNESCO ’s choice of Vauban to classify as a World Heritage Site is an overdue and well-deserved honor. Although Vauban’s remains were scattered during the French revolution, his heart was recovered (and is currently interred in the church of Les Invalides.
Even if you don’t have time to do a weekend trip up to St. Vaast-la-Hougue (approximately a three-hour drive west from Paris), you can find some of Vauban’s original fortification plans and models at the Relief Map Museum located at Les Invalides (next to the Military Museum and Napoleon’s tomb).
The current show, Siege Warfare includes relief maps from Louis XIV’s era.
Can I really afford to be shopping for souvenirs? Of course you can’t. But, on the other hand, how can you go back home, stare your friends in the face, and say, “Yeah, I was in Paris, I had a really great time - and, by the way did you get the postcard I mailed you from CDG? No, that won’t do. But even if your budget for souvenirs is severely limited, a little creative research will find some amazingly cool items available for under 20 Euros.
Coloring Books - Not Just kid stuff
Okay you dragged the kids through the Louvre. The only fair thing to do now is buy a coloring book so they can draw a mustache on Mona. But here’s the scoop. Coloring books are no longer just for kids. In fact, you may decide to stash your souvenir coloring book away in a drawer - because they look far too good to be scribbled upon. Buy one for your kids and one for you.
L’Art a Colorier by Anne Weiss
Price: 5.95 Euros
Starck Crazy
Who says you have to be rich to have a Philippe Starck designed living room? All you need for inspiration is a fly inhabiting your minimalist furniture free apartment. That’s what must have put a bee in Starck’s bonnet when he came up with this super design for a very affordable and USEFUL Paris souvenir:
A fly swatter.
Le Publicis Drugstore
Price: 9 Euros
(Design Lovers July 18-Aubust 28, 2008)
Is Your Cup Half Full or Half Empty?
The Laurence Brabant coffee mug answers the question with a ‘fuller than you think’ cup of coffee or wine.
Price: 14 Euros (petit) 16 Euros (grand)
Le Publicis Drugstore
133 Champs Elysees
Metro: Charles De Gaulle Etoile
(Design Lovers July 18 to August 29, 2008)
Really Cool Guys offer to Help Dry the Dishes
Beauville Dish Towels
Although you may not still be able to find the Eiffel Tower design in the linen dish towel format, Paris Magic is available . Beauville dish towels hail from the Alsace region of France. I’ve been collecting (and framing these dish towels for a while). My favorite is the Beauville cat collection. You’ll find Beauville dish towels at BHV (Bazaar Hotel de Ville) department store, Metro: Hotel de Ville.
Paris Magic Dish Towel
Price: 20 Euros
Hello Kitty!
Oh so cute for your pint-sized friends. Although the 2008 couture for KIDS (and their Moms) might be a shy bit over 20 Euros, the friendly website offers some remaining goodies at 20 Euros and thereabouts. I know ‘Hello kitty’ is hot with Parisian kids because I’ve seen the familiar design popping up on numerous occasions when I’m walking around town.
Price: 20 Euros for the sleeveless body for wee ones
27.50 for the t-shirt (these are summer sales prices - if you don’t catch the summer sales, wait till January!)
Splitting the Eiffel Tower
In truth, Nadie Delepine’s Eiffel Tower’s pierced earrings are NOT under 20 Euros. More like 40 euros and change, but I had to include them in this post - because when a French friend (Murielle) who knows a thing or two about style, she REALLY like them.
Sometimes you just have to throw your cares to the wind and say - okay so, what if I have to sleep under Pont Neuf for the last night in Paris, my best friend really deserves a pair of Eiffel Tower earrings. OR, if you happen to have TWO girlfriends, who only need one earring to add to their six diamond posts (it could happen), you have STILL only spent 20 Euros and change per souvenir. By the way, if you are seriously contemplating this suggestion, it is high time to decide which girlfriend to keep rather than how to afford buying gifts for both of them.
Easy to pack Soledad
A ‘trousse’ in French is a handy catch-all for makeup, pens, pencils, spare change, Metro tickets, etc. Just the thing to throw in your carry-on at the last minute. And maybe the one souvenir you’ll end up keeping - just for you.
Soledad
Price 12 Euros
Pubicis Drugstore
Design Lovers (July 18-August 29, 2008)
Souvenir Shopping Addresses
Publicis Drugstore
133 Champs Elysees
Metro: Charles de Gaulle Etoile
Hello Kitty by Victoria Couture
36 Rue Etienne Marcel
Metro: Etienne Marcel
Nadine Delepine
14 Rue Princesse
Metro: Mabillon
BHV (Bazaar de Hotel de Ville)
Table linens and kitchenware department (Beauville dish towels)
Eiffel Tower WebcamI promised you that there’d be more free fun on Bastille Day which is celebrated in Paris on July 14th. The French call their independence day ‘Le Quatorze Juillet’ or ‘The 14th of July’ rather than Bastille Day.
Outdoor dance parties begin on July 13th - Place de la Bastille will be one of the biggest, but Parc Andre Citroen’ Dance of the Century (Metro: Javel) also looks enticing. Traditionally, it’s the fire department (les pompiers) who sponsor neighborhood dances. The possibility for dancing in the street can be found in just about every Parisian neighborhood on the 13th & 14th when each firemen’s precinct opens its doors (check each precinct to confirm dates).
Bastille Day Parade
One of the highlights of the Bastille Day celebrations is the parade which begins at the Arc de Triomphe and traverses the entire Champs Elysees. One year we were lucky enough to catch this parade from one of th offices overlooking the Champs (thanks Eric!). If you’re into military parades and fanfare, this is a ‘can’t miss’. This year, a parachutist is expected to land at the end of the event.
Get to the Champs Elysees early on July 14th to stake out your place for viewing the annual Bastille Day parade. The TV camera crews will be setting up around 8:30 am and the President of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy arrives around 10:30 am.
Honoring World Peace Keepers
Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon is this year’s guest of honor at the parade.
July 14th - Paris is on holiday all day!
Some of the free events (2008) include a FREE concert, starting at 8:45 on the Champs de Mars (where you can also catch the free fireworks display). James Blunt is expected to be one of the guest performers at this event.
Fireworks
Where? Eiffel Tower/Palais du Chaillot
(Metro: Trocadero/Bir Hakeim) 75016
This year’s fireworks (2008) will be accompanied by music and huge screens. The closing dedication will honor opera singers Maria Callas and Pavarotti.
If you plan on going to the fireworks, get there EARLY. Even though the fireworks won’t begin before 10:30 pm, the free concert starting at 8:30 pm on Champs de Mars will create extra congestion.
Certain Metro exits will be closed during the fireworks display (which begins at nightfall around 10:30 pm). Bir Hakeim Metro stop will be open. Ecole Militaire and Pont d’Alma will be closed as well as certain Trocadero exits during the fireworks display.
If you want to avoid the Eiffel Tower fireworks crush, you have another option at the Longchamps racetrack (Metro: Porte d’Auteuil).
Galop-Longchamps is sponsoring a huge dance with DJs starting at sunset. There’ll also be fireworks.
France-galop.com
Reading Between the Lines
It really helps to read French when it comes to learning about FREE stuff in Paris. Parisinfo.com the official tourism site doesn’t bother to translate some of these Bastille day free events so I will do it for you:
(If you can read French, here’s the French version in detail)
The Louvre Museum is FREE on July 14th (2008).
Bastille Opera house will be offering a FREE ballet matinee at 2:30 pm on July 14th,’08 (on a first come, first serve basis).
“Signes” Carolyn Carlson
Maybe one of the best moments of this holiday weekend will be your chance to capture a photograph of the Eiffel Tower in BLUE light. (In the past, for Earth Day, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in GREEN light. Why blue? Blue represents the European Union of which France is a proud member.
Trivia Question: What do the three colors of French flag represent?
Find the answer posted here at Parislogue on July 14th
We are in the midst of Paris Tourism Week (which began July 5, 2008 and will continue through July 14, Bastille Day, ‘08). The ‘event’ has expanded from Paris Tourism Day last year. I did not participate in the huge ’smile formation’ yesterday - and honestly the idea of a ‘Smiling Paris’ just seems kind of weird. Normally when you’re in a city like Paris or New York, if somebody’s smiling, he’s either a lunatic, a tourist, or just about to drag you over the coals. For so many years, I’ve taken it as a challenge to eke out a nanosecond glimmer from a grumpy Parisian waiter or shop keeper. It often resembles much the sort of smile you can see on Rodin’s bemused Monsieur Balzac or the vacant, dazed smiles of Carpeaux’s The Dance models. I like that kind of smile - filled with questions as opposed to the dazzling Disneyesque, “Am I not wonderful?”
But setting aside the smiles philo for a while, tourists will have plenty of reason to grin if this happiness trend continues (that is, the tourist office handing out freebies to get you to stay in Paris a day or two longer). Even if you don’t arrive in time to enjoy some of the DISCOUNTS and FREE offers for this summer’s tourist week (July 5 to July 14, 2008) this looks like another summer rite that’s bound to continue if the European and US economies continue to stagnate.
Here are some of the goodies that will make you smile:
Parisian for a Day
Get a free walking tour in English or French
Tuesday, July 8th ‘Smile Point’ Sorbonne at 10:30 am and 12 noon
Thursday, July 10th at the Madeleine ‘Smile Point’ at 10:30 and 12 noon
1VISIT4you.com.
Tel. 06 18 54 24 95
Hotel Goodies
A Free Hotel Room Just Because You’re the Funniest of them all?
Tell a joke and you could win a FREE Hotel stay. Yes, it’s hard to believe, especially when I think that the Hotel Arcadie and the Hotel Waldorf (Montpartnasse district) are sponsoring this contest (I’ve mentioned Hotel Arcadie in past posts as a modestly-priced nice place to stay according to friends)
Hotel Arcadie Montparnasse
71 Avenue du Maine 75014
Tel 01 43 20 91 11
Metro: Gaite
www.hotel-paris-arcadie.com
Hotel Waldorf
17 Rue du Depart
Tel: 01 43 20 64 79
www.hotel-paris-waldorf.com
Joke telling contest. (July 6 to July 14, 2008) Any person knowing a good joke or funny story in French, Italian, Spanish or German is invited to share. Up until July 31st everyone can vote on the jokes and help select the winning joke. The prize is two free nights in either the Arcadie or Waldorf hotels (contact the hotels for details) and a free cruise on the Seine. In addition to the ‘Best Joke Contest’, one person will be selected at random among all who participated in voting for the best joke. That lucky random voter will receive one free night and a free boat ride on the Seine.
More deals:
Other participating hotels are offering free brunches, drinks etc. during Tourism Week. Check out the Paris Smiles Program for details.
Paris Smiles for You Program for the Week
>> More on Cheap Hotels in Paris
Happy Hours
You can download the list of participating restaurants, bars and cafes that are offering ‘happy hour’ prices or discounts for Paris Tourism Week. Every little bit helps, n’est-ce pas? Given the price of a beer in this city.
It’s nice to see that the Office of Tourism is pulling out all the stops to make tourists feel at home - and loved in the big city - but the real fun will begin on July 14th, Bastille Day. That’s when you really will want to get out in the streets of Paris to enjoy the annual celebration (which actually starts off on July 13th with the Place de la Bastille Ball at 8 pm).
When it comes to automobiles, the Italians are world-famous for making cars sexy and sleek, and the Germans are well-known for their precision engineering. French car-makers, on the other hand, are primarily known for their inability make cars that anyone outside France would want to buy - and the Citroen 2CV is a perfect example.
Okay, so there are some French car manufacturers which have had some success outside France, but one look at the odd Citroen 2CV will tell you that automotive design is not a French strong-point.
The Citroen 2CV is one of those cars that’s so ugly it’s almost cute - and it’s got something of a cult following these days. It was in production from 1949 all the way up through 1990, a stunning 42 years. More than 9 million cars bore the 2CV design in that time, and you’ll still see these things on the roads today.
But many Citroen 2CV fans can’t leave well enough alone, and they’ve transformed their beloved 2CVs into something else altogether. Call it art, call it asinine, it’s certainly individual. And while you may not see these 2CVs on the streets of Paris, you may see the unmodified version - be on the lookout, and let us know what you’d turn your 2CV into.
There really isn’t anything at all threatening about the 2CV. It doesn’t go very fast, and it’s certainly not going to make a Ferrari feel inferior in the looks department, either. But someone looked at this Citroen 2CV and saw a monster. So, they turned it into one.
If you’re planning on visiting the Eiffel Tower during evening hours, remember that its normal opening hours will be changed for Bastille Day celebrations on Sunday, July 13 and Monday, July 14th, 2008.
On July 13th, the Eiffel Tower will close earlyl at 10 pm. The last entrance to the tower will be 9 pm.
On July 14th, the Eiffel Tower will close at 8 pm and the last entrance to the tower will be at 6 pm.
Fireworks begin on July 14th at 10:45 pm.
You can view the Eiffel Tower in its Blue Lights on Eiffel Tower Paris-Live.com Webcam.
Every once in a while, France’s train service comes up with some enticing offers such as traveling to Bordeaux in the height of the summer season for as little as 29 Euros in a First Class compartment.
I checked out the SNCF site for available tickets and this is not a ‘bait & switch offer’ - this one is for real (if you act quickly, of course).
Here are the sale dates: July 16 to August 26, 2008
You need to book your tickets BEFORE August 19th. Note that one-way first class tickets START at 29 Euros - depending on the dates and time of day, the prices will very - but I did see some 29 Euro tickets for early trains on weekdays.
I’m not sure which is more frustrating - just one day in Paris - or two days. First thing you’ll want to do is make sure those two days don’t happen to be a Monday and Tuesday. Half of Paris’s museums are closed on Monday and the other half are closed on Tuesdays which means you could waste a lot of time bouncing back and forth between closed museums (but you won’t get caught because you will have already looked at Parislogue’s Museum info post.
If you’ve already read my One Day in Paris post, you’ll know that (unlike some other well-known guidebooks), I don’t consider the Champs Elysees or the Louvre to be the heart and soul of Paris. The ‘Champs’ has really lived too long on its past notoriety (and now must do something spectacular to get back its groove).
The Louvre is positively awesome. If you delve into this on Day One, chances are you’ll be too exhausted to do much else . . . if you’re a bonafide art lover, you will make this sacrifice at the temple of the masters . . . and you will never regret it. For the rest of us, less zealous, I would suggest saving The Louvre (or Musee d’Orsay for your second day in Paris).
So, just to recap: Day One
Start at the heart of the matter: Ile de la Cite. Notre Dame Cathedral springs up alongside the very essence of Paris - The Seine River. Water - the reason for Paris’s existence. Water, navigation, commerce aboard the Seine River. Take your first day to become intimately acquainted with this watery throroughfare - either by walking along its quays - or hanging out at Paris Plage.
Explore the Latin Quarter and the Left Bank or lose yourself in the alleys of Ile St Louis. You can picnic at the Luxembourg Gardens, the Place Dauphine on Ile de la Cite or in the Roman Lutece Arena.
Finish the day with a boatride with Vedettes de Pont Neuf which will take you right past the Eiffel Tower for great photos.
Day Two
Now is the time to choose your museum. GEO Magazine recently issued a listing of Paris’s 50 Most Beautiful Museums. No surprise that the Louvre was at the top of that list. When you visit the Louvre, you’re also visiting a royal palace. Get there early (9 am opening hour) and buy your Museum Pass or Louvre ticket online to save time) and wear comfortable walking shoes.
If classical art isn’t your thing, don’t feel that you ’should’ see the Louvre just because it’s world famous. First pick an artist or a time period that you really admire - if it’s the impressionists - you have several options: The Musee d’Orsay, The Orangerie, or the Musee Marmottan ( Claude Monet). If you have a favorite artist i.e Dali or Magritte for example, don’t hesitate to e-mail Parislogue -and hopefully, I can point you in the right direction.
Devote your morning to one museum. If it’s the Louvre, cross the street to Palais Royal Garden, and settle into one of the cafes tucked in the shade under the arcades i.e La Muscade (where you can have a traditional ‘blanquette de veau’ when the weather turns chilly). Otherwise head toward the Tuileries Gardens and lunch in one of the turn-of-the-century cafes nestled under between the leafy trees.
If it’s summertime, take a ride on the ferris wheel at the Tuileries Gardens - even if you aren’t a kid.
From the Louvre, you have several options, you can walk toward Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysees. Feeling ambitious? Walk the entire Champs to the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc de Triomphe has recently been renovated so it’s better than ever. Walk up to the top of the Arc for a great view of the Paris skyline (and the ’spine of Paris from the Grande Arche to Bastille). The lines are sure to be shorter than you can expect at the Eiffel Tower).
If you’re not a ‘Champs’ fan like me, head toward the Opera House for a glimpse of the famed staircase that the Phantom of the Opera descended in all his horrific glory for the masked ball (that’s the 1920s Lon Chaney Sr. silent film version, of course). Stop for a drink at Harry’s Bar on Rue Daunau.
Or, cross over from the Louvre to Rue du Rivoli and Rue St. Honore (which runs parallel to Rue du Rivoli for some serious window shopping).
In the evening, you have two options for great nighttime excursions. Head up to Montmartre (by bus - the #95 line which you can catch across from the Louvre Museum (right between the IM Pei Pyramide and the Carrousel du Louvre). (From Place du Clichy, catch the Montmartobus for your transfer all the way up to Place du Tertre).
Or view Paris lights from the top of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is open until 11 pm (and even later during summer months). The tour buses are less likely to show up as the evening progresses, so you should have a shorter wait to reach the top level.
Finish off your evening with a cafe or kir at one of the cafes circling Place Trocadero, directly across from the Palais du Chaillot. From the esplanade of the Palais du Chaillot, take one last look at the Eiffel Tower before you say ‘goodbye’ to Paris.
Paris is a good place to start any number of trips, including a trip to India. Round-the-world travelers know that price for tourist visas (just gasoline prices) have gone through the roof. Last year, the cost of our tourist visas for China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan cost us almost as much as the airfare to some of these destinations (all of these countries have embassies or consulates in Paris BTW).
This year we’ll be applying for our Indian tourist visa in Paris. If you plan on spending at least a week in Paris, you can try out the Indian embassy’s new visa service which has been outsourced to VFS Ltd, 42 Rue du Paradis, 75010, Metro: Poissonniere.
Visa applications can be filled out and submitted from Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 2 pm. You’ll need two passport size photos. (There’s an automatic photo machine right at the Visa service office), plus a photocopy machine.
If you’re a French citizen or European Union member, the visa application process can take as little as two days, but if you’re an American citizen or non-European Union member, count on at least one week. Non European union members must also fill out a second application form in addition to the India tourist visa application. The visa fee is currently 62 Euros (although that can change). The additional non European member form is currently 30 Euros (that can change also).
Paris is a good place to start any number of trips, including a trip to India. Round-the-world travelers know that price for tourist visas (just gasoline prices) have gone through the roof. Last year, the cost of our tourist visas for China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan cost us almost as much as the airfare to some of these destinations (all of these countries have embassies or consulates in Paris BTW).
This year we’ll be applying for our Indian tourist visa in Paris. If you plan on spending at least a week in Paris, you can try out the Indian embassy’s new visa service which has been outsourced to VFS Ltd, 42 Rue du Paradis, 75010, Metro: Poissonniere.
Visa applications can be filled out and submitted from Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 2 pm. You’ll need two passport size photos. (There’s an automatic photo machine right at the Visa service office), plus a photocopy machine.
If you’re a French citizen or European Union member, the visa application process can take as little as two days, but if you’re an American citizen or non-European Union member, count on at least one week. Non European union members must also fill out a second application form in addition to the India tourist visa application. The visa fee is currently 62 Euros (although that can change). The additional non European member form is currently 30 Euros (that can change also).
The staff here speaks excellent English (no surprise) and they were extremely helpful. Keep in mind that your visa begins from the date that the visa application has been granted - so you’ll want to coordinate your travel dates within six months from the time of your application.
For more information about India Tourist Visas in Paris, please visit the Indian Embassy in Paris site or
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It’s not too early to start staking out your spot for the triumphant arrival of the Tour de France in Paris. This year (2008), the Tour de France cyclists will zoom along the Champs Elysees, do their final circle round the Arc de Triomphe on Sunday, July 27th. 
World Heritage Sites normally conjure of images of jaw-dropping natural beauty - or architectural feats like the Taj Mahal and the Egyptian pyramids wrought by thousands of anonymous hands, yet, now and then, personal excellence gets recognition.
Can I really afford to be shopping for souvenirs? Of course you can’t. But, on the other hand, how can you go back home, stare your friends in the face, and say, “Yeah, I was in Paris, I had a really great time - and, by the way did you get the postcard I mailed you from CDG? No, that won’t do. But even if your budget for souvenirs is severely limited, a little creative research will find some amazingly cool items available for under 20 Euros.
Eiffel Tower WebcamI promised you that there’d be more free fun on Bastille Day which is celebrated in Paris on July 14th. The French call their independence day ‘Le Quatorze Juillet’ or ‘The 14th of July’ rather than Bastille Day.
We are in the midst of Paris Tourism Week (which began July 5, 2008 and will continue through July 14, Bastille Day, ‘08). The ‘event’ has expanded from Paris Tourism Day last year. I did not participate in the huge ’smile formation’ yesterday - and honestly the idea of a ‘Smiling Paris’ just seems kind of weird. Normally when you’re in a city like Paris or New York, if somebody’s smiling, he’s either a lunatic, a tourist, or just about to drag you over the coals. For so many years, I’ve taken it as a challenge to eke out a nanosecond glimmer from a grumpy Parisian waiter or shop keeper. It often resembles much the sort of smile you can see on Rodin’s bemused Monsieur Balzac or the vacant, dazed smiles of Carpeaux’s The Dance models. I like that kind of smile - filled with questions as opposed to the dazzling Disneyesque, “Am I not wonderful?”
Parisian for a Day
When it comes to automobiles, the Italians are world-famous for making cars sexy and sleek, and the Germans are well-known for their precision engineering. French car-makers, on the other hand, are primarily known for their inability make cars that anyone outside France would want to buy - and the Citroen 2CV is a perfect example.
There really isn’t anything at all threatening about the 2CV. It doesn’t go very fast, and it’s certainly not going to make a Ferrari feel inferior in the looks department, either. But someone looked at this Citroen 2CV and saw a monster. So, they turned it into one.
I’m not sure which is more frustrating - just one day in Paris - or two days. First thing you’ll want to do is make sure those two days don’t happen to be a Monday and Tuesday. Half of Paris’s museums are closed on Monday and the other half are closed on Tuesdays which means you could waste a lot of time bouncing back and forth between closed museums (but you won’t get caught because you will have already looked at Parislogue’s Museum info post.
Paris is a good place to start any number of trips, including a trip to India. Round-the-world travelers know that price for tourist visas (just gasoline prices) have gone through the roof. Last year, the cost of our tourist visas for China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan cost us almost as much as the airfare to some of these destinations (all of these countries have embassies or consulates in Paris BTW).
Paris is a good place to start any number of trips, including a trip to India. Round-the-world travelers know that price for tourist visas (just gasoline prices) have gone through the roof. Last year, the cost of our tourist visas for China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan cost us almost as much as the airfare to some of these destinations (all of these countries have embassies or consulates in Paris BTW).
The staff here speaks excellent English (no surprise) and they were extremely helpful. Keep in mind that your visa begins from the date that the visa application has been granted - so you’ll want to coordinate your travel dates within six months from the time of your application.