Enjoying Your First Visit to Paris

Never been to Paris before? When initially planning your trip, first determine what it is you will want to see when you get there. Perhaps do a google map search and a virtual tour of the streets so that when you arrive, Paris will seem like an old and trusted friend. You will then easily be able to determine how to get from your hotel to all of the attractions.

How will you get to the attractions? Walk? The virtual walking tour will show you the shortest and most picturesque way to go. But there is also the Metro which is incredibly easy to use, as well as the Botabus which travels on the Seine River. Travelling this way allows for eight stops - at the Eiffel Tower, St. Germain des Pres, Le Louvre, Musee de Orsay, Notre Dame Cathedral, Hotel de Villa and on the Champs-Elysses close to the Grand and Petit Palais. It also includes 58 stops on the open tour bus.

Do you want to check out the Left Bank of the Seine? The Left Bank is on the southern side of the Seine River. It is the artistic area of the city and was once home to such famous writers as Picasso, Matisse and Hemmingway. Here you will find the popular Montparnasse which is still a haven for artists. Also on the Left Bank is the Latin Quarter, the Sorbonne University, the Eiffel Tower, du Jardin Luxembourg Gardens, Pantheon, Paris Catacombes, the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pres as well as inexpensive cafes and night clubs.

Or perhaps the Right Bank is where you will be drawn to explore. This side of the river is where the majority of Paris' big businesses and most of the large tourist attractions are. They include the Louvre Museum, Arc de Triomphe, Tuileries Gardens, the Montmartre neighbourhood, Sacre Coeur Basilica, Moulin Rouge, the Bastille Opera and the Champse-Elysses.

It is highly advisable to obtain a map in order to be able to orient yourself with the layout of the city. Another great way is to take one of the many river cruises down the Seine. We did one of the evening cruises so we wuld be able to see the lights of the city at night. The Eiffel Tower was breathtaking. However, a river cruise taken during the day probably would've been a better way of actually orientating ourselves but for sheer beauty alone, the night cruise was great.

Before going to Paris, we did our homework and were able to explore the city on our own for the most part. But there are some tours worth taking. One such trip is a tour of Versailles. It gives a view of the palace, the Hall of Mirrors, the King's and Queen's apartments and the gardens.

When looking for a hotel, we made our decision based on both proximity to the majority of the main attractions and to easily accessed metro stations. Although price was part of the decision as well. In the Monmartre neighbourhood, where we eventually decided to stay, we were fairly close to two metro stations, although one was a heart-pumping jaunt up a hill to get to our hotel. We later discovered that the other station was closer and a much easier walk.

Cafes and eateries are everywhere with many different kinds of food. Within a walk of our hotel were two Vietnamese restaurants, and Italian and the usual Parisienne eateries, all offering larger servings than I could possibly eat.

The best thing any traveller can do before visiting the City of Lights with its many attractions is to prepare yourself before you go - where the attractions are, how to get to them, if travelling on the Metro system, which lines to take and where the stations are, and the particulars of each attraction as well as entrance fees and operating hours.

And once you are there, you will enjoy all that Paris has to offer because you will have come prepared.