Tourist information for Paris
Places of interest in Paris
Left Bank (Rive Gauche) - Flowing along with the Seine as it heads toward
the sea, its left bank will be found on the left. At Paris, the river flows
roughly westwards, cutting the city into two halves; north and south. Left Bank
has come to mean more than simply a geographical region of the city and can now
refer to a particular style of life, fashion, or even `Look'. Some of its famous
streets are Boulevard Saint Germain des Prs, Saint Michel, and Rue d'Ulm.
Right Bank (Rive Droite) - Opposite the Left Bank, and generally refers
to the northern half of the city. However, like the Left Bank, and due to its
association with places such as Place Vendome, the Right Bank can now be used to
refer to a level of elegance and sophistication now found in its more bohemian
sister to the south. Its most famous street is undeniably the Champs Elysées,
but there are others such as Rue de la Paix, Rue de Rivoli, and Av Montaigne.
Arrondissement - Paris is divided up into twenty 'arrondissement' or
districts. The 'First' is in the centre of the city, and the others are laid out
in a clockwise manner about this. As these are such a basic unit to the city,
they are constantly referred to in guides and literature; almost always using
simply their associated number (1er, or 2em etc). The Louvre is in the First,
the Arc de Triomphe is in the Eighth. You can determine the arrondissement of an
address from its postal code. The last two digits of a Paris address give the
arrondissement; 75018 is the eighteenth for example. The exception to this rule
are addresses with the word 'CEDEX' appearing in them.
The Latin Quarter - a Left Bank region in the 5th arrondissement so named
because it has been the center of the Paris's university life for over seven
hundred years.
The Marais - Comprised of roughly the 3rd and 4th arrondissements
(Right Bank) it is a quartier which has retained many small streets and hints at
how Old Paris looked.
Haussmann - Baron Haussmann was responsible for the significant urban
planning project of 1852 - 1870. The twenty arrondissements date from this time.
Haussmann constructed many of the major boulevards, involving widespread
demolition of the old sections of the city.
Metro - the Paris subway is extensive and serves nearly every corner of
the city. The last trains are around 00h30.
RER - Rseau Express Regional; similar to the Metro except that it also
serves the outlying suburbs and regions of Paris. In the centre of the city, the
distance between RER stations is more significant than for the Metro; an
advantage if you want to go larger distances quickly - even in the centre of the
city.
Bateaux Mouches - This is the name given to tourist boats which ply the
Seine. Literally translated it means the 'fly boats'. The name probably comes
from the district of Lyon - 'La mouche' - the place where such boats were
commonplace before they were in Paris. Others claim the name comes from one of
the companies ('Bateaux-Mouches') owning these tourist boats, and named after
its owner/founder: Mouche. There are of course other companies proposing boat
tours of Paris: 'Vedettes du Pont Neuf'' and ``Bateaux Parisiens Tour Eiffel''
but Bateaux Mouches has come to mean all such tourist boats in general.
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