Travel insurance - Tips & Advice - Holiday destination guides
The new Eurostar connection from St Pancras in London has made Europe’s “City of Romance” even more accessible from the UK. Go for the day or a long weekend to enjoy its monuments, museums and some of the best food, drink and shopping in the world.
Food and drink
Paris is home to no less than 10 three-Michelin-star restaurants with celebrated chefs including Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon. But just because a restaurant fails to have a star doesn’t make it bad. The much-lauded Alain Senderens famously rejected the accolade for his restaurant Senderens, while fine dining in cafés, bars and even on the street in Paris is ubiquitous. And with it comes some of the world’s best wine from 11 grape-growing regions across the country, including Burgundy, Bordeaux and the ever-effervescent Champagne.
Fashion
Chanel, Yves St Laurent, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton… if you love clothes then you’ve come to the right place! From haute couture and prêt-à-porter on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Avenue Montaigne and Boulevard Saint-Germain, to world-renowned department stores Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, various fleamarkets and vintage boutiques, there’s something for every taste and style. Jewellery, handbags, shoes, perfume and beauty products also line the shelves with specialist shops devoted to all. Whatever you choose, you also get the pleasure of buying it in one of the most glamorous cities in the world.
Museums and monuments
Art lovers flock to Paris for its outstanding museums and galleries. Some of the most famous and must-see include the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Orangerie Museum, Pompidou Centre, Musée d’art Moderne and museums devoted to Picasso and Rodin. But there are also hundreds of smaller galleries taking the thriving art scene to greater heights and are definitely worth checking out. Indeed, the city can appear as a work of art in itself with the Champs Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower providing well-known landmarks. The opulent Château de Versailles is also only half-an-hour train ride away.
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Long weekend?
Here’s just an idea of what you could do with only three days to spare…
Day 1
Take a stroll along the left bank or rive gauche of the River Seine to the Musée d’Orsay, home to many great Impressionist works. On the other side of the river you can see picturesque sites such as the Louvre and Notre Dame plus the Île de la Cité in the centre, considered the birthplace of Paris. Get a little shopping in on Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, then finish with coffee, dinner or wine in the charming Latin Quarter, France’s oldest university centre.
Day 2
Get up early and visit the ancient and bohemian district of Montmartre before the crowds come. Meaning “mountain of the martyr”, it comprises a 130-metre-high hill on which the Basilica de Sacré-Coeur and the Saint Pierre de Montmartre stand, and the surrounding district known as the 18th arrondissement. Many famous artists had studios or worked around here including Dali, Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh.
Day 3
Save some euros for bargaining at the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen at Porte de Clignancourt – France’s most famous fleamarket. It sells everything from antique furniture to vintage clothes and old books and magazines, although prices sadly aren’t what they were a few decades back. If you’re heading home you could also pick up some gourmet wine and cheese for dinner at one of the many food markets such as Marché Bastille or Marché Mongue.
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Getting there
Plane
Fly British Airways, Air France, easyJet, Flybe and Bmibaby from various cities in the UK to Charles de Gaulle Airport. Air France also flies to Orly from London City Airport, Ryanair from Dublin, Glasgow and Shannon and Blue Islands from Guernsey and Jersey to Beauvais. See www.flightmapping.com for more details and links.
Drive
Driving to Paris means you can bring back more goodies – great if you’re shopping for clothes, antiques, food or wine. Taking the Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais takes just 35 minutes and Paris is about a three-hour drive from there. See www.eurotunnel.com for timetables and prices. Our feature on driving from the UK to Europe will help if you’re wondering how your car insurance may be affected.
Train
The Eurostar now runs from London to Paris in just over two hours thanks to the new terminal at St Pancras. Passengers arrive in Gare du Nord station, which is just one Metro stop from Anvers, Monmartre and Sacré-Couer. The train network also links up other destinations in both the UK and France. For fares and deals see www.eurostar.com.
Ferry
You can take a SeaFrance or P&O ferry service from Dover to Calais in around one hour and 30 minutes and either drive or take the train on to Paris from there. There are relatively few trains from Calais to Paris and you may have to change in Boulogne. For helpful links see www.seat61.com.
Find out more
Get more information and holiday ideas from www.francetourism.com and http://en.parisinfo.com. Guidebooks such as The Rough Guide to Paris, Lonely Planet’s Paris City Guide and Time Out Paris can also help you find your way around while there.
Stay insured
In Paris you can be especially at risk of having personal possessions stolen in busy tourist areas. If you’re driving you also need to make sure that you are covered to drive in France and that you have sufficient breakdown cover, too. Direct Line can provide you with both city break travel insurance and European breakdown cover.
Related information:
Cancelling a holiday – having to cancel a trip or cut it short is bad enough – taking out travel insurance can help ensure you can reclaim some of the cost
Last minute travel – Paris is one of many places you could choose for a last minute holiday – we show you how to decide where to visit
Is your passport lost or stolen? – what to do if the worst happens
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