European Union Program
Paris France
Country Profile: France
At a glance  Politics: Francois Hollande is France's first Socialist president since Francois Mitterrand in 1981-95  Economy: France has the eurozone's second-largest economy and is a leading industrial power, but has struggled to emerge from recession since 2008 International: France is a key European and world player. It has a strong military. France is influential in Africa, especially in former colonies
A key player on the world stage and a country at the political heart of Europe, France paid a high price in both economic and human terms during the two world wars. The years which followed saw protracted conflicts culminating in independence for Algeria and most other French colonies in Africa as well as decolonisation in south-east Asia. France was one of the founding fathers of European integration as the continent sought to rebuild after the devastation of World War II. In the 1990s Franco-German cooperation was central to European economic integration. The bond between the two countries was again to the fore in the new millennium when their leaders voiced strong opposition as the US-led campaign in Iraq began.But France sent shockwaves through European Union capitals when its voters rejected the proposed EU constitution in a referendum in May 2005. France's colonial past is a major contributing factor in the presence of a diverse multicultural population. It is home to more than five million people of Arab and African descent. It has a number of territories overseas which, together with mainland France and Corsica, go to make up the 26 regions which the country comprises. It is further divided into 100 departments, five of which - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion and Mayotte - are geographically distant from Europe. Government in France is known for its high degree of centralization but in March 2003 parliament approved amendments to the constitution allowing for the devolution of quite wide-ranging powers to the regions and departments. In the light of low election turnout, the move was widely seen as a bid to re-engage in the political process French people disillusioned by the ubiquitous influence of what is often perceived as the Paris elite. France has produced some of the continent's most influential writers and thinkers from Descartes and Pascal in the 17th century, Voltaire in the 18th, Baudelaire and Flaubert in the 19th to Sartre and Camus in the 20th. In the last two centuries it has given the art world the works of Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Gauguin, Matisse and Braque, to name but a few. It is also famous for its strong culinary tradition. France produces more than 250 cheeses and some of the world's best-loved wines. Page 2
Architecture in Paris The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde: what is Paris if it is not an architectural wonderland? One of the most striking elements of Paris‘s architectural history is the restructing on the urban landscape in the 19th century. The architect Baron Haussmann, working under Napoleon III, is often overlooked on your average city tour, although he revolutionized the French capital. Haussmann was commissioned in 1850 to better the housing conditions in the Parisian urban quarters while also dealing with longstanding tactical challenges that the military had faced in previous urban clashes due to the narrow and often winding streets. Haussmann created the Paris we all know today by dividing the medieval quarters of Paris with grand boulevards and an air of Cartesian order. He even designed the lightposts around the city, the modern sewer system and sprawling parks surrounding the chic center. This urbanization, cleverly coined, „Haussmannization“, has been considered one of the grandest architectural renovations in history. This architectural plan not only had an effect on the layout of the city, but also had heavy societal ramifications. This new city order gave the bourgeoisie a place to gather, shop and live comfortably. The old town of Paris was, in a sense, developed for the weathly and influential citizens to dwell within. A gentrification of the Parisian population therefore occurred; the middle and lower class citizens moved further outside the city center. However, this renovation of Paris also had a positive effect on the entire society; it is said to have reduced the number of disease epidemics, helped regulate traffic flow in the city and the sustain the overall functionality and cleanliness in modern Paris. Boulevard Haussmann
„Haussmannization“
Sights and Historical Places Arc de Triomphe
Metro: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile The Arc that Napoléon intended as a celebration of his victories was not finished when the Battle of Waterloo brought his downfall. It now stands guard over the remains of an un-known soldier from World War I, with the eternal flame burning under it. Radiating out from its honking, jammed center are major roads in all directions. Every conquest since Napoléon has brought images of liberators and citizens climbing the Arc. From above it gives a wonderful view through Paris’ spectacular center. From the top you can see the Champs Elysées and the Seine. Opening Hours: April–September: 10am-11pm, October–March: 10am-10:30pm (last admission 45 mins before closing); admission: €5 (Students, 18-25)
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Eiffel Tower
Metro: Bir-Hakeim The Eiffel Tower is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the River Seine in Paris. It is the tallest structure in Paris and the most recognized monument in France. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, it is the most visited monument in the world. Including the 24m (78.7ft) antenna, the structure is 324m (1,063ft) high. The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1887 Exposition Universelle (World Fair) and faced much criticism during its construction. The Tower was meant to be torn down after the Fair but was spared because it was an ideal platform for a transmitting antenna for radiotelegraphy. There are 1,660 steps (360 to the first level, 359 to the second). It is not possible to reach the summit via stairs. Opening Hours: June 15 to September 1: Lift: 9am-12:45pm (last lift for the top: 11pm), Stairs: 9am-12:45am (last admission: midnight); Rest of the year: Lift: 9:30am-11:45pm (last lift for the top: 10:30pm), Stairs: 9:30am-6:30pm (last admission: 6pm) Admission: Lift: 1st and 2nd floors: €7.00; Top floor: €13.00; Stairs: €3.50 (ages 12-24) Champs Elysées
Metro: Champs Elysées-Clemenceau The Champs Elysées was designed as part of a triumphant way out from the Tuileries and planted with elms a century before Napoléon planned his arch. To one side lies the Seine, to the other grand houses from the 18th century, many of which are now airline offices. Walking down from the Arc towards Place de la Concorde, look right and see the great exhibition halls, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais built in 1900 and housing museums and touring exhibits. Les Catacombes
1, Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy; Metro: Denfert Rochereau Visitors can wind their way through a network of tunnels 20 meters under the ground where 6 million Parisians are buried. Between the end of the 18th century and the Haussmann’s modernization of Paris, bones form the capital’s cemeteries were taken to the old Montrouge quarries which became the Catacombes in 1810. Opening Hours: 10am-5pm, closed Mondays (last admission 4pm) Admission: €4 (ages 14-26) Jardin du Luxembourg
Metro: Odéon or Luxembourg (RER B train station) The Jardin du Luxembourg, or the Luxembourg Garden, is the largest public park in Paris and the garden of the French Senate. Throughout the garden statues, monuments, ponds, and fountains can be found, as well as several art galleries. The gardens and the Luxembourg Palace were completed in 1625, after Marie de Medicis, wife of Henri IV moved out of the Louvre after he was assassinated. The park remains one of the most popular meeting places for people of all ages. Place de la Bastille
Metro: Bastille The Place de la Bastille is the location where the French Revolution started on 14 July 1789 when the masses mobbed a prison. While nothing is left of the actual prison, there is a 52m tall monument with a Liberty statue on the top. This event is remembered every year in France by Bastille Day.
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Place de la Concorde
Metro: Concorde This Place was built between 1755 and 1775 by King Louis XV. The giant obelisk in the center of the square came from Egypt, and is over 3,000 years old. In 1793, Louis XVI was killed here by the guillotine during the French Revolution. In two years, the guillotine in this square beheaded over 1,343 people. The current name of the square was given after the Reign of Terror was over and peace had been restored to France. Moulin Rouge
82 Boulevard de Clichy; Metro: Blanche The cabaret Moulin Rouge was built in 1889 in Paris’ red-light district. Moulin Rouge is most known for its red windmill on the roof, and is known as the birthplace of the can-can dance. Shows are still performed year round, but reservations are necessary.
Museums Musée du Louvre
Place du Louvre, 1 er; Metro: Palais Royal Musée du Louvre The Louvre in Paris is the most visited and one of the oldest, largest, and most famous art galleries and museums in the world. The Louvre has a long history of artistic and historic conservation, from the Capetian dynasty until today. The building was previously a royal palace and is famous for holding several of the world’s most prestigious works of art, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, Madonna of the Rocks, and Alexandros of Antioch’s Venus de Milo. Opening Hours: Daily 9am-6pm, Wednesdays and Fridays open until 9:45pm, closed on Tuesdays; Admission: €12, free on the first Sunday of the month, also free with valid proof of EU residency or student status (Bring your Passport & Uni Card!!) Musée d’Orsay
62 Rue de Lille, 7e; Metro: Solférino The Musée d’Orsay is located on the left bank of the Seine, housed in the former Orsay railway station. It holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography, and is probably best known for its extensive collection of impressionist masterpieces by popular painters such as Monet and Renoir. Many of these works were held at the Galerie Nationale du Jeu du Paume previous to the museum’s opening in 1986. Opening Hours: Daily 9:30am-6pm (closed Mondays), Thursdays open until 9:45pm Admission:€6.50 (concession price), free on the first Sunday of the month (You can also try to use your passport here as well for free entry) Centre Pompidou
Place Georges Pompidou, 4e, 75004; Metro: Rambuteau The Centre Pompidou houses all modern and contemporary 20th century art. The museum is known for its intense schedule of temporary exhibitions, and is Paris’s most visited cultural site. The museum opened its doors in 1977, with the design of the museum having the building’s “insides” on the outside. Opening Hours: 11am–10pm (no admission after 8pm), closed Tuesdays Admission prices are variable. Visit here for more information: http://www.centrepompidou.fr Page 5
Petit Palais
Av Winston Churchill, 8e; Metro: Champs Elysées-Clemenceau The ‘Little Palace’ is home to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, or the Paris municipality’s Museum of Fine Arts. Its collections include porcelain, tapestries, and 19th century French paintings and sculpture. Opening Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-6pm, Mondays closed, Thursdays open until 8pm Free admission to the permanent collections. Admission charge for temporary exhibitions (€5-11.) Panthéon
Place du Panthéon; Metro: Concorde The masterpiece of architect Soufflot, commissioned by Louis XV to thank Sainte Geneviève. The crypt houses the remains of Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Marie Curie, Louis Braille, Alexandre Dumas, to name a few. Mount the steep spiral stairs to the colonnade encircling the dome for superb views. Opening Hours: 10am-6pm (last admission 45 mins before closing) Admission: €4.50 (concession) Hôtel des Invalides
Esplanade des Invalides; Metro: Invalides, Topped by its guilded dome, the Hôtel des Invalides was and in part still is a hospital. Commissioned by Louis XIV for wounded soldiers, it once housed as many as 6000 invalids. It‘s a magnificent monument to Louis XIV and Napoleon. Opening Hours: 10am-5pm, Apr-Oct until 6pm, closed on first Monday of the month Admission: €9.50 (Musée de l'Armée, Tomb of Napoleon I, Historical Charles de Gaulle (closed on Mondays), the Scale-Models Museum, Order of the Liberation Museum) You can also try to use your passport /Unicard here as well and get in for free!
Religious Sights Notre Dame
6, Place du Paryis Notre Dame; Metro: Cité A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris was conceptualized by Maurice du Sully and built between the 12th and 14th centuries. The French road distances are established from the ‘0km’ point located on the square in front of the cathedral entrance. While it is a major tourist destination, it is also still a functioning Roman Catholic cathedral and is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. Opening Hours: 8am-6:45pm (Saturdays & Sundays open until 7:15pm) Sacré Coeur
35 Rue du Chevalier-de-la-barre; Metro: Anvers The Sacré Coeur Basilica, or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, is a Roman Catholic basilica located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in Paris. It was built originally with funds from the Parisian Catholics (eventually the state), and was started in 1873 but wasn’t finished until 1919 due to a delay by World War I. It is also possible to reach the top of the dome by climbing the 234 steps to the top, giving you the best views of Paris. Opening Hours: 6am-10:30pm, Dome 9am-7pm (6pm in winter) Admission: Free, €5 for the dome
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Food French cooking is one of most famous cuisines in the world. There are several different types of menus, offering varying degrees of selection and price: La carte: Everything on the normal menu, usually more expensive. Main courses arrive with a garnish of vegetables. There might also be a plat du jour (dish of the day). Entrees are
appetizers, not the main course. Menu prix-fixe: Fixed-price meal, usually consists of four courses and may include wine. Better than à
la carte, quality is good, tax and service are included. Many restaurants offer several set menus at different price levels. Look for a menu du jour (a set menu of the day), which will generally be freshest and best. Try the escargots (snails), croque-monsieur (ham and cheese on bread—add an egg with a croquemadame), soupe a l’oignon (onion soup), or coc au vin (chicken with wine sauce). You can never go wrong with French baked goods and cheese. For dessert, there is crème brûlée (carmelized custard) and crèpes (crèpes can be adapted for meals, too).
Restaurant locales La Briciola, Pizza 64 Rue Charlot M: Filles du Calvaire (8) or République (5)
Angelina— hot chocolate with fresh, whipped cream among other treats 226 Rue de Rivoli M: Tuileries (1)
The Sunken Chip, fish n’ chips 39 Rue des Vinaigriers M: Jacques Bonsergent
Bobs Kitchen, clean delicious food… juices and smoothies made in house! 75 Rue des Gravilliers M: Arts et Métierts (3)
Pozzetto, sweet treats 39 Rue du Roi de Sicile M: Hôtel de Ville (1) or St. Paul (1)
M.O.B. Paris, French-American fusion 38 Quai d’ Austerlitz M: Quai de la Gare (6)
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Transportation The quickest, cheapest, and easiest way to travel around the city is by the Metro. The Paris Metro has over 300 stations: all marked with a big yellow ‘M.’ Each line has a color, which you will find on the signs in the stations. The different directions of the metros are clearly displayed on blue and white signs on the platforms and in the tunnels. The metro operates everyday including public holidays from around 6am to 00:30, but trains are less frequent on Sundays and public holidays. There are a wide variety of bus routes, many of which go through the city center, along the Seine River banks, or through well-known historical areas. The bus network with its 58 routes perfectly matches and complements that of the metro. Buses operate from Monday to Saturday from 7am8:30pm. Some bus lines also operate in the evening from 8:30pm-00:30. The RER, or the Suburban Express Railway operates in essentially the same way as the metro, covering most of the Ile-de-France region. Its five lines are referred to by the letters A, B, C, D, and E, and they run from about 6am-00:30. The RER is faster than the metro because stops are less frequent, and your ticket must be put through the automatic barriers a second time on the way out. The same ticket can be used for the RER or the metro. 15,300 taxis operate in Paris day and night. A taxi must be equipped with the following or it is illegal: -an illuminted ‘Taxi Parisien’ sign on the roof -a display meter showing the cost of the journey -a display at the rear of the vehicle and visible from the exterior which enables monitoring of the daily duration of use of the vehicle ALPHA TAXIS 01 45 85 85 85
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TAXIS BLEUS
0 891 70 10 10
TAXIS G7
01 47 39 47 39