Stand in a Paris airport and watch the world pass you by. Observing the passengers (or looking at their luggage, if nothing else) is a lesson in cultural diversity. Since travel is an essential part of my psyche and my well-being, I’m always on the lookout for last-minute air and hotel packages where you can travel from Paris to somewhere exotic (or not so exotic) for a fraction of what it might have cost a week before or even the week after. There are options of weekends, three days, five and even a week. One friend decided to remain at a warm-weather resort for two weeks and that was tout à fait doable.

Orly travelers. Photo by Iveslin.

Flexibility is the name of the game, so don’t have your heart set on any one destination. Steer away from traveling during high-high season, such as school vacations. But even then, you may just luck out.

Some hints: Even if you don’t like the hotel or have free digs, an air-hotel package might cost so much less than the quoted airfare alone that you’re better off simply using the flight portion and tossing the rest. If it’s possible, some hotels will allow you to use the room at another time or assign it to someone else. One never knows, but it never hurts to ask.

Another way to save, and it can be a big one, is opting for demi- or full-pension even if your idea of purgatory would be eating each and every meal where you’re staying. Whether or not you show up in the dining room doesn’t matter, but some of these package deals appear to cost less if the hotel can count you among its diners.

Orly departures and arrivals boards . . . you can go anywhere from Paris.

Paris is definitely the jumping-off point for Tunisia, Morocco, Istanbul and Egypt—although the latter might be a wee bit chancy at this moment and why go asking for trouble by taking advantage of a great hotel deal in the center of Cairo. It’s wise not to visit places where your government is advising people not to go… although I must admit to not following that rule when the former Yugoslavia was considered a hot spot. And talk about deals to be had during that period where we were nearly the only people cruising the Croatian coast in a sailboat that cost nearly nothing to charter.

But not every destination needs to be exotic. For example: if you wanted to go to Madrid from Paris, the airfare could cost less than $120 round trip if you didn’t have to go on a specific day and at a specific time. Departing from Paris, you’ll find more than terrific deals where you can assemble your own package by adding different components to your trip.

There are last-minute fares that make people want to get up and go, whether it’s within France, Europe or places further away. For example, if you wanted to go to Berlin from Paris in low season, the total cost for the airfare and two nights in a 3-star hotel can cost less than 140€ per person. Prices are based on two people staying in a room, so if you don’t have a traveling companion, you might want to find one. This is said in jest, but be prepared to pay a single supplement.

London ready to welcome Eurostar travelers for the Olympics 2012. Photo by Andy Roberts.

A site worth consulting before you leave or once you’re in Paris is the SNCF rail travel site. There are so many deals to be had including a 79€ round-trip ticket to London on the Eurostar during low season, and naturally conditions do apply. With such a deeply discounted price, taking a jaunt to see Buckingham Palace isn’t going to break the bank. If you’re a skier, you can rent a room in a resort from 299€ for seven nights if there are five people in your group. Do the multiplication and that’s pretty cheap to take to la piste. If there’s no snow, there’s a money-back guarantee…but there are plenty of people who do better après-ski than actual ski. Bring on the mulled wine, merci.

Another thing some Paris residents are known to do is book a hotel at the last minute for one or two nights and take a break from the children, their apartments and real life. Even though the French are generally hot to travel, they like to be tourists where they live. Plus, it cuts down on travel costs. There’s something to be said for that.

(c) Paris New Media, LLC

PHOTO CREDITS: Flickr photos published per Creative Commons 3.0 license with photographer credit in captions

Rarely shy, generally verbal and usually even articulate, the French crave things like this when they’re not at home.

Number one on the list is bread. But not any bread. A crusty baguette with a light coating of butter is one the first things people say they have trouble finding elsewhere. They also miss flakey fresh croissants—still warm if you go early in the morning at the nearby bakery—which, if you live in Paris, is on the corner or the next corner. It’s rare that small villages in La France profonde don’t have at least one boulangerie, if not two. Consumers tend to be faithful to theirs unless it’s closed, in which case people will patronize the nearest one open and return to their favorite the following day because a day without bread is incomplete. It’s not unusual to hear people debating about which bakery is the best and rarely is there consensus.

Waiting in line for their daily bread.  Photo ©malias

Bakeries also are dessert central; and pastries and cakes tend to be an art form. Most ordinary bakeries can turn out extraordinary pastry, but the French don’t skimp on special occasions and head to Gérard Mulot or any of the dozens of other designer pâtisseries that showcase and sell edible creations admired (often at great length) before being eaten. Considering the price tags on some, you’re buying an aesthetic experience in addition to something that will make you think you’ve died and gone to gastronomic heaven.

You’d think France is all about food. Well, it kind of is. The French, almost as if they were a Greek chorus, chant about meals enjoyed with friends and family that last for hours and hours. Not every dinner, to be sure, because working people usually take abbreviated ones during the week and pack it in at lunchtime, especially if they have un chèque resto to subsidize the meal. But, lunches and dinners, however ample, are not heavy—unlike the U.S. where, some French friends said after touring a few of the Southern states, “Beginning at noon, America smells like grease.” For the French, meals are a pivotal part of their lives, worth taking the time, and many will tell you that cheese and wonderful moderately priced wines are two of the things they miss the most when not in France.

They also miss the conversations, the friendships, the joie de vivre and the time and trouble people take to make tables look inviting. You’ll rarely go to someone’s house for dinner without finding they’ve made an effort to set an inviting tables. Flowers and candles are the norm and even if the meal isn’t fancy, forget its being served in a baking dish straight from the oven. That would be considered very bad form. Ditto for paper napkins unless it’s a crowd… and even then.

Louvre seen from Tuileries. Photo ©specklet

Everyone appears to miss the Louvre and the ubiquitous museums found in France, which may be a reason museum attendance was up 5% in 2011. The French were born being exposed to culture and history and it’s an intrinsic part of their upbringing and not something that was forced on them in Art 101.

French men miss French women and how they dress. Jean-Paul said that in his Chicago office, it’s as if women are afraid to show their femininity. French women say that they lose some of their sense of style when living elsewhere and are amazed that women wear the same clothes to work and then out to a (non-business) dinner. Marie said, “We’d never do that in France since it shows a lack of caring and respect for the host and hostess.” That may be a bit extreme but everyone’s entitled to an opinion.

Another gripe the French have is about the lack of politesse in places outside of France. No “Bonjour, madame” or “Merci, madame” when patronizing stores. It’s as if people don’t have time to be civilized to one another (or simply acknowledge the existence of others) and they treat sales help as if they’re not people.

Other gripes: a dearth of flower stores, the rarity of small pharmacies where the pharmacist knows your medical history and what ails you and who actually takes an interest in your health, and the apparent scarcity of podiatrists office which can be found in store-fronts about one to the block in Paris.

Many French head to les grands magasins (department stores) but the ones who are boutique addicts miss their boutiques because they prefer not to be anonymous. They’ll make exceptions during sale periods and if you’re in Bloomingdales, don’t be surprised if you hear French be spoken by shoppers on a mission to save big bucks because of the ongoing sales, which isn’t the norm in France.

But what many French miss the most is the architecture that’s found at home, the country’s infrastructure of high-speed trains and network of well-maintained highways that link neighboring countries as well as places in France. Even smaller roads are constantly being upgraded. Parisian native Jean Jacques remarked that on his overseas assignments he misses the landscapes, the mountains and the diversity found in France plus how quickly he can get to other places. In the U.S. and Asia, Jean Jacques says it’s an effort to get to totally new environments in just an hour.

It seems to come down to the art of living and Francophiles, no matter their nationality, seem to agree. Do you?

If you ask people what are their favorite months to travel to Paris, more than likely they’ll tell you April, May, June, September, and October or during the Christmas holidays. The reality is they’re missing a good thing. It’s worth taking a chance on the weather in the winter and coming to Paris in January and February. Here are six reasons and, as usual, there are more:

Hotels & Apartments

You’ll have substantially more choice if you come to Paris when the weather is supposed to be less than optimal. Prices are lower and, with some apartments, there’s some wiggle room when it comes to negotiating what you’ll pay. A few landlords will categorically say no, but others are of the persuasion that 90% of something is a whole lot better than 100% of nothing. Please remember to turn down the heat when you leave the premises and turn off the lights. Electricity is expensive and it’s only polite to cut those costs unless you’re being charged for usage—and then, you’ll be sorry.

CDG awaits winter travelers. Photo by Serge Gordei

Airfares

There are promotional fares, and planes tend to be less crowded. If you’re not flying non-stop, try not to change planes at airports in cities that are known for snow. You’ve seen pictures of people camping on airport floors waiting for them to reopen. You don’t want to be one of them.

If you’re redeeming miles for your flight, there are more seats to be had when others stay put at home. There are usually fewer families traveling when school is in session, which means your flight may be quiet. Needless to say, there are no guarantees when boarding a plane even if you fly first class—but at least there’s hot and cold running liquor. But come to think of it, many business travelers and road warriors chug-a-lug water since they view flying as transportation, a time to work and sleep so they can deplane and hop into meetings.

Louvre in winter with room to view without mobs. Photo by Ramon Morales.

Museums

Even though the French are passionate culture vultures and frequent museums and exhibitions as an integral part of their lives, the lines are shorter because there are fewer tourists. Don’t assume you’ll have the Mona Lisa to yourself …but there are a few other paintings in the Louvre.

Even if it’s cold and rainy, the interiors of museums are kept warm (not hot) and you’ll probably want to check heavy coats. Don’t get complacent and assume you’ll be able to snag the best seats at the opera or the ballet, because most tickets are sold as a series. Still, you’ll have more of a chance of seeing stellar productions when there are fewer tourists competing for them.

Your choice of tables at Café Deux Magots in February. Photo by Rita Crane Photography.

Restaurants

There are a few where you’ll have trouble getting a table no matter the time of year, but those are the minority. In addition, you don’t need to reserve as far in advance as you would during the French Open. Many people say French cuisine during winter months is more interesting, which is a matter of taste but worth factoring into the equation. Who really wants to eat cassoulet when the temperatures are soaring? Plus, numerous Parisian restaurants have fireplaces, which adds more than a certain je ne sais quoi.

Another place where it’s good to be flexible: There tend to be more cancelations during bad weather since some people come down with colds and don’t want to venture out to eat a meal they won’t be able to taste and wine they won’t be able to sniff.  Leave your name with the person in charge of the front of the house and tell them you’re willing to come running at the very last minute. Another tactic is to call before lunch or dinner and ask whether or not you can be accommodated.

Soldes at nearly every store. Photo by Reel Aesthete.

Sales

The second Wednesday of January is the day the sales begin and last for five weeks. Shoppers are in heaven scoring bargains. Don’t tell, but some of the sales don’t quite end on the appointed day. If you like a specific boutique, discreetly ask the salesperson if there might be some items left in the back that need liberating. You might be surprised. Lord knows, I’ve been. And pleasantly.

Eiffel Tower in February amber light. Photo by reyfocus.

Feel Less like a Tourist

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with being a tourist, and if it weren’t for them, Paris wouldn’t be the thriving city it is. On the other hand, it’s nice not to be surrounded by groups of people who are following a leader carrying a flag, fighting for space in a museum or, for that matter, even on a sidewalk. There are some warm weather activities you won’t be able to do when the temperature is in the single digits (that’s Celsius, not Fahrenheit). No bathing on the Paris Plages or walking around in Bermuda shorts. But, there’s so much you’ll be able to do that you won’t go home feeling cheated.

Just be sure to dress for the weather: Bring a lined raincoat or a heavy coat, but not the type you’d need to wear in New Hampshire. Don’t forget waterproof shoes, warm socks, a hat, gloves and a scarf. Most important, pack layers. A thermal undershirt takes up very little room in suitcases and could come in handy. On the other hand, you may be able to sit outside at a café and look up and grab the rays. If it’s sunny and chairs are cascading the sidewalk, you’ll invariably be surrounded by locals… and gas heaters.

Paris is not cold by the standards of Boston or New York or Chicago—far from it. Please remember, if you’re from the northern American cities, the Nordic countries or Alaska, you’ll think Paris is downright warm. And you’ll be able to look at pictures without having to stand on your tiptoes to see them, to stop in the middle of the sidewalk without getting blind-sided by foaming-at-the-mouth tourists, and sit in a café without a neighbor’s elbows making the acquaintance of your ribs. You might leave singing, “Winter in Paris…”.

(c) Paris New Media, LLC

PHOTO CREDITS: Flickr photos published per Creative Commons 3.0 license with photographer credit in captions

Paris glows during the holiday season

Why is it that each year Paris appears more festive and electric between the end of November to after New Year’s Day? Even the rain doesn’t dampen its holiday spirit and Paris glows during the holiday season.

Is it because the city is doing a better job decorating to the nines, while other places seem to have cut back on the glitter and the glamour? Whatever the reason, Paris radiates a magical glow; plus, there’s so much to see and to do and you don’t have to spend a fortune unless you want to, and then, the sky is the limit.

The city is decked out like few others. It’s not because the French view Christmas as a religious holiday. Rather, it’s good for marketing, attracting tourists plus Parisians have a certain savoir-faire when it comes to design and presentation. It’s not for nothing that Paris is known as one of the world’s leading fashion capitals.

Champs-Élysées December 2011

Holiday lights on the Champs-Élysées

Start by walking up or down the Champs-Élysées. This year’s theme is glowing neon tubes that adorn trees lining the street from the Arc de Triomphe at the top to the nearly 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel (La Grande Roue) at the base of the street on the northern edge of the Tuileries Garden and the rue de Rivoli.

Although it was constructed specifically for Millennium festivities held on the Place de la Concorde and was slated to be torn down after a year, it was returned years ago and is now a landmark in the same way as the Eiffel Tower.

La Grande Roue 2011

The Tuileries Ferris wheel for a panoramic view

Ride the Ferris wheel for a perfect overview of the city and a view of Gustave Eiffel’s Tinker Toy construction. If you time your ride so you’re up high during the first five minutes of each after-dark hour, you’ll see the tower at its sparkling grandeur. If not, you’ll have to be content with seeing the tower outlined in light.

Le Bon Marché on the Left Bank

Window shopping at Paris department stores

Paris department stores go out of their way to be festive. Don’t miss the windows with animated displays at the grand department stores. If you think store windows are designed exclusively for children, think again. They’re definitely major attractions for adults who are out strolling at night. In Paris the Christmas season starts in November and French stores spend a great deal of money for these extended displays.

For a preview before you go, see our stories and videos for Galeries Lafayette “Rock ‘N Mode” and the Printemps tribute to Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld. On the Left Bank, Le Bon Marché.

Champs-Élysées Christmas Village 2011

Paris Christmas markets

Paris has Christmas markets [video and list from the Paris Mayor's office] throughout the city. Some are definitely better than others and to be honest, you should head to Strasbourg to experience a market where the majority of the items aren’t manufactured in China. Still, they’re fun and worth exploring. Don’t miss Santa’s Village of Saint-Germain-des-Prés by the St-Germain-des-Prés Church – not because it’s wonderful but it’s an ideal place to start touring the Left Bank neighborhood between the church and the Seine. The merchants create a Wonderland with decorated lampposts and store windows.

Skating rink at Hôtel de Ville December 2011

Ice skating

If you like to skate and are either graceful or don’t mind falling on the ice, Paris fabricates its own “holiday on ice” arenas. Head to the Hôtel de Ville or the Eiffel Tower ice rink. The Paris Mayor’s office has more ideas for ice and snow activities. Do dress appropriately; being cold isn’t fun.

Jeff Leatham Christmas 2011 display at George V Paris Four Seasons. Photo: ©Jeff Leatham

Hotels and bar hopping

Some of the most striking holiday decorations are found in Paris’s palace hotels. They import teams of decorators to deck the halls and wrap fireplace mantles with garlands and ribbons. Drinks aren’t cheap in the bars, but all you need to do is order a glass of wine or even a café. There’s something so glamorous about sitting in the Le George V Paris Four Seasons, Le Meurice, the Shangri-La Hotel Paris, the new Mandarin Oriental, or Le Bristol Paris, to name a just a few of Paris’s most deluxe hotels. Get dressed up and make an appearance. Even if you’re not dripping in money, sometimes it’s nice to see how the 10% live.

See Paris holiday lights in a Mercedes limo

If you’re feeling like spoiling yourself, your family, a lover or giving a gift that people will remember, contact Lisa Buros-Hutchins at Your Paris Experience and she’ll book a Mercedes limo complete with chauffeur. Tour Paris for four hours, stop where you want and even take a bottle of Champagne to help you make merry. If you want to stop at the Madeleine, Fauchon or Hédiard, it’s up to you. The price ranges from €204—€336 for a Mercedes depending on the car’s size and its class.

As much as walking Paris is the way to go, I’d love to see the City of Light in luxury. Not many people wouldn’t.

© Paris New Media, LLC

First, the quality of daily life

This is not something you can reduce to numerical values or grade like a test or a corporate bond. Attempts in the States to identify the best places to live inevitably give prizes to places with low taxes, bad food, and no culture; Paris would flunk. What I mean by the quality of life are the small things that make simply being alive and going about your business better and more often than not a pleasure.

The pace of life is also part of what I mean. A baguette or a croissant still warm from the oven is an understandably universal delight of living in Paris. The French seem to learn from the time they are old enough to be perched in a high chair that sitting down for a meal is only partly about food. It’s also about taking time to enjoy the food and the wine, to enjoy the company, whether the topic is gossip or something more serious.

Parisians spend a lot of time over food and they take breaking bread with someone seriously. The French compagnon and the English companion derive from eating bread together, the height of human friendship. Parisians like to make the pleasure last as long as possible.

How they find the time for a real lunch and still manage to get some work done is sometimes questioned. Ironically, the French are much more productive than people from most other countries. The stereotype of a French person who needs a day off to recover from a day off is a bad rap.

It’s also okay to sit alone over a meal in a café or bistro. People take time with themselves, usually with a book or newspaper, though you will also see people writing and drawing. Though Paris has lost many of its cafés in the last couple of generations, thousands still exist because they improve the quality of life for people living in small apartments, as most Parisians do. Considering apartment prices, a two-bedroom apartment of 60 meters² borders on the luxurious, though that’s still less than 650 square feet of living space. The café down the street becomes part of an expanded home.

This may be compensation, but how we compensate for the lesser things in our life is part of maintaining its quality. Lingering in a café is not escaping from home, but broadening it, and it’s obvious how many regulars make themselves at home and are made to feel at home by the staff.

Second, the architecture and the rhythms of the streets

All major cities have monumental buildings that amaze visitors as symbols of the power and glory of the city. Notre Dame, le Grand Palais, Les Invalides, and le Palais Bourbon, among many others, are splendid and do exactly what they were intended to do as they make the French proud of being French and the Parisians proud that the greatest buildings in France are in Paris.

But it’s the ordinary buildings on ordinary streets that keep me thinking about and missing Paris. The height of the buildings helps.  On the edges of the city, there are high-rises, which are awful without exception. But in central Paris, and by that I mean in all twenty arrondissements, the scale of the buildings at eight or nine stories at most is built to a human measure. You don’t feel dwarfed walking down the street nor do you experience the canyon effect of New York and other American cities where the streets get barely any sun and the wind is funneled into gales that can knock you down.

Paris has also not segregated its commerce from its dormitories. Few streets in Paris are endless rows of apartments with no stores or restaurants on the ground floor. Rue Montorgueil may be cheesy because it caters to tourists with cash in their pockets. But look at rue d’Alésia in the Paris 14th, rue de la Folie-Méricourt in the Paris 11th, rue Saint-Dominique in the Paris 7th, or rue Delambre in the Paris 14th with their wall-to-wall, street-level commerce. The businesses depend on local residents who live upstairs.

In the States, this is called “mixed use” and requires some serious urban planning. In Paris, it’s always been organic: the way things were and are and, I hope, will be. It makes life better because the things you want are near where you live. I doubt it’s possible to live in Paris and be more than ten minutes away from a café, a bakery, a pharmacy, a podiatrist (it’s the shoes the women wear), a bus stop, une alimentation, or a Franprix, and other conveniences of life.

The only American equivalent I can think of would be Manhattan, where the density of tall apartment houses is more than enough to support a Korean greengrocer on every block, restaurants, bars, shoe repair shops, drugstores, and on and on.

Third, transportation

Residents who live and work in central Paris don’t need cars because it’s a walking city. Even better, it’s pleasure to walk in Paris, and the métro and bus systems are very good. Traffic is terrible, so let the bus driver worry about it; parking is worse. You’re not a hostage of the auto industry if you need groceries, flowers or other essentials of living and life. If you crave something unavailable in your neighborhood, for example, food from an ethnic grocery store, it’s only a quick métro ride away. Buying Asian food at specialty shops or restaurants can be done well and inexpensively in Chinatown in the Paris 13th, in the small China blocks in the Paris 4th and 2nd or in Belleville across town on the edge of the Paris 20th, and you can be there in twenty minutes or so. Ditto for Indian food, clothes and more. Paris’s multiethnic mix is another reason for it’s an extraordinarily vibrant city.

Fourth, stocking the kitchen and the closet

Walking down the street and seeing neighborhood boutiques is a pleasure. Stores are convenient and window-shopping is free. If you’re a regular in a clothing store, which you can soon be, the sales people may very possibly have suggestions about what you’d like. Sure, some are changing hands and even going out of business in the name of progress and consolidation, which is a shame. But the future looks secure for boutiques and favored vendors at open-air markets who sell everything from vegetables, fish, eggs, and cheese to hats, tablecloths, and lamps because so many Parisians insist on shopping there. The French (especially those of a certain age) steer away from fast food and actually care what they consume. They have the idea that a tomato should taste like a tomato and not cotton. In a city where eating is part of the art of living, people are willing to pay extra for produce and meats that were raised on nearby farms rather than shipped by the container-load from the lowest-wage country of the moment.

Finally, open space

Paris has 118 hectares of parks and gardens used by everyone, no matter their age or socioeconomic status. Talk about the best of both worlds and certainly in my world: it’s such a gift to live a block away from the Luxembourg Garden where gardeners give their all to maximize the jardin’s beauty. My weeding is now confined to the flowerpots on my balcony for two that overlooks the rooftops of Paris.

They say for every wise saying there is a counter-expression.  Thus, for “absence makes the heart grow fonder” there is “out of sight, out of mind.” What they say doesn’t cut it with me. My heart just grows fonder; and when Paris is out of my sight, it’s always on my mind.

Photo credits: Café solo ©tijo; Free spirit ©freespiritjulie; Métro musician ©frecklep; Av Wilson marché ©paspog; and Open space ©punkrocker*

(c) Paris New Media, LLC

If you’re craving a specific item, buy it as soon as you can when the sale begins, or most likely, it won’t be there when you mosey into the store two weeks later. You can be more casual if it isn’t a must-have item and you’re not playing Russian roulette.

What many people don’t know is it’s illegal for stores to have sales or promotions two weeks prior to the official start date and clothes legally must be in the store’s stock for a minimum of a month before shoppers line up to make a killing. This allows people to pre-select what purchases they want to make. If you’re a loyal client or even especially nice, the sales person might put the items away for you, but don’t tell.

Tips to get the most for your euros during the sales

Make a list of what you need and zero in on them. Don’t get distracted or they may be gone.

If you have a foreign credit card, alert the issuing bank that you plan to embark on a shopping spree and in which locations. There’s nothing more frustrating than arriving at the cash register and having cards declined, which is happening more frequently these days as credit card companies are instituting enhanced fraud protection. That’s all well and good until it dashes your hopes of leaving with the goods. Anyone who has tried reaching a bank’s fraud department from an overseas store…well, unless it’s Hermès or Cartier, forget it.

Paris store window photo by Reel Aesthete.

Don’t forget to file for the détaxe (tax refund) if you’re a non-EU resident and leaving France. A 19.6% VAT (Value Added Tax) is levied and to qualify for net refund of approximately 14%, you must spend a minimum of €175 in one store in the same day. If you need to buy a little of this and a little of that, do your shopping at one of the large Paris department stores and chances are good you’ll spend at least that amount by consolidating your purchases in one store. If you’re considering buying a specific fragrance or cosmetics at an airport Duty Free store, buy it now. Paris department stores have a greater selection of items and Duty Free stores aren’t profit-free. If you haven’t met the minimum, one or two items should do it.

Before you leave the store, go to the store’s Détaxe Office (or counter) and complete the paperwork there. Yes, you can do it from overseas but you’ll wish you hadn’t since it’s a pain in the derrière. Complete the required forms, be sure to have your passport (or a photocopy of the key pages) and you’ll be given two copies of the paperwork with a stamped envelope that you’ll need to deposit in the mailbox typically located where you’ll file the paperwork.

Some Paris department stores give tourists a 10% discount. You’ll find department store discount coupons printed on Paris maps typically available at hotels, in some city guides and tourist-oriented magazines plus the official Paris Tourist Offices operated by the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau. Ask and you shall find. Think savings: you’ll be buying at the sale price and will be entitled to approximately an additional 24% discount. Pas mal.

At the airport: Pack the items you’ve purchased in a suitcase or a box that can be shown to the customs officer. Even though it happens relatively infrequently, you may be asked to show your bargains. If you can’t produce them at that time, forget collecting the détaxe. Request that the refund be credited to your credit card rather than by check because who needs a euro-denominated check if you’ll be in a non-EU country.

Look for the “soldes” banners and signs. Photo by Laurent73.

If you walk by Hermès or Louis Vuitton on the Champs-Elysées—well, you’d think there were fire sales based on the number of people waiting outside to snag these designers’ wares.

If you like shopping in boutiques, the longer the sale has gone on, the more chance there is you’ll be able to score a small additional discount. Ask to speak to the owner or the senior manager, make the request nicely and you may luck out—especially if what you’re buying is expensive. Ditto for quantity.

Stay focused: Keep in mind that most French people make the majority of their purchases during the sales periods. You’re going to have serious competition.

Think ahead: If you have children or grandchildren, buy for the future. Even if you’re buying something that will be last year’s model, who cares? And besides, if it’s from a good store in Paris, chances are it will be ahead of the style period.

Paris Grands Magasins (major department stores):

Galeries Lafayette

Printemps

Le Bon Marché

BHV

Photo credits: Paris store window photo ©Reel Aesthete. BHV soldes banners photo ©Laurent73.

If you’re looking for elegant décor and a place to wear your finest, New Morning isn’t the club for you. Designer Philippe Starck hasn’t been near the establishment. Were he to perform renovation, it wouldn’t be the same. It’s the quintessential jazz club where people are more intent about listening and feeling the music than sitting in über-chic surroundings.

Located in the slightly edgy 10^th arrondissement, people crowd into the large room and hover around small tables and café chairs that don’t scream comfort. The club recently celebrated its 30^th anniversary. Since opening, it’s been reputed to be one of Paris’s most reliable jazz (and more) emporiums. French and foreign performers gravitate here.

Besides headliners like Roy Hargrove (below), Marlena Shaw, Esperanza Spalding, The Yellow Jackets, Ron Carlton, Kurt Elling, Larry Coryell, et al., you never know who you’ll find jamming here because even pop music stars like Jimmy Buffett drop by for impromptu sets after performing across town. Buffett has stopped by after his annual September gigs for several years. Equally good are back-up musicians from arena shows who stop by very late, with or without the headliners.

New Morning is a jazz club of world repute, but jazz is no longer the only type of music performed. Check the program before heading out or making a reservation because if you’re not a salsa lover or aren’t into funk and groove, you may be disappointed. Tickets can be purchased via the club’s website where you’ll be redirected to the FNAC Ticket Office booking site. New Morning opens at 8pm and although performances don’t begin until 9pm, arrive early. Up to 600 patrons can be accommodated here, which in Paris terms is enormous. Even though it’s large, you’ll be amazed by how polite people are when it comes to not making noise. They leave it to the musicians.

7-9, rue des Petites Écuries, Paris 10th

SUNSIDE-SUNSET JAZZ CLUB, PARIS 1ST

Head toward Châtelet to the rue des Lombards in the 1^st arrondissement and at #60 you’ll find Sunside-Sunset Jazz Club. This was the first music venue to open on the rue des Lombards and started out as a restaurant with jazz performances in its vaulted-ceiling cave in the basement. When it opened in 1983, it showcased fusion music. At the end of 1984, the club became more structured when Dany Michel became an official programmer, adding more jazz to the performance schedule.

By the late ’80s, the Sunside-Sunset was on the must-perform list for American jazz artists touring Europe, especially after Jean-Marie Durand (AKA Balzano) switched from bartender to the club’s artistic director. His wife, American jazz great Dee Dee Bridgewater, recorded one of her best albums, Live in Paris, at New Morning in 1986. Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock frequented the club and it was the hot and happening place to go.

These days, don’t miss “Dr. Jazz” Ben Sidran (photo above) when he returns for shows here or at New Morning. He’s often backed by son Leo on drums, and one of the world’s best jazz bass players, Billy Peterson. Multiple Grammy-winning artist “Billy P” has backed up recording artists in all musical genres, from Bob Dylan to Prince, Steve Miller, Oleta Adams, John Patitucci, David Sanborn, Kenny Loggins and more. He’s a rare “musician’s musician” from a talented musical family that performs around the world.

60, rue des Lombards, Paris 1st

Info Line: 01 4026 4660

DUC DES LOMBARDS, PARIS 1ST

Duc des Lombards, another happening place, is the second jazz club on the street. It’s more intimate and even though it’s attracted many greats in the jazz world, it’s not unusual for local artists to meet to jam together. Because the two clubs are so closely situated, aficionados tend to patronize both depending on who is playing what and on which day.

The club features a mix of all forms of jazz, and recent international headliners include Ramsey Lewis, Terence Blanchard Quintet, Regina Carter, John Scofield, Gerald Clayton Trio and Scott Hamilton (the three latter performed on Diana Krall’s epic Live at the Olympic disc) and up-and-comers like The Kyle Eastwood Band (check out Clint’s son on video). There’s a reason why Paris is known for its light and its jazz.

Catch many fine performances on the Duc des Lombards’ video channel on YouTube

42, rue des Lombards, Paris 1st

Étoile Jazz Club AKA Lionel Hamptonat Le Méridien Étoile, Paris 17th

If you’re staying closer to the Étoile, a perfect last stop for the evening is the Le Méridien Étoile’s Jazz Club, also known as the Lionel Hampton Jazz Club. Its décor is more elegant than some of Paris’s down, out and under destinations with a beat. It feels more like a cocktail lounge, but don’t fear: it attracts some very good talent. If you’re hungry, you can take a brief mental exodus to Japan and order some sushi.

People from the world over follow the music. However, because of Le Méridien’s location on the edge of the 17^th across the street from one of the main Paris conference centers at Porte Maillot, only three métro stops from La Défense, where many multinational headquarters are based, the Lionel Hampton Jazz Club is a hangout for many who come to Paris on business. After all, everyone needs a respite after dark.

81, boulevard Gouvion Saint-Cyr, Paris 17th

PHOTO CREDITS: Roy Hargrove at New Morning publicity photo; Duc des Lombards publicity photo by ©Ph Marchin; Ben Sidran and band at SUNSIDE-SUNSET ©LR; Regina Carter at Duc des Lombards publicity photo by ©Ph Marchin; and Étoile Jazz Club publicity photo.

It hit home the other day when returning to Paris from Lyon on the SNCF French national rail network. We had trouble finding our assigned voiture N° 1 (car #1) because it was located in the middle of the train instead of at an end. We weren’t alone; other people were racing from one end of the platform to the other, hoping the train wouldn’t pull out of the station without them. It’s conducive to that good old adrenalin rush, but who needs it.

For the sake of brevity, I’ll assume you’ve already purchased your tickets and we’ll start with arriving at typical French gare (rail station).

French rail tip #1: arrive 30+ minutes before your scheduled departure

The name of your station is printed on your ticket; show that to your driver so there’s no confusion about which station you need to get to. Plan to arrive at the train station 30 minutes or more before your scheduled departure time—SNCF advises that the larger the station, the earlier you should arrive. Be aware that the French trains usually depart on time and they will not wait for you.

Definitely allow extra time for departures from Gare de Lyon in Paris, which can be especially confusing because it has different levels with tracks that are identified by both numbers and letters. Trains going to Provence are supposed to leave from tracks identified by letters . . . but you may head to one part of the station only to find your train is leaving from the other section. Even though it can’t be true, this station always feels as if it’s under construction. If you allow even more extra time, head up the stairs to the bar at Le Train Bleu. You can have a tea or drink and a snack in the Belle Époque bar that will cost you, but it’s surely one of the world’s most opulent train station restaurants.

#2: check the departure board for your departure platform

Check the board to confirm your assigned platform and then allow a few minutes more reach the quai (platform) from which your train departs. Navigating your way through the crowds on busy days can be problematic in some large stations, especially if you haven’t allowed enough time and are toting baggage. Make certain you’re on the correct side of the platform to head in your desired direction.

#3: validate your ticket before boarding, just to be safe

You will be expected to composter (validate) your own ticket with a time-stamp punch at a self-service ticket validation machine usually located in several places, such as at the start of the quai, on the platform, in the waiting area. Look for the yellow validator that reads: “‘Compostez votre billet” or “Compostage de billet.”  Modern ticket validators are usually yellow, or in some cases orange. Sometimes—but not always—a directional sign (often small) is posted up high on a pole above the machine. Punch your ticket at the first one you see.

Certain tickets purchased directly from the SNCF site can be printed at home. If you have one of those, you won’t need to validate it in the machine—just be prepared to show your ID to the contrôleur (control agent) along with your printed ticket.

#4: find your numbered 1st or 2nd class car, then your numbered seats

Your ticket notes your departure number, assigned car and seat. The ticket above is a 1st class ticket for Car 3, Seat 101.

Look at the outside of the car for a number 1 or 2, then look for your specific car, then enter to find your seat.

If the car has a large #2 painted on its side, that’s probably because it’s second-class. Be certain to look at the little glass panel next to the door to identify the number of the car.

All TGV passengers purchase assigned seats. Don’t be surprised if you arrive to find someone in it. It’s no sin to try to find more space, and when the train isn’t full, some people move into what they hope will be an unsold seat. Don’t hesitate to ask the person seated in your seat to move, but smile when you do because they know they’re in the wrong.

#5. be prepared to show your ticket to the contrôleur (conductor)

During your trip, a contrôleur walks car-to-car during service to confirm all riders have tickets. If you forgot or didn’t have time to validate your ticket before boarding, find the contrôleur before s/he finds you. More than likely, you won’t be fined if you explain you didn’t see the machine that time-stamps the ticket. Believe it or not, some people have been known to use the ticket a second time if they can get away with it. No one I know, but it happens.

There are other perils to contend with if your travel requires you to continue on to your destination by the métro or the RER, the commuter trains.

For example, during my recent trip, a very savvy New Yorker, who is just fine on his home turf, might have become unraveled had he been alone. Joe was headed to a friend’s Paris home with instructions to call her portable (cell phone) when he arrived in Paris. That’s easier said than done. Try locating a telephone in a station when it’s overflowing with people running for trains. It’s possible but not simple.

After he called his friend on my cell phone and wrote down the directions to reach his friend in St Germain-en-Laye, it was only polite to help him find the RER—which required that he exit first at La Défense. Because he was traveling an extra zone, it wasn’t a question of handing him a métro ticket and sending him on his way. No, he’d have to buy another ticket, which was also easier said than done.

The machine didn’t accept coins nor did it accept a credit card without a smart chip. I was able to bail him out of his dilemma—but wondered whether or not he actually was able to team up with his friend. Did he take the correct exit and what if she weren’t there to greet him? To be sure, he’d find someone else to call her. The French are amazingly nice to people in distress.

My mind kept churning about what he should have done and what tourists can do if there’re in any country where they don’t speak the language, much less know the customs. It can be overwhelming if you aren’t prepared.

Thanks to the Internet, people can familiarize themselves with almost everything and certainly information about a country’s transport system before leaving home. Joe could have asked his hostess for more details in advance—or she could have anticipated his challenges and offered more information about their meeting place. Both could have accessed the Paris RATP site to do advance planning. Buying a ticket would require standing in line but is totally doable.

Another thought—tourists should travel with a cell phone in case of emergencies . . . but that’s another story for another time.

Photo credits: Gare du Nord Departure Board. Photo: L. Willms, Wikipedia; SNCF control agents. Photo: Orayan; and other images from SNCF.

© Paris New Media, LLC

When you’re looking for a special gift from Paris, you can go to always go to Baccarat and leave the boutique with a comme il faut cadeau. It’s hard to find much wrong in the world of crystal. On the other hand, leaded and hand-blown glass doesn’t come cheap and you may blow your entire budget with one small item.

If you’re not out to break the bank and simply want a small something that says “I care” or “thank you,” or a tiny remembrance of your Paris trip, one of many places you can visit is the the grandest gourmet grocery in Paris, La Grande Épicerie de Paris at Le Bon Marché on the Left Bank. It’s a short walk from St. Sulpice, the Luxembourg Garden and St. Germain-des-Prés.

One of the things that makes the Bon Marché special is you can go around the world without leaving the store. People who set foot inside it for the first time invariably have this amazed and dazed look as if they’ve entered the temple of haute cuisine delicacies.

The entire ground floor of the large store is stocked with packaged and fresh food items. Most are upscale, gourmet products, but there are also seasonal and trendy novelty items. When I visited, the store was promoting its “So London” section of foods from the UK, like Marmite and teas. Unless you’re in Paris for an extended stay, run—don’t just walk—past the UK and American foods sections, where homesick travelers can buy marshmallow fluff and strange brands of peanut butter at inflated prices.

You can easily spend hundreds (or thousands) of your hard-earned euros here, but my mission was to find small, easily toted items priced under 35 euros that make nice souvenirs or gifts for those who did not journey with you.

Before you buy, check this list of foods you may import into the US for personal consumption. Commercially packaged and sealed candies, condiments, spices, coffee and teas are generally ok. Bulk teas and spices, etc., are subject to inspection and if they are found to have insects, they may be seized and destroyed, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection folks who greet you on home soil.

Caviar and Foie Gras

Starting with the best, depending on your tastes and budget, head for the decadent and perhaps not so politically correct counter where the caviar is housed as if it were gold. There were stacked tins of the very best, but the colorful portable tins of Kaviari caviar-to-go were certainly unique novelties. Slide back the lid and find a tiny caviar spoon with 15 grams of top quality caviar. Ingenious and comparatively affordable at 35 euros. Or try a small pot of Kaspia sturgeon caviar for 10 euros—yes, 140 grams is one of those small pleasures meant to be savored, not inhaled.

Then there’s the foie gras, presented in various sizes and forms that allow you to prepare it in your favorite way.

Baker’s decorations for cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more

Cupcakes are still a craze in Paris (though the fad may be fading) and your friends who enjoy baking will love receiving jars of sprinkles, candied violets and toppings that will make any dessert look more festive. People have been known to sprinkle them over ice cream that’s been drizzled with a tiny bit of liqueur.

For tea and coffee drinkers

Tea—glorious tea. The afternoon ritual of sipping tea is so civilized that even your friends who aren’t necessarily Francophiles will appreciate a lovely tin of loose tea. Add a tea strainer if you like, and if you’re putting on the Ritz, two teacups and some scones or macarons will make them feel as if they’ve gone English. Skip the scones if you’re buying Chinese tea. Five tins of Kusmi Tea in five flavors costs less than 20 euros. And for the  coffee drinkers? A box of milk chocolate spoons by Daniel Mercier that add chocolatey goodness to coffee (under 10 euros) and a pair of Grande Épicerie mugs adorned with their whimsical brand characters (under 20 euros).

Fancy oils and flavored vinegar

Vinegar is available in so many flavors that it make us wonder how we ever lived without raspberry vinegar and other distinct flavors of vinegar. Ditto for olive oils. Dedicated cooks know that there are olive oils and then there are olive oils—those that are substantially more pure, lighter and, sometimes, fruitier than others. And did you know olive oils come in different grades? No self-respecting Italian at a street market would buy a liter of olive oil without sampling it first. Here you’ll find high-quality nut oils, truffle oil and oils that are better than the kind you throw on a salad before calling it a day, including the spray-on Provençal olive oil by Château d’Estoublon priced at 15 euros.

Mustards, sauces and jellies

Think a wee bit out of the box when buying gifts. For example, most people have a jar or two of mustard. Add to their pantry by giving them some out-of-the-ordinary ones. There’s an incredible selection that might inspire you to get a different flavor for every day of the week. The jar of Maison de la Truffe mustard with truffle flavoring, orange sauce by Tour d’Argent and Cassis Violette confiture by Carla are all priced below 10 euros.

Sugar, spice and flavorings

You’ll find aisles of spices, salts and sugars in every conceivable flavor and color. There was an entire section devoted to salt: red or black from Hawaii, grey from Guérande and some with truffle flavoring. Many people swear that truffle salt can make or break a beef dish. Some bottles start at just 6 euros and go up from there.

The French have perfected packaging and a couple of bottles or tins really make a favorable impression. And on that note . . ..

For the foodie with everything

These days salt is collected like gold. For your foodie friend (or perhaps it’s you?) with everything, how about a Himalayan diamond of salt with its own grater? For a price of under 10 euros, it’s a memorable and uncommon gift.

Chocolates and fancy candies

To end on a sweet note, La Grande Épicerie has a selection of chocolates and candies that can give you a sugar high just by glancing at them. We’re not talking just chocolate in every form but cocoa, spreads, drinks, crystallized gingers and so much more. If you’re a chocolate addict and can’t make it to France, you can order handmade, small batch French chocolates from our very favorite chocolate supplier, zChocolat.

Sweets for the sweet, as they say.

One of the nice things about buying French food gifts is that they’re always appreciated, always attractive and now you know where to go to find the very best without spending a small fortune.

If you’ve spent any time in France, you’re fully aware that packaging can make or break a gift and help it look more important.  Even if you’re not in France and aren’t buying items pour offrir, add some ribbons and panache to your presents. It takes so little time and makes a difference.

La Grande Épicerie de Paris

in Le Bon Marché

Tél: 01 4439 8100

38, rue de Sèvres, Paris 7th

Open: 8:30am-9pm Monday through Saturday

Métro: Sèvres-Babylone

© Paris New Media, LLC

Photo credits: Saif al-Islam

Cozy up at some of my favorite Left Bank live music clubs. There’s something for everyone and you’ll see a different side of Paris than if you never left the Louvre.

Before you go, check event calendars for schedules, hours and cover charges because all change, as live entertainment venues tend to do.

La Closerie des Lilas, Paris 6th

You may know La Closerie des Lilas as one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite haunts, where the literati of the Golden Age of Paris (à la Midnight in Paris) gathered. What you may not know is that it’s not only a restaurant, but has a hot and hopping piano bar that features a mix of every music genre, including jazz standards and ballads late at night. It’s open seven days a week.

Drinks aren’t cheap, but you’re paying for the ambiance and a place to see and be seen. This isn’t a kid’s scene: the people who frequent La Closerie (many of them are regulars) tend to be older. Women alone don’t stay alone for very long unless they want to and that’s fine.

La Closerie des Lilas

Tél: 01 4051 3450

171, blvd Montparnasse, Paris 6th

Métro: Vavin

RER: Port-Royal

Brasserie: open 12pm-1am daily

Bar: 11pm-1:30am daily

Swan Bar, American Jazz Bar, Paris 6th

If you’re into jazz and blues, walk a few doors down to the Swan Bar, an excellent venue for New York-style jazz featuring a varied selection of performing artists. Owner Lionel Bloom is a New Yorker, so if you feel nervous about speaking French, there’s zero need to feel intimidated here. Tuesday and Wednesday nights are open stage nights and there’s a whole lot of participation. Don’t tell, but there’s a downstairs room where smoking is allowed. Be ready to be transported back to the ’30s because that’s ever so much in vogue now.

The Swan Bar

Tél.: 1 4427 0584

165, boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris 6th

Métro: Raspail, Vavin

RER: Port Royal

2 nightly sets: 7:30pm and 9:30pm Tuesdays through Saturdays

“Round Midnight” set  Midnight-2am Fridays and Saturdays

Open stage 9:30pm Wednesdays

Caveau de la Huchette, Paris 5th

Hunker on down and go to Caveau de la Huchette, a jazz and swing institution for over 60 years. Located in a cellar in the Paris 5th, this building is filled with history that includes 18th-century executions. There are few jazz greats who haven’t passed through its doors and it’s been compared to the Cotton Club. People who like to dance can dance the night away in tight underground quarters. Even though music aficionados have been known to be smokers, it’s probably better that smoking isn’t allowed because if nothing else, you couldn’t emerge without smelling like a cigarette.

VIDEO: vocalist Marc Thomas and band

Caveau de la Huchette

Tél: 01 4326 6505

5, rue de la Huchette, Paris 5th

Métro: Saint-Michel; Pont Neuf

Open nightly at 9:30pm

Le Petit Journal Montparnasse, Paris 14th

Another Left Bank jazz and dinner club for jazz lovers is Le Petit Journal Montparnasse, located only a couple of blocks from the Gare de Montparnasse. It’s larger (and less elegant) than some Paris jazz clubs, but the club hosts performances by international jazz stars that draw audience from France and beyond. Le Petit Journal Montparnasse swings with some fabulous performances and French connoisseurs say they’ve heard some music greats perform here before they’ve reached stardom. During the summer, people gravitate there for apéritifs and piano music that takes place on the restaurant’s terrace.

Be sure to check program listings at the website because the club presents an incredible variety of performances and some will appeal more to you than others.

Le Petit Journal Montparnasse

Tél: 01 4321 5889

13, rue du Commandant Mouchotte, Paris 14th

Métro: Gaîté

Open: officially 8pm-2am but hours vary; concerts usually start at 8pm with 2 sets some nights

Café Laurent piano bar, Paris 6th

If you prefer to begin or end an evening with considerably quieter music, Café Laurent might be more to your liking.  Located in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés at Hôtel d’Aubusson, this is a lounge where people go to listen to music and have quiet conversations. Don’t stare, but chances are you’ll even spot some elegantly dressed lovers holding hands before going upstairs or simply saying bonne nuit.

VIDEO: six-minute clip captures the scene

Café Laurent

Tél: 01 4329 0333

33, rue Dauphine, Paris 6^th

at Hôtel d’Aubusson

Métro: Odéon or Pont Neuf

Piano jazz soloist 6:30-8pm nightly

Jazz concerts 9pm-midnight

These are just five Left Bank live music clubs. There are many others, some of which come and go with lightning speed. Some people consider Paris a city of monuments while others come here to feel the beat.

PHOTO CREDITS: La Closerie des Lilas, ©Les Depots Rive Gauche; The Swan Bar publicity photo; Caveau de la Huchette, ©nicholasduportal; Le Petit Journal publicity photo.