Insight Guides City Guide Paris

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight
• eBook ISBN: 9781786710352
• Edition: 14
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Insight City Guide Paris is a full-colour, comprehensive travel guide to one of the world's favourite cities. Paris has so much to offer that it's impossible to see everything; Insight City Guide Paris helps you prioritise with its Best Of Paris feature highlighting the blockbuster attractions and its Editor's Choice recommendationsfor where and when to enjoy the bestfood and cafes, festivals and shopping.

The many Features on culture and history give you a real understanding of the city and its people, covering topics such as architecture, caf life, Paris at the Movies, Paris After Dark,as well as the cabaret scene, and thereare lavish Photo Features on iconic sights such as the Centre Pompidou, the Louvre and the Arc deTriomphe.
The Places chapters cover every neighbourhood,from the ancient Ile de la Cit to themaze of narrow streets around Montmartre and ultra-modern La Dfense, while the Trips out of Town chapter suggests interesting day trips within easy reach of the city.
Detailed, full-colour maps throughout the bookhelp you navigate the city with confidence, and the Travels Tips at the end offer selective, independent reviews of hotels and restaurants to guide you to the best and most authentic establishments.

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides has over 40 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce around 400 full-color print guide books and maps as well as picture-packed eBooks to meet different travelers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture together create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

'Insight Guides has spawned many imitators but is still the best of its type.' - Wanderlust Magazine

Understanding the Language

General

French is the native language of more than 90 million people and the acquired language of 190 million. It is a Romance language descended from the Vulgar Latin spoken by the Roman conquerors of Gaul. It still carries the reputation of being the most cultured language in the world and the most beautiful. People often tell stories about the impatience of the French towards foreigners who do not attempt to speak their language. In general, however, if you attempt to communicate with them in French, they will appreciate it and may even overcome their reluctance to respond in English.

Since much of the English vocabulary is related to French, thanks to the Norman Conquest in 1066, travellers will often recognise many helpful cognates: words such as hôtel, café and bagages hardly need to be translated. You should be aware, however, of some misleading “false friends” (faux amis), words that look like English words but mean something different.

le car coach, also railway carriage

le conducteur bus driver

personne can mean either person or nobody, depending on the context.

The Alphabet

Learning the pronunciation of the French alphabet is a good idea. In particular, learn how to spell out your name.

a = ah, b = bay, c = say, d = day, e = uh, f = ef, g = zhay, h ...

Table of contents

• How To Use This E-Book
• Paris’s Top 10 Attractions
• Editor’s Choice
• Introduction: A City for All Seasons
• Parisiens, Parisiennes
• Decisive Dates
• The Making of Paris
• Architecture
• Paris on a Plate
• Insight: Chic Shopping
• Insight: The Market Scene
• Insight: Paris After Dark
• Insight: Paris at the Movies
• Introduction: Orientation
• Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis
• Insight: Notre-Dame de Paris
• The Marais
• Beaubourg and Les Halles
• Insight: Centre Pompidou
• The Louvre and Quartier des Tuileries
• Insight: The Louvre
• Grands Boulevards and Champs-Elysées
• Insight: The Arc de Triomphe
• Montmartre
• Insight: Cabaret Life
• Bastille and East Paris
• The Latin Quarter and St Germain-des-Prés
• Insight: Jardin du Luxembourg
• Montparnasse and Beyond
• The Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides
• Insight: The Eiffel Tower
• Insight: Musée d’Orsay
• Paris Parks
• Insight: La Défense
• Disneyland Paris
• Trips out of Town
• Insight: Versailles
• Transport
• A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information
• Understanding the Language
• Further Reading
• Paris Street Atlas