1.
Figures- Population- Surface
Paris, which
has a population of 2.125.246 inhabitants, is the capital
of France and is located on both sides of the River Seine.
Paris is part of the so-called “Île-de-France”
( the Island of France) formed by the outskirts of Paris.
Paris itself has a surface of 105 km2 which reach a total
of 12.001 km2 including the outskirts. The total population
is over 10 million inhabitants.
2. Brief historical
data.
Paris is supposed
to have been founded by the Gauls who had settled on the left
bank of the River Seine. After the Roman Conquest in the first
century B.C., the town of the “ parisii” was called
“Lutèce”. To protect themselves from numerous
barbarian threats, the original settlement kept moving along
the “Île-de-la-Cité”, until it started
growing in the shape of a spiral from the river bank and adopted
the name of Paris. Two centuries later, the Roman Empire fell
and Christianism was installed. Paris was Christianized in
the fifth century and ever since, churches, chapels, abbies,
etc. were built, demolished and rebuilt every time more beautiful
and impressive till they reached their maximum splendour in
the Gothic Period.
3. Euros.
Euro is the
currency in France, as well as in eleven other countries of
the European Community that have signed the Euro treaty. The
banknotes are identical in all the countries and their designs
show different European architectonic styles from Antiquity
to Modern Times. There are seven banknotes (5,10, 20, 50,
100, 200 and 500 euros) after the seven main architectural
styles. Each note is of a different colour and the front of
the banknote depicts gates, windows and doors that symbolize
the openness of Europe, and on the other side there are bridges
that represent the closeness and communication between the
people of Europe. The EU flag framed by a crown of 12 stars
and set on a map of the continent symbolizes European dynamism
and harmony.
Coins share
the same design on the back, where the value is indicated
(1 and 2 euros; 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 euro cents) but the
design of the front is exclusive to each country.
You will find
more information at www.monnaiedeparis.fr the website of the
“Monnaie de Paris” or at www.euro.gouv.fr the
website of the Ministery of Finance. You will be able to see
there the description of all the banknotes and coins.
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4. France/
Regions.
France is a
country ruled by a republican, presidential and parliamentary
government. It used to be completely centralized but this
is slowly changing after the decentralization law in 1982,
which granted political powers to the different regions.
France is divided into 22 regions which are formed by a total
of 96 departments. Besides, there are also 4 overseas departments
called “departements d’Outre mer”(DOM) and
“territoires d’Outre mer” (TOM)
Each French
region has a very well marked identity because of its geographic
conditions and history that can be appreciated even nowadays.
This fact offers the country an exceedingly important cultural
and human richness. It is impossible to confuse “ la
Bretagne” with “la Corse” or “la Provence”.
This is also noticed in relation to food. For example, each
kind of cheese belongs to one specific region and is supposed
to go with wines of the same region.
This turns out to be very interesting for all foreigners who
never manage to discover all the details. Here’s a tip
to consider: if you do not have the time to travel around
France, you could go to the Exhibition of the Agriculture
in Paris , which is open every February and where you will
not only find the products of all French regions but will
also be able to taste them. Yummy!
5. The city of Paris/ The “Arrondissements”
Paris is divided in halves by the River Seine: the “Rive
Droite” ( the Right Bank), where the financial centre
is , and the “Rive Gauche” ( the Left Bank), which
has always been considered as the bohemians and artists’
sector. Paris is formed by 20 “arrondissements”
which function autonomously, that is to say, each has its
own mayor and council.
The 1st Arrondissement is the real core of the city. It is
next to the Seine on the “Rive Droite” and the
other arrondissements develop around it clock-wise in the
shape of a spiral.
Each arrondissement
has its own characteristics and history and, of course, each
has more agreeable places to live in than others. The same arrondissement
undergoes incredible changes from one street to the next; it
is as if there were many “mini neighbourhoods”.
For those visitors who come from the American continent, where
distances are huge, it is also surprising to see important geographical
and climatological changes in a matter of few kilometres.
6. Buildings
The typical
parisian building usually has six floors; some have five or
seven. This height allows to see the sky which is a great
satisfaction for the sight, although there are often grey
and clouded days. Nevertheless, one easily forgives Paris
its grey skies and wet days as soon as the sun pops out in
a splendid blue sky. But let’s go back to the subject
of buildings, which carry traces of different styles: haussmannian,
recent or modern. The haussmannian buildings were mainly built
in the XIX century and derive their name from Baron Haussmann,
who was the “Prefect” of the Police in Paris during
Napoleon III’s term of office (1853-1870). Baron Haussmann
gave the city the looks it still has . A strong legislation
takes care of the image of the city so as not to lose its
characteristic style. A large number of buildings keep their
façade but their interiors have been remodelled completely
with the exception of parquet floors, high decorated ceilings
and fireplaces (nowadays fireplaces use gas or electricity)
that are not touched.
In these buildings
it is not common to find built-in wardrobes or cupboards.
Some might have a small room, like a changing room, to keep
things in. The apartments are large and usually have a cellar
where you can keep things. They also have a special room for
bicycles. It is not common to find parking places within a
building but some may have a “court intérieur”-
a kind of courtyard that is usually charming.
The height
of the ceiling diminishes as you go up the stairs. In older
times, the wealthy and the nobility lived on the second floor,
high enough for the mud of the streets not to reach them and
relatively accessible by the stairs. Even now, a large number
of buildings does not have lifts although more buildings every
day start remodelling their stairs to make room for “mini-lifts”
with reduced capacity, just for two or three people.
You will usually
see that there are balconies on the second and fifth floors.
These are the well-known French balconies that are not big
enough to put a table to eat outside but can contain several
flower pots and even a small chair to sit in the sun.
The flats on the ground floor are usually less expensive and
that is why the concierge lives in one of them. In older times,
maids and other domestic helpers, used to live in small rooms
called “chambre de bonne” in the upper floors.
These rooms have been remodelled into small independent “studios”
covering all basic needs but, believe it or not, tiny flats
sharing a toilet in the corridor, as in the old days, and
not declared for rent are offered to foreigners arriving in
Paris.
The buildings of the “recent” style were built
after the Second World War, especially in the fifties and
sixties. They do not have a proper acoustic isolation.
The so-called
modern buildings are the ones that are built nowadays but
it is not easy to find them for rent in the real estate market
because proprietors prefer to live there themselves.
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7. Public Transport
Public transport
in Paris and Île-de-France can be considered one of
the best in Europe, but you might not find it very agreeable
if you have to spend an hour and a half for your daily trip
to work and back home, locked in the metro (underground/ subway)
or in the RER (suburban trains). Anyway, the metro reaches
every corner within Paris and you will never have more than
ten minutes’ walk from the metro entrance to your place.
Besides it is really so simple to use that if you do not know
the city well, we strongly recommend it because you can’t
lose your way in it.
The other possibility
is to use buses which are far more agreeable but take you
more time to reach a place and usually finish their service
quite early ( about eight or nine in the evening). In a couple
of years buses might become a faster service because the new
policy in Paris fosters inhabitants to use public transport.
In fact, they have already started building special busways
or lanes on main streets and avenues to improve the mobility
of buses and taxis while hindering that of private cars.
The RATP is
an organization that coordinates the buses, the underground
network and the RER (Suburban fast trains) and is formed by
underground express lines that go to the outskirts of the
city.
The Metro comprises 15 interconnected lines, each of them
known by a number, while RER provides five lines (from A to
E). Both services are available every day from 5:30 a.m. to
0:30 a.m.
Within the city of Paris there is a bus service with lines
numbered from 20 to 96 . They run from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Only a few bus services run on Sundays, public holidays and
at night (from 8:30 p.m. to 0:30 a.m.)
The bus service in the outskirts of the city has three-numbered
lines while there are also PC buses that run only along the
suburbs next to the boundaries of the city and stop at every
door (Porte).
A ticket is 1,30 euros worth and you can use it for the metro,
RER 1 and 2, or the bus, but you will pay less if you buy
them by tens. It is important to keep the ticket to the end
of your ride because it might be required by inspectors at
any moment.
It is also important to know that you can get a “Carte
Orange” which is a weekly or monthly personal pass for
all the public transport in the city. Transport fares in Île-de-France
change according to seven different zones. If you only need
to travel within Paris, then you will have to buy zone 1 and
2 tickets.
Having this pass, you can travel by metro and all buses as
many times as you wish. Another advantage is that firms usually
pay half the value of the Carte Orange for their employees.
Anyway, it is advantageous to have it if you need to travel
daily both ways. Also, when you buy it for the first time,
do not forget to ask for the coupon to fill in your personal
data and stick your photograph. Inspectors will not overlook
any missing details. For students there is another pass, called
“Carte Imaginaire”, which has an annual validity
and a very reasonable price.
More information at www.ratp.fr, a very useful site with an
English version.
Taxis.
Fares for all the taxis of the city are regulated by the Préfecture
de Paris. If you call a taxi by telephone, they will charge
you all the way from their agency to your place. You should
know that fares may be higher at night and on public holidays.
Also, you will be charged more if you have a fourth passenger
or if you take the taxi at a station or have luggage with
you.
The main taxi agencies are:
Alpha Taxis: 01 45 85 85 85
Taxis Bleus: 0 891 70 10 10 www.taxis-bleus.com
G7: 01 47 39 47 39
Trains.
All trains belong to the SNCF( Société Nationale
des Chemins de Fer Français). These trains connect
the suburbs with all the train stations in Paris, either with
national or international destination. Trains going to the
north ( England, by the famous Eurostar; Belgium and Holand,
by Thalys, etc.) depart from the Gare du Nord. Trains going
to the east leave from Gare de l’Est, to the southeast
from Gare du Lyon, to Italy from Gare de Bercy, to the southeast
from Gare d’Austerlitz (except the TGV Atlantique and
Bordeaux that leave from Gare de Montparnasse together with
the trains that go to the west), to the northwest from Gare
St Lazare.
France’s train service is impeccable and will allow
you to cross all the country in a few hours travelling by
TGV at more than 270 km per hour. You will have to validate
your tickets in the orange devices before getting on the train.
You will be fined if you don’t. More information at
www.sncf.com
Airports.
There are two main airports near Paris:
1) Roissy-Charles de Gaulle( CDG) on the north of the city,
where most international flights, with a few exceptions, arrive
and depart. It is about 23 km from downtown and you can take
the RER B which will take you to Chatelet, in the centre of
Paris, in about 25-30 minutes. You can also take the Roissybus
that will drive you to Opéra in 45 minutes or more
if it is the rush hour. Airfrance also has buses that take
you to the Place de L’ Etoile.
2) Orly, on the south of Paris, has mainly domestic flights
but also a few international flights, especially to Spain.
Orly is at 14 km from the centre of Paris and you can get
there by various ways: you can take the RER B that goes south
until you reach Antony station where you have to change trains,
this time the Orly-Val that will take you to Orly Sud or Orly
Ouest. There is also an Orlybus that connects Orly with the
Denfert-Rochereau Metro and Rer station. You will need at
least 30 minutes for it. Apart from this, you can also take
the Airfrance bus that takes you to Invalides passing by Montparnasse
and the Porte d’Orléans.
More
information at www.adp.fr
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8.
Some
Embassys in Paris
