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VISIT PARIS DIFFERENTLY

Here are our tips for getting off the beaten track, meeting another Paris, visiting with Parisians and bringing back other memories:

• The Parisian  Greeters offer a subjective discovery of their neighborhood through personalised tours.
• PariSolidari-thé organises solidarity treasure hunts in several districts of Paris, including that of the Zazie Hotel, but also discovery workshops or visits-meetings. Tailor-made to discover urban and citizen initiatives.
• Ça se visite offers alternative tours of Paris and its inner suburbs: unusual encounters, pedestrian and scooter rallies, day or night, in the spirit of participatory, fair and united tourism.
• The Fresh street Art Tour takes fans and amateurs around Street Art, stencil and graffiti: take a curious and attentive look at the walls of Paris.
• The Explore Paris platform offers a vast program of visits to be booked online, available throughout the year, on original themes that gives priority to meeting locals: know-how, gastronomy, activities by the river, visit of special neighborhoods ...
• And for an even wide reaching Paris, Enlarge your Paris takes you beyond the ring road.
• Paris on foot is even better: check out our hiking suggestions in the Move section.

PARIS ESSENTIALS

The main Parisian sights are close to the Zazie and you can purchase normal or skip-the-line tickets at Paris Visitors Bureau.

• The Eiffel Tower Tower. Access to the transparent floor on the 1st floor and the 2nd floor is on foot or by lift. In both cases, to avoid queues of sometimes several hours, it is advisable to book in advance, directly on the Eiffel Tower site. If tickets are not available, Zazie offers last-minute skip-the-line access, with a guide, from € 35.
• The great museums. To get there without delay, ask for skip-the-line tickets at Paris Visitors Bureau or straight to each museum. During your visit to the Louvre Museum, take a walk in the Tuileries gardens, where the Jeu de Paume and the Orangery museums are located, and in the Gardens of the Palais Royal, behind the Comédie Française. And after the Orsay Museum, come back via the banks of the Seine.
• Notre Dame, Ile Saint-Louis, the Marais. This is a stroll in the historic heart of Paris. Do not miss the Towers of Notre-Dame, the Place des Vosges, the Sainte Chapelle and the Conciergerie.
• The Champs Elysées. Get there directly from the Zazie by metro line 1, "with an open heart to the unknown" as one famous song goes… but keep your handbag tightly closed!
• Montmartre is also accessible directly by metro line 2 from the Nation station for an unforgettable panoramic view of Paris, in all seasons.
• Are you a fan of museums and sightseeing? You might consider the Paris Museum Pass, for 2, 4 or 6 days: it gives you access to more than 50 museums and monuments of Paris and Ile-de-France. Information and reservations at the Paris Visitors Bureau.

WITH CHILDREN

• Bercy Gardens and the Cinémathèque Française (and its cinema museum), the Cour Saint-Emilion (and its restaurants and cinemas) and above all the  Fairground Arts Museum with its romantic old carousels.
• The Jardin des Plantes with the Great Evolution Gallery – part of the Museum of Natural History.
• The Palais de la Porte Dorée, a magnificent Art Deco complex, which houses the Immigration Museum and the Tropical Aquarium (direct to Porte Dorée metro station by line 8).
• The Bois de Vincennes, with Lake Daumesnil (for canoeing), the Parc Floral, the Château de Vincennes and of course the Zoo of Vincennes. Accessible by Bus 46 (rue de Reuilly) or metro line 8.
• La Coulée verte (green suspended trail), above the Viaduct of Arts, 4.5 km of green walk set on the old Bastille railway line to the Bois de Vincennes, with the Reuilly garden under the footbridge, ideal for a picnic or a snack.
• The Canal Saint-Martin, which flows underground from Bastille up then opens in its northern part, to be followed on foot, by bike or by boat with Canauxrama from the Arsenal dock.

SHOPPING IN PARIS

The best shopping experience is one which combines strolling through the most beautiful districts and discovering unique boutiques.

• The Marais district allows you to combine historical visits and shops (at Bastille or Saint-Paul metro on line 1). Here, shopping comes in two trends: Vintage and fair-trade or creation and concept stores, around the rue des Francs Bourgeois, between rue Saint-Antoine and Grands Boulevards.
• Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where the intellectual gratin now binds with the quintessence of luxury: between the boulevard Saint-Germain and the Seine, from Odéon to the rue du Bac.
• Around the very central Forum des Halles (Direct from line 1), renovated shops and architectural effect. This is the opportunity to go for a walk in three contrasting streets: rue Montorgueil, the latest trend in Food Market, rue Saint-Denis more "specialized" (still remembering its past as a red-light district), or the chic and always trendy rue Saint-Honoré.
• Every weekend, it’s treasure hunting in the huge Saint-Ouen Flea Market or the more intimate Puces de Vanves.
• The department stores are part of the Paris legend: on the Right Bank, you will find the Printemps with its terrace and the
• Galeries Lafayettes with its stain-glass dome; on the Left Bank is the very elegant Bon Marché and its famous large grocery store; and on the banks of the Seine, the freshly refurbished art deco Samaritaine has just reopened its doors.
• Shopping addict? Set for the Val d'Europe shopping center, near Marne la Vallée Disneyland (Direct via RER A), which offers all the major clothing brands at discount prices.