Paris – where to eat, drink & shop:

Eating out The French are famous worldwide for their culinary expertise, and Paris more than fits the bill for those of you with a real taste for food.

There are great cafes and restaurants in every nook and cranny all over the city, but we found a good concentration of excellent places to eat just between the Centre Pompidou and the Forum des Halles, and there’s also a load of stylish spots in the Le Marais area.

Of course there are less formal places everywhere that knock out decent baguette rolls and hot paninis if it’s something rapid that your after, and those of you with a sweet tooth would do well to head to one of the crepe stalls for a sugary delight.

Nightlife

Paris takes on a new life after dark. The variety of things to do and see is enormous, and there’s everything from smokin’jazz joints to techno superclubs. You’ll find trendy bars, clubs and pubs in many corners of the city, but Montmartre, home to the famous windmills of the Moulin Rouge, is a very popular spot for a big night out. Marais, also home to some fine restaurants, is another place awash with suave bars, whilst the Oberkampf is the place where a largely younger crowd go to drink into the night.

For those of you of a slightly quieter disposition there’s nothing more relaxing than an enchanting stroll along the River Seine by night. All the monuments along the banks light up to bathe the area in a gentle hue and the illuminated Eiffel Tower stands majestically on the Parisian night sky.

Shopping Shopaholics will be in paradise here as the French capital is famous the world over for it’s retail options.

Head for the Champs Elysées for a massive range of excellent shops, or make your way for the Boulevard Haussmann where you’ll find the enormous Galeries Lafayette store - here you can get pretty much anything.

Le Bon Marche is another good spot for shoppers, there’s a good range of shops in this centre and a lovely open topped garden area on the roof where you can relax with a coffee after a hard day of retail therapy!

There are stalls and markets all over the city but the old gates is home to one of the best. Head over here as you never know what you might find and you’re sure to hustle a bargain.

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