Five European Getaways

When the walking gets too much, Paris has a reliable, inexpensive public transportation system to make other cities green with envy. Read up on the history and practicalities of the Paris Metro at discoverfrance.net. The site includes useful travel tips, as well as a guide to certain subway stations that are attractions in their own right. "Paris Visite" is a pass that entitles the holder to unlimited travel on the Metro for a period of 1-5 days. It can be bought online and sent to your U.S. address from the travel site Go to Paris.

In the Seine River sits the Ile de la Cité, the heart of Paris and the birthplace of the city. Celtic tribes settled here some 2,000 years ago. The World Travel Guide gives a brief history of the French capital.

Brush up on your French or learn a few useful phrases with the help of the BBC language pages. They have lessons covering the full spectrum of fluency, and offer all kinds of interactive attractions.

A city so well designed for the idle stroller demands a map and some knowledge of the sights. Paris Info tells you where you can pick up free maps, what to see, and provides a range of helpful information.

If putting together an itinerary doesn't appeal to you, then never fear. The New York Times has compiled 36 hours worth of activities, sightseeing, and soaking up the Paris ambiance.

Magic Paris is an online tour and survival guide, listing the brightest locations in the City of Lights. Go here for handy practical tips, such as how to negotiate the Paris subway economically.

Chicagoan Maren Robinson posted this Amazon list of novels and guides for the English-speaking visitor to Paris, including titles for children as well as adults.

A magazine for English-speaking Parisians, Paris Voice is a source for city news as well as nightlife features, such as the best terraces to occupy on a warm summer evening.

 Parisian restaurants automatically add a 15 percent service charge to your check, but it is customary to leave a little additional change for your server. USA Today explains the etiquette required to make a good impression on the Parisians.

The site Eat in Paris compiles diners' reviews and has a database of 2,200 restaurants that visitors can search according to area, cuisine, price, and ambience (selecting from varied options, such as "romantic" or "gay").

Whether you're a high-end gourmet or an unfussy gourmand, British Sunday newspaper the Observer has picked out somewhere for you to dine in its roundup of Parisian eateries.

For the perfect Parisian dining experience, we think Brasserie Balzar is hard to beat. The restaurant dates back to 1931, is staffed by colorful and dedicated professionals, and was once the haunt of such iconic locals as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.

Adam Gopnik was the New Yorker's resident writer in Paris for five years, a period in which he fell in love with Brasserie Balzar. When a rich entrepreneur bought the brasserie, Gopnik and a group of locals mobilized resistance in the spirit of the French Revolution. His account of the protest, which he named "The Balzar War," appeared in the New Yorker and in the Observer.

According to the critical consensus, and in our humble opinion, Adam Gopnik needn't have worried about Balzar. Travel site Frommer's gives the restaurant, under its new management, a "highly recommended," one-star rating. The clientele may not be of the same intellectual caliber as it was in Sartre's day, but the overall quality is high enough to attract the likes of fashion designers Jean-Paul Gaultier and Mario Testino.

Chef René has six members of his family in the restaurant business: "Three in the dining room and three in the kitchen!" The Balzar's Web site gives readers an insight into the workings of the restaurant, publishes the menu, and allows you to make a reservation online.

To stretch your dollar, you might want to look at this roundup of budget-priced hotels from British Sunday newspaper the Observer.

Explore one of Paris's most popular parks, the Promenade Plantée, where in 1993 an unused section of railway was converted to a walkway surrounded by plants and flowers. Underneath the walkway are shops and craft stores. Learn more about the area from the site France for Visitors.

It's not your typical destination, but Paris has some of the most expansive and fascinating sewer systems in the world, and part of it is open to the public. Learn what famous monarch's remains were allegedly thrown down with the sewage from travel magazine Via, and find out how to get there at the bottom of the article.

It's worth a visit to the museums in Paris dedicated to one artist, like the Picasso Museum or the Musée Rodin, which will make you a connoisseur of the important 19th-century sculptor Auguste Rodin. Learn about the artist and current exhibits from the museum's site. You'll also find hours, pricing, and directions.

On top of modern art gallery the Pompidou Center, Restaurant Georges offers panoramic city views, reasonable prices, and is popular among beautiful people as well as lovers of artistic beauty.

For a slice of U.S. entertainment, there's always Disneyland Paris, just outside the city. You can travel direct between London and Disneyland Paris via the Eurostar.

Virtual Tourist is a user-generated site reviewing all aspects of many destinations worldwide. The quality of the content varies, but some people prefer an amateur's word over that of a professional travel writer.

Time Out online has lists of essential topics--hotels, dining, etc--plus some original headings, such as "best people-watching" and "best dead," a guide to entombed celebrities in Paris.

The Eurostar is a train service running between London's Waterloo Station (and soon King's Cross) and Paris via the Channel Tunnel. Turn up 30 minutes before departure, and travel between cities in under three hours.