(E) Last week, one of my best friends was in Europe for a business trip and on Friday at 9 pm shoot me an e-mail on my BlackBerry asking me for some recommendations about restaurants in Paris since he was planning to spend his weekend there.

Again, this week, another one of my very good friends asked me for some suggestions for her trip to Paris.

Although this blog is about technology and business…”Une fois n’est pas coutume”…so if you are for business or pleasure in Europe…here it is…

What to see, what to do, where to eat over a weekend or a few days in Paris. And, please enjoy “Une ratatouille Nicoise”.

Arc De Triumphe, Etoile, Le Louvre & Opera

Walk along the Champs Elysees up to the Place de la Concorde. Visit the Art Galeries. Check out the new vibrant perfume shop: Sephora.

Have a drink (outside) on the Champs Elysees at the Fouquet, 99 av Champs Elysees, 47 23 70 60.

Wonderful place to do window shopping or to buy a great gift: Rue du Faubourg St Honore where all the French Fashion (Hermes, Cardin, YSL…) and Jewelry (Cartier…) stores and brands are located. Especially buy something at Hermes.

From Rue du Faubourg Saint Honore, go to Place de La Madeleine, Rue de Rivoli, and Rue du Louvre. Close to Place de La Madeleine, look for the store Fauchon 26, place de la Madeleine. Try to find Place Vendome. Walk to Opera Garnier and to Le Louvres. Around the Opera, a lot of theatres (for shows and movies) and wonderful brasseries. Try to see an Opera at the Opera Garnier or a good show. Also, a very good place to shop.

My favorite restaurant:
Le Berkeley, 7 av. Matignon (at the corner of Franklin Roosevelt and Champs Elysees), Paris 8eme, 08 99 78 21 59.

Good restaurants:
La Fermette Marboeuf, 5 rue Marbeuf, Paris 8eme, 01.53.23.08.00. Affordable
Maison D’Alsace, 39 av. Champs Elysees, Paris 8eme,01.53.93.97. Affordable.
La Taverne, 24 bd des  Italiens, Paris 9eme,01.55.33.10.00 . Affordable
Le Grand Cafe, 4 bd des Capucines, Paris 9eme, 01.43.12.19.00 . Affordable

Very good restaurants:
Fauchon, 30, place de La Madeleine, Paris 8eme, 47 42 56 58. Extremely good, but expensive.
Fouquet’s, 99 av. Des Champs Elysees, Paris 8eme, 47 23 70 60. Very expensive.

A good place to listen to music: Karaoke Star Planete, 66 av. Champs Elysees, Paris 8eme, 53 75 26 26.

Tour Eiffel

Go to the Palais de Chaillot and have a drink around the Palais. Good cafes. Go to the gardens around the Eiffel Tower and to Ecole Militaire. Walk along the Seine. See the bateaux mouches. See the Eiffel Tower during the night with the year 2000 clock.

Take a boat at Pont de l’Alma, Rive Droite, 42 25 96 10 to visit Paris (nice in the evening just before night).

Good restaurants:
Good brasseries around the Palais de Chaillot. Go to the one that you like.

Very good restaurant:
1st floor on the Eiffel Tower, Le Jules Vernes and Altitude 95 45 55 20 04.

Quartier Latin & St Germain

Go to Notre Dame and Place Saint-Michel (good dating place). Spend some time at Notre Dame. Walk along the Seine. Look for Le Theatre de l’Odeon, Les Jardins du Luxembourg and of course La Sorbonne. Go to the bookstores.

A wonderful walk for the evening: from Place Saint-Michel, Rue St Andre des Arts and Rue de Bucci. Great cafes around Rue de Bucci.

A wonderful walk for the morning: from Rue de Bucci, Rue Dauphine and walk/jog on the Quai des Grands Augustins on the Seine toward Saint-Michel.

Avoid cheap restaurants in the Quartier Latin…most of them are not good…just for tourists.

Great cafes:
Around rue de Bucci (a lot of young students from La Sorbonne).
Le Café de Flore, 172 bd St Germain, Paris 6eme, 01.45.48.55.26.
Les Deux Magots, 6 pl. St Germain des Pres, Paris 6eme, 01-45-48-55-25.

Good restaurants:
Le Petit Zinc, 11 rue St-Benoit, Paris 6eme, 01.42.86.61.00 . Affordable
L’Arbuci, 25 rue de Buci, Paris 6eme, 01.44.32.16.00. Affordable.

Very good restaurants:
Le Procope,13 rue de l’Ancienne Comedie, Paris 6eme, 43 26 99 20. The oldest café in the world. Very historical. Somewhat affordable.

Lipp, 151 boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris 6eme, 45 48 53 91. Very Parisien brasserie. A little expensive.

Montparnasse

Hang around the Tour (very high building) and rue du Maine. Go to the last floor of Tour Montparnasse and try to see Le Sacre Coeur.

Full of restaurants on rue du Maine. Go to the one that you like. A lot of very good creperies, and seafood restaurants. The seafood comes directly by train from Britanny and is very fresh.

Very good restaurants:
Last floor of the Tour Montparnasse. Very scenic restaurant.

Closerie des Lilas, 171 Boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris 6eme, 43 54 21 68. Very famous. Full of artists and writers.

Note 1: In order to watch the video of Paris, you need if you have a PC, QuickTime for Windows or Vista from Apple.

Note 2: The music is “Sous le ciel de Paris” from Jean Drejac and Hubert Giraud played by Michel Legrand, piano and Stephane Grappelli, violin.

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