Arc de Triomphe

From the Place de la Concorde all the way to the top of the Champs-Elysees, you will discover the Place de l'Etoile which is known today as the Place Charles de Gaulle. And, at this busy place lies the Arc de Triomphe. Climb to the top for one of the best views of Paris. No, it doesn't go as high as the Eiffel Tower. But since Paris is relatively flat, the vantage point at this height is actually better. The Arc de Triomph brings in 1.7 million visitors on Paris Breaks each year.

Paris Breaks to Pigalle

Pigalle is a popular area foe Paris Breaks, full of life with bars and cafes, nightclubs, restaurants and hotels. Everything for the tourist is there including the beautiful Sacre Coeur  but you have to be broad minded because Pigalle is most famous for being one of the Red Light districts in Paris.

So we have the famous  Moulin Rouge club, which now has a red windmill on top, just so you know where you are, and also some other revue clubs and plenty of peep shows and sex shops. 

Eurostar Breaks to Lille

P1000213.JPG
Originally uploaded by LindaH

As an alternative to Paris breaks, Eurostar deals to Lille can seem very tempting. The Eurostar tickets are slighty less expensive, and you might expect general expenses to be less in the North of France than in the country's most famous city and the world's favourite tourist destination, Paris.

And indeed Lille does have an attraction of its own, most notably its flemish heritage which gives it a flavour and ambience which is both French and also Belgian at the same time. The food in particular is quite remarkable, and then there is the propensity for visitors to Lille to drink beer rather than wine on any occasion.

Paris - Ile de la Cité et Notre-Dame

Paris - Ile de la Cité et Notre-Dame
Originally uploaded by Añelo de la Krotsche

Fantastic picture of Paris at night with the Ile de la Cité and Notre-Dame all lit up taken by one of the Paris Breaks group members on Flickr. I was taking a break in Lille myself, which is a lovely city but no real substitute for Paris, although both are well served by the Eurostar.

Champs-Elysées Verts

Champs-Elysées Verts
Originally uploaded by etnobofin

Nature capital project greens the Champs Elysee for Paris breaks in May

Paris Breaks via Stratford

Everybody knows you can get Paris breaks from St Pancras Station in London, and some that you can also catch the Eurostar at Ebbsfleet and Ashford but not much has been written about the new Straford International Eurostar station in East London. That's because of the 2012 Olympics probably, which delayed the opening of this new intersection transport hub. Stratford International was in fact built at the same time as the fast high speed link from St Pancras to the channel tunnel, but it couldn't be opened straight away because of the work surrounding the site for the London Olympics in 2012.
But now Stratford is open, you just have to get a special bus service through the building site, from Stratford mainline railway station, platform 11. The Eurostar trains themselves, from St Pancras, don't stop at Stratfrd International yet, and there is still some dispute as to whether the London to Paris trains will stop at Stratfrd during and after the Olympics, but the high speed South Eastern trains service does stop at Stratford, so you can take a very fast train from Stratford to Ebbsfleet, Ashford and then on to Dover or Canterbury or use this route to connect with the Eurostar.

From Paris Breaks Flickr Group

Here are some pictures recently posted to teh Paris Breaks Flickr group.

Paris - Rue de Rivoli et Tour Saint-Jacques

Paris Rue Mouffetard