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<h1 class="ChapterName">Paris Overview<br /></h1>
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<h5 style="margin:0;">Featured Traveler Videos</h5>
<a href="http://www.tripfilms.com/Tourism-l62381-Paris-Travel_Videos.html" target="_blank">Paris videos powered by Tripfilms</a>
<h5 style="margin:5;">A Day in the Life: Hillary in Paris</h5>
<a href="../videos/62466" title="IMG_0127 by tc1122, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/4013794485_bc19094eaf.jpg" border="0" alt="IMG_0127" width="240" height="180" /></a>
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<h5 style="margin:5;">Other Paris Videos</h5>
<ul>
<li style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="../videos/190">Where to Eat in Paris: Left Bank</a></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="../videos/41">Pop-Up Travel Along the Seine</a></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="../videos/111">Paris on a Budget</a></li>
</ul>
<h5 style="margin:5;"><a href="../12-france-travel-guides-paris-d/videos">SEE ALL PARIS VIDEOS</a></h5>
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<p>From students who obsess over Derrida’s <em>Of Grammatology</em> to tourists who wonder why the French don’t pronounce half the consonants in each word, everyone enjoys the city where, by
decree of law, buildings don’t exceed six stories, <em>pour que tout le monde ait du soleil</em> (so that all have sunshine). Though Parisians may English you (speak in English when you speak in French), and your feet
may feel like numb petrified stubs <em>de bois</em> by the end of each day, this city pulls through for those who let themselves indulge in the sensory snapshots around every
corner—the aroma of a <em>boulangerie,</em> the gleam of bronze balconies, the buzz of a <em>good</em> €2 bottle of red, the jolt of the new fave metro line 14. For all its hyped-up snobbery (and yes, the waiters <em>are </em> judging you), Paris is open to those willing to wander. The truth is, this city will charm and bitchslap you with equal gusto,
but don’t get too le tired—by your third or fourth sincere attempt at <em>s’il vous plaît, </em> even the waiters soften up. Stick around long enough, and you’ll be able to tell the <em>foux</em> from the <em>foux de fa fa,</em> the Lavazza from the Illy, and the meta hipster bars from the wanna-be meta hipster bars. <em> Et puis,</em> we’ll see who’s judging whom.</p>
<div class="Highlights">
<h4>Facts And Figures</h4>
<ul>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Age:</span> 2259 years old in 2009 </li>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Population:</span> c. 2.2 million </li>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Urban Area:</span> 2723 sq. km. </li>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Land Area:</span> 86.928 sq. km. </li>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Most Visited Sight:</span> Centre Pompidou (only because they keep count) </li>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Revolutions:</span> 4, to date </li>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Number Of Strikes Per Year:</span> 365, at least. </li>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Percentage Of Annual Income Spent On Wine: </span> 15 </li>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Kings Named Louis:</span> 18 (+ 1 Louis-Philippe) </li>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Estimated “Romantic Encounters” Per Day:</span> 4,959,476 </li>
<li><span class="Highlights-Run-in">Number Of Films With The Eiffel Tower As A Significant Feature:</span> 65 and counting. </li>
</ul>
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<p><!-- ESSENTIALS LISTING --></p>
<h3>Essentials</h3>
<ul class="listing">
<li><span>Passport: </span>Required of non-EU citizens and citizens of Ireland and the UK</li>
<li><span>Visa: </span>Required of non-EU citizens staying more than 90 days</li>
<li><span>Short Stay Visa: </span>Required of to work or study in France for less than 90 days.</li>
<li><span>Student Visa: </span>Required of all foreigners studying in French schools.</li>
<li><span>Tourism Office: </span>www.paris-touristof­fice.com (08 92 68 30 00)</li>
<li><span>Phone Numbers: </span>15 for medical assistance; 17 for police; 18 for fire; 01 45 62
02 41 for 24hr. pharmacy</li>
<li><span>Currency: </span>Euro</li>
<li><span>Value Added Tax:</span>18.6% Value Added Tax</li>
<li><span>Driving: </span>EU-issued license or International Driving Permit</li>
<li><span>Drinking Age: </span>18, officially</li>
<li><span>Measurement </span><span>system: </span>Metric</li>
</ul>
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