Paris City Town Guide Paris is blessed with unsurpassed grace, elegance and beauty, and has been a centre of culture and fashion for centuries. Its prestigious monuments rub shoulders with the most inventive of contemporary designs, and the banks of the river Seine are a magnet for lovers of all ages. The City of Light is a city made for walking, giving you a chance to take in the shops, restaurants and museums that go to make up French savoir-vivre. Five ideas for discovering another side to the city -  Discover the magnificent private collection of Dina Vierny at the Maillol and Matisse Museum, rue de Grenelle. -  Find the finest traditional French craftspeople all along the Viaduc des Arts behind the Bastille Opera. -  Let yourself be seduced by the charms of Paris at its finest, via the river Seine: take a tour on one of the bateau-mouche pleasure boats after sunset. -  Inhale a mixture of Paris and Provence at the same time in one of the two Fragonard museums of perfume, on rue Scribe and boulevard des Capucines. -  Walk through gardens that represent the world at the gateway to Paris: wander the narrow pathways of Albert Khan's small exotic gardens in Boulogne-Billancourt as you discover the allure of turn-of-the-century Paris. Time difference In France, summer time is set at GMT + two hours, and runs from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October. To call Paris Dial the international code followed by 33 for France, then 1 for Paris and the 8 digits of the person you are calling. Climate Though sultry and sticky during summer, autumn and spring are pleasant and winter is cold, but frosts are rare: the oft-cited grayness of Paris in winter holds little truth! Average temperatures run from 5° C in winter to 20° C in summer. Holidays These holidays are celebrated throughout France: - 1 January: New Year - Easter Monday (date varies) - 1 May: Labour Day - 8 May: 1945 Victory Day - Ascension (date varies) - Monday after Pentecost (date varies) - 14 July: National Day - 15 August: Assumption - 1 November: All Saints Day - 11 November: Armistice Day - 25 December: Christmas Getting around The best way of seeing Paris is on foot - but you'll quickly forget how many kilometres you have covered. The metro is the best method of public transport. Traffic jams mean that buses often make slow progress, but provide the tourist with some striking views of the city. Daily or weekly passes are practical. The RER train network makes it easy to get from Paris to the main areas of interest in the surrounding area. Paris Tourism Office Paris Tourisme Office and Congress 127, avenue des Champs-Élysées 75008 Paris, France Tel.: (international n° +33) 8 36 68 31 12 Fax: (international n° +33) 1 49 52 53 00 Paris on the Web http://www.paris-touristoffice.com See our Cultural calendar Back