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Doing business
At the very least you’ll be expected to speak some basic French, even if business is then conducted in English – but this will not be first choice. Formal manners and a business-like attitude will be expected, though Gallic influences over eating and entertaining will prevail. Avoid July and August as the whole city leaves town at this time for holidays.

Cool hotel
Hotel Les Jardins du Marais (www.homeplazza.com; 74 rue Amelot) is housed in nine buildings designed by Gustav Eiffel and surrounding an enormous courtyard of cobblestones and gardens. Rooms are Art Deco, with furnishings in maple and mahogany. Breakfast, lunch or dinner in the modern, bright bar before heading off into the Marais for meetings, shopping or drinks is a real pleasure.

Hip restaurant
Paris is, unsurprisingly, stuffed full of remarkable restaurants. However, you have to work a bit harder to get it right first time for a particular occasion. Le Dôme du Marais (00 33 1 42 74 54 17) is a pre-revolution building in a great location by the National Archives. Dress up or go casual – it can be informal or the place to mark a special occasion. The octagonal-shaped dining room is a knockout.

Happening bar
The Philippe Starck-designed Kong is carefully perched on top of the Kenzon building at 1 rue du Pont Neuf. It may seem initially pretentious, but by late evening DJs spinning hip-hop have every-one up and dancing. It’s great for a mixed group.

Must-see sights
This is Paris we’re talking about so you won’t have any problem filling the time. Move beyond the clichéd city: explore the exhibitions at the Pompidou Centre, visit the reopened Orangerie gallery or see some remarkable modern architecture at the Institut du Monde Arabe. The classics, and their queues, will be waiting should you need a stroll around the Louvre or a whizz up to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Getting downtown
Speedy trains link Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports with the city centre every five to ten minutes or so and cost €8. If you’ve arrived on Eurostar into Gare du Nord look hard at the map before hopping on the Metro across town – it may be just as quick to walk if you need to get to destinations on the right bank of the Seine.

The details
Paris is easy to get to and straightforward – even the language barrier isn’t what it used to be. Remember to take your passport and a stack of Euros: £1 = €1.34 at time of writing. Costs are slightly lower than British cities. Paris is one hour ahead of the UK.

Getting there
Paris is excellently served from the UK. Eurostar (www.eurostar.com) is the easiest and greenest option from many parts of the country, and the recently opened High Speed 1 line from London to the Channel Tunnel has slashed journey times. Competition is fierce for flights from elsewhere in the UK – but bear in mind that Ryanair flies into Beauvais which is 60 miles from Paris.

The carbon cost
A return flight from London Heathrow to Paris will cover 692km and emit 0.1 tonnes of CO2. Offset this with The CarbonNeutral Company starting from £0.75.

Compiled by Tom Hall on behalf of Lonely Planet. www.lonelyplanet.com

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