Planning your trip to Paris

1/7

Musée d’Orsay: Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, all in exquisite and comfortable settings. (Richard Derk / Los Angeles Times)

2/7

Notre Dame Cathedral: begun in 1160, plundered in 1790, still amazing in 2010. (Horacio Villalobos / EPA)

3/7

Eiffel Tower: Is there a more romantic attraction in the world? You know, if you like that kind of stuff. (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times)

4/7

Napoleon’s Tomb: beautiful and profound, housed in a glimmering church caked in gold. (Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times)

5/7

Musée de l’Armée: The greatest military museum in the world could use an editor. (Horacio Villalobos / EPA)

6/7

Champs-Élysées: Left me a little cold, but a must for serious shoppers. (Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty Images)

7/7

The Louvre: the Mona Lisa in a mob setting (especially in summer). No matter what I say, you’re going to go. So go already. (Richard Derk / Los Angeles Times)

By Chris Erskine

Aug. 22, 2010 12 AM PT

THE BEST WAY TO PARIS

From LAX, nonstop service to Paris is offered on Air France and Air Tahiti Nui. Direct service (stop, no change of plane) is offered on United, and connecting service (change of planes) is offered on American, Delta, Lufthansa, Continental and United. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $959 until Aug. 28, then drop to $617.

TELEPHONES

To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 001 (the international dialing code), 33 (the country code for France) and the local number below.

WHERE TO STAY

Victoria Palace Hotel, 6 Rue Blaise Desgoffe, Paris; 1-4549-7000, https://www.victoriapalace.com. Spacious and elegant rooms in the Left Bank location and friendly, English-speaking staff. James Joyce a former resident. Doubles from about $400.

Renaissance Paris Vendome, 4 Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, 1-4020-2000, https://www.marriott.com/hotels. Stylishly modern boutique hotel in downtown Paris, with excellent location near major attractions and shopping. Doubles from $400.

Hôtel Langlois, 63 Rue Saint-Lazare, Paris; 1-4874-7824, https://www.hotel-langlois.com. Beautifully furnished former bank in culturally rich Right Bank location. Doubles from $185.

WHERE TO EAT

La Petite Tour, 11 Rue de al Tour; 1-4520-0931, https://www.lapetitetour.fr. Highly recommended neighborhood eatery. Try the crabmeat appetizer. Locals love the scallops entrée. Dinner from about $30.

Les Fous de l’Île, 33 Rue des Deux-Ponts; 1-4325-7667. Bustling little bistro with friendly, hardworking wait staff and delicious food at a fair price. Two-course lunch about $20.

TO LEARN MORE

Paris Convention & Visitors Bureau, 25 Rue des Pyramides; https://en.parisinfo.com.

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Chris Erskine

Chris Erskine is a nationally known humor columnist and editor who retired from the Los Angeles Times in 2020. Previously he wrote for the Sports, Travel and Saturday sections and edited with the paper’s features staff. As an editor, he has been a part of two Pulitzer Prize-winning teams at The Times (for his graphics work on the Northridge quake and the North Hollywood bank robbery). He is best known to readers for his weekly humor pieces on life in suburban Los Angeles. His latest book, “Daditude,” released in 2018, is a collection of his favorite Times columns on fatherhood. He has written two other books, “Man of the House” and “Surviving Suburbia,” which reached the Los Angeles Times bestseller list. The Chicago native has also worked for papers in New Orleans and Miami.

Planning your trip to Paris

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