Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
into the Champ de Mars park to admire the glowing Eiffel Tower. For more ideas on Paris
after hours, see “Entertainment in Paris,” earlier.
Services:
There's a large
post office
at the end of Rue Cler on Avenue de la Motte-Pic-
quet and a handy
SNCF Boutique
at 80 Rue St. Dominique (Mon-Sat 8:30-19:30, closed
Sun, get there when it opens to avoid a long wait). At both of these offices, take a number
and wait your turn. A smaller post office is closer to the Eiffel Tower on Avenue Rapp, one
block past Rue St. Dominique toward the river. You can buy your Paris Museum Pass at
Tabac La Cave à Cigares
on Avenue de la Motte-Picquet, across from where the Rue Cler
ends.
Markets:
Cross the Champ de Mars park to mix it up with bargain-hunters at the twice-
weekly open-air market,
Marché Boulevard de Grenelle,
under the Métro, a few blocks
southwest of the Champ de Mars park (Wed and Sun 7:00-12:30, between Mo: Dupleix and
Mo: La Motte-Picquet-Grenelle). Two minuscule grocery stores, both on Rue de Grenelle,
are open until midnight:
Epicerie de la Tour
(at #197) and
Alimentation
(at corner with
Rue Cler).
Rue St. Dominique
is the area's boutique-browsing street and well worth a visit
if shopping for clothes.
Internet Access: Com Avenue
is good (about €5/hour, shareable and multi-use ac-
counts, Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00, closed Sun, 24 Rue du Champ de Mars, tel. 01 45 55 00 07).
Laundry:
Launderettes are omnipresent; ask your hotel for the nearest. Here are three
handy locations: on Rue Augereau, on Rue Amélie (both between Rue St. Dominique and
Rue de Grenelle), and at the southeast corner of Rue Valadon and Rue de Grenelle.
Booking Agency:
Tobooktickets forkey sights, orfor assistance with hotels, transport-
ation, or excursions, contact the helpful staff at
Paris Webservices
(Mon-Fri 9:00-21:00,
Sat-Sun 9:00-18:00, 12 Rue de l'Exposition, Mo: Ecole Militaire, RER: Pont de l'Alma, tel.
09 52 06 02 59,
www.pariswebservices.com
,
contactpws@pariswebservices.com
)
.
Métro Connections:
Key Métro stops are Ecole Militaire, La Tour Maubourg, and In-
valides. The useful RER-C line runs from the Pont de l'Alma and Invalides stations, serving
Versailles to the southwest; the Marmottan Museum to the northwest; and the Orsay Mu-
seum, Latin Quarter (St. Michel stop), and Austerlitz train station to the east.
BusRoutes:
Smarttravelerstakeadvantageofthesebusroutes(seemapon
here
forstop
locations):
Line #69
runs east-west along Rue St. Dominique and serves Les Invalides, Orsay,
Louvre, Marais, and Père Lachaise Cemetery.
Line #63
runs along the river (the Quai d'Orsay), serving the Latin Quarter along
Boulevard St. Germain to the east (ending at Gare de Lyon), and Trocadéro and areas near
the Marmottan Museum to the west.
Line#92
runsalongAvenueBosquet,northtotheChamps-ElyséesandArcdeTriomphe
(faster than the Métro) and south to the Montparnasse Tower and Gare Montparnasse.
