The main Paris tourist office (127 av. des Champs-Elysées, 8e, tel 49-52-53-54); open daily 9am - 8pm.
Branches at all mainline train stations, except Gare St-Lazare. Dial 49-52-53-56 for recorded information in English.
US (2 av. Gabriel, 8e, tel. 42-96-12-02); Canada (35 av. Montaigne, 8e tel. 44-43-32-00) and UK (35 rue du Fbg. St-Honore, 8e, tel. 42-66-91-42).
Police (tel. 17); ambulance (tel. 15 or 45-67-50-50); doctor (tel. 43-37-77-77) and dentist (tel. 43-37-51-00).
The American Hospital, (63 blvd. Victor-Hugo, Neuilly, tel. 46-41-25-25); The Hertford British Hospital (3 rue Barbes, Levallois-Perret, tel. 47-58-13-12) - both offer a 24-hour service.
Pharmacie des Champs-Elysées (Galerie des Champs, 84 av. des Champs-Elysées, 8e, tel 45-62-02-41), open 24 hours; Drugstore (corner of blvd. St-Germain and rue de Rennes, 6e), open daily until 2a.m.; Pharmacie des Arts (106 blvd. Montparnasse, 14e), open daily until midnight.
Tour information
A guided tour is one of the best ways to sample the delights of Paris.
The two largest bus-tour operators are Citirama (4 pl. des Pyramides, 1er, tel. 44-55-61-00) and Paris Vision (214 rue de Rivoli, 1er, tel. 42-60-31-25).
Tours are generally in double-decker buses with either a live or a tape-recorded commentary (English is available) and last two hours.
Citirama also runs several minibus excursions per day for a more personal tour of the city, but they are more expensive.
The bus can take eight people and can pick up or drop off at hotels.
The Paris Transport Authority (RATP) has many guide-accompanied tours in and around Paris. Enquire either at its Tourist Service Board (pl. de la Madeleine, 8e) or at its office (53 quai des Grands-Augustins, 6e).
Those who would rather take in the sights and sounds of Paris at their own pace should hop on board Parisbus, a red double-decker with nine pick-up and drop-off points around Paris.
It lets you discover the city's main tourist attractions independently.
Source: Flight Daily News