by Sally Hammond

"I love Paris in the Springtime." Cole Porter famously went on record singing the city's praises of the city in this season, yet it is never alone year-round. Autumn crowds fill leaf-strewn  boulevards; summer visitors queue to savour exquisite Berthillon icecream. relishing the relative quiet as most Parisians take their annual holidays. Winter brings its own special thrill of silent snowy footpaths, green-clad council workers like so many gnomes struggling to clear the roads and gardens - and the winter sales!

There is no valid excuse to stay away from Paris at any time, but once you are there, the choices can be numbingly confusing. Left Bank, Right Bank, city or suburbs; small and intimate hotel or large and prestigious; a welter of hysterical shopping or endless museums and galleries; culture in favour of hedonism, cafes versus restaurants, bistros, bars or nightclubs? Just how do you decide?

Talk to anyone about Paris. Ask them their impressions and you will get as many viewpoints as interviewees. Many love this sprawling, sometimes smoggy city of ten million-plus inhabitants. They forgive its pollution, its speed and pressure. Sensibly they overlook the tell-tale evidence of dogs on every footpath and the way you must sprint across even marked pedestrian crossings to avoid being run over.

Talk to others and their eyes glaze over, remembering a smoke-filled noisy left-bank bistro, flowers bought from a streetside stall, or the original painting they still have, years later, the one that was created on a Montmartre easel that somehow still captures the vitality of Paris.

Perhaps that is the essence of the place. The city is a chameleon, able to change at whim, adapt to each person's private fantasy and deliver up memories that last a lifetime. Perhaps it is the sheer size of Paris too. After all in a city of this magnitude, there is room for everyone from the artist to the architect, diplomats to ditch-diggers.

Perhaps the only way to stay sane is to think of Paris as it regards itself - a collection of neighbourhoods, or twenty arrondissements. Each has its own character and special charm. Within each is all you need to sample a slice of Paris, but in a manageable amount. You can choose between the artistic bourgeois Left Bank and the more prosaic Right Bank, although don't forget the teeming Marais section. A film released in cinemas in 2006, Paris Je T'Aime, (Paris I Love You), featured a selection of five-minute segments each highlighting a single arrondissement.

The adjoining Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis, connected islands in the Seine, are great options for people who want the best of both worlds. From them it is a short walk across arched bridges to either the Left or Right Bank and one of several Metro stations. The Ile St-Louis, so close to the main hubbub, yet retaining a peaceful village atmosphere within the city, has several hotels, including a four-star.

This elegant filigree grey-on-grey city, at first glance appears demure and restrained, all black lace and pearls. Get to know the city though and you'll soon find there are saucy can-can petticoats hidden beneath. The famous Moulin Rouge (you'll recognise it by the red windmill) to the north of the city centre has cabarets and shows every night, varying from dinner shows to the risqué. Paris is full of nightspots, bars and supper clubs and for a touch of history visit the Hemingway Bar at The Ritz hotel.

The French indeed have unique artistic flair and even they don't always agree on what is fitting for their city. The 'new' Opera House, opened in 1989 is still not liked by everyone; the eye-catching glass Pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre has created division; and originally even the Eiffel Tower was only allowed to remain  under sufferance. It was meant to be a short-term folly on the skyline, built to celebrate the 1889 Universal Exhibition. Now can you imagine Paris without that?!

It is no accident that avant garde, best translated as 'far out', is a French phrase. Yet despite this they can be hypercritical of anything new. The huge 58-storey tower in Montparnasse, circa 1972, can be seen from almost anywhere in Paris. 'Quel dommage!' (what a pity) many Parisians respond about that one, even though - and why would you care? - the guard-rail on the roof can be removed in two minutes flat to allow helicopters to land.

In the 1980s the slightly higher futuristic arch of La Defense on the western outskirts of the city was built. This, and the strange sculptures that litter the open areas there, are equally controversial.

Much of the city owes its layout and lines to perhaps the most ambitious renovation project of all time, commissioned by Napoleon III, and carried out from 1852-1870 by town planner extraordinaire, Baron Haussmann. While the result was those graciously wide tree-lined boulevards and formal balance of buildings and open spaces, the elegant facades and elaborate public monuments that we all love today - guess what? Yes, even his improvements were criticized at the time.

When he had finished, the cramped medieval alleys and ugly buildings were gone, leaving today's Paris a delight with the clean lines of the limestone apartments accented by black iron balconies and colonnaded arcades so ideal to shop in for designer dainties. Surely central Paris has to be one of the world's most beautifully designed and practical cities.

In 1835 the English author Ruskin summed up Paris this way: 'You, who have ever been to Paris, know; And you who have not been to Paris - go!' He was right. You can talk about Paris all you like, but the magic is actually being there.

A favourite with many visitors is the Left Bank Latin Quarter, although don't panic. You won't need a word of that dead language to survive here! In the Middle Ages it was the area of the city where the intellectually elite  Latin-speaking students hung out around the Sorbonne, but it matured into a bohemian, artistic area which today has morphed yet again into the esteemed address of many rich and famous Parisians.

Interestingly French evolved its word for pleasure, plaisir, from the Latin 'placere'. Today's Paris derives a lot of its pleasure from the Latin Quarter. Go figure!

Better yet, go visit.

ROMANTIC ANTICS - Places where two can play in the world's most romantic city.

Take afternoon tea at A Priori, a delightful tea-shop near Place des Victoires. This is a favourite haunt of young professional people. Or drop into Ladurée perhaps the world's most famous pastry shop on the Champs-élysées.

Montmartre, has long been the artist's section of Paris and still has galleries, quaint cafes, and outdoor artists willing to sketch your portraits.

The Left Bank is young, dynamic, artistic and very alive. Stop for coffee at the legendary cafe, Le Deux Magots at St-Germain-des-Prés.

Take a river cruise and dine, serenaded by violins, as the boat slips under the many-arched bridges over the Seine, pass by Notre Dame and finally return to the fairy lights of the Eiffel Tower.

Stroll down the little-known Ile St Louis, the smaller island in the Seine, near Notre Dame. Best of all sample some Berthillon ice cream, said to be the best in town.

FACTFILE

BEFORE YOU GO:

Learn some French. Although most Parisians know some English it is only good manners to attempt to speak the language. Buy a good phrasebook, cassette tape or go to classes if you have time. There are also CD-ROMs for the computer and an Internet web-site with useful basic phrases.

GETTING THERE:

Thai Airways flies to Paris from many capital cities around the world.

GETTING AROUND:

Don't attempt to drive yourself in Paris. Take a taxi or buy a carnet of ten tickets for the extremely efficient Metro system that links all of Paris. The same tickets may also be used on buses.

ACCOMMODATION

A comprehensive booklet showing hotels in each arrondissement is published by the Paris Tourism Office.

There are dozens of delightful two- and three-star hotels in many parts of Paris. Four-star hotels (the top ranking) are generally more expensive although the Jeu de Paume, 54 rue St-Louis-en-Ile, is a four-star hotel with two-star prices.

FOOD:

French food is known throughout the world for its attention to technique and fine ingredients. Paris has restaurants from every country as well as fast food outlets. The best lunch snack is le sandwich, a portion of baguette filled with cheese and ham and salad.

Don't forget to stop for coffee at the legendary literary haunt, the café Le Deux Magots at St-Germain-des-Prés.

Berthillon is situated near to Notre-Dame on the Ile St-Louis and is rated as having the best icecream in the world.

CURRENCY: France uses the euro as its currency.

SHOPPING:

Two major department stores, Au Printemps and Galeries Lafayette are very close together in Boulevard Haussmann, but the huge four-store Samaritaine complex at 67 rue de Rivoli is nearer to the Latin Quarter. There are many bookshops in this area including the open-air bookstands along the Seine, and there are open markets at Place Maubert (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) and Place Monge (Sundays).

The French also enjoy 'la léche vitrine' literally 'window-licking' which translates simply to window-shopping. Shopping Plus has walking tours through the galeries and arcades of Paris.

THINGS TO DO:

Apart from the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and more traditional sights, try these:

Paris Story - right near the Opera, this amazing audio-visual show provides the best possible introduction to Paris and its history.

The Left Bank is probably the most romantic part of Paris, young, dynamic, artistic and very alive. Stroll the streets or take an English-speaking walking tour. Contact Paris Walking Tours.

Look for people playing boules (petanque) in the Arénes de Lutéce, a restored Roman amphitheatre on Rue Navarre in the 5th arrondissement.

Don't forget to also see The Pantheon, Place du Pantheon, a huge domed building of great beauty, and Notre-Dame on Ile de la Cité.

Take in a ballet or the opera. The Paris Tourism Office publishes 'Paris Selection, a monthly listing of all concerts, operas, ballets, theatrical productions and exhibitions.

Book a river cruise. You will dine, serenaded by violins, as the boat slips under the many-arched bridges over the Seine, pass by Notre Dame and finally return to the fairy lights of the Eiffel Tower.

The Marais district, on the Right Bank, around rue de Rivoli, is full of charm and atmosphere with many small shops and cafés. Worth a visit.

FOR MORE DETAILS AND BOOKINGS: Contact your local travel agent or your local Maison de la France (French Tourist Bureau) or in Paris, the Paris Tourist Office.