Travelling out on Friday and back on Sunday, you might pick up a return ticket from Luton to Paris for £115. The easy way into the centre is on the RER, taking about 30 minutes and costing €7.70 (£5) each way.INSTANT BRIEFINGThe main tourist office is at 127 Avenue des Champs-Elys?, 8e (00 33 8 36 68 31 12; ). Pariscope and L’Officiel des Spectacles, both available at newspaper stalls, have detailed listings. If you are going to use the M?o, it’s cheaper to buy a carnet of 10 tickets. Serious sightseers can buy a Carte Mus? et Monuments, which allows free entry to 70 of the city’s attractions.

Cards are valid for one day (€15, £9.50); three days (€30, £19); or five days (€45, £28), and are available from M?o stations, tourist offices, and also at the attractions themselves.REST ASSUREDThe H? Costes (239 rue St-Honor?1er; 00 33 1 42 44 50 00; ) is the trendiest place at the moment; it’s also very luxurious Rooms from €300 (£200). The elegance of the Marais district is best enjoyed from a room at the Pavillon de la Reine (28 Place des Vosges, 4e; 00 33 1 40 29 19 19; ) Rooms from €330 (£207). A lovely small hotel in a central location is the H? Stendhal (22 rue Danielle Casanova, 1er; 00 33 1 44 58 52 52), which has been converted from the 19th-century writer’s home. Rooms from €229 (£144).MUST SEEIf you are familiar with the main sights of Paris and prefer to hang out with the locals, the 11th arrondissement, between the Place de la Bastille and the Avenue de la R?blique, is the place to go. An area once avoided by tourists and Parisians alike, it is now one of the city’s liveliest neighbourhoods. A more cultural indulgence is a visit to the Grand Palais (Place Cl?nceau, 8e; 00 33 1 44 13 17 17; ; open daily except Tuesday 10am-8pm, Wednesday to 10pm; entrance €8, £5).

An exhibition of paintings by Constable has just opened here, the biggest collection of his work ever to be exhibited outside Britain, selected by Lucian Freud.Coinciding with the Salon du Chocolat, and in honour of the 500 years since Europe discovered chocolate, the Mus?des Arts D?ratifs (107 rue de Rivoli, 1er; 00 33 1 44 55 57 50; open Tue-Fri 11am-6pm; Weds to 9pm; Sat, Sun 10am-6pm) has a chocolate exhibition, too.MUST BUYFor more luxury food, try either Fauchon (open 9.30am-7pm Mon-Sat) or H?ard (open 9.30am-8pm, Mon-Sat), both in the Place de la Madeleine, 8e. A cheaper gastronomic option is the Grande Epicerie in the Bon March?epartment store on the rue de S?es, 6e (Mon-Sat 9.30am-7pm).MUST EATAmong the many top-class restaurants in the centre of Paris, nine have three Michelin stars; one of the most popular of these is Taillevent, at 15 rue Lamennais, 8e (00 33 1 44 95 15 01; open Mon-Fri). Bofinger (5 rue de la Bastille, 4e; 00 33 1 44 18 98 39; open Tue-Sat 12-2pm and 7.30-10.30pm), the oldest brasserie in Paris, is still a stylish place for a night out. Founded in 1862, the elegant patisserie Ladur?in rue Royale, 8e (00 33 1 40 75 06 75; open Mon-Sun 7.30am to midnight; see website for other outlets: ) is still famous for its fabulous cakes, macaroons and chocolates, and chic clientele. A more modern experience is dinner at Spoon Food & Wine (4 rue de Marignan, 8e; 00 33 1 40 76 34 37; open Mon-Fri 12-2.30pm and 7-11.30pm), the new, more affordable restaurant opened by the top chef Alain Ducasse. The elegant Train Bleu (Gare de Lyon, 12e; 00 33 1 43 43 97 96; open daily 11.30am-3pm and 7-11pm), with its belle ?que decor, is one of the most romantic restaurants in Paris.