Luxury is the order of the day, as Paris celebrates the opening of the hotel Fouquet’s Barrière on the avenue des Champs-Élysées and new shop of jewellers’ Van Cleef & Arpels, at place Vendôme. On the cultural scene, the musée de la Chasse et de la Nature museum reopens in the Marais area. And for getting around the city with ease, Paris gears up to inaugurate its first intra-muros tramway.

Hi-tech visits are now on the up and up in Paris with guides of a new order: the earphones and screens of personal assistants, cell phones, and Walkmans are the new keys to the capital. Other virtual tours include the multimedia show Paris-Story, CD-Rom guides, and websites with information on the different areas of the city – all this without putting a foot out of the door!

Bargain hunting begins on 10 January with the start of the winter sales and reductions of up to 70%. For the first time, the operation “Paris Sales” is offering tourists promotional stays where shopping is king. Every winter, ice-rinks are installed in front of the City Hall, at Montparnasse and on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower giving skating fans the chance to skate for free.