CHOOSING A STROLL

Click on any stroll listed in the website’s “30 Strolls At A Glance” section and its information page will appear, consisting of a Summary, Photos and Map.  The Summary provides essential information about the stroll, the Photos are representative of the area, and the Map shows the route line of the stroll.  You can zoom in and out on the map to see the location of the stroll in the city.  The information page should allow you to quickly determine whether the stroll fits your schedule and interests.  The website’s “Choose A Stroll” section offers other ways to determine which strolls are best for you – by Location, Interest, Attraction, or Dining Suggestion, or by connections to Standalone Sites.  

OPENING THE DIRECTIONS ON YOUR PHONE

When you are ready to take a stroll, open the Best Paris Strolls website on your mobile phone, then open the stroll’s information page.  Take note of the stroll’s start point, which is given in the Summary.  Then, on the information page, click on “VIEW DIRECTIONS.”   Internet access is required to open the directions on your phone, so you may want to do this at your hotel or apartment.  But, once opened, the directions can be operated offline. 

GO TO THE STROLL’S START POINT

Now, go to the stroll’s start point.  As mentioned, the start point is indicated in the stroll’s Summary.  It will also be repeated on the stroll’s first directions page, so you are certain of where to begin.  All strolls start outside Metro station entrances.  If you are taking a Metro train to arrive, remember that the direction of the train is indicated by the name of the last stop in that direction.  (E.g.: A westbound #1 line is heading toward “La Defense,” and eastbound it is heading toward “Chateau de Vincennes.”)       

OPERATING THE DIRECTIONS 

From the Stroll Summary Page on the website, when you click on “VIEW DIRECTIONS” you are brought to the Directions Main Page for that stroll.   This page is formatted to the size of a mobile phone screen.   Here, you have access to lists of the stroll’s “Attractions” and “Dining Suggestions,” with links, as well as a “How It Works” page and the “Map.”  There are also two directive buttons, “BEGIN STROLL” and “RESUME STROLL.”  To begin strolling click on “BEGIN STROLL.”   

The stroll proceeds in segments, each on its own numbered page, with “DIRECTIONS” at the top followed by “DESCRIPTIONS.”  The directions are very precise, guiding you turn by turn.  The descriptions provide details about each of the attractions and/or dining options you reach in that segment. Stories about famous people and events associated with the locations may also be included.  These descriptions, while informative and entertaining, are concise, so you can read and enjoy them quickly while at the location.  To proceed to the next segment, click on the “Next Page” button at the bottom of the page.   

ACCESSING THE DIRECTIONS MAIN PAGE, OR MAP, THEN RESUMING THE STROLL 

On each directions segment page, there are two buttons in addition to the “Next Page” button.  These buttons offer access the “Main Page” and the “Map.”  

The “Main Page” button brings you to the Directions Main Page, described above.  The Directions Main Page and all of the individual pages to which it gives access have a “Resume Stroll” button at the bottom.  By clicking on that button, you will be returned to the stroll at your current directions segment page.

The “Map” button that appears on each directions segment page allows you to directly access the stroll map without going to the Directions Main Page.   The Map shows the route line of the stroll on a street map and indicates the Start and End points as well as the Early Departure points (explained below).  Click on the “Resume Stroll” button to return to your current directions segment. 

While on the Map page, if you want to view a map with GPS showing your phone’s location, click on the box icon at the top right of the Map page.  This takes you out of the stroll program to Google Maps, which will show a street map with the stroll route line plus a GPS dot indicating the position of your phone.  However, you cannot remain on that Google Maps page and also access the stroll directions – you must return to the stroll program.  To do this, use the “Back” arrow of you phone to return to the stroll Map page, then click on the “Resume Stroll” button to return to your current directions segment. 

EARLY DEPARTURE OPTION

Most strolls provide at least one point, close to a Metro station, at which you can conveniently quit the stroll early if you need or want to.  On the stroll Map, an Early Departure Option is shown as a red circle with the letters “ED.”  In the Directions, the segment page “DIRECTIONS” will tell you that an “Early Departure Option” is nearby. Below that, a “DESCRIPTIONS” entry will give the name of the nearby Metro station, guide you to its entrance, tell you which line stops there and describe that line’s general path through the city.  If you are continuing the stroll, you can ignore this segment page and just move on to the next one. 

Some longer strolls have more than one Early Departure Option.  A few strolls do not have an Early Departure Option because, given the stroll’s route and the locations of Metro stations, if you need to quit it is just as efficient to walk to the end point and catch the Metro there.

END OF STROLL DIRECTIONS – METRO DEPARTURE, CONNECTING TO OTHER STROLLS 

On the last segment page, the “DIRECTIONS” will guide you to the end point of the stroll, and will state “The Stroll Ends Here.” On this page, the “DESCRIPTIONS” section is divided into two sections, “CLOSEST METRO DEPARTURE” and “CONNECTING TO OTHER STROLLS.”

The first section will guide you to the entrance of the closest Metro station (which usually is just a few steps or perhaps a block away) and provide information about the Metro line serving it.  The second section will present individual sets of directions to the start points of other strolls that can be reached easily on foot, followed by directions to the start points of other strolls that can be reached quickly by Metro.  Directions are also provided for making any available Metro connections to one or more standalone sites – the Arc de Triomphe, Cimetiere Pere Lachaise and Musee Jacquemart-Andre.   

EXITING THE DIRECTIONS

To exit the stroll Directions and return to the website, tap the Best Paris Strolls name/icon at the top of the page.  This will return you to the website’s Home Page.  There, you can access information about the connecting strolls, or any others, to determine where in Paris you next want to explore.