Marais Apartments,
Les Halles, Paris

Marais Apartments have been purpose built to create homely interim housing for both business and leisure travellers.

These self-catering Paris apartments are centrally located and are close to some of the city's best produce, meat and fish markets, trendy shops and boutiques as well as a subway train station. Guests are also a short walk from the business districts, ideal for those who require short-term corporate accommodation.

Each one and two bedroom apartment comprises a reception area with a contemporary open-plan kitchen, modern appliances, a stunning bathroom and typically Parisian windows which capture plenty of natural light.

The apartments also benefit from secure entry access, portable air-conditioning, bi-weekly housekeeping services and a basic satellite TV package.

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Charles de Gaulle Airport is situated 14 miles north east of Paris where the three terminals are connected via free shuttle buses. The quickest and cheapest way to get from the airport to Paris city centre is via the TGV. This takes 45 minutes and is signposted from the airport terminal. It is just a short walk to the station. Even if you have never used the French rail system before this is certainly the way to go as a taxi would be very expensive.

The easiest way to get around Paris is on the metro. There are metro stations close to every public attraction and they serve the surrounding suburbs too. The best way to use the metro is to buy a 'carnet' - this is a set of 10 tickets which have virtually no expiry date and each ticket is valid for as many changes as you like on the metro so long as you don't exit and go above ground. For example you need two tickets for the outgoing and return journeys.

The main business sector of Paris is surrounding La Grande Arch de La Defence, otherwise known as La Defence. This is the large grey arch visible over the road from the Arc de Triomphe. There is also an extensive shopping area here.

The most reasonable area in which to eat in central Paris is called the Latin Quarter and is close to Notre Dame. This is not as 'touristy' as other areas and therefore has more reasonably priced menus. The most economic way to eat in restaurants is to order from a 'menu a XX Euros': these will normally be a starter or dessert and main course off a set menu for a discounted price.

Where the Les Halles quarter starts and ends is debatable, but for the average Parisian it surrounds the former Les Halles marketplace, a shopping mall with many boutiques of a trendy sort geared to tourism. As the Les Halles is a Metro and RER hub for public transport connections to many suburban regions around Paris, the shops closest to the station reflect the rap and hip-hop trends common there. There are many fast-food restaurants in this quarter, but more traditional fare can be found to its north-west.

Les Halles was the original central market for Paris. In 1183, King Philippe II Auguste enlarged the marketplace in Paris and built a shelter for merchants who came from all over to sell their wares. In the 1850's massive glass and iron buildings were built that Les Halles is now known for. After the relocation of the traditional market stalls in the 1960s, construction was completed in 1977 of Chatelet-Les-Halles, Paris's new urban railway hub. The Forum des Halles, a partially underground multiple story commercial and shopping centre, was opened in 1979. The building has been criticised for its design and recently the City of Paris has undertaken consultations so as to how the area should be remodelled.

One of the Les Halles region's most prominent landmarks is the 1976-built Centre Georges Pompidou. Built in a highly colourised modern style which contrasts with the surrounding architecture, it houses a permanent modern-art exhibition and has rotating shows that keep to a theme of the post-pop art period. Recently renovated, it also houses the BPI, one of the city's largest libraries and places of study. The large square beside the Pompidou Centre is a popular place for street performers and buskers and draws a wide mix of tourist and student spectators.