Next week, March 12-15, we are hosting HPE TSS in Paris, one of the long-time popular destinations in the world! Paris combines the beauty of a carte-postale with the modern and the retro aesthetics with the avant-garde.
It is a historic and vibrant city that maintains pictures drawn from novels and films. Paris' monument-lined boulevards, museums, classical bistros and boutiques are enhanced by a new wave of multimedia galleries, creative wine bars, design shops and tech start-ups. The cloud-piercing Eiffel Tower, broad Arc de Triomphe guarding the glamorous avenue des Champs-Élysées, the Notre Dame cathedral, lamp lit bridges and art nouveau cafes' are enduring Parisian emblems. Despite initial appearances, however, Paris’ cityscape isn’t static: there are some stunning modern and contemporary icons, too, from the inside-out, industrial-style Centre Pompidou to the vertical garden gracing the Musée du Quai Branly, the glass sails of the Louis Vuitton Foundation contemporary-art center, and the gleaming steel egg-shaped concert venue La Seine Musicale.
Pack for the weather
Make sure to check the weather and pack appropriate clothing.
Currency
France’s currency is Euro (€).
Getting to Expo Porte de Versailles and HPE TSS Hotels
Find detailed information for your travel and transportation during the HPE TSS week in the joining letter you have received from HPE TSS team.
Evening Receptions
All participants are cordially invited to the Intel Reception and NVidia Reception organized on Tuesday, 12 and Thursday, 14 March respectively.
Top things to do in Paris
No one could imagine Paris today without it. But Gustave Eiffel only constructed this elegant, 324m-tall signature spire as a temporary exhibit for the 1889 World's Fair. Luckily, the art nouveau tower’s popularity assured its survival. Pre-book online to avoid painfully long ticket queues. Read more
It isn’t until you’re standing in the vast courtyard of the Louvre, with sunlight shimmering through the glass pyramid and crowds milling about beneath the museum’s ornate façade, that you can truly say you’ve been to Paris. Holding tens of thousands of works of art – from Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Greek antiquities to masterpieces by artists such as da Vinci (including his incomparable Mona Lisa), Michelangelo and Rembrandt – it’s no surprise that this is one of the world’s most visited museums. Read more
Paris' most visited un-ticketed site, with upwards of 14 million visitors per year, is a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture. The focus of Catholic Paris for seven centuries, its vast interior accommodates 6000 worshippers.Highlights include its three spectacular rose windows, treasury and bell towers, which can be climbed. From the North Tower, 422 steps spiral to the top of the western façade, where you’ll find yourself face-to-face with frightening gargoyles and a spectacular view of Paris. Read more
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur
Begun in 1875 in the wake of the Franco-Prussian War and the chaos of the Paris Commune, Sacré-Cœur is a symbol of the former struggle between the conservative Catholic old guard and the secular, republican radicals. It was finally consecrated in 1919, standing in contrast to the bohemian lifestyle that surrounded it. The view over Paris from here is breathtaking. Avoid walking up the steep hill by using a regular metro ticket aboard the funicular to the upper station. Read more
This inner-city oasis of formal terraces, chestnut groves and lush lawns has a special place in Parisians' hearts. The gardens are a backdrop to the Palais du Luxembourg, built in the 1620s for Marie de Médici, Henri IV’s consort, to assuage her longing for the Pitti Palace in Florence, where she had spent her childhood. Read more
If anything rivals the Eiffel Tower as the symbol of Paris, it’s this magnificent 1836 monument to Napoléon’s victory at Austerlitz (1805), which he commissioned the following year. The intricately sculpted triumphal arch stands sentinel in the centre of the Étoile (Star) roundabout. From the viewing platform on top of the arch (50m up via 284 steps and well worth the climb) you can see the dozen avenues. Read more
The Panthéon's stately neoclassical dome is an icon of the Parisian skyline. Its vast interior is an architectural masterpiece: originally an abbey church dedicated to Ste Geneviève and now a mausoleum, it has served since 1791 as the resting place of some of France’s greatest thinkers, including Voltaire, Rousseau, Braille and Hugo. A copy of Foucault's pendulum, first hung from the dome in 1851 to demonstrate the rotation of the earth, takes pride of place. Read more
Enchanting nooks and crannies overflow with new and secondhand English-language books. The original shop (12 rue l’Odéon, 6e; closed by the Nazis in 1941) was run by Sylvia Beach and became the meeting point for Hemingway’s ‘Lost Generation’. Readings by emerging and illustrious authors regularly take place and there's a wonderful cafe next door. Read more
Glorious Food
France’s reputation for its cuisine (the French word for ‘kitchen’) precedes it, and whether you seek a cozy neighborhood bistro or a triple-Michelin-starred temple to gastronomy, you'll find that every establishment prides itself on exquisite preparation and presentation of quality produce, invariably served with wine. Enticing patisseries, boulangeries (bakeries), fromageries (cheese shops) and crowded, colorful street markets are perfect for putting together a picnic to take to the city’s beautiful parks and gardens, when the weather allows it. You can find some top choice restaurants here.
We are Social!
Make sure to use the hashtag #HPETSS on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or whatever social app you’re using, tag all your posts & share the excitement with us!
I hope I’ve provided you with a great selection of things to do while in Paris or if you extend your visit.
What are you looking forward to the most during your stay in Paris ? Do you have a favorite spot that isn’t on our list? Please share it in the comment section below.
We look forward to seeing you in March 12-15!
Alex_Katsila
I’m an Activation Lead and working in the IT industry for almost 10 years now. I love Instagram, blogging and sharing fascinating stories about our HPE sales, presales and channel partners.