Nigel Tisdall is the Travel Editor of Marie Claire and also contributes frequently to the Daily and Sunday Telegraph.  A regular visitor to Paris, he is currently writing a book on the Louvre. Now writing for ebookers, he reveals both the classic and novel ways to enjoy Paris.

NEW ATTRACTIONS

Paris has no fear of nip and tuck. Barely a month goes by without some new museum or attraction opening, and whether you"re a first-time visitor or an old hand, stimulating days are guaranteed.  One of the most popular new treats is the Musée de l"Orangerie in the Tuileries - a must for all fans of Impressionism. Originally built to nurture Napoléon III"s orange trees, this now houses Claude Monet"s atmospheric work Les Nymphéas - a sequence of eight enormous paintings of water lilies displayed in oval galleries. Meanwhile, over by the Eiffel Tower, the huge Musée du Quai Branly cost £160m to build and is filled with fabulous ethnic art treasures collected from across the world by French explorers and colonial authorities. If you love French films, visit the new Cinémathèque Française, which is devoted to movies and their history, while the restored Musée d"Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, which fills the east wing of the Palais de Tokyo, includes Raoul Dufy"s massive 1937 homage to electricity, La Fée Électricité.
   
Paris is also changing in other ways. The cultural scene is as rich as ever, but there"s plenty more to see and do beyond the city"s historic core. A new footbridge honouring Simone de Beauvoir now spans the Seine near the Bibliothèque Nationale, usefully linking the 12th and 13th arrondissements. The boho streets around Canal St-Martin have quietly gentrified, while further the east branché nightlife spills from the bars and clubs along rue Oberkampf. Getting around has improved, too. The Métro now runs later into the night, and today the city has 370km of cycle-paths. These can be enjoyed through a new scheme called Velib", where the public can rent a bicycle for a few euros from a street-side terminal, then pedal away for some happy exploring.

CLASSIC ATTRACTIONS

When it comes to sightseeing in Paris, the old "uns are often still the best. For example, it"s hard to believe that the Pompidou Centre - that iconic art museum covered in crazy piping also known as the Beaubourg - celebrated its 30th birthday this year. Visitors to Paris continue to love it to bits, and the terrace bar on its roof remains one of the best places in the city for a drink at sunset.
   
Top of any must-see list is the Louvre. The world"s largest museum is a daunting prospect, but go on a Wednesday or Friday evening and it"s far less crowded. Stick to one area - such as Mesopotamia with its magnificent winged bulls - and you"ll come out smiling. The Musée d"Orsay, housed in a former railway station, is another formidable arthouse and always rewarding - head to the upper floors for Impressionist heaven. The Musée Rodin, with its lovely garden and forceful sculptures, always lifts the soul, while the grounds of Versailles (quickly reached on the RER train) are ideal for a romantic walk on a sunny day.
  
If you"ve not done it, the Eiffel Tower is worth the wait, not just for the views but because it"s fun to get deep inside this great heap of metal knitting. Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur are a bit too touristy for me, but go if you crave exercise. Also save time for a pilgrimage to Père-Lachaise, the celebrity cemetery where everyone from Oscar Wilde to Jim Morrison is laid to rest in an engrossing mini-city of ornate tombs.
   
And if you do all that, you"ll most certainly be entitled to relax. Then it"s time to stroll through the Tuileries, kiss by the Seine, and sit in cafés watching others do the work.

DINING

Now then, would Madame like the fraises soufflé avec crème Normande vanillée? Or the petite poires rôties à la crème de cassis? I mean, honestly - if there"s one place where you really can dine and go to heaven, it has to be the French capital. Elegant restaurants like Les Ambassadeurs, set in a fabulous marbled ballroom at the Hôtel de Crillon, take dining here into the realm of the sublime, as much about theatre as gourmet sensations. Yet if the budget"s tight, I"ve walked out of a street-corner bistro feeling just as happy after an unpretentious menu du jour featuring faux-filet, a little cheese and a pichet of robust vin rouge.
   
First, some tips. Skip breakfast, or keep it light. Most Parisians do this, which is why by 12.30pm the brasseries are packed with office-workers merrily downing a three-course menu fixe. Join them, and go for the specials - they"ll be just that. Be nice to your waiter, give the patron a nod - it all helps. Use sommeliers, that"s what they"re for. Note that service is included in all bills, by law. And at night, never forget that Parisian taxis are quite useless. Go to a rank, hop on the Métro, or just slip off your heels and walk to Bastille to go clubbing till dawn.
   
Now, a few favourite haunts. For an indulgent mix of old money and new fashion, head for Le Relais Plaza at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée. For a classic Paris restaurant with hearty fare, book a table at Le Square Trousseau (1 rue Antoine-Vollon), which has been going since 1907. For art nouveau splendour, seek out Julien (16 rue du Faubourg-St-Denis). If you smoke, Le Fumoir (6 rue de l"Amiral-de-Coligny) couldn"t give a fag about the bans. And if love is on the agenda (and when was it not in Paris?), go à deux to the charming Restaurant du Palais-Royal (110 galerie Valois).

SHOPPING

There"s something very pleasurable about swinging a glossy new carrier bag as you trip through the streets of Paris. A sense of achievement, a feeling that short breaks really are quite fun... Whether you"ve just picked up a sensational cake at Fauchon, found some smart party shoes in the rue St-Honoré, or had a good rummage at the Porte de Clignancourt marché aux puce, shopping here seems as natural as eating steak and frites.
   
So where"s best to go? Many shoppers head for the big stores lining the
Champs-Elysées and the Grands Boulevards between place Madeleine and place de la République, but that can be heavy going. I much prefer to wander the small and intricate streets of Paris"s older neighbourhoods, where you find one-off boutiques mixed with little parks, inviting cafés and unexpected sights like the Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits (8 rue de Nesle), which is devoted to letters written by the rich and famous. The best-known district like this is the Marais, which is also one of the few areas you"ll find shops open on a Sunday. It"s a great spot for buying home goodies and funky presents, and place des Vosges is one of the prettiest squares you could ever munch a baguette in.
   
Across the river, St-Germain offers a beguiling blend of foodie shops, fashion and streets dotted with art and antiques dealers. For haute couture - both in the windows and trotting along the trottoir - head for the rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré. If it"s raining, seek out the 19th-century covered arcades full of quirky shops - two of the best are galerie Vivienne and passage Verdeau. Or if time"s short, Le Bon Marché is the most enjoyable of the department stores. Ideal for a one-stop spree, it has good menswear and lots of yummy treats in the Grande Epicerie food hall next door.