Where lunch is vitally important

Paris’s reputation as the city of romance has made it the world’s favourite tourist destination for decades. But there’s more to this capital than love.

Paris is the beating heart of European business. Its central location in continental Europe means it’s long been a meeting point for travellers from Moscow to Marrakech to trade with European partners.

Much of this city’s dynamism comes from its thriving science and technology sector. There’s a high concentration of companies focusing on pharmaceuticals, transport, digital transformation, systems and information technology and communications. Big names include Alcatel-Lucent, Apple, Google, Orange and Siemens, as well as Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline.

The Paris Ile-de-France region spends more on research and development and files more patents than any other in Europe. This is partly thanks to a long-term policy of building ‘competitive clusters’. These are groups of firms, labs and educational establishments working together to invent new products, processes and services. In the Paris region this includes the Advancity cluster which focuses on green technology and sustainable cities.

Ambitious plans are also underway to create a huge digital business incubator in Paris’s 13th district. A former freight trans-shipping hub, the vast Halle Freyssinet, is being converted to host 1,000 start-ups. The 33,000–sq-m space, set to open in 2017, will house co-working areas, state-of-the-art lab, auditorium, meeting rooms and a bar-restaurant.

But beyond technology, Paris is still home to some of the world’s most famous fashion, design and luxury superbrands: home-grown firms include Chanel, Cartier, Hermes, Christian Louboutin and LMVH. Aeronautics, space and defence players include Dassault-Aviation and the Thales Group, while business services, food production and the auto industry are threaded into a dense weave of well-established economic activity.

Ringed by international airports and at the centre of a high-speed train network, Paris hosts many international trade fairs. Coming up from 15-21 June, the Paris Air Show will be held at Le Bourget exhibition centre at Le Bourget exhibition centre and in November, the construction show Batimat at Paris Nord Villepinte among others.

If you’re on an international flight, you’ll probably land at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, 26km northeast of Paris. It has three terminals, linked by free shuttle buses and a light-rail service. High-speed Wi-Fi is available in all terminals and restaurants, bars and cafes are scattered throughout. The bakery chain, Paul, is a reliable choice for sandwiches, salads and pastries and Miyou, in Terminal 2, by former Le Grand Vefour chef Guy Martin, offers gourmet fast food.

A taxi into central Paris takes 40 minutes in average traffic and costs about 60 euros ($65). The second-best option is either aRoissybus ,11 euros ($12), running every 15 minutes at peak times, or an Air France coach, 17 euros ($18), both taking you downtown in about an hour. But they don’t run 24 hours and finding the right bus stop can be tricky.

The RER local train connection takes only 32 minutes for 9.75 euros ($10) but the trains are often crowded and arrive inside the confusing underground labyrinth at Gare du Nord railway station where you need to watch out for pickpockets.

Gare du Nord is also the arrival station for Eurostar trains. If you’re unfamiliar with the Metro, this is not a good place to become acquainted with it. Instead, follow the signs outside to the taxi rank. As you do so, beware of smartly dressed taxi touts who will try to talk you into hiring a rogue cab. Keep walking and carry on outside to the official rank, even if it means joining a queue.

Orly airport, 14km south of Paris, is a 30-minute taxi ride downtown for about 55 euros ($60) in average traffic. The next best option is the Orlybus service; it takes 30 minutes for 7.70 euros ($8) and drops off south of the city centre.

Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted, except for amounts of less than 10 euros ($11). American Express and traveller’s cheques aren’t. It’s best to have some euros on hand (you will need them for the Metro) but be careful — pickpockets remain a problem throughout Paris. Expect to pay around 5 euros ($5) for a cappuccino and to find that most cab drivers will only take cash. 

Business lunches may be becoming less elaborate but cuisine is still taken very seriously. “Not long after I arrived I made the cultural faux pas of declining a business lunch. Lunch is really important,” said Alastair Fife chief executive officer of Ontomobile, an information technology company creating mobile apps for enterprises. Now based in Barcelona, he has worked in several European cities, including Paris.

“In my experience if you’re going to talk about business over lunch in Paris you don’t do it until the end, over coffee, or sometimes you even have lunch and then go back to the office to discuss business.”

Meetings sometimes follow a quite old-fashioned protocol. “In Paris, whoever’s the highest ranking individual in the room will always arrive last, so effectively the meeting never starts until they turn up,” Fife said. “It’s a little frustrating. You can waste 15-20 minutes sitting in a room.” 

Newly opened in the skyscraper business district of La Defense, the four-star Melia Hotel is shaped like a boat’s hull, overlooking water mirror fountains. Panoramic city views can be enjoyed from the Skyline Paris lounge and bar, or from the 19th-floor fitness centre. From the Metro station directly opposite, it’s a five-to-10-minute ride downtown.

The newly renovated five-star Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg is also a luxurious and yet business-like setting in a grand district of central Paris, but also well situated for La Defense.

Timhotel, a comfortable hotel chain with 2-, 3- and 4-star hotels throughout Paris and beyond, provides rooms from 49 euros ($53) per night. The Timhotels at Opera Madeleine, Berthier Paris and Palais Royal also have seminar facilities. 

For classic French cuisine within the buzzy atmosphere of a grand brasserie, the recently opened Faust is an excellent option. Housed within the former boat houses of the Royal Guard, it’s on the Left Bank, beneath the gilded beauty of the bridge Pont Alexandre III. In fine weather you can dine outside, watching passers-by on the riverside walk.

If time for sightseeing is short you could hop aboard the Bustronome, a restaurant in a double decker bus. You tuck into a six-course dinner tasting menu, from 95 euros ($103), while taking in a two-and-a-half-hour tour of the best-known sights, including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame. 

Finally reopened after five years of renovations, the Picasso Museum in the atmospheric Marais district makes for a richly rewarding visit. This is a chance to view around 450 paintings, sculptures, prints and engravings by Pablo Picasso, housed within a spectacularly grand 17th-century mansion. Online booking recommended.

Or take a stroll along the Berges de Seine, a 2.3km pedestrianised walk along the Left Bank of the Seine, running from just opposite the Musee d’Orsay to the Pont de l’Alma. There’s an ongoing programme of free leisure activities, from hopscotch to climbing walls, but the best tip for unwinding is to lie back on the loungers in the floating gardens and watch the boats chug by. 

Be prepared for transport strikes — from air traffic controllers forcing flight cancellations to cab drivers bringing traffic to a standstill. When local train and Metro drivers strike, cab drivers and shuttle services aren’t always a reliable option. Book through a trusted source, such as the hotel concierge or, if you’ve a crucial flight to catch, book into an airport hotel.