A tribe of Gauls founded Paris 2,300 years ago; now, tribes of football fans are converging upon it

By JEAN RAFFERTY

ARIS The serpentine River Seine curves through a city built brilliantly to human scale. Streaming with a light that enchanted the Impressionists, Paris is famously friendly to lovers. It is equally welcoming to walkers, who can find a comic lithograph at a bookseller's on the riverside quays; an irresistible pastry shop down a small side street; a chic little black dress in a Left Bank boutique. The City of Light draws 21 million visitors a year, more than any other world capital. Paris originated on the islands in the Seine, settled in the 3rd century B.C. by the Parisii, a tribe of Gauls. The Romans conquered it in 52 B.C., and in 987 it became the capital of the kingdom of the Capets, and thus of France. The town rippled out over the river's left and right banks, and in the 19th century Baron Haussmann blazed through the medieval streets to create its grand boulevards and public gardens.

The Right Bank traditionally has stood for finance, the stock exchange, department stores, luxury shopping and the bourgeoisie. The Left Bank, where the Sorbonne was founded in 1257, is the city's intellectual heart, home to universities, writers and publishers, philosophers and their cafes, and the mansions of the Faubourg St. Germain with their spacious private gardens. Today, boundaries have blurred, and there are an increasing number of Left Bank luxury fashion boutiques.

The most-coveted residential arrondissements--the 7th, 8th, 16th and 17th--have been joined by the upgraded Marais (4th) and St. Germain des Pres (6th). Today's frequent demonstrations still originate in the Bastille quarter around Nation and Republic, long the bastion of the working class, though artists' ateliers, trendy bars and boutiques have replaced workers' cafes.

Landmarks like Notre Dame, the Sacre Coeur and the Louvre have 20th century competition: the Centre Pompidou (in dire disrepair after a mere 25 years and now closed for renovation); the Louvre's glass pyramid; the Bastille Opera (its top levels covered with netting to contain the falling pieces of its disintegrating facade); the Grande Arche at La Defense (ditto after one marble slab came loose); and the late President Mitterrand's new library, the Bibliotheque de France (its "open-book" glass towers now shuttered to keep out the light).

Paris is always packed with visitors in June and early July, and will be more so with the World Cup. The Metro is safe, easy and the fastest way around town. Those with more time might try the Batobus, a Seine ferry which makes six stops at major tourist sights including the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.

The reputation of Parisians as snappish and somewhat surly may have been diluted by a pre-Cup campaign to heighten their sense of hospitality. The climate is as unpredictable as the Parisians--June and July can be sweltering, or send you into a shiver. With the hot weather comes serious air pollution, almost entirely due to auto exhaust fumes but also possibly to the ubiquitous cigarette smoke: even friendly Parisians smoke as though their lives didn't depend on it and in restaurants anti-smoking regulations are ignored.

There are other problems. French unemployment is around 3 million, or 12% of the workforce. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the 1968 evenements, and disgruntled Parisians are as ready as ever to air their grievances by marching in the streets. Truck drivers, railroad workers, Air France pilots and even teachers have held protests recently, so disruptive strikes during the World Cup are a possibility.

In addition to the city's normal full artistic calendar of opera, ballet, concerts and art exhibits, special events related to the World Cup start on June 9, when four costumed parades will leave from the Opera, the Arc de Triomphe, the Pont Neuf and the Eiffel Tower to converge on the Place de la Concorde. Monuments including the Assemblee Nationale, the Madeleine Church, Les Invalides Church, the Louvre and the Grand and Petit Palais will be part of a light display.

There will be an auction of football paraphernalia at the Richelieu-Drouot salesrooms on June 14. As well as the Paris matches, the Parc des Princes stadium hosts a Brazilian samba festival on July 1, and on July 12 the three tenors, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti will perform a new repertoire there, to be relayed on screens around the Champs de Mars.

For non-fans, there are a variety of ways to escape the World Cup. Start by breakfasting on a croissant and cafe-au-lait on the terrace of a St. Germain des Pres cafe. Walk across the Seine on the Pont des Arts to the Louvre--best times are the 9 a.m. opening, after 6 p.m. on Monday when it's partially open, or Wednesday evenings when it's fully open. As well as all the familiar treasures, visit the newly-opened Egyptian rooms and the over-the-top Napoleon III apartments. At noon, grab a table on the Cafe Marly terrace overlooking the Louvre pyramid for a light lunch, then slip into the gardens of the Palais Royal, a secret Parisian square whose arcades were built in the 18th century by Louis XVI's brother, the Duke of Orleans, as a first regal shopping mall. Today their boutiques sell an eclectic range from lead soldiers to vintage chateau dinnerware.

Another option is to investigate the Right Bank renaissance on the Champs-Elysees at Louis Vuitton's new showcase store, sample the chocolate macaroons at Laduree's tea salon inspired by Gustave Eiffel, then browse in Sephora's beauty and perfume emporium.

Take a walk along the Promenade Plantee, a garden stretching nearly 4 km planted on top of the disused Avenue Daumesnil railroad viaduct, and then visit the artisans whose shops are underneath. Stroll through the latest Parisian gardens, the Parc de Bercy, on the site of the city's former wine warehouses; a huge expanse of greenery that includes a kitchen garden, rose gardens, romantic gardens and vineyards.

If the weather's fine, the best place to toast the sunset is on the newly opened terrace bar of the Hotel Raphael on the Avenue Kleber, before going on to dine on the Yachts de Paris '30s motor yacht the Don Juan as it cruises the Seine.

Bad-weather options are the trendy Buddha Bar or the bar of the Hotel Costes for drinks, with dinner at the classic and friendly Chez Georges on the Rue du Mail, or the best-value bistro in town, La Regalade--if you can get reservations (try lunch). At the Bistrot du 17eme an aperitif, three-course meal, half-bottle of wine and coffee is a bargain $28, all included. And all the bistros of two-star chef Guy Savoy--which include the welcoming and delicious Left Bank favorite, Les Bookinistes--will be serving dinner from 6 p.m through midnight during the Cup.

Where to shop? Try the luxury boutiques on the Avenue Montaigne, Faubourg St. Honore, Rue de Grenelle and Place St. Germain des Pres. The trendiest is Colette, on the Rue St. Honore, home of state-of-the-art Reeboks, limited-edition watches, contemporary design accessories and avant-garde couture. And for shopping on Sunday there's the Marais quarter in the streets around the Rue des Francs Bourgeois, and all the city's museum shops, especially those in the Musee d'Orsay, the Musee Carnavalet (also in the Marais), the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, the Louvre itself and its modern underground shopping mall, the Carrousel du Louvre.

But, of course, Sundays will be major match days and many visitors will be more interested in the football fates of Brazil, England, France's own les Bleus and others of the 32 teams converging on France for the competition. Where to watch the games? For those without tickets for the matches--i.e., the vast majority of tourists in town during the games--there will be giant screens at the Hotel de Ville, the Trocadero Gardens and the Place Stalingrad. The Charlety, Emile Anthoine and Bertrand-Dauvin stadiums will also display the games.

Cautious types, however, might be best advised to watch the matches in the comfort of their hotel rooms or an air-conditioned, TV-equipped bar. Considering the kinds of crowds attracted to football nowadays, the areas around those giant screens could see more action than the games shown on them.