Looking for things to do in Paris during the winter months? Paris Walks continues to offer its English-language walking tours 365 days a year, rain or shine. (And some of their tours are indoors.) All of them are fascinating, all offer tourists and residents alike a wonderful way to spend time in Paris.

Paris is open and welcoming throughout the holidays. A perfect destination for single travelers, couples, families to enjoy seasonal events and cuisine, all with that inimitable French twist.

The aromas of chocolate crêpes, espresso coffee, and of course, cigarettes, are just some of the typical aromas when in France's cosmopolitan capital.

But some unfamiliar scents are wafting in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, inviting locals and visitors alike, to follow their nose and uncover a unsuspecting garden oasis atop an abandoned railway.

Paris is an exceptionally richly layered city but one that is not at all difficult to enjoy.  Visitors can easily access contemporary Paris urbanity with its ineffable French twists. Or, they can delve into vocative historic places while tracing the lives of favorite writers, artists, architects, even of  kings and queens, in their personal “Midnight In Paris” journey of remembrance and discovery.  Or, more likely, a blend of both. Sally Peabody shares strategies for balancing planning and unexpected serendipities to get your best from a trip to Paris.

Take a métro to the Sévres Babylon stop. You will arrive at an architectural wonder. The crossroads of rue de Sevres and boul Raspail offer a feast for the eye.  A square, a hotel, and a shopping ‘marché’ are only the beginning. Here there are places to relax, to eat or drink, or do some of the most exciting shopping in Paris. No trip to the city should be without at least one tour of this historic and artistic area.

Paris is a city that holds varying meaning for each of its visitors. Some come for the shopping, others for the food. During the summer it is overrun by foreign college students who flock to the clubs to dance and stay up all night. There are soldiers on leave from nations all over the world who have come to see the girls along Montmartre. And there are people who float through just long enough so that they can say that they’ve been there.

There are so many details that are often left out of discussions about Paris. I’d like to suggest at least a dozen "MUST SEE" places with a brief description of some. I know we all have different tastes, but looking back through the historical days that shaped Paris, I like to pase and remember.

Many people coming to the London Olympics 2012 will want to include a quick Paris trip. My favourite way to get from London to Paris is via the Eurostar high speed train instead of flying. Why? Getting to and from these mega city airports can take a lot of time and expense and takes away from valuable sight-seeing and joie de vivre time!  Flights could be delayed or worse, cancelled. The most fun way to get between the two cities is on the EuroStar, the trip is just over two hours long and many departures are offered daily.

Walking along the boulevards of Paris, becoming a flaneur, is an essential Parisian experience – more so if you have a passion for the literary history of the city. For the ‘The Band of Outsiders’ Literary Walking tour in Paris, I met the expatriate American writer, David Burke, with my fellow walkers at Place de la Contrescarpe. He began by explaining that just as writers were enriched by living in Paris, our appreciation of their lives and work is heightened by following them from place to place in our imaginations or, even better, in our walking shoes.