The top floor of the Orsay, containing its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist rooms, is slated to reopen this spring after a year-long renovation. Until then, many of the displaced masterpieces are temporarily displayed on the museum's ground floor. At the Louvre, the pre-Classical Greek section will be closed in 2011. Construction continues on the new Islamic art wing, due to open in 2012.
The Eiffel Tower's online reservation system, which lets you skip the ticket line, is up and running (www.toureiffel.fr). At the tower, attendants scan your ticket (which you've printed at home) and put you on the first available elevator. Even with a reservation, however, you still have to wait in line with the masses to get from the second level to the summit.
The renovation of the east wing of the Army Museum in Paris is finally complete. The wing's exhibit, "From Louis XIV to Napoleon I," covers French military history from 1643–1814, with a focus on Napoleon. Highlights include a projection screen illustrating the Battle of Waterloo, the famous portrait of Napoleon by Ingres, and Le Vizir — the beloved (now stuffed) Arabian horse of the "Little Corporal."
As more of France adopts chip-and-PIN technology for credit cards, US credit and debit cards are unlikely to work at self-service ticket machines, gas pumps, automated tollbooths, and parking garages with automatic pay points. If you travel with a smartphone or laptop, another high-tech change is however helpful: every McDonald's in France now offers free Wi-Fi.
