Away weekend: The French Open
The Place Roland Garros, Paris
The Date 25 May-8 June
The event
Now Novak Djokovic has broken into the winner's circle, the world's most prestigious clay-court tournament can look beyond the duopoly of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for its finalists. In the women's singles, the quietly destructive Justine Henin will bid for a fifth title in six years. The Belgian has not dropped a set in Paris since the 2005 quarter-finals.
The place
The Stade Roland-Garros, in a leafy part of south-west Paris, seems a world away from the chaotic city centre. In fact, it's only 40 minutes by public transport: take metro line 10 to Porte d'Auteuil, then board a free shuttle bus. Registration for show-court tickets has passed, but you can try your luck in the queue, or turn up after 5pm as a visiteur du soir, when tickets are resold for €10.
The locals
The crowd is more vocal than at Wimbledon, but it's still a struggle to engage a Parisian in anything less than fluent French. A well executed phrase such as 'Murray devrait jouer avec plus de patience, comme Nadal' ('Murray should play more patiently, like Nadal') may elicit a grunt of approval.
Where to stay
There are a few budget options around the Avenue de Versailles if you want to stay close by, but your best bet is to head back into town. The Hotel d'Angleterre on the Left Bank was where, in 1921, tennis fan Ernest Hemingway first stayed in Paris and it is now a modestly priced gem.
Where to eat and drink
Café de l'Homme, on the Place du Trocadero, offers possibly the best view in the whole of Paris. It's also where Rafael Nadal likes to go to celebrate after winning the title, so there's a fairly good chance it will be packed out again on 8 June.
What else to do
Avoid the traditional tourist traps; instead, try the Tenniseum Roland-Garros, or, a short hop away on the metro at Saint-François-Xavier, visit La Pagode, a 19th-century oriental pagoda that is also a cinema.
How to get there
The train is the romantic - and green - option; the Eurostar takes two-and-a-quarter hours and costs as little as £59. Air France, BA, bmibaby, easyJet and others fly to Charles de Gaulle airport, around 25 minutes by train from the city centre.
What not to do
Mention that no Frenchman has reached the final of his home tournament in two decades, unless you want to be accused of being l'hôpital qui se moque de la charité - the French equivalent of 'pot calling the kettle black'.