[CliveH]

The only time I've driven to Paris (long before the days of satnav), we ended up in Versailles, which is (or was) apparently a common occurence. But you should have no problems with the satnav, and congratulations to Ian for making sure you travel in the best car!

Driving and parking in Paris is a nightmare, just like central London but worse, although the French have a strange rule that between the hours of 12:00 and 14:00 you can park just about anywhere, pedestrian crossings included! (something to do with lunchtime). So your idea of parking at the hotel and using the Metro is a top one!

The Dover to Calais ferry takes about an hour. The drive from Calais to Paris at that time, and within the speed limits, could take at least 4 hours. So allowing for getting off the ferry and a brief stop, I think 2am (local time) could be a little optimistic ETA in central Paris.

As for places to visit and things to do, there's so much, again just like London. The Palace of Versailles (not by mistake!) is well worth a visit as is the Louvre, Moulin Rouge, Eiffel Tour, Notre Dame Cathedral, boat trip down the River Seine, depends what your tastes and interests are really.

Can't remember what the autoroute tolls cost but they're not cheap and at that time of night you could probably cover the journey in the same time on the N roads (these are the equivalent of our A roads - the French A roads are autoroutes/motorways).

oh, and Bon Voyage!