Get a feeling for Paris
Paris is a much coveted holiday destination. It is full of traditional, romantic village areas, but also offers all of the wonders and attractions of a modern cosmopolitan city. In Paris, you will find some of the most famous monuments, museums and attractions from around the world. It is certainly a destination that offers something for all visitors.
You can find 150 museums in Paris and almost all of these are worthwhile to visit. They include famous museums such as the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay. The Louvre draws approximately 5.7 million tourists per year and this is testimony to its amazing collection, which includes pieces such as Leonardo de Vinci's stunning, "Mona Lisa." The Musee d'Orsay holds one of the most remarkable Impressionist art collections worldwide.
Another museum that is extremely worthwhile to visit is the Cite des Sciences at de l'Industrie. It is a science museum that boasts extensive hands-on displays.
Besides for Paris' museums, it is also famous for attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and Center Pompidou. The Eiffel Tower attracts around 6.2 million visitors annually. If you take the lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower you will have a panoramic view over the whole of Paris. The Center Pompidou is a center of modern art, cinemas, concerts and children's activities and it is also among the most visited sites in Paris.
The Notre Dame Cathedral and the Grande Arche de la Defense should also be on your to-see list. If you are looking for a place to relax, a visit to the fountains in the Tuileries Gardens or the Jardin du Luxembourg, is a treat. A day trip to visit the stunning palace and gardens of Chateau de Versailles will take you out of Paris itself, but if you have the time, it will not leave you disappointed.
Part of the lure to Paris is the contrasts that can be found within the city. Monumental vistas, such as the one from the Louvre to La Defense are juxtaposed with tiny alleyways in the area of Quartier Latin. You can shop in traditional street markets and pedestrian arcades or within the warren of underground commercial complexes that can be found. There is evidence of great aristocratic wealth contrasted with many areas of poverty.
Paris sees vast numbers of tourists to its city every year and as such, it has many holiday accommodation options to choose from. It boasts approximately 75,000 rooms within about 2,000 different hotels. An aparthotel is an excellent choice for families or groups of visitors. This is an apartment that is attached to a hotel. It tends to offer more space and privacy than the hotel, but does not offer all of the amenities that would be available if you stayed in the hotel itself.
If you are traveling on a budget, there are many youth centers that you can choose to stay in. Rental apartments are also available throughout the city and these are an excellent choice for those who are staying for more than a week or who enjoy staying in self-catering accommodation in order to get more of a feel of the city.
Paris Is The Most Visited City In The World
Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with over 30 million foreign visitors per year. As the paragon of style, Paris is one of the most glamorous cities in the world.
The "City of Light", is the apex of architectural beauty, artistic expression, and culinary delight. As Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "There is never any ending to Paris" and Spring in Paris may be the stuff of romantic legend, but the most delicious time of year to visit is the fall, especially September and October.
This autumn season the city bristles with energy as new shops, clubs, and restaurants open, a cultural season begins, and everyone catches up after the summer holidays.
Or consider winter because it is usually mild, and December, January, and February are the trough of the annual tourist calendar, so you'll be getting Paris at its most Parisian (except for Paris is a savory blend of old and new, as centuries-old palaces and monuments steeped in history share the skyline companionably with modern commercial complexes.
Paris is relatively small which means most scenic highlights are within walking distance and this is what makes Paris an ideal place for a France Holiday Rental. Parisian's-eye-view of the open-air markets, corner bistros and meandering little streets that make this urban paradise so famous.
Explore classic sights like the Tour Eiffel, Notre-Dame cathedral, Louvre and Arc de Triomphe, or pick up a fresh golden baguette and enjoy a leisurely picnic on the banks of the Seine River or at one of the unexpected grassy knolls that you come across during your excursions.
Indeed, Paris is the city of dreams for for artists, intellectuals, philosophers and of course, lovers.
Paris is made up of 20 arrondissements or districts. There is no logical numerical order. The romantic river Seine separates the two sides, simply known as left and right bank.
Place de la Bastille (4th, 11th and 12th arrondissements, right bank) is a historical district and as it shows the illogical numbering of the districts. The arrondissements are numbered like a snail. So the actual numbers of the arrondissements can alter every two blocks or so depending on the direction that you walk.
Les Halles (1st arrondissement, right bank) was formerly Paris' central meat and produce market, since the late 1970s a major shopping center around an important metro connection station, Chatelet. In the past Les Halles was destroyed in 1971 and replaced by the Forum des Halles. The central market of Paris, the biggest wholesale food market in the world, was transferred to Rungis, in the southern suburbs.
Le Marais (3rd and 4th arrondissements) is in the trendy Right Bank district. With large gay and Jewish populations it is a very culturally diverse. The Latin Quarter (5th arrondissements, left bank) is a twelfth century scholastic center formerly stretching between the Left Bank's Place Maubert and the Sorbonne campus. It is known for its lively atmosphere and many bistros.
Montmartre (18th arrondissement, right bank) is a historic area on the Butte. Montmartre has always had a history with artists and has many studios and of many great artists in that area.
Montparnasse (14th arrondissement) is a historic Left Bank area famous for artists studios, music halls, and bistro life. The large Montparnasse Blvd and the lone Tour Montparnasse skyscraper are located there.
Faubourg Saint-Honore (8th arrondissement, right bank) is one of Paris' high-fashion districts, home to labels such as Hermes and Christian Lacroix. Avenue Montaigne (8th arrondissement), next to the Champs Elysees, is home to luxury brand labels such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton (LVMH), Dior and Givenchy. Champs Elysees (8th arrondissement, right bank) is a seventeenth century garden-promenade turned avenue connecting the Concorde and Arc de Triomphe.
It is one of the many tourist attractions and a major shopping street of Paris. This avenue has been called "la plus belle avenue du monde" ("the most beautiful avenue in the world"). Place de la Concorde (8th arrondissement, right bank) is at the foot of the Champs-Elysees, built as the "Place Louis XV", site of the infamous guillotine. The Egyptian obelisk is Paris' "oldest monument". On this place, on the two side of the Rue Royale live two identical stone buildings: the eastern houses the French Naval Ministry, the western the luxurious Hotel de Crillon.
Nearby Place Vendome is famous for its fashionable and deluxe hotels (Hotel Ritz and Hotel de Vendome) and its jewellers. Many famous fashion designers have had their salons in the square.
L'Opera (9th arrondissement, right bank) is the area around the famous Opera Garnier and is a home to the capital's densest concentration of both department stores and offices. A few examples are the Printemps and Galeries Lafayette grands magasins (department stores), and the Paris headquarters of financial giants such as Credit Lyonnais and American Express.
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