City breaks in Paris are extremely popular with over twenty million people visiting its six most well known attractions every year. The Eiffel Tower is possibly the most recognisable landmark in the world.
Paris is a very elegant city with much to see. If your visit is short you will need to be selective in your sightseeing and plan a second visit. It is said to be the favourite city for lovers and it certainly lives up to its romantic reputation.
Paris offers wide boulevards with magnificent architecture, beautiful churches and fascinating museums and art galleries. There is nightlife to suit all tastes and restaurants catering for all palates. Boutiques in Paris are renowned for their chic fashions but also for their high prices.
Paris is popular with most age groups with the exception of families with small children. Paris is an exciting vibrant city that attracts adults of all ages and couples in particular.
Although a city break to Paris can be enjoyed at any time of year, it is particularly popular in the spring and summer. Many couples spend St. Valentine’s Day in this most romantic of cities. In August many Parisians leave the city and head for the coast leaving the streets to be enjoyed by foreign tourists.
Many of the famous sights of Paris are close to the River Seine which winds its way through the heart of the city. There are two islands in the river and Notre Dame Cathedral lies on one of them, the Ile de la Cite. It was begun in 1163 and took almost two hundred years to complete and is a wonderful example of Gothic architecture. It has several rose windows, the largest of which is over thirteen metres in diameter. It is this window and the wide buttresses that make it recognisable all over the world.
Wherever you are in Paris you can see the Eiffel Tower built for the World Exhibition in 1889. At three hundred and twenty metres it towers over the city and on a clear day it is possible to see for fifty miles.
The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to celebrate his victory but unfortunately he was relieved of power before its completion. There is a platform at the top of two hundred and eighty-four steps from which there is a marvellous view down the Champs-Elysees. The Champs-Elysees is a long broad boulevard, lined with shops and restaurants, which is used for celebrations and historic events.
The Louvre, formerly a palace, is one of the largest museums in the world and houses probably the world’s most famous painting, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
Paris is home to so many wonderful buildings, parks and gardens that it needs more than one visit to truly appreciate its glory.
Whatever your tastes, you will find them satisfied in Paris. There are opera houses, jazz clubs, concert halls, theatres and cabaret, as well as a host of bars, clubs and restaurants.
There are a large number of shops and boutiques in Paris offering designer goods. Even if you can’t afford the prices of the goods there is pleasure to be had from window shopping.
The markets in Paris are known for their variety of fresh produce and bargains are to be found in the flea and antique markets.
The French are proud of their cuisine and there are many fine restaurants in Paris. An inexpensive simple meal can be had in the various bistros and brasseries that can be found in all quarters of the city. The fixed priced menu in restaurants is usually good value.
