Why Travel to Paris?
Paris is the most glamorous city in Europe. The city is very walkable and even the furthest sights can be reached easily by Metro or bus.
Both left and right banks of the River Seine are stuffed with sights such as:
The right bank- Arc de Triomphe, the world famous arch commissioned by Napoleon + the tree/shop-lined Champs-Elysées, and at the end of that avenue is Place de la Concorde, where the well-travelled 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk oversees the city's chaotic traffic.
On the other side of the avenue, through the peaceful Tuileries Garden, you get to the incredible Louvre, a vast building with glass pyramid entrance, where 'Mona Lisa' still smiles. Other notable buildings are Opéra Garnier an imposing theatre], Centre Georges Pompidou [modern art museum], Sacré Coeur [Basilica of the Sacred Heart] with a monster white dome from where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city.
Then there's Les îles with Notre Dame - it's is well worth climbing the 387 steps for a breathtaking view of Paris and close look at some scary gargoyles.
Conciergerie is a former prison where 3,000 guillotine victims including Marie-Antoinette were kept warm.
One of the city's almost hidden treasures, inside the Palais de Justice is Saint Chapelle, a Gothic masterpiece with 13thC stained glass.
The left bank - The Eiffel Tower , the 320m tower landmark of Paris is infamous for a long wait for the lift.
An adjacent park, Champ de Mars is pleasant for picnics for weary travellers. Another must-see museum is Musée d'Orsay for an exquisite collection of Impressionist works.
The Quartier Latin, enlivened by students of the Sorbonne University, offers Roman ruins, Musée du Moyen Âge , Arénes de Lutéce, and two fine parks, the Luxembourg and Jardin des Plantes.
A relatively new attraction is La Défense, a massive skyscraper group, including Grande Arche , with open-air contemporary arts exhibits in the west of the city.
Paris is a wonderful city for aimless wandering. Relaxed quarters such as the vibrant Marais, elegant St-Germain and romantic Montmartre are ideal for street-browsing, shopping and café-sitting, and the city's lack of open space is redeemed by beautiful formal gardens, by the pathways and pavements that run beside the River Seine
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