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Paris Information
Long considered the paragon of style, Paris is the most glamorous city in Europe. At times Paris can feel inhumanly magnificent, the arrogance of it's monuments encompassing the chilly pomp of the Panthéon, the industrial chic of the Eiffel Tower and the almost spiritual glasswork of the Louvre pyramid. Yet it also operates on a very human scale, with exquisite, secretive little nooks tucked away from the Grands Boulevards and very definite little communities revolving around games of boules and the local boulangerie and café.
Paris is a city to discover. So once you've seen the sights and museums, take the metro or bus and get off somewhere you've never heard off, wander through a quartier where French meets with Arabic or Vietnamese, poke about mysterious shops, or best off all sit out on a café terrace with a glass of vin blanc and watch the world go by.
Both the capital of the nation and the Île de France region, Paris is located in northern central France. Central Paris, known as Intra-Muros (within the walls), is an oval shape separated by the River Seine, with 20 arrondissements (districts) spiraling clockwise from the centre in a logical fashion. The area north of the river, the Rive Droite, is home to the tree lined Avenue des Champs-Élysées, running west to the Arc de Triomphe. East of the avenue is the massive Musée du Louvre, the Centre Georges Pompidou and a lively district of museums, shops, markets and restaurants. Immediately south of the Centre Georges Pompidou on the Île de la Cité is the world famous Notre Dame Cathedral. The area south of the river, the Rive Gauche, is home to Paris' most prominent landmark, the Eiffel Tower. To the east, in the Saint Germain de Prés an the Montparnesse districts.
Built in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle (World Fair) to commemorate the centennial of the Revolution, the Eiffel Tower was the world's tallest structure at 320m until the Chrysler Building in Manhattan was completed. Interestingly the tower was opposed by the city's artistic and literary elite, and the tower was almost torn down in 1909. It was saved when it was proved an ideal platform for the antennas needed for new radiotelegraphy technology.
The Musée du Louvre is home to some 30,000 pieces of art. Some of the most famous works include the Seated Scribe, the Jewels of Rameses II and the armless duo - the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo. From the Renaissance, don't miss Michelangelo's Slaves, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and works by Raphael, Botticelli and Titian. French masterpieces of the 19th century include Ingres' La Grande Odalisque, Géricault's The Raft of the Medusa and the work of David and Delacroix.
If Paris has a heart then it is the Cathédrale Notre Dame. Notre Dame de Paris is not only a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, but has also been Catholic Paris' ceremonial focus for seven centuries. It's well worth climbing the 387 steps of the north tower. This will bring you to the top of the west facade and face to face with many of the cathedral's gargoyles, and it will give you a spectacular view over Paris.
