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Where History and Romance Meet

Paris in the spring is one of the most romantic cities in the world, or so it is said, but people come from around the world to sample its delights all year round.

Plenty of people are here to start with; eight million in fact across the greater Paris region. The city proper has a population of over two million crammed into 41 square miles, a level of population density few urban centres on Earth can match. Among the sea of apartments is an array of wonderful architecture, above which the Eiffel Tower stands proudly, at 984 feet the highest building in the world, from its completion for the World Fair in 1889,until the construction of New York's Chrysler Building in 1930.

Naturally, the tower is a must-do, with a lift taking visitors up to the highest viewing platform at 905 feet for a spectacular view of the city.

It is hard to imagine, either looking at or looking down from this elegant and iconic structure, that it was only meant to be there twenty 20 years. The way it was emulated on a smaller scale in places like Blackpool and New Brighton soon quashed that idea. In 1964 the tower became a historical monument and welcomed its 200 millionth visitor in 2002.

The view from up the tower gives one aspect of the city, but its many treasures have to be seen to be believed, from the artwork of the Louvre to the multicultural Institut du Monde Arabe on the Left Bank of the Seine. There is the imposing grandeur of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the majesty of the Arc de Triomphe and the gothic splendour of Sainte Chapelle. Every part of it oozes culture and history.

Stretching from pre-Roman times through to modern times via revolutions, occupations and liberations, this history is one of Romans and barbarians, invading Nazis and liberating Allies, of kings and saints, wars and insurrections, utopian ideas and rolling heads, poverty and riches. There is so much more Paris than just romance. The ideas that motivated those who stormed the Bastille, of liberty, equality and fraternity, live on still.

For all its history the city is still modern enough to get around easily. Beneath its wonders lies one of the most extensive subway systems on the planet, the Metro, which combined with the interlinked RER provides 380 stations, over a hundred more than the London Underground. With three international airports and Channel Tunnel connections to Britain, Paris is easy to get to as well.

Sports fans will have an opportunity to visit Roland Garros, home of the French tennis open, or the the Stade de France, one of the most state-of-the-art stadiums in the world and itself a scene of French history, when the country won its first World Cup in 1998. Meanwhile Disneyland Paris, just outside the city, provides one of Europe's top family attractions.

To top it all, Paris is blessed with numerous restaurants and a wide array of accommodation options, including plenty of cheap hotels. The unbeatable cafe culture and the culinary splendour need no introduction, including famous top restaurants such as Aux Lyonnais, Chez Dumonet and Le Cafe Constant.

The city of light never loses its ability to enchant, in the autumn or at any other time.

This article is provided by Hotels Hotels Hotels suppliers of cheap hotels in Paris

Updated: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 00:00:00

Related Links:
Paris Tourist Board
Paris Airport