Paris
Why go?
Paris is one of the most romantic, stylish and culturally rich
cities in the world, with an artistic heritage that runs from
Voltaire to Sartre via the Impressionists and Picasso. It’s
the capital of chic and the undisputed centre of French fashion,
food and flaneurs (streetlife, café culture and
general aimless wandering). It boasts some of the world’s
greatest art collections (Louvre, Pompidou Centre) and most
magnificent architecture (Palais Royal, Eiffel Tower); and
it’s always at the forefront of contemporary music, film,
opera and theatre. As a short break for romantics, art-lovers and
shoppers, it’s unrivalled; but it’s also an inspiring
long-term base for writing your inner novel.
Each quartier has its own charm, and you can come a dozen
times and discover a new world with each visit. Montmartre is as
charmingly bohemian as the films of Moulin Rouge and
Amélie paint it; the Ile de la Cité is packed
with ecclesiastical stunners (Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle); the
Latin Quarter is the heart of learning and Roman ruins (Sorbonne,
Pantheon); Marais teems with trendy bars, boutiques and clubs; St.
Honoré with haute couture and hauts prix; and
there’s a dynamic mix of high culture and proletariat energy
around the Bastille and its opera.
Linking each area are grand avenues with arcaded façades
(Champs Elysées, Rue de Rivoli), the wide boulevards of
Haussmann and Louis XIV, and cobbled lanes with art-nouveau
apartment blocks, so that walking around the city is a pleasure in
itself. But don’t underestimate distances: the whole city
covers over 100 km², with around 9 million inhabitants!
Dividing the city in two is the Seine – it flows from east to
west, so the famous left bank is the south and the right bank the
north; on its shores are the Louvre and Place de la Concorde
(north), and the Musée d’Orsay and Eiffel Tower
(south). You can hop on a bateau-mouche for the
tourist’s river-tour (or a private launch à
deux for honeymooners), stroll along sandbanks in its middle
(Allées des Cygnes, below the Eiffel Tower), or sunbathe on
its sand-covered shores in August (when the truant’s dream
that is Paris Plage hits town).
With its illustrious history of revolutionary gore, Napoleonic
imperialism and existentialist free-thinking, you can’t help
but feel part of humanity’s greatest strivings and successes
here. It’s a place to come and be free, equal and fraternal.