Paris, the capital of France boasts of
having the greatest number of parks, woods and gardens. The city is blessed
with a wide range of squares like Place de la Concorde, Place de la
Bastille, Place des Vosges and so on which offer the tourists with endless
sightseeing opportunities.
Paris, the city always has something new to offer, from hidden historic
treasures to cutting-edge creations in fashion. Paris is the "Fashion
House" of the world, attracting fashion firms from all over the world
opening stores in town. The city owns the most beautiful museums which are
the fascinating gateways to knowledge, creation and human adventure. These
can be called as the “gates “ which give the visitor the
opportunity to see some of the greatest works of art ever created by human
genius. The city is also famous for the museums and the art collections.
In short the city of Paris is a remarkable destination for a wonderful
vacations worth remembering for a lifetime.
Fact File
Country : France
Population : 60 million
Languages : French
Climate : The climate of the city is characterized by cool winters
and mild summers but there are mild winters and hot summers along the
Mediterranean with occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-north-westerly
wind known as mistral.
Official Currency : Euro; 1 Euro = 52.443 Indian Rupee = 1.2047 US $
= 0.678141 GBP(subject to change)
Location : Paris is located in the western Europe, bordered by
Belgium, and Germany in the North; Switzerland and Italy to the East, the
Mediterranean Sea and Spain in the South; and the Atlantic Ocean on the
West.
Getting There
By
Air : There are two main airports servicing Paris namely “Roissy-Charles
de Gaulle” (north-east of Paris) which is the international airport of
Paris and “Orly” the domestic airport and both are run by the same
company, Aéroports de Paris.
The Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport is 26 km north of the city whereas
Orly airport the smaller airport is 14 km south of the city.
By Road : Eurolines and other bus companies provide cheap
transportation across Europe to Paris. The international Paris bus terminal
is located at Porte de Galliéni.
Train : The French train system is fast and generally very good. It
allows swift communications not only within France, but also from the
neighbouring countries (1h15m from Brussels, 3 hours from London, e.g.). The
TGV (“Train Grande Vitesse”) is a superfast train running on some
lines.
The main train stations namely “gare du Nord”,” gare de l’Est”,
“gare St Lazare”, “gare d’Austerlitz” and “gare
de Lyon” depending on which country one is coming from are all located
in Paris, a few Metro (subway) stops away from the city center. There is an
additional station at the Charles-de-Gaulle airport.
Getting Around
By Road : The easiest way to get around Paris is by the metro
(subway) which runs daily from 5:30am-12:30am.
A special tourist bus(the Balabus) operates on Sundays and holidays from
April-September, circling the main tourist sites.
Accommodation
The city has large number of hotels to provide a wonderful and comfortable
stay for the visitors. Mentioned below is a list of some of the hotels in
the country:
5 Star hotel in the city:
Hotel Intercontinental
Hotel Therese
Hotel Burgundy
4 Star hotel in the city:
Hotel Ritz
Four Seasons hotel George v Paris
K + K Hotel Cayre
Hotel Hilton
3 Star hotel in the city:
Hotel Holiday Inn Bastille
Melia Alexander Boutique Hotel
Elysees Matignon hotel
Major tourist attractions
Eiffel
Tower : Best known landmark in Europe, the Eiffel Tower is the symbol of
Paris. It rises 300 meters tall and was twice as high as the Washington
Monument, at that time the highest building in the world.
Notre-Dame Cathedral : The Notre Dame de Paris is one of the first
Gothic Cathedrals ever built. Notre dame is one the most important landmarks
of the city and had been the religious center of the city.
Arc de Triomphe : This triumphal arch located at the end of the
Champs-Elysées commemorates Napoléon's victories. One of the
largest museums in the world, and possibly the most famous of them all is
the Louvre.
Louvre Museum : Once the residence of the French King is now one of
the world's most famous museums. This palace is both from an architectural
point of view as well as from an arts perspective one of the must see sights
in Paris. It displays about 300,000 works where some world-famous like the
Mona Lisa from Leonardo da Vinci, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory are
preserved.
Sacré-Coeur : The Sacré Coeur is a basilica in
Roman-Byzantine style located on the Montmartre hill. Above all, Montmartre
is known for its many artists with some of them dating back to 1880.
Other attractions:
Champs-Elysées : This is most fashionable street in
the world and many cities who have tried to copy it have failed.
La Défense Paris's : This high-rise business
district presents a modern version of the Arc de Triomphe.
Centre Pompidou : A museum of modern arts, a library,
cinema and cafetaria, all in one distintive and controversial building.
Musée d'Orsay : This beautiful 19th century railway
station was turned into a popular museum.
Jardin du Luxembourg : This great park was created in the
17th century and opened for the public in the 19th century.
