Possibly the greatest tourist destination in Europe, Paris never fails to amaze, a beautifully laid-out city with its museums; the Eiffel tower and Champs-Elysées; Montmartre; Notre-Dame Cathedral - the list of 'must see' sights is endless.
Despite its huge size and population, almost everything worth seeing in Paris is found inside the ring road, the Boulevard Périphérique. The compact centre is easily navigable on foot, or with the efficient and comprehensive metro and bus system. The River Seine splits the city neatly in two and the arrondissements system neatly divides the city into manageable chunks.
Many attractions can be reached on foot from the Île de la Cité and Notre-Dame Cathedral. It’s a short stroll to the Louvre, one of the great museums of the world, and the Tuileries gardens with magnificent views up the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe.
On the south bank of the Seine is the Musée d’Orsay, specialising in art of the nineteenth century, including many Impressionist works. From there, it’s a short walk to Invalides, and the tomb of Napoleon. The Eiffel Tower, the highest structure in the world when built in 1899, never fails to excite, particularly traveling to the third storey.
Other sights to the south of the Seine include the Latin Quarter, packed with small restaurants, and the Luxembourg Gardens, hugely popular with children and students from the Sorbonne.
The Grand Boulevards cover the area to the north of the river around the Opéra Garnier and the nearby Place Vendôme. This is where many fine stores can now be found, including the Galeries Layfayette with its dome and balustrades.
To the east is the Le Marais area, with the oldest square in Paris, the Place des Vosges. Here are many fashion designers, jewelers and goldsmiths.
Inexpensive travel by bus or metro is an alternative to walking to historical Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur Basilica to the north while suburban train services whisk you out to Versailles, the palace of Louis XIV. The bus system is easy to use. Routes are numbered and stops display the buses that stop there, while a map shows all the routes and times.
There is an integrated bus, metro and train network that is both cheap and efficient when not hit by strike action, which can be frequent. Driving in central Paris is not advisable. Few hotels have car parks, parking is difficult and traffic jams are common.
Paris is the hub of France's excellent rail network including Eurostar services from London. Charles de Gaulle Airport is 24km north east of the city with international flights all over the world. Paris is also served by Orly Airport, 14km to the south on the A6 motorway with one terminal for international flights and another for domestic services.
