Paris - France

Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with 45 million tourists every year in the Paris Region, 60% of whom are foreign visitors.There are numerous iconic landmarks among its many attractions, along with world-famous institutions and popular parks.

This beautiful city is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region (also known as the "Paris Region"; French: Région parisienne). The city of Paris, within its limits largely unchanged since 1860, has an estimated population of 2,167,994 (January 2006), but the Paris aire urbaine (or metropolitan area) has a population of over 11 million, and is the most populated metropolitan area in the Eurozone.

An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.

Three of the most famous Parisian landmarks are the twelfth-century cathedral Notre Dame de Paris on the Île de la Cité, the Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe and the nineteenth-century Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower was a "temporary" construction by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Universal Exposition, but the tower was never dismantled and is now an enduring symbol of Paris.

The Historical axis is a line of monuments, buildings, and thoroughfares that run in a roughly straight line from the city-centre westwards: The line of monuments begins with the Louvre and continues through the Tuileries Gardens, the Champs-Élysées, and the Arc de Triomphe, centred in the Place de l'Étoile circus. From the 1960s, the line was prolonged even further west to the La Défense business district dominated by square-shaped triumphal Grande Arche of its own; this district hosts most of the tallest skyscrapers in the Paris urban area. The Invalides museum is the burial place for many great French soldiers, including Napoleon, and the Panthéon church is where many of France's illustrious men and women are buried. The former Conciergerie prison held some prominent Ancien Régime members before their deaths during the French Revolution. Another symbol of the Revolution are the two Statues of Liberty located on the Île des Cygnes on the Seine and in the Luxembourg Garden. A larger version of the statues was sent as a gift from France to America in 1886 and now stands in New York City's harbour.The Palais Garnier built in the later Second Empire period, houses the Paris Opera and the Paris Opera Ballet, while the former palace of the Louvre now houses one of the most renowned museums in the world. The Sorbonne is the most famous part of the University of Paris and is based in the centre of the Latin Quarter. Apart from Notre Dame de Paris, there are several other ecclesiastical masterpieces including the Gothic thirteenth-century Sainte-Chapelle palace chapel and the Église de la Madeleine.

Two of Paris' oldest and famous gardens are the Tuileries Garden, created in the 16th century for a palace on the banks of the Seine near the Louvre, and the Left bank Luxembourg Garden, another former private garden belonging to a château built for the Marie de' Medici in 1612. The Jardin des Plantes, created by Louis XIII's doctor Guy de La Brosse for the cultivation of medicinal plants, was Paris' first public garden.

A few of Paris' other large gardens are Second Empire creations: The former suburban parks of Montsouris, Parc des Buttes Chaumont, and Parc Monceau (formerly known as the "folie de Chartres") are creations of Napoleon III's engineer Jean-Charles Alphand. Another project executed under the orders of Baron Haussmann was the re-sculpting of Paris' western Bois de Boulogne forest-parklands; the Bois de Vincennes, on the city's opposite eastern end, received a similar treatment in years following.

Newer additions to Paris' park landscape are the Parc de la Villette, built by the architect Bernard Tschumi on the location of Paris' former slaughterhouses, the Parc André Citroën, and gardens being laid to the periphery along the traces of its former circular "Petite Ceinture" railway line: Promenade Plantée.

City Walks: Paris: 50 Adventures on Foot - Paris is a perfect city to explore a pied, and this deck is designed for just that. On each card you'll find an illustrated map and -- on the flip side -- insider info on where to eat, drink, stop, and shop. With these 50 self-guided walking adventures you can explore historic sites, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Musee du louver, as well as uncover lesser-known gems, from open-air markets and intimate cafes to small museums with world-class art. Choose any card, and Paris is yours for the taking.
Paris: The Eyewitness Travel Guide - This travel guide helps you to get the most out of your trip with minimum difficulties. The opening section Introducing Paris locates the city geographically, sets modern Parisian its historical context and explains how Parisian life changes through the years. Paris At a Glance is an overview of the city's specialties. The main sightseeing section of the book is Paris Area by Area. It describes all the main sights with maps, photographs and detailed illustrations. Get to know Paris with The Eyewitness Travel Guide.
Pauline Frommer's Paris Travel Guide - This travel guide helps you to get the most for your money with minimum difficulties and a fresh spin on budget travel, showing you not only how to spend less in Paris, but how to see it in a more authentic way, without sacrificing comfort for savings. Cozy, restful accommodations: Instead of spending hundreds of dollars a night for a chain hotel, why not spend $500 per week to rent a sunny apartment on lovely Ile St. Louis (p. 28), or get to know some real Parisians by staying in a hosted apartment for $85 per night? Discover savvy locals dine, such as Le Rendez-Vous du Marché, where for a mere $9 you can enjoy three courses! Get in-depth coverage of Paris's iconic sights and the gems most visitors miss, plus fascinating self-guided walking tours. Attend a cooking class in Paris with a top chef (p. 199),argue philosophy at a weekly café philos (p. 210), jitterbug on the banks of the Seine at an impromptu dance fest (p. 203), or attend a dinner party open to all (p. 208).