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Renowned for being a financial, cultural, historical and tourism center, it is a world class city being one of the most significant and important cities in the world. The Paris metropolitan area population is 9.4 million people. The city itself has a population of 2.2 million and is spread over 41 square miles. The predominant language here is French.
Paris is packed with tourist attractions. Many of these attractions are also of cultural and historical significance. Numerous museums (over 100) feature the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Picasso Museum, the Georges Pompidou National Center of Art and Culture (known as the Beaubourg) and the Museum of Modern Art to name a few. The Louvre was opened as a museum in 1793 and is one of the largest museums in the world. It features 225 galleries and many hundreds of thousands of catalog entries. Architecture attractions include the Eiffel Tower which was built for the 1889 Worlds Fair. At 1050', it was the highest structure in the world until 1930. The Arc de Triomphe is a monument to the various French war efforts and dead and features a moving plaque to those killed in WWI. The Jardin (garden) du Luxembourg is a beautiful complex with gardens. It is also famous for churches and cathedrals. Most famous of these is Notre Dame. It is an old and huge gothic church on the island of Ile de la Cite in the middle of the Seine River. The construction on this cathedral was started back in 1163. The Sainte Chapelle is a marvellous Gothic structure built in the 1200s. Professional theatre, opera and concert halls abound in Paris. The Opera and the Place de l'Opera are a few of the famous opera houses. There are many parks such as Bois de Boulogne on the cities western edge and Bois de Vincennes which contains a zoo on the eastern end of the city. As a higher education center, Paris features the Sorbonne (University of Paris) which was founded in 1257. Areas of interest include the Left Bank (Latin Quarters). This names only a few of the many cultural and historic sites found throughout the broad boulevards of Paris.
Serviced by two major airports (Aéroport d'Orly, 10 miles south of central Paris, and Aéroport Charles de Gaulle, 17 miles to the north), getting around Paris is relatively easy. An extensive subway system (the Metro) links most portions of the city. Major beltways also circle the city. Paris has a reputation as being a difficult city to drive in, especially if your not from the area.
Paris has a diverse economy. It is a banking and financial center and is one of Europes most important centers of international business and commerce. Transportation, shipping (one of France's largest shipping centers), civil service and a government/legal center. A major tourist attraction, this city draws millions of visitors per year. The largest manufacturing center of France, this includes machinery, automobiles and other vehicles, electrical equipment and chemicals. Reknowned for a strong publishing industry and luxury goods such as high-fashion clothing and jewelry. It is also center for agriculture goods for which France is famous for.
The city was first settled in the 3rd century BC by Celtic Gaul tribes known as the Parisii on the Ile de la Cite, the site of Notre Dame. Paris was a regional capital during the time of the Roman occupation in the first century AD. Hun invaders first appeared by the 5th and 6th centuries and the Vikings by the 9th century AD. Medieval times began the construction of many of the famous archtecture by the 1100-1200s and included numerous and long wars with England. By the 1500s the Renaissance had reached Paris resulting in many improvements to the city. Revolts also occurred over a 200 year period, culminating in the French Revolution of 1789, overthrowing the monarchy and establishing the first French Republic. Effected by numerous wars from the Napoleon Era to WWII, Paris also saw a great artistic period which existed between the Franco Prussian War of 1871 and WWII (1941). Much of that still exists today.
Like many other people, I had heard stories of rude French behaviour as part of the norm to be expected by a tourist (especially one who doesn't speak French). However, during my visit in 1997, I found the people to be no better or worse then anywhere else I have been. Like anywhere else, Parisians who are in the service industry are as eager to earn tips as people elsewhere. Although not everyone speaks English, it was easy enough to communicate, especially on basic tasks such as ordering food and getting around the city. Many French and English words share the same roots. There was one instant where a colleague had become very ill just as we were sitting down for dinner. Although the French waiter didn't speak English, he was very helpful in finding a place in the restaurant for this person to lie down and ordered a cab to take him back to his hotel. We continued that evening with a wonderful French meal at this restaurant and found our colleague in much better health the next day.
All pictures on this page are from Paris, using various film and digital cameras. Subsequent pages are found directly below. A total of 3 pages makes up this Paris site. A 4th page has pictures from Versailles, just west of Paris and easily reached by the Metro.
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The Eiffel Tower.
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Arc de Triomphe.
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Notre Dame.
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Doorway and intricate artwork at the Notre Dame cathedral.
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Bridge and the Seine River with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
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Pyramid and older building at the Louvre.
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Statue and square.
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Buildings.
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Bridges and the Seine River.
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Further information can be found at the Paris Pages,
the Lonely Planet Paris World Guide page
or for French speakers,Serveur Officiel de la Ville de Paris page.
