"The town of Art and History" a Paris Travel Page by fishandchips

There is just so much to do and see in Paris. From all of its fabulous art and monuments to its funky bars and bookshops, Paris has something for everyone. My travelogues detail the small part of Paris that I have enjoyed visiting over three separate trips from the Antipodes.

Paris has 2.1 million people in the main heart of the city. There are 10.9 million in the metropolitan Paris area or 18% of the total for all of France. The Metro has 124 miles of track with 368 stations. 36 million tourists visit Paris yearly, with 60% of them from abroad. Paris has two main airports, Orly and DeGaulle, handling over 70 million customers.

With style and sophisticaion, Paris is correctly proud of its cultural achievements over the centuries. This confidence is expressed in Parisian life, including its architecture from ancient structures to controversy over Hausmann's bold late 1800's master plan and more recent modern developments.

Paris has a special style and soul. It is a cool mix of architecture, fashion, history, colour and atmosphere. Paris is romantic, distinctive!

The main photo was taken by Angie from a boat during an early evening cruise in 1999.

My Paris top 10 spots are in the following list. I have more detailed info and pictures on my Things To Do Page on most of these places.

1. Louvre - closed Tuesday, open 9-6 all other days and Wednesday until 9:45 p.m. Absolute must see

2. Isle de la Cite - Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and Palais de Justice; Notre Dame has tours 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sainte-Chapelle near Palais de Justice is 700 years old with outstanding stained glass windows in the Haute Chapel. Must see

3. Musee d'Orsay - closed Monday, open 10-6, except Thursday 10 am-9:45 pm. Impressionist art is great here in the former railway station. Must see

4. Eiffel Tower. You can either walk up the South Tower or take the lift. Get there early as the queues for the lifts (especially) can get very long and very slow. Must see

5. Seine boat trip (board at Pont Neuf) - good views of famous Paris sights, especially at dusk & night as major buildings are lit up. The Sun set over Notre Dame can be spectacular as can be seen in the main photo.

6. Champs-Elysees - for shopping and Arc de Triomphe – access on the right side of the Champs-Elysees through a tunnel to the entrance.

7. Montmartre/Basilique du Sacre-Coeur - great views over Paris from the big white church on a hill.

8. Luxembourg Palais and Gardens - sculptures and fountains adorn extensive gardens plus a mini Statue of Liberty.

9. St. Sulpice Church - second largest church in Paris - famous for its organ and DeLacroix paintings. Open 7:30 7:30.

10. Le Marais Area - include Musee Picasso and Musee Carnavalet (Paris history) plus Place des Vosges, a beautiful square, on your travel. A nice approach to this is via the Bastille then up Rue de Ste Antoine.

The Eiffel Tower is not only one of the most recognisable landmarks in the world it's also one of the best to run up and take a few photo's. Following is some more info and links to some of the great things that can be seen 'from the top'.

Metro. Great, great system! Probably best to buy a multi-day pass. There are fourteen different subway lines, plus the suburban RER rail options.

Paris Museum/Monument Pass. Strongly suggest getting the Paris Museum Pass for access to 70 museums and monuments in Paris and the surrounding region. Have a look at the Museumpass site.

Some Helpful Websites:
Paris
Travel-in-Paris
Paris-Touristoffice
Paris Bandb
Chezvous
vrbo

For hotels, you can try:
Tripadvisor
Hotels

For high quality, budget-priced accommodations in Paris, try:
Paris Travel
for discounted rates at quality-level two-star hotels; and
You Stay Paris
for low-cost studio apartments.