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Paris – Capital of France – City of Love and Lights, even some call it the City of Freedom, is the most popular city of France.
It’s a beautiful city, that should be in everyone’s “To-DO” Life list.
It’s 2000 years old city. So, there is a lot of History.
Population of 2,148,271 residents (by1 January 2020)
Area of 105 square kilometers (41 square miles).
The City of Paris is the center and seat of government of the Île-de-France – Paris Region, with a population of 12,278,210 (by January 2020), or about 18 percent of the population of France.
The Paris Region had a Gross domestic product of €709 billion ($808 billion) in 2017.
Additionally, Paris is the second most expensive city in the world, after Singapore, and ahead of Zürich, Hong Kong, Oslo, and Geneva. So, it’s expensive to live in Paris.
Paris is a major railway, highway, and air-transport hub served by two international airports: Paris-Charles de Gaulle, which is the second busiest airport in Europe, and Paris-Orly, which is opened in 1900, the city’s subway system, the Paris Métro, serves 5.23 million passengers daily. Therefore, Paris Metro is the second busiest metro system in Europe after the Moscow Metro.
Paris received 24.5 million visitors in 2018. So, after Bangkok, is the second most visited travel destination in the world in 2018
There is a lot more to be told about Paris – The City of Love and Lights, but the best is to visit the city itself.
So if you are about to go to Paris, here are some:
THINGS TO DO AND NOT TO DO IN PARIS
- Don’t: Shop exclusively on the Champs-Elysées – Instead: Follow in the Well-Heeled Footsteps of Locals
- Don’t: Blow Your Budget on a Michelin-Starred Dinner – Instead: Go for Evening Meals at Laid-Back Modern Bistros
- Don’t: Expect to See Everything at the Louvre – Instead: Split Your Time Between the Louvre and Smaller Museums
- Don’t: Commit a Fashion Faux Pas – Instead: Dress as the Locals Do
- Don’t: Get Around Town in a Cab or Electric Scooter – Instead: Take to Heart the French Word Flâner
- Don’t: Seek Out Bohemian Ambience on the Left Bank – Instead: Find the “Real” Paris on the Canal St. Martin
- Don’t: Spend Hours at the Eiffel Tower – Instead: Find a View and Shorter Lines
- Don’t: Book the Cheapest Hotel – Instead: Book a Boutique Hotel or Furnished Apartment
- Don’t: Fill Up on Croissants – Instead: Save Room for a Variety of Sweet Treats
- Don’t: Buy Into Stereotypes – Instead: Be Mindful of Your Manners
10 Interesting Facts About Paris
- The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be a temporary installation, intended to stand for 20 years after being built for the 1889 World Fair.
- Paris was originally a Roman city called “Lutetia.”
- It’s believed that Paris only has one stop sign in the entire city.
- A flat in Paris was left unoccupied under lock and key for 70 years, but the rent was paid every month; when the renter passed away, a painting by Boldini valued at more than $2 million was found inside.
- There are at least three replicas of the Statue of Liberty in Paris. The most famous of them exists on an island in the middle of the Seine and looks towards her sister statue in New York.
- The main bell of the Notre Dame Cathedral is named Emmanuel and weighs over 13 tonnes.
- There are 6,100 rues – or streets – in Paris; the shortest one, Rue des Degrés, is just 5.75 meters long and can be found in the 2nd arrondissement.
- The French army was the first to use camouflage, which comes from the French verb “to make up for the stage.” The army began wearing camouflage in 1915 during World War I.
- The first public screening of a movie was by French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière in December 1895. They used their invention “the cinématographe” to show 10 films of about 50 seconds each.
- Visitors to the Eiffel Tower have to climb 1,665 steps to reach the top – unless they take the elevator! There are a mere 270 steps to reach the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur.
History
History of Paris and Timeline of Paris
Climate
Geography
17 MOST POPULAR THINGS ABOUT PARIS
#1 – Eiffel Tower
Of course, the Eiffel Tower has to be at the top of our list!
No visit to Paris is complete without a stop here! You haven't been to Paris if you don't have a picture of the Eiffel Tower.
Built in 1889, back then criticized for the strange design, considered as impractical, but now it’s a French cultural icon! Not only is it the most visited attraction in Paris, and indeed the icon of Paris. It’s also got a famous and interesting history!
Helt the title of ‘tallest man-made structure in the world’ for 41 years before it was trumped in 1930 by New York’s Chrysler Building.
In fact, it’s fame has only grown as the whole world came together to mourn the loss.
It’s one of the largest religious buildings in the world and took approximately 185 years to complete!
The cathedral was built between 1160 and 1345 and designed in Gothic style fashion. It was completed in 1260.
Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself emperor of France in the Notre Dame Cathedral in 1804.
After the reconstruction of the fire, weddings can take place in the Notre Dame Cathedral.
The Louvre Pyramid, glass and metal pyramid is almost as famous as its historical backdrop.
The names of French generals and victories cover the arch, inscribed on the inner and outer surfaces.
The loveliest way to see the Parisian landscape, cruising along on a boat tour and it has a rich history far beyond its beauty.
Seine is crossed by a total of 37 bridges in Paris.
Today it is a UNESCO protected site, which allows it to remain in good condition.
The great city is as famous these days for fashion as it is for anything else! Paris fashion week takes place in the city every year, where the world’s biggest celebrities and fashionistas come together to show off their style.
Escargots, or ‘snails’, are one of the most famous Parisian dishes! Another amazing option is a duck or delicious, fluffy, and sweet crepes. Parisians are famous for the impressive dishes they make with duck and their dedicated love for the meal!
No visit to the romantic capital is complete without sitting down at a cafe and enjoying some crepes.
French wine is one of the country’s most popular exports.
Often considered the wine capital of the world, France is Europe’s third-biggest producers of wine, and the quality you can find in Paris is legendary.
If you’re interested in the history of wine in the region, you can visit the Wine Museum!
#9 – Shopping
The luxurious department stores are so far set apart from anywhere else in the world, you simply have to see them! Shopping in Paris feels like a whole different adventure.
The most famous shopping center in Paris is the resplendent Galeries Lafayette! Massive and filled with gold gilding and glass, as well as some of the most high-end shopping in the world, it will blow your mind!
#10 – Cafe Life
When you think of Paris, the city of lights, you imagine classy people in berets and light scarves sipping on something at a charming cafe. That's what you'll see!
Cafe life is an integral part of Parisian living. You will see people working from a cafe, reading the newspaper with a coffee, people with friends having coffee at every time of the day!
To feel like a Parisian, dress up in your best, and head to a coffee for an hour or two, you will enjoy it! Also keep in mind that as a tourist, you will be charged for the view as well.
#11 – French Revolution
The French Revolution may be Paris and the greater France’s greatest fame!
This revolution aimed to change the fabric of society, a social upheaval that set the stage for many other countries’ social and political changes. It was in this crazy time that Napoleon Bonaparte took front stage!
You can learn fascinating facts about Paris and the French Revolution at the Paris Carnavalet Museum.
#12 – Historical Figures – Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, on the French island of Corsica, on August 15, 1769.
Napoleon is one of the world’s most famous military figures!
With Napoleon in charge, France held control over most of Europe for over a decade. His changes, battles, and reforms have influenced the way the world works today, in a surprisingly far-reaching way!
#13 – Joan of Arc
France’s most famous and brilliant heroine.
She played a large part in the Hundred Years War when she was just a girl, leading the French army to victory at the age of 18! She was captured a year later and burnt at the stake as a heretic. She remains one of Paris’ most famous icons, hundreds of years later.
You can see a beautiful gold-gilded statue of Joan outside the Place des Pyramides in Paris!
#14 – Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette never said ‘Let them eat cake!’ This is the line that made Marie Antoinette infamous.
Marie Antoinette became Queen of France and Navarre on May 10, 1774.
Her marriage to Louis-Auguste, when she was 14, was designed to create peace between Austria and France after the Diplomatic Revolution of 1756.
Nine months after the execution of the former King Louis XVI, an all-male jury found the former queen guilty on all charges and unanimously condemned her to death.
She was buried in an unmarked grave and then exhumed.
#15 – Catacombs
One of the darker monuments in Paris, the Catacombs are one of the most famous cemeteries in the world! With the remains of over 6 million people fit into a small part of Paris’ underground tunnels, it’s a daunting place.
The Paris Catacombs were a creative solution to a pressing problem in the 18th century, when the city’s grave sites were practically overflowing with generations upon generations of remains and encroaching on the land of the living — which you can bet definitely posed a public health risk.
Be aware, it’s cold down there!
#16 - Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris
The Champs Elysées Avenue in Paris tops the list of the most beautiful avenues in the world.
It is visited each day by nearly 300,000 people, who come to admire its majestic monuments or enjoy a shopping spree.
The name of the avenue means, The paradise for all the heroes that passed away.
1.9 kilometers long, 70 meters wide and connects the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe
This is what to do when you are visiting the avenue:
1. Celebrate Paris at a contemporary cabaret, Le Lido de Paris.
2. Step inside a perfume landmark at Maison Guerlain
3. Rub shoulders with the stars at Fouquet’s restaurant
4. Attend an auction at Art Curial
5. See a blockbuster art show at the Grand Palais or Petit Palais
#17 - Montmartre an authentic village in the heart of Paris
Definitely worth visiting! Discover the incomparable charm of the Montmartre district and its museums, vineyards, windmills, Sacré-Cœur…! If you're looking for a little green haven, Montmartre will amaze you with its many gardens and vineyard! Planted in 1930 on the north side of the famous Butte, the vines perpetuate the memory of a rural neighborhood in the heart of the capital. Like Picasso, Modigliani, Miro, and before them Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Géricault, Renoir and Van Gogh, painters have for a long time made Montmartre their home, met up in cafes and busied themselves in the many artists’ studios on the Butte. Today, Montmartre is still abuzz with art with eclectic galleries and the Halle Saint-Pierre, where art brut is superbly represented. And if you want to have your portrait drawn or painted, go to Place du Tertre just behind Sacré-Cœur, where dozens of professional drawers and cartoonists will be delighted to spend a moment with you!
45 Photos of Paris For Closer Look
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nice article
i would definitely hop on a plane some day to see this wonderous city of love