Paris is often called the City of Light, although the nickname has nothing to do with the city’s light. Instead, the name refers to the intellectuals and artists who came to the town, making it a place of enlightenment.
One of the world’s most romantic cities, Paris, is all the more wonderful when explored on foot. There are many great walking tours and options, all of which involve time well spent in Parisian cafés.
Sites you won’t want to miss in Paris are the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Sacred Heart Basilica, the Museum d’Orsay, and the Louvre National Museum. Give yourself plenty of time to visit these places because there is an overwhelming amount of fascinating art and history to take in.
Paris is perhaps one of the most filmed and photographed cities in the world, a city inundated with romance, intrigue, and elegance.
There are enough museums in Paris that you could easily spend your entire visit – if not a multitude of visits – admiring the art of world-famous artists such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh as well as collections from Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Etruscan history.
You’ll also want to take time to relax at a sidewalk café and enjoy French cuisine.
And then there’s the Eiffel Tower, unveiled in 1889 at the Paris Exhibition despite a multitude of protests. Today, more than 2 million people climb the tower’s stairs each year to take in the breathtaking panorama view of the city. Interestingly, most people walk up the 747 steps, but in 2002, Hugues Richard rode a bicycle to the top in 19 minutes!
The Latin Quarter received its name because it’s where scholars studied in Latin during the Middle Ages. The area surrounds Sorbonne University.
It took more than 180 years to complete Notre Dame Cathedral. The building was cleaned in the 1990s with lasers that burned off the grime. Parisian officials decided to leave a portion of the cathedral dirty to remind people what it used to look like.
Another interesting site is Pere Lachaise Cemetery, opened in 1804. It didn’t have any customers because people felt it was too far from the city. Eventually, the bodies of the famous medieval lovers, Abelard and Heloise, were transferred to the cemetery. Since then, the cemetery has become a popular graveyard and tourist destination.
Paris is a city proud of its history. The landscape is still based around the Ile de la Cite, where Celtic tribes first settled over 2,000 years ago. Years later, the Romans showed interest in the area until the English ruled from 1420 to 1436. Around the same time, a consecutive order of French kings centralized France, with Paris at its heart.
As one of the most popular destinations in the world, Paris receives 45 million tourists a year. Sixty percent of the visitors are foreigners. Hotels in Paris are rated into categories by prices ranging from 100 euros to over 400 euros.
One of the world’s most romantic cities, Paris is the ideal place for a honeymoon or romantic getaway.
