With its extraordinary architecture and contemporary art, Paris is a place where every visitor feels comfortable. Therefore, at least a “detour” to the capital is a must for every vacation.
The story of the beautiful city on the Seine goes back to 5,000 BC. At that time, Celtic fishermen and boatmen settled on the banks of the Seine near Bercy. In the Middle Ages, Paris became the capital of the kingdom with the coronation of the Count of Paris, Hugues Capet, in 987. The importance of the merchants played a very important role in Paris from the beginning. The city quickly became prosperous.
In the 14th century Paris was devastated by the plague and the Hundred Years War. Even in the 15th century, the city had to take some more rainfall. Yet the city always waslively and lively.
With Francis I (1515 – 1547), visual arts, science and literature moved into Paris. Many buildings were built, renovated or even rebuilt. For example at the Louvre.
The city had to endure many other problems and rainfall, such as the French Revolution and cholera, which claimed around 19,000 victims in 1832.
The construction of the Eiffel Tower has certainly made the city a city of modernity. It was built as the entrance gate to the World’s Fair in 1889. The tower was supposed to be demolished soon. With a height of 274 meters, it is the symbol of the city of Paris. On the first platform you can find out about the history of the tower, while at a height of 115 meters, on the second platform, you can enjoy a very good view of the city. And even from the top platform you can certainly have a view when the weather is nice, and when the weather is good, it can even reach 67 km over Paris with its suburbs and the Ile-de-France.
Countless museums in various directions, numerous cultural events, shopping opportunities of a special kind as well as a multitude of culinary delights and delicacies, Paris has to offer the visitor.
The best way to discover Paris and its sights is on foot in combination with the metro. Taking the metro is definitely part of a visit to Paris. The multicultural atmosphere alone is worth the drive. In addition, some of the metro stations are an attraction on their own, sometimes resembling a maze.
You can start a tour of discovery in the so-called “heart of the city”. This is the geographical and historical center with the well-known attractions: Champs-Elysées, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower. And “night owls” will certainly get their money’s worth. If you want to go to a club or a Parisian discotheque in the evening, remember to dress elegantly.
Paris – places of interest
The Seine offers a nice starting point to get to know Paris better. Many of the famous buildings of the city has probably the most beautiful views from the Seine.
A boat trip on the Seine can therefore be the ideal way to get around Paris to encounter all its beauties for the first time, but a walk along the Seine is always worthwhile.
On the right bank of the Seine (Rive droite) you start a walk on Place Charles-de-Gaulle (formerly Place de l’Etoile). On the platform of the Arc de Triomphe With a width of 45 meters and a height of 50 meters, you can see the 12-pointed star of the square. The Arc de Triomphe was laid out by Napoleon in 1806 as a monument to the French army.
The most famous and allegedly most beautiful street in the world is arguably the Champs-Elysées. A walk from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde along this famous street is definitely part of a visit to Paris.
At the highest point of Montmartre there is a bright white “confectioner’s church”: Sacré-Cœur. The church is known as the Pilgrim and Atonement Church and was built to make the atrocities of 1871 forgotten and as a memorial to commemorate the suppression of the Paris Commune through a bloodbath and the lost Prussian War. Construction work on the Sacré-Cœur began in 1876. In 1905, the 94-meter-high campanile was added, in which one of the largest bells ever cast hangs. A really beautiful view of the church and, above all, a great panorama far beyond Paris, you have from the dome of the church.
Modestly there is also one of the oldest churches in Paris, the Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre.
For a visit to the Louvre with what is probably the most famous art collection in the world, you should plan at least one day. Of course, Paris has a few more museums to offer. For example the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The exhibits include furniture, porcelain or tapestries.
Haute couture can be found in the Musée National des Arts de la Mode and the works of Picasso are shown in the Musée Picasso.
The Notre-Dame church, located in the 4th arrondissement, is impressive. The cathedral impressively shows the transition from romantic to gothic. There is space for up to 9,000 people inside. A small museum, the Musée de Notre-Dame, tells the history of the cathedral and displays a collection of Gallo-Roman finds that were unearthed during excavations in the forecourt of the cathedral.
