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About Paris
Welcome to the fabled "City of Lights" or "City of Love". Paris is certainly both and has always been considered as the most romantic place in the world. Whether you are an artist, a businessman or simply a tourist, coming with your beloved or your relatives, you will enjoy long walks from Montmartre to the Quartier Latin. Going through some of the finest Roman and medieval monuments, sooner or later you will end up at a cafe, standing on the Pont Neuf Bridge, or exploring a vintage fashion shop in the Marais district.
Like New York or London, there is no other place to compare with Paris. As soon as you'll start exploring the world's most visited city, you feel like you are going through an open air museum. You won't see that much of the Capital's Celtic roots, but you will be able to admire its architectural splendours which go back to the 13th Century, when the imposing Cathedral of Notre Dame started to be built. At that time the swamplands form the Marais district were drained and the Sorbonne University opened its doors. But it's during the Renaissance, in the 16th century, that Paris's grandeur took off.
Versailles became Louis XIV's headquarters, whose lavishness opened the doors to the French luxury goods industry. And in the 19th Century, Napoleon appointed Baron Haussmann to develop modern Paris, with its long boulevards and beautiful buildings, great avenues and parks that still make the city unique today. No wonder why Paris is internationally renowned for its defining neoclassical architecture and its influence in fashion and the arts.
Going by foot is the best way to explore the city's districts, its old centres, cemeteries and great parks. It's busy, with thousand of tourists, but the city managed to keep its real authenticity, with places like Montmartre, which is a good start for a tour, or the crowded Champs-Elysées with its legendary yet inevitable promenade. Those who fancy a trendier atmosphere, districts such as Le Marais, Quartier Latin, or the quaint Canal St-Martin are the right places to be! If you like more art galleries, museums, or famous cabarets such as Folies Bergères, Paris has everything to meet your dreams. It's not as intense as London or New York, yet the combination of its historical heritage and its unique French touch makes this destination one of its kind.
Few cities can compare with the eclectic mix of cafés, bars and restaurants that line every street and boulevard of Paris. The city's compactness makes it possible to explore on foot and experience the individual feel of the different quartier Paris is a real cinema capital, and the best Parisian music encompasses jazz, avant-garde, salsa and, currently, Europe's most vibrant African music scene.
Parts of Paris don't fit easily in any "category". In fact, Parisians say that their city is just a collection of one hundred villages. Montmartre, rising up to the north of the center, has managed to retain an almost rural atmosphere with its colorful mixture of locals and artists despite the daily influx of tourists. Undisturbed by tourism, the dilapidated working-class quarters of eastern Paris offer a rich ethnic slice of Parisian street life and in direct contrast, technological wonder is paraded at the ground-breaking science museum constructed in the recently renovated Parc de La Villette.
Like most Parisians, you may find there's enough in Paris to keep you from ever thinking about the world beyond. When you find you need a rest from the bustle of the city, however, there is the whole of the Ile de France to explore.
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