A place that exudes culture, sophistication, class, and style, Paris, is one of the top three most visited cities in Europe and one of the few cities in the world that truly lives up to its hype.
Paris’ monument-lined boulevards, museums, classical bistros and boutiques are enhanced by a new wave of multimedia galleries, creative wine bars, design shops and tech start-ups.
The weather in Paris is generally quite mild, with a reasonable amount of rain throughout the year. Daytime temperatures between November and February rarely rise above ten degrees, but seeing Paris in the snow can add a whole new dimension to this lovely city.
July and August are usually the hottest months in Paris
The public transportation is a very useful and inexpensive way to get around.
Those looking to explore the city’s rich heritage can spend long afternoons getting lost in the Louvre or exploring the Musée d’Orsay, or ducking in and out of Paris’ countless historical churches (many of which were reinvented as Republican temples after the Revolution).
No one could imagine Paris today without its signature spire. But Gustave Eiffel only constructed this graceful tower – then the world’s tallest, at 320m – as a temporary exhibit for the 1889 Exposition Universelle.
Luckily, its popularity (and radiotelegraphy antennas) assured its survival beyond the World Fair and its elegant art nouveau webbed-metal design has become the defining fixture of the city’s skyline.
1889 was a big year for Paris. The Eiffel Tower was built, an International Exhibition was staged, and Moulin Rouge opened its doors.
Exactly as old as the Eiffel Tower, this famous cabaret is more popular than ever.
With a leisurely multi-course meal featuring classic French food and champagne, Moulin Rouge is still the number-one rated show in City of Night and it sells out weeks in advance. One hundred performers, including the legendary Doris Dancing Girls, are resplendent in feathers, sequins and rhinestone costumes.
Paris’ opera house is an awe-inspiring monument that is largely skipped over by tourists. Built in the mid to late 1800’s, it isn’t hard to understand why this was the place to be seen at the height of its popularity. The interior of the opera house is filled with rich decoration and excessive ornamentation – think gold everywhere.
Sitting atop the Butte de Montmartre like a Byzantine meringue, and visible from almost everywhere in Paris, the beautiful 19th-century Sacré Coeur basilica is understandably a tourist magnet. Yet wonder off the beaten track, through the cobbled streets behind and to the west of the monument, and you’ll touch upon a more authentic Montmartre, still populated by locals – many of them artists, actors or media types.
Paris and romance, they go together like champagne and oysters, café and croissants, jambon and beurre, which is why loved up couples make a pilgrimage to the French capital every year on Valentine’s Day.
The patisseries and boulangeries are what really call to me though. Every time I entered one, I stare because the pastries were as beautiful as they were mouthwatering. There is a reason why bakeries around the world boast that their pastry chefs were trained in France.
Oh la la Pariiiiis!
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CYNDIVISION 