Paris, City of Lights
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Although it isn’t a well publicized fact, Paris is the second largest European city ; also known as affectionately as the City of Lights. Almost everyone taking a European vacation will decide on a short stay in Paris; there is so much to see and do that often only the main tourist attractions can be done.
It is renowned for its wonderful Gothic inspired buildings and street markets; including famous sights like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe . Traveling through the city of Paris can be very enjoyable; the Metro underground system is easy to understand, efficient and reaches everywhere even the most enthusiastic tourist would want to visit.
No visit would be complete without a trip to the top of the almost 1,000 feet tall Eiffel tower; it can be seen throughout most locations around the city. Illuminated at night, it dominates the city’s skyline; guided tours are available where the patriotic tour guides give you an in depth history and an insight to what it is to be French.
Don’t forget to include the famous Champs Elysees in your list of places to visit; with shops, cafes, and restaurants littered along the wide pavements, it is a ‘must see’ for every visitor. When you visit this region of the city you will see it is a much more select area; the exclusive five star hotels are situated in this more select part of the city.
If you are an art lover you will enjoy the Louvre , a truly amazing museum; with over 300,000 wonderful artistic works, you simply cannot see all of it in one day. There are enough art exhibits to keep you occupied for more time than your short stay in Paris would allow; approximately 8 million visitors a year come to see the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa , both of which are on display. Many well known artists spent years of their lives in Paris; chances are that you will have the opportunity to see a number of famous paintings.
Another famous Paris attraction is The Arc de Triomphe which was built within the first decade of the nineteenth century. Originally commissioned by Napoleon , it bears the names of generals of the Napoleonic Wars to honor them and his troops. The Unknown Soldier from World War I is buried there. Although not generally well known, the Arc had an observatory installed after it was constructed to provide views of neighboring areas; it stands in the place where the city’s main avenues begin, including the Champs Elysees.
This city has a huge variety of places to visit; although no trip would be complete without seeing the main attractions mentioned here. They may be best viewed as part of a guided tour, some of which are actually free. Most people find their Paris short stay vacations exciting but only see a small sampling; you would probably need another week to view the main galleries, visit medieval castles and explore fabulous gothic churches.
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