VENUE
Paris, an international city in the heart of Europe
A dynamic cityParis is the economic and commercial capital of France and its first financial and stock-exchange centre. Its urban area, which includes the town and the outer-urban crown, includes more than 11 000 000 inhabitants. : It is, with Moscow, one of the two most populated cities in Europe. If Paris is no longer the world’s capital, it remains one of the most famous European cities.
Paris, London, New York and Tokyo constitute a group of truly global cities. International organisations have their seat in Paris: Unesco, the OECD, the international secretarial department of the international Chamber of Commerce, the Group of financial action (GAFI).
Art and culture
The capital of the arts, the City of Light, universally recognised as one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Paris possesses an enormous cultural wealth which it owes, not only to its history, but also to its formidable heritage.
With its monuments, its museums, its great buildings, its libraries, its famous characters, Paris never ceases to transport us through time and space.Paris is a city for art of every form, and has hundreds of art boutiques, art and antique dealers, art galleries, special art exhibits, the symphony, the ballet, cinema and the theatre (including the cabarets).
Paris has over one hundred museums, and over 40 of those are world class museums (Rodin museum, Maillol museum, Picasso museum, Grévin museum, Orsay museum...), with the Louvre being the grandest of them all.
Paris has been a wonder for nearly a thousand years, from the time when masons came to learn the magic numbers of Gothic architecture to the present day when we come to ponder the fearful symmetry of its latest geometric tricks-a pyramid of glass, a hollow cube, a sphere of thousand mirrors.
The Ville Lumière is France's collective dream, the vortex of all its vanity, its parasite and its showcase. But in many ways, Paris has rarely been more delightful: 'nouvelle cuisine' is out of fashion, the new museums are spectacular, the wine in the cafés is better, and the street markets are more seductive than ever; even rear-platform buses are back. You will be impressed by this wonderful city full of both history and modernism. www.paris-city.fr
The most important places
- The Île de la Cité
- Notre-Dame de Paris
- The Conciergerie
- The Marais district
- The Place des Vosges
- The Place de laBastille
- The Hallesand Beaubourg
- The Centre Pompidou
- The Palais Royal
- The Opéra andFaubourg-Saint-Honoré
- The Madeleine
- The Place Vendôme
- The Opéra
- The Champs-Elysées
- The Arc de Triomphe
- The Défense
- Montmartre Sacré-Cœur
- The Latin Quarter
- The Sorbonne
- The Panthéon
- Eiffel Tower and Trocadéro
Gastronomy
As France is known for culinary delights, Paris is the capital. Choices for food in Paris are all over town, from upscale hotels to intimate restaurants.
Well, what can we really say? Paris is the home of fine dining and it’s hard to turn a corner without being tempted in to a restaurant by a glorious looking dish or sumptuous aroma. www.discover-paris-france.com
Paris chic!
French Fashion
Today, Paris, along with Tokyo, London, Milan, and New York City, is considered one of the world's fashion capitals, and the city is home or headquarters to many of the premier fashion houses.
Historically, many of the world's top designers and fashion houses have been French, including Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Chloé, Hermès, Guy Laroche, Yves Saint Laurent and shoe designer Christian Louboutin. The Paris fashion houses also attract many foreign designers.
Easy access !
Access by air
Until Charles de Gaulle International Airport opened in 1974, Orly Airport (ORY) was the main aerodrome of Paris. It continues to be a major gateway to the Paris region, with dozens of airlines connecting to cities throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Orly is located 14 km or about 9 miles south of Paris, on the opposite side of the city from Charles de Gaulle. It has two terminals, Orly-Sud and Orly-Ouest, both of which are smaller and easier to navigate than their counterparts at CDG. Orly has good transportation into the city, and it's especially convenient if you're staying on the Left Bank.
Ground-transportation options include the Orlyval train, several bus lines, taxis, and shuttle vans. For details on each, including Web links, continue reading this article or use the navigation table below.
Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) has connections to more foreign destinations than any other airport in the world. Unless you're arriving on a budget or domestic airline, you'll probably fly into CDG, which is located 23 km or 14 miles from central Paris in the suburb of Roissy.
You have a number of options for reaching the city from Charles de Gaulle Airport. The cheapest is the RER train, which has several stops in central Paris and connects with the Métro system. This is a good choice if you're traveling with light luggage; if you're loaded with bags, we'd suggest an airport bus or shuttle service, or a taxi if you don't mind waiting in line with a mob of other travelers. For information on each type of ground transportation, go from page to page in this article or use the navigation table below.
Note: Although we update this article several times a year, fares are always subject to change, so click the related links to visit the official Web sites if you need to check prices.
Rail access
Travelling to Paris by train from within continental Europe or from the U.K can be a great alternative to flying. For one thing, Europe counts more and more bullet trains (called TGV for 'high-speed train' in France) that can cut rail travel time down by half. The Eurostar train connects London to Paris via the channel tunnel, making for a truly unforgettable experience. Main Paris train stations. Paris has six major train stations serving both domestic and international destinations.
Gare du Nord is the hub for trains traveling from the U.K, Northern France and Northern Europe. The Eurostar train arrives at Gare du Nord from London.
Gare de Lyon is a destination for trains from Lyon, Aix en Provence, Marseille, the French Riviera, Geneva, and Italy. Many of the trains arriving at Gare de Lyon are bullet trains. For example, you can get from Lyon to Paris in 2 hours and from Marseille to Paris in 3 hours.
Gare d'Austerlitz serves destinations in south western France (Toulouse, Bordeaux), the Loire Valley, and Spain.
Gare Saint-Lazare serves Normandy (central Northern France) and England (non-Eurostar).
Gare de l'Est is the hub for trains coming from Eastern France (Strasbourg, Alsace), parts of Germany, Luxembourg, and central Eastern Europe.
Gare Montparnasse is mostly reserved for bullet trains serving Nantes and Bordeaux.
