Paris, France’s capital, is a major European city and a global center for art, fashion, gastronomy and culture. Its 19th-century cityscape is crisscrossed by wide boulevards and the River Seine. Beyond such landmarks as the Eiffel Tower and the 12th-century, Gothic Notre-Dame cathedral, the city is known for its cafe culture and designer boutiques along the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
Top 10 Places in Paris:
1.Eiffel Tower
Landmark 324m-high 19th-century tower 2.The Louvre
Landmark art museum with vast collection 3.Notre Dame de Paris
Iconic Gothic church with literary link 4.Musée d’Orsay
Masterpieces of 19th- & 20th-century art 5.Arc de Triomphe
Triumphal arch & national monument 6.Champs-Élysées
Shopping 7.Montmartre
Walking, cabaret, painting, Pablo Picasso, vineyards 8.Sacré-Cœur, Paris
Landmark hilltop white basilica 9.Disneyland Paris
Iconic amusement park with themed rides
10.Sainte-Chapelle
Gothic chapel with stained-glass windows
Eating out in Paris:
There are thousands of restaurants to choose from in Paris; as well as plenty of French restaurants, there are hundreds of Italian restaurants, pizzerias, Vietnamese restaurants, and restaurants serving food from just about every country in the world. There are also interesting French regional restaurants, serving traditional regional dishes.
There are restaurants all over Paris, because Paris is very much a lived-in city. The best concentrations of top-class restaurants in Paris are near the Champs Elysees, in the 8th, 16th and 17th arrondissements, where there are a good number of Michelin starred restaurants. For more affordable eating, and plenty of choice and atmosphere, try the small streets in the Latin quarter (5th and 6th districts), or on the Ile St. Louis. For the best oriental cuisine, go to the Paris Chinatown, south from the Place d’Italie in the 13th.
