Paris France Travel Guide - Get ready for a most memorable trip through the city streets of the beloved Paris, France. A city that is like no other in the entire world, where the people greet you with “Bonjour” and the cuisine and drink are phenomenal. Where lovers kiss and hug on top of the Eiffel Tower glancing down at the Paris landscape below them.
Where the artists, the writers and the fashion designers mingle among themselves and share meetings of the mind in over forty different special museums, like the Musee du Louvre where the famed painting of the “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci is housed.
The various museums being constructed for just the purpose of bringing intellectuals together for meetings of the mind and with stunningly beautiful architectural designs that will thrill you. All of the people living, working and playing, side by side, in the city that offers more than just the finest hospitality. It offers a glimpse into a Cosmopolitan City that is so full of vibrant life.
Oh this remarkable gem of a city is called Paris the Capital of France. France has 1,500 miles of beaches lining three major bodies of water. The three are the Mediterranean, the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel. Paris is located in northern part of the country on both banks of the Seine River 90 miles from the river's mouth on the English Channel.
A total of 2,135,300 fantastic people live in the City of Paris and almost 11 million persons live in greater Paris called the Ile-de-France region. It is one of Europe's largest metropolitan areas. No wonder so many people choose Paris to call their home and many others call it their home away from home visiting often.
This city is not just a romantic lovers’ haven, but it is a city of world importance. A leader in the business, educational, artistic, historic, intellectual, diplomatic, religious sectors and it is a Tourist Center of France. It is paramount in world relations being a center for international travel also. This phenomenal Paris continues to prosper and grow to even greater heights to garner the further respect of nations and worldwide
Stepping into the passages couverts (covered shopping arcades) or galeries of the Right Bank is probably the simplest way to get a feel for the Paris of the early 19th century. The passages couverts emerged during the period of relative peace and prosperity under the restored House of Bourbon after the fall of Napoleon, and the rapid growth of the new industrial classes. In a city without sewers, pavements or sheltered walkways, these arcades allowed shoppers to stroll from boutique to boutique protected from the elements and the filth of the streets.
The passages quickly became among Paris’ top attractions - provincials made them their first port of call to kit themselves out for the capital - and by the mid-19th century Paris counted some 150 of these sumptuously decorated temples to mammon. As well as shopping, visitors could dine and drink, play billiards, bathe (all the passages had public baths), attend the theatre and, at night (the passages were open 24 hours in those days), engage in activities of a carnal nature; the passages were notorious for attracting prostitutes after dark and there were rooms available on the 1st level.
The demise of the passages came about for a number of reasons, but the most important was the opening of the first of the capital’s department stores, Au Bon Marché, in 1852. Today a total of only 18 arcades remain - mostly in the 1er, 2e and 9e - in various states of repair. They are among the best places to get an idea of how Parisians and their tastes have changed over the years, with traditional millinery and cane shops mixing happily with postmodern designer fashion, and hand-worked printing presses sitting next to computer shops. And if you really wanted to you could spend your entire time in Paris under the glass roofs of the passages; they still contain everything you need - from restaurants, bars and theatres to hotels and, of course, shops.