The top 5 famous sights in Paris

1. The Eiffel Tower - The Eiffel Tower is one of the most remarkable monuments worldwide. Annually many people from all over the world come this part of Paris to visit this 324 meters high tower. In November 2002, the Eiffel Tower welcomed its 200 millionth guest. On the 3rd floor is the work office of Gustav Eiffel, that lived there for years. The view from this point is phenomenal and worth every dollar or euro. On the first platform is an exposition about the Eiffel Tower with paintings, photo’s and information. There is an elevator that brings you to the top floor of the Eiffel Tower. Information panels show which buildings can be seen from the top floor.

2. The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris - The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is an impressive cathedral, build on an island called Île de la Cité, in the Seine. After the damage during the French Revolution, this 130 meters high cathedral needed a 23 years restoration starting in 1845 by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. It has beautiful windows, many paintings and 17th century statues. There is also a treasure room where 3 relics of Christ are kept.

3. Basilique du Sacre Coeur - The Sacre Coeur is a basilica in Paris, is situated on hill Montmartre in the 18th district and is dedicated to the ‘Sacred Heart Association’. You can see the church from the Eiffel Tower and people can visit this church. The outside shows similarities with a cream pie. Inside is even more beautiful in the form of one of the world’s largest and most remarkable mosaics.

4. L’arc de Triomphe - The L’Arc de Triomphe is the second largest arc worldwide. It is situated in the 8th arrondissement in Paris and is build on the Place Charles de Gaulle, which is one the busiest traffic courts. The construction began in 1806, in honor of one of Napoleon’s victories at Austerlitz. Later, in 1836, the building was completed under the guidance of King Louis Philippe. People can visit the roof of the arc, which is 54 meters high and offers a beautiful view.

5. Chateau de Versailles - This is a castle and since 1792 a national museum called des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon. Once they were symbol for de greatness of King Louis XIV. The most impressive space is the 70 meters long mirror room called Gallerie des Glaces. The palace is closed on Monday en during official French holidays.

May 2009: Vacation Rental of the month Paris

There are so many excellent vacation and holiday rental apartments available in Paris now, that the choice is very hard. To choose only 1 for May 2009 has been difficult. Based on all of your emails and feedback and on the excellent reviews, the award for May 2009 goes to the appropriately named:

Eiffel Tower View - Paris apartment rental - May 2009 winner!

Although not a huge apartment, the emphasis is on location, security and cost and overall quality. With concierge and security code entry, this rental has outstanding views including the Eiffel Tower and the Seine.

Facilities include:

• Well lit (natural light) interior
• Great views
• Central location
• Living room (includes sofa bed)
• Dining area, Cable TV and High Speed Internet
• Modern kitchen and much much more

Learn more about the Paris rental of the month.

Bastille Day in Paris

Bastille Day in Paris is similar to Independence Day in the United States. The annual event is called Fête Nationale, what means National Celebration and it is held on the 14th of July. This day marks the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris in 1789 and it is considered to be the beginning of the French Revolution.

These days, Bastille Day is the most patriotic event of France which will be celebrated with a lot of fireworks, trumpets, drums, bugles and a parade. The president of the republic will be there too and an impressive arrival is expected.

After the parade the fireworks will be shown near the Eiffel Tower, which will be viewed by many France people but also many foreigners.

During the ‘after party’ of this event, Parisians and tourists can enjoy the parties in the capital city. There are many local orchestras and well known bands playing along the streets and in bars and cafés. Besides all these parties, there is one main party which is called The Bal du 14 Juillet. This is a massive party that is located on the Place de la Bastille, the place where the Bastille prison once stood. This party is not being held on Bastille Day itself but the night before (the 13th of July). Every year they use another theme.

Learn about Paris before planning your itinerary

When visiting this amazing city, it’s very important to plan an itinerary if this is your first visit. Like any other city, you should always be aware of the pros and cons before you put on your explorers hat. Paris are blessed with more pros than cons, if art and architecture makes you tick you are coming to the right place. Paris has a lot of everything, from family attractions to amazing monuments, endless streets with museums, all held together by a blanket of historical buildings.

A tourist can easily get lost in planning a holiday-list that overrides any page; therefore it is necessary to concentrate on the ones that would have the best impact on your holiday experience.

Why would you say that Paris is known for being the ¨most visited¨ destination in the world?
Here are your reasons why more than 30 million people visit Paris each year:

Champs-Elysées: La plus belle avenue du mundo, ¨The most beautiful street in the World¨
Paris is a city where the Kings and Queens of fashion design originated from. A Street filled with glamorous shopping malls and cabarets that you will remember for a lifetime. If you have a passion for fashion, you can make your way down this avenue.

No one says ¨I love you¨, like the French
Lovers tend to find themselves lost in each other´s eyes in the gardens alongside the Seine River. Here you can see young honeymooners to old couples still sharing the same umbrella. Even if it is only for a weekend, nothing in this world sounds more romantic then taking your loved one to Paris.

Sites not to be excluded in your itinerary:
Most visited historical landmarks:

• Eiffel tower
• Arc de Triomphe
• Notre Dame Cathedral
• The Bastille prison
• Most visited Museums:
• Musée du Louvre
• Picasso museum
• Musee National d´Art Moderne

Tip:
Most efficient way of travelling in Paris would be the metro. Be sure to know the basic French, most Parisians do not speak English. Easy and short language guides are available and adaptable to most mp3-players or your mobile telephones.

Paris: December Property of the Month

The property of the month in Paris is this St Germain Courtyard, located in the 7th district of Paris called St Germain.

The apartment is very well equipped with all the necessary utensils you need during your stay in wonderful city of love and romance, Paris. It includes, amongst other:

• Dishwasher
• Microwave
• TV with Satellite
• High speed internet connection

In total the apartment can sleep up to 4 people on 1 double bed and a double sofa bed that is situated in the living room. The area where this apartment is located is well known because of many fashionable clothes boutiques and Le Bon Marché, the best department stores in Paris. View the Paris property of the month.

Misunderstandings on Paris, France

A lot is said about Paris and also Parisians and having spent a lot of time here in Paris a few thoughts.

Frogs legs are a speciality and not a common place food. Similar to dog restaurants in South Korea (where they do exist but are a speciality and only really common with the oder generation) frog legs are a food many French people themselves have not tried. I experienced the same thing when living in Helsinki, Finland. I was told that all Finnish people have done the sauna to hole in the frozen ice dunking so I did it. Afterwards I found out that many Finnish people have not even tried it.

Parisians I also have found to be very friendly. It is like anywhere in that if you can at least try and speak even 1 or 2 words in French then people will try and help you. French people can be stubborn but then so can Catalans, Brits, Italians and every other nationality.

Culturally Paris, France is a fantastic city and a great city break or week long break location. Happy Xmas to al lour blog readers. Also a quick thank you by the way to Oakley Johnson for your article on Paris accommodation recently.

What would be Paris without its bistrots?

One thing I like to do as I come back to the parisian capital is visit a typical bistrot. You do not just have a drink there but enter a place with history, with customs that spam across several generations of customers, a place that accompanied Paris during its most exciting and terrible times.

So go to discover the breweries, bars and quaint Parisian cafes. My 3 favorite ones, to name a few, start with the Thoumieux brewery, on Rue Saint-Dominique. The place first opened in 1923 and still offers three private rooms that perpetuates an atmosphere with the same quality of service and cuisine that the original house established.

Created for the inauguration of the Opera in 1875, Le Grand Café used to be one of the highlights of Les Grands Boulevards, busy during the day with nearby bankers and at night with the flow of people attracted by the opera. On 28 December 1885, the Lumiere brothers, projected their first movie in the India salon. The dome at the centre of the edifice yet remains one of the most remarkable places to enjoy a café.

Lastly, since december 6th 1946, the stoves of Le Pied de Cochon have not stopped. The terrace, extended by a kitchen window in the picturesque pedestrian street, is an invitation to taste the cuisine of Gerard Delaunay. Facing the St. Eustache church, and close to the Georges Pompidou Center, what would be Paris without its famous Pied de Cochon, notorious pillar of the Parisian nightlife?

Books along the banks

Every tourist in Paris must have wandered along the river Seine towards the Latin Quarter and stumbled against small wooden boxes attached to the bridge. Those book safes belong to the “Bouquinistes”.

The tradition goes all the way back to the XVIth century when a few street vendors started to use this base to sale small books, figurines and other local items. Originally stored in wheelbarrows, the vendors started to attach them to the bridge pillars later on. The revolution saw a lot of politician, bourgeois and clergy people deprived from their private libraries which eventually made their journey to the riverside and made the reputation of the books quality and rarity. But it was not before 1891 that the Bouquinistes were granted the right to permanently attach their boxes to the bridge.

So what does it take to become one of the 250 Bouquinistes elite? First you will be granted a maximum of 4 boxes, of which 3 dedicated to books only. The rent is rather cheap and based on space occupied. Last, you will have to work a minimum of 4 days a week. Interested ? Well all you need to do is register to the 8 years waiting list ... Meanwhile you can still carry on wandering for exclusive books and smell the perfume of a 500 years old custom.

Faire du shopping a Paris!

When is comes to shopping, Paris has it all. Even those people who hate shopping enjoy the experience. You can find something for everyone from haute couture, perfume, flea markets, misic stores, department stores and outdoor markets.

Opening hours - In Paris, the shops are open from 10:00 to 19:00 Monday through Saturday. The department stores remain open until 21:00 one evening each week. On Sundays you can find the large chains open and some on the Champs-Élysées but almost every where else will be closed.

Department stores - The main department stores are Bon Marché, Galeries Lafayettes, Samaritaine, Printemps, and Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (BHV). They all ffer a huge selection of products.

For music, books, gadets, and electronics, try either Virgin Megastore or FNAC. They also sell tickets for shows and travel services.

Paris fashion - Everyone knows a little about Paris fashion and the boutiques of the major designers are situated on avenue Montaigne (Yves Saint-Laurent and Christian Dior, Faubourg Saint-Honoré (Hermès and Gucci), la place de la Madeleine, Saint-Sulpice, or Sèvres-Babylone areas. The more hip could venture to the Halles district (Agnès B, Claudie Pierlot), la Place des Victoires, (Kenzo) or Marais (Ventilo, Et Vous).

Carrousel du Louvre which is a huge mall under the Louvre museum has loads of stores such as André Courrèges and Lalique. There are also a number of boutiques and a gigantic food court. Perfumes and cosmetics are found in the Opéra area. If it's food you want, For gastronomic products, try the two great gourmet food shops of Paris, Hédiard and Fauchon which can be found on place de la Madeleine.

Yes, the queen lives in Paris!

Today acclaimed as a masterpiece of structural art, and a symbol of Paris, and let’s dare say so of France itself, the Eiffel tower has not always received cheering from its pairs. It was originally built by Gustave Eiffel, whose work can be found throughout Europe, for the 1889 Universal Exhibition held in Paris.

Since then, more than 200 million visitors stepped on it, or better ate on it in one of the very exclusive restaurants, and countless pictures were taken by those who do not dare getting on top of the 6th tallest structure in the world with its 325m (1063 ft) and 17,300 tones.

The tower was first submitted by Eiffel for the Universal Exhibit held in Barcelona, but due to refusal to allow its building for the strangeness of its design and poor fit with the city’s infrastructure, Paris was chosen as second choice. But if it was not for the army, most of us would never have seen it besides on old black and white postcards.

Designed to last 20 years, the structure was maintained in good conditions for the strategic spot it represented to telecom and military communications. So next time you visit the capital, pay a visit to the glittering old lady, for she may not be here forever ...