Paris, the city of lights

Paris , the city of lights, the city of lovers, of fashion, of shopping... The perfect city for any type of trip: with your partner, with friends, but also alone, because as Audrey Hepburn said, personifying Sabrina, in the film of the same name, "Paris is not made to change planes... it is made to change lives!" .
Paris has very ancient origins; it seems that the first settlements in the area that today make up the city date back to 53 BC, when the Romans settled there, calling it Lutetia Parisiorum, after defeating the Celtic tribes, settled along the left bank of the Seine. What was once a village developed into a city and in the 4th century AD, following the fall of the Roman Empire, it began to be called by the name by which we know it: Paris . After being invaded several times by Barbarians, Paris was finally conquered by the Merovingians, who founded the Frankish Kingdom in 508, of which Paris became the capital. But it was from 1257, the year in which the Sorbonne University was founded, that Paris established itself as the center of European culture. The Middle Ages saw Paris grow and expand, until it expanded onto the Right Bank of the Seine, which became the new center of the city. With the succession of various royal families, Paris was enriched with palaces, such as the Louvre, which was the residence of the kings of France until Catherine De' Medici built the Tuileries Palace, with adjoining gardens, which was then, outclassed by the magnificent palace of Versailles. Versailles was the residence of the Kings of France, starting from 1662, when Louis XIV, the Sun King who had it built, moved the court there to get away from the discontent of the Parisian people, "difficult to keep under control" (cit.) , who became the protagonist of the French Revolution, 127 years later. With the storming of the Bastille, Paris began a great revolution that would forever change the fate of France and the rest of Europe. The French Revolution saw King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and many nobles beheaded on the guillotine. Napoleon Bonaparte took advantage of the disorder that followed the revolution and, in a short time, went from being general of the armory to becoming First Consul of the Republic and finally proclaiming himself emperor. During the Napoleonic empire, France became the greatest European power, thanks also to the numerous victories achieved in battle by the Napoleonic army. Napoleon introduced many innovations, including the Napoleonic code, rebuilt the buildings damaged during the revolution and created the street lighting system and the civic numbering of the buildings which is currently still in use. However, Napoleon was not as invincible as he believed and was defeated: first in Russia, where Napoleon's army, following the invasion of the country, was decimated by the cold and frost of the Siberian winter. Thus, the European powers took advantage of the opportunity to face and defeat him first in Leipzig and then in Waterloo, where he was captured and sent into exile on the island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821. In the second half of the nineteenth century, in what is defined as the Second Empire, under Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann carried out a great urban revolution to deal with the overpopulation that existed in the city. The Bohemian era at the end of the century saw the construction of the Eiffel Tower and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, around which Montmarte, the artists' quarter, developed.

Today Paris is one of the most beautiful and most visited cities in the world and by wandering around the city you will have the opportunity to discover its history, contained in the many monuments that distinguish it, making it absolutely unique.

Paris is one of the main stops for anyone who chooses to travel to Europe.

Everyone dreams of walking through the Champs-Élysées or climbing the Eiffel Tower and we will show you a perfect itinerary, to be followed whether you come to Paris for a few days, or for a longer period, to visit the most important monuments of Paris and France.

If you decide to cross the gardens surrounding the Eiffel Tower, the Champs de Mars, you will arrive at the Ecole Militaire; within walking distance, there is the Hotel des Invalides where the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte is kept. A funeral monument of all respect: the tomb, in red quartzite, is surrounded by a laurel wreath and inscriptions reminiscent of the great victories of the Napoleonic Empire. As they say, "little man, great ego". From the Hotel des Invalides you can proceed in the direction of the Bourbon Palace, more famous as the National Assembly, since it is the palace that houses one of the two branches of the French Parliament. The building is beautiful and is located in a very charming location, as it is right in front of the Pont de la Concorde, which separates it from the homonymous and magnificent Place de la Concorde. Place de la Concorde is a very elegant square, built in honor of Louis XV. At the center of the square there are two majestic fountains, the Fontes des Fleuvese, separated by the Egyptian obelisk Luxor which adorned the palace of Ramses III and which was donated by Egypt to France in 1831. Place de la Concorde is surrounded by beautiful palaces because it is located in one of the richest arrondissements of Paris, the VIII, and the very elegant Rue Royale and Rue de Rivoli, the street that runs along the Louvre Museum and the Tuileries Gardens, flow into the square. However, another famous Parisian street also arrives at Place de la Concorde: the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

The avenue of the Champs-Élysées is among the most famous in the world, starting from the Place d'Etoile, where the Arc de Triomphe is located, and in its approximately 2 km, they cut the 8th arrondissement into exactly two, until reaching Place de la Concorde. The Champs-Elysées is full of boutiques of the biggest and most important brands, cafes and luxury shops. The avenue becomes, every year, the scene of the great military parade which is held on July 14, to remember the taking of the Bastille; moreover it is on the Champs-Elysées that the Tour de France ends every year. Visiting Paris over the Christmas period, you will see that the final part of the Champs-Elysées becomes a great Christmas market, with decorated houses selling artisan products, meats, cheeses, crepes, waffles (better known as waffles) and the infamous mulled wine. Place d'Étoile, the starting point of the Champs-Elysées, is the square in which, in its majesty, stands the Arc de Triomphe , commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte to celebrate France's victory at Austerlitz. The Arc de Triomphe is inspired by the Arch of Titus found in Rome, and at its base is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with the eternal flame, which is revived every night, in memory of all the soldiers ever recognized that they lost their lives during the two Great World Wars. The Arc de Triomphe can be visited: starting from the gallery that starts under the Étoile metro, through the 286 steps you will reach the small internal museum, which describes the history of the construction of the arch and, making a last effort to climb the last steps , you will come to the fantastic terrace from which you can enjoy a beautiful view. The Arc de Triomphe is part of the so-called Ax Historique, a line that runs from the center of Paris, heading west. The main points of the Ax are the Arc de Triomphe du Carousel (starting point), the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile, (central pivot) and finally, the Grande Arche de la Defense (end point), which is located in the financial heart of Paris.

Moving to the Ile de la cité, one of the two islands in the center of the Seine where medieval Paris developed, we find the Notre Dame Cathedral waiting for us . Notre Dame is the most visited monument, not only of Paris, but of all France. Victor Hugo's novel, Notre Dame de Paris, has helped make it even more famous. When you arrive at Notre Dame, finding it there imposing, despite its more than 750 years of history, you will be out of breath and you expect to see, at any moment, Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame, who whirls among the spiers of the cathedral. Also characteristic are the drips that protrude from the facades of the cathedral: they are the gargoyles, monstrous figures that, according to some stodiosi, represent a sort of guardians of the Cathedral. In the Sacristy of the Cathedral it is also possible to visit the museum of the treasure where, in a reliquary, the Crown of Thorns of Jesus Christ is kept, which was rescued, along with other relics, during the incense that struck Notre Dame, last April 15th.

Unfortunately, Notre Dame is not open to visitors at the moment, as it was closed due to the heat that severely damaged the roof and the main spire, the fleche. We leave Notre Dame to walk towards the Latin Quarter , which is not actually a neighborhood, but spreads between the 5th and 6th arrondissements. The name is due to the fact that in the Middle Ages this was the area of scholars, who spoke Latin (the French language would have spread from the 1500s) and it is here that the Sorbonne was born, which still today welcomes many students, French and non-French. "Entrance door" of the Latin Quarter is the fountain of Saint Michel , commissioned by Baron Haussmann, during the "restoration" works of the city. The fountain is composed of a sculpture that represents the Archangel Saint Michael towering above the Devil, while he is about to strike him to death with his sword. Another place to visit, in the Latin Quarter, is certainly the Pantheon , recognizable from afar, due to its dome that is somewhat reminiscent of Saint Paul's in London. The Pantheon was initially built as a Catholic church, dedicated to the patron saint of Paris, Saint Genevieve, but later became a sort of mausoleum in which the remains of numerous men who made France great were received. At the center of the Greek-cross nave, you will find Fucault's Pendulum , which the French physicist had installed in the Pantheon, in 1851, to demonstrate scientifically the earth's rotation. In the crypt on the lower floor, you will find buried, instead, great personalities of French history, such as Voltaire, Rousseau (buried just in front of Voltaire, of which he was a bitter enemy), Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo and many others. Leaving the Pantheon, you will have in front of you the magnificent Jardins du Luxembourg that surround the building that houses the Senate. The Pantheon is flanked by numerous historic buildings, such as the Church of Saint Etienne du mont, while on the opposite side of the square are the buildings of the Sorbonne.

Returning towards the Ile de la Cité, towards the rive droit , you will arrive on the banks of the Seine, where you will find yourself in front of the Conciergerie, incorporated in what is now the Palace of Justice. The Congiercerie was part of what was the residence of the French kings from the tenth to the fourteenth century. The palace was abandoned because in the meantime the Louvre was built and the Conciergerie assumed the role of state prison. The Congiergerie assumed a very important role during the French Revolution, because it housed many prisoners destined for the guillotine. Among the most important were Danton, Robespierre and above all Queen Mariantonietta. Today it is possible to visit the Conciergerie and inside it there is the cell where Mariantonietta was kept, rebuilt just as it was then, with period furnishings, objects that belonged to the queen and then there is her, obviously in mannequin format. Seeing it, even if only in dummy format, will give you goose bumps. Next to the Conciergerie there is one of the most important monuments of Gothic art: the Sainte-Chapelle . The chapel was built at the behest of King Louis IX to house some relics of the Passion of Christ, such as the crown of thorns, nails and fragments of the "True Cross". The chapel is one of the masterpieces of Gothic art and the precious stained glass windows and 13th century rosettes confirm this. Currently the Sainte-Chapelle is deconsecrated and in fact inside there are very often classical music concerts.

Crossing Pont au Change , the bridge in front of the Conciergerie, you'll find yourself in the 1st arrondissement; you will have in front of you the Saint Jacques Tower , a bell tower in Gothic style dating back to the 1500s. Next to the bell tower there was a church that was demolished during the French Revolution.
Along Rue de Rivoli you will finally arrive at the Louvre .
The Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the world and is also the one with the largest number of tourists.
Originally the Louvre was one of the residences of the kings of France, until Louis XIV transferred his court to the palace of Versailles.
After the revolution, the government decided to turn it into a museum and today its collection contains the most famous works of art of world renown.
Surely, the most famous and important work exhibited at the Louvre is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. But there are also Love and Psyche by Canova, the Venus of Milo, the Freedom that guides the people of Delacroix, finally, as you enter, in front of you, on the staircase of Daru, you will find the Nike of Samothrace, a Greek sculpture dating back to 180 BC
But the works exhibited at the Louvre are many, around 380,000 works divided into the 8 sections to which they belong.
Coming out of the Louvre pyramid, you will find yourself facing the Arc du Carrousel .

Entering the I arrondissement you will arrive at Place Vendôme , one of the most famous squares in Paris. It was built to house the National Library at the end of the 1600s, but during the Second Empire the square became the seat of the most important and famous French jewelers. In this square there is also the infamous Hotel Ritz , built in the 18th century as a private residence and transformed into a hotel by Cesar Ritz, in 1898. At the center of Place Vendôme is the Column of Austerlitz. It seems that Napoleon, after the victory over the Russians and the Austrians in Austerlitz, had the bronze cannons melted and with this he had a column built in honor of the army. From Place Vendôme we arrive at the Opera Garnier , the majestic French opera house, completely in Napoleon III style. The theater was designed by the architect Charles Garnier, who also gave it its name. Inside the theater there is a small lake that came out during the excavations for the construction of the theater. The pond became famous thanks to Gaston Leroux who pointed to the place in his famous "The Phantom of the Opera", as a hideout used by the Phantom.

Arriving at the Opera you will be a stone's throw from the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann , most famous as Lafayette department store. The opening of the warehouses dates back to 1912 and the building that houses the warehouses is completely in Art Nouveau. The warehouses are beautiful. Inside there are no shops but corners that host the most important world brands. Perfumes, shoes, clothes, accessories, toys ... Nothing is missing. Every year, in the pre-Christmas period, the store windows come alive with puppets and puppets with a Christmas theme. Finally, upon entering, you will find in the lobby on the ground floor a huge Christmas tree, an icon of the Parisian Christmas, as every year it is wonderfully decorated and always with different colors and themes. But when it comes to department stores, we cannot fail to mention Printemps , whose largest and oldest store is right behind Lafayette department stores. Printemps is also located inside a nineteenth-century building, topped by a wonderful dome. The Printemps are the first warehouses to have introduced the elevators, in 1904. Using just one of the elevators, we advise you to reach the sixth floor of the building, where there is the brasserie where you can eat many French dishes, or take a coffee or hot chocolate, go out on the terrace and enjoy the rooftop views of Paris.

One of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Paris is surely Montmartre which from the top of its hill is the highest point in Paris, it will allow you to have a magnificent view of the city. Montmartre was originally a hill of vineyards and is still home to a vineyard of about 1500 square meters that produces 100% Parisian wine. Montmartre was the most important center during the Belle Epoque. It is here that artists such as Modigliani, Picasso, Van Gogh settled (there is the apartment where Van Gogh lived and the house of Henri De Toulouse Lautrec), because before the Second Empire, Montmartre was outside the Parisian borders, free of taxes towns and therefore cheaper. Around the famous Place du Tertre, the lives of the many artists that characterized the Belle Epoque and the Bohemian age took place and even today the square is "home" to many painters and street portraitists.

Also in Montmartre there is the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, built in Château-Landon stone, it has the particularity of not retaining dust and smog and becoming even brighter following the rain. In fact, in any corner of Paris you find yourself, the Basilica shines, especially at night, when illuminated by a lighthouse. According to legend, the basilica was erected on what was once a Roman temple dedicated to Mars. For Catholicism, on the other hand, the basilica stands at the exact spot where Saint Denis was martyred and beheaded. Returning to the most lively area of Montmartre, near the Metro Abbesses, you will find a small garden that houses a unique work of art. It is a wall, Le mur des je t'aime , a work created by Fédéric Baron and Claire Kito which collects 612 glazed lava tiles on which TI AMO is written in 250 different languages, including some rare languages, such as the Inuit and the Navajo. The fact that a wall has been chosen has a strong symbolic value, since the walls are used to divide, but in this case it is used to support human love.

The many streets that descend from Montmartre, lead to another characteristic place in Paris, Pigalle , the "red light" district famous above all for the renowned Moulin Rouge , one of the most famous cabaret theaters in which it is said the Can- Can. The Moulin Rouge owes its name to the famous red windmill mounted on the roof of the theater. Today, in addition to being a theater with dance shows and cabaret, it is also a real tourist attraction.
Many were the artists who performed at the Moulin Rouge: Edith Piaf, Liza Minelli, Franck Sinatra ...

Furthermore, the Moulin Rouge has been made even more famous, if it is possible, by the many books and films of the same name that have the famous French cabaret theater as the background to the events.

If we talk about nightlife and entertainment, Paris becomes absolutely the undisputed protagonist.
Paris is called the city of lights precisely because, in the evening, it is enriched with the lights of its theaters, its discos and the many entertainment venues. At night, Paris becomes even more alive and offers all kinds of entertainment and fun. The avenue of the Champs-Elysées is a reference point for tourists, and with its many shops it is certainly the ideal place for a lot of shopping. At night, the shops leave space, however, to the restaurants that are found, especially in the boulevards that intersect on the Champs-Elysées and the nightclubs that are instead along the avenue. The most famous are certainly "The Queen", with its very elegant circular room, and the "Duplex" which always offers different events. Moving instead to Place de la République, exactly on the Canal Saint-Martin , you will find many young Parisians who meet here and then move on to the small clubs that line the canal. Here you will also find lots of street artists, you can have an aperitif or simply relax by walking along the Canal.

If you are more romantic, or traveling as a couple, we recommend taking a night tour offered by the many Bateaux Mouches companies that allow you to see Paris from the Seine and will also give you the opportunity to dine on board the boat, of course with a reservation.
For students who like to live the street more than the locals, we recommend the Marais district, which with its Rue Mouffettard is one of the liveliest areas. The street, which is one of the oldest in Paris, is closed to traffic most days and in the evening it becomes a swarm of cafes, crepereries, butchers and fishmongers that will allow you to eat meat or fish taken directly from the counter and cook there , in front of you. In Rue Mouffettard, 68 you will find Au P'tit Grec, one of the most famous crepes in Paris . You will recognize it for the omnipresent crowd that is formed to buy the crepe. A vast choice of tastes, between sweet and savory, at a ridiculous price, considering the size of the cracks and the popularity enjoyed by the restaurant. For lovers of sweets instead we recommend trying the macarons of the Ladurée patisserie whose historical site is located on Rue Royale, 16. You will understand for yourself that this is an exclusive place, being in the richest district of Paris, a few steps from the Champs Elysées. But you can taste the many sweets that make French pastries famous, such as the éclairs, the pain au chocolat or the croissants, in the many boulangeries that line the Parisian streets.

For lovers of classical music who cannot afford an evening at the Opera Garnier, we recommend going to the many churches that offer classical music concerts at much lower prices every night. In some churches they are free or a simple offer is enough. Among them is the église de la Madeleine , one of the most important churches in Paris. It is an imposing temple located in the 8th arrondissement and with its neoclassical colonnade dominates on Boulevard de la Madeleine. The interior is completely different from the classic churches, as it has a single nave surmounted by 3 domes that cannot be seen on the outside. His pipe organ is used during the many concerts held here several times during the week. Finally, if you are a family with children you cannot avoid going to Disneyland Paris . The world-famous playground is located in Marne-la-Vallèe and if you don't reach it with the organized trip, you can always do it by taking the RER A line which you can take at the stations next to some of the Paris metro stops. The line is the line A (red color) the direction is Marne-la-Vallée (be careful because there are more directions). Finally, if you have a subway ticket, check that yours is suitable for this trip, because Marne-la-Vallèe is located in zone 5 of the extra-urban metro system.

Climate: Paris has an unstable climate, due to the proximity of the sea and the Gulf Stream. In winter, cold, snowy and very cold periods alternate with periods where the temperature is milder but the winds from the sea bring rain. Fortunately, in the city center there is a small microclimate that allows winter temperatures to rarely drop below freezing. Likewise, summer alternates hot and muggy days and others that are cool or rainy. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit Paris because it is during these seasons that temperatures are more pleasant even if rains may be frequent.

Curiosity: Do you know why the Center Pompidou is decorated with many colored tubes? It seems that during the design, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers thought of leaving all the interior space free so all the systems were done externally and each has its color: in blue pipes used for air conditioning, green instead are the pipes that allow the passage of liquids, in the yellow ones pass instead the electric cables and instead the tubes in red serve as communication routes. Furthermore, you know that Père Lachaise is one of the largest cemeteries in Paris and houses the tombs of many important personalities, such as Molière, Baumarchais, Oscar Wilde, Amedeo Modigliani, Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison and Maria Callas. The fact that there are so many funeral monuments in Père Lachaise makes it the most visited cemetery in the world, as every year around 3 million visitors go to pay tribute to the many famous people.

Tips: If you are planning a trip to Paris, the first thing we advise you to do is to book and / or buy tickets for the attractions you want to visit: Paris is always full of tourists and ticket lines can last a long time , even more than the visit itself. Moreover, as you will often use the subway and the tickets for the single journey they cost a lot, we advise you to buy the Paris Visite, the pass that will allow you to take the underground without limits during the whole course of your trip. The Paris Visite is available in different denominations: there is one for one, two, three, four and five days and it is valid from the first stamping until 5.30 on the last day of use. The day, in fact, is counted until 5.30 am the next day, at any time you stamp it. With the Paris Visite, you can travel by metro, RER, city bus lines and even the Montmartre funicular. The Paris Visite covers all 5 areas in which Paris is divided from the transport point of view.