Travel Blog

Paris is an old city full of intrigue with a long history; the river it straddles, the Seine, also has two islands, situated in the oldest part of the city. Paris short stays of a few days, often over a long weekend are the normal way to see it; it is almost guaranteed that a second, longer stay will be required.

Visitors flock to see its many wonderful buildings; plus sights like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and many other places that are havens for tourists, both home grown and international. Like most European cities, Paris is easy to get around; the underground train system or Metro can take you to anywhere within the city and is simple to use.

The Eiffel Tower at over 300 meters tall is a magnificent steel structure; it provides stunning views from the top and is visible throughout most of the city. You can be assured of an even more beautiful sight if you visit in the evening when it is illuminated; taking a tour at the same time will teach you much more about this remarkable structure.

The famous Paris Avenue ‘the Champs Elysees’ must also receive a visit; you can see beautiful shops, sit and drink coffee from the many cafes or have a meal in a first class restaurant. When you visit this region of the city you will see it is a much more select area; the exclusive five star hotels situated in this more select part of the city might be out of most visitors’ price range.

The city’s famous museum, the Louvre is huge and worth a visit if you have the time; with over 300,000 wonderful artistic works, you simply cannot see all of it in one day. There are enough art exhibits to keep you occupied for more time than your short stay in Paris would allow; with so many visitors (around eight million), sometimes it can be difficult seeing some of the famous works. Over the years, Paris has been home to many of the world’s famous artists; these include Monet and Picasso who very fortunately left some of their work here for all to enjoy.

Another famous Paris attraction is The Arc de Triomphe which was built within the first decade of the nineteenth century; to honor his generals (and his troops) he had their names inscribed upon it. Many people do not know that an observatory was included in the design which affords great views of the surrounding area; it stands in the place where the city’s main avenues begin including the Champs Elysees.

Obviously, these are not the only places to visit; and whilst there are many more worthy examples, those listed here should not be missed. You should only ever consider a short stay in Paris as a sample of what is on offer; that would require a longer visit as you probably won’t have time to visit the gothic churches and castles in only a few days.