Paris is the capital and largest city of France. Straddling the River Seine, it is a major global, cultural and political centre, in addition to being the world's most visited city. Paris is also internationally renowned for its defining neoclassical architecture and its influence in fashion and the arts.
With an endless amount of things to do, it rewards repeated and extended visits. As one of the main cultural and political centres in Europe since the early Middle Ages, Paris contains many vestiges from its past including numerous art galleries, museums and theatres.
Easily navigable as the city centre is compact with all areas being connected by a highly efficient public transport system, the famous Paris Metro. It is simple and cheap and you should buy a carnet (travel pass), or get on one of the Cityrama buses to go around the city to find out the places you want to go back to.
La Carte is a pass with free admission to about 60 national and municipal museums. Central Paris contains fine architecture from every period in a long and rich history, together with every amenity known to science and every entertainment yet devised.
The oldest neighbourhood is the ÃŽle-de-la-Cité dominated by the newly renovated cathedral of Notre-Dame. Having sacked the Celtic city, the Gallo-Romans abandoned the island and settled on the heights along the Rive Gauche (Left Bank), in the area now known as the Latin Quarter (Boulevards St Michel and St Germain).
Today Paris is one of the world's major transport destinations because of its financial, cultural, political, and tourism activities. It is often listed as one of the four major global cities along with New York, London and Tokyo.
