Paris in short
Paris can be seen as the most interesting city of Europe and probably even as one of the most amazing city’s worldwide. People from all over the world travel to Paris to discover and experience this fairy-like city. Paris is the city of love, inspiration, art and fashion. The night scene, the Eiffel tower and the warm atmosphere will make you feel directly at home. Paris has a lot of interesting architecture and museums to offer.
Good to know
| Size | 105.4 km2 |
|---|---|
| Location | Ile-de-France, Northern France |
| Language | French |
| Money | Euro |
| Fly time | +/- one or two hours from Central Europe |
| Time difference | None in Central Europe. One hour earlier in Great Brittain. |
Read more fast facts about Paris
Climate in Paris
Paris is beautiful in every single season. The continental climate in Paris is characterized by warm and sunny summers, moderate winters and has no extreme temperatures. The average temperature in July is about 25°C. In winter the temperature drops until an average temperature of 2°C in January.
TOP Things to do:
The Ile Saint-Louis is originally formed by two islets: the “Île aux vaches” (Cows isle)-as it was merely a pasture field-and the “île Notre-Dame” where the duels used to take place during the Middle Ages. It is not before the XVIIth century that the two islets are reunified by Christophe Marie, general contractor of the bridges of France, who builds the bridge that still bears his name until the present day. At that time, this is where nobles and bourgeois built their residences, and one can still discover there today splendid private mansions.
The construction of the present gothic cathedral, fruit of the ambition of Bishop Maurice de Sully, starts around 1160. The whole building is completed as of the XIIth century. Some modifications are carried out in the subsequent century, following the architectural canons of the “glowing” gothic style, very fashionable at the time.
At the top of the Champs Elysées, the Arc de Triomphe (Triumph Arch) of the place de l’Etoile (Etoile Square) is one of the Things to do in Paris and the most illustrious symbol of the History of France. Decorated on all its facades with sculpted collections, “le départ des volontaires” (the departure of volunteers), facing the Champs Elysées, seems to invite you to visit it. At more than fifty meters above the ground, you would overlook Parisian life and gaze at the renowned perspectives of Parisian urban planners, amongst which ranks first Baron Haussman.
Conciergerie and the Sainte-Chapelle
On the western part of the ’île de la Cité, the Conciergerie and the Sainte-Chapelle, are considered as the vestiges of the most ancient Parisian royal palace, the Palais de la Cité (City Palace) transformed into a prison in the XVth century.
Known as “the most beautiful avenue in the world”, this large street offers numerous luxury boutiques, prestigious restaurants; it also includes the headquarters of local and international companies adjacent to movie theatres, department stores and fast food businesses that emerged recently.
In the angle of the two palaces, stands the magnificent Pont Alexandre III (Alexander III Bridge). The construction of this bridge was decided in 1896, due to traffic jams, the building of the Invalides railroad station (1893), and most of all, the project was re-launched because of the prospect of the World Fair. As a symbol of the French Russian alliance, the first stone was laid down by the Tsar Nicolas II of Russia, son of Alexander III. It was completed in 1900 and inaugurated at the occasion of the World Fair.
The tower measures 312 meters of height, without its Hertzian broadcasting antenna. When taking the latter into consideration, it reached 324 meters ever since the antenna restoration works were carried out in January 2001. Before this date, it was only 318.70 meters high, from the time when the first TV broadcasting antenna was positioned in 1957.
