Why choose France? | About France | Where in France | Paris | The Loire Valley |
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The French capital is one of the most stimulating cities on earth. Although described countless times, words still fail to capture the exact quality that renders Paris enduringly seductive. Is it the elegance of the tree-lined boulevards? The radiance of the light? The magnificence of the architecture? The style and ambience of the cafes?
The city dramatically wears its history on its sleeve and today it is still centred around the Ile de la Cité, where over two thousand years ago Celtic tribes first eked out a living. Despite its large size and population almost everything worth seeing is contained within the ring road, the Boulevard Périphérique. The lifeblood River Seine splits the city neatly in two and the useful arrondissements system neatly carves Paris into manageable chunks.
The history of Paris can be uncovered throughout its distinctive districts. Hilly Montmartre, with its village atmosphere, was where the Paris Commune began in 1871; the Marais evokes medieval Paris, its winding streets a sharp contrast to the wide, orderly Haussmann boulevards, envisaged by Napoleon III to keep the mobs at bay. These grand 19th-century avenues still dominate the city, interspersed with modern flourishes.
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