Overview of Paris
Paris, a city like no other
Paris is the capital and largest city of France. It is located on the river Seine, in northern France, in the heart of the Île-de-France region. Approximately two million people live in Paris itself, and the Paris metro area has a population of over 12 million, making it one of Europe’s largest metropolitan areas.
Today, Paris is one of the world’s leading business and cultural centers. and its influences on politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the the world’s most important global cities.
With more than 40,000 international students, Paris has emerged, for the second year running, as the best city in the world for students in the QS Best Student Cities Survey 2014.
With about 42 million tourists annually in the city and its suburbs (of which 17 million are foreign visitors), Paris is the most visited city in the world. The city and its region contain 3,800 historical monuments and four UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Paris’ museums and monuments are among its most-visited attractions, with new sights emerging all the time. The city’s flagship museum, the Louvre is one of the world’s largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district). Nearly 35,000 works of art from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square meters (652,300 square feet).
The city’s cathedrals are another main attraction: Notre Dame de Paris and the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur receive 12 million and eight million visitors per year, respectively. The Eiffel Tower, by far Paris’ most famous monument, averages over six million visitors per year and more than 200 million since its construction. Disneyland Paris is a major tourist attraction that draws visitors not only from the Paris area but from all of Europe, with 14.5 million visitors in 2007.
Cultural and Historical Activities
Many cultural activities will be organized throughout the summer, like visits of Paris and its most famous monuments. There also will be a 3-day trip to the South of France in order to discover another part of our beautiful country.
- The Eiffel Tower
- Montmartre
- Bateaux mouches
- The Palace of Versailles
- The Paris hot air balloon
- Fontainebleau Palace
There are numerous museums and monuments in Paris and the Paris region, including remarkable artistic and cultural treasures. Many of them offer free entry one night a week, free access to the permanent collections, free entry on the first Sunday of the month at certain times of the year, and discounted or free entry for children. Find a list of Paris and Ile-de-France museums and monuments here.
You can have a look on the official website of Paris’ tourism activities here: : http://en.parisinfo.com/
Recreational Activities
Theme Parks
- Disneyland Paris
- Parc Astérix
- Futuroscope
- Nigloland
Nature park & Zoos
- Paris-Cineaqua’s aquarium
- The Amnéville Zoo
- The Safari of Peaugres
- The Toiry’s animal park
- Parc des Félins
Sports
- Vélib
- Paris by Roller
- The Paris Marathon