Classic, stylish, iconic – just a few of the words that often get used to describe the wonderful city of Paris. Truth be told, there are hundreds, if not thousands of reasons to plan your trip to the French capital, but here are five of my biggest ones!
1. It Always Feels Alive
Whether you’re strolling along the banks of the Seine, going for a drink in Montmartre or navigating the narrow thoroughfares of the Latin Quarter, Paris is never a city that feels short on life. Even during August, when many of the locals escape on their summer holidays, the city still bubbles away beneath the surface and the summer influx of tourists helps ensure that the place feels far from empty. Click here for some great recommendations for hidden gems in Paris.
2. It Tempts The Taste Buds
France as a whole has been synonymous with top quality cuisine for a long time, and its capital is a culinary hub for some of the finest food and drink in the country.
There are more than eighty Michelin-starred establishments within the Île-de-France, each luring foodies from France and further afield to their tables for a taste of traditional and modern French cooking. For those who prefer not to part with upwards of 100€ per head for dinner, the city’s many excellent cafés, chocolatiers and patisseries still offer ample lower-cost opportunities to have one’s taste buds tantalised.
3. The City Oozes Class
If you had to describe the world’s great cities in just one word each, New York might get ‘busy’, London ‘vibrant’; Paris is ‘classy’ without a shadow of a doubt. There’s just something about the atmosphere in Paris which just feels more sophisticated than other capitals, whether it’s the city’s inimitable café culture or its seemingly endless love affair with haute couture.
4. It Can Always Surprise You
No matter how many times you might have been to Paris, there’s always something hiding away that you’ve yet to experience. After more than one bout of window shopping around the Champs-Élysées on previous trips, I recently stumbled across the Village St-Paul on the border between 3ème and 4ème. This charming little shopping district is tucked away from the rest of the city and has a wealth of antique and curiosity shops with souvenirs more interesting and more affordable than those the high-end boutiques have to offer!
5. It (Almost) Always Lives Up To The Hype
Paris is a city with the baggage that comes with a well-established reputation, with even first-time visitors arrive at Charles de Gaulle or Gare du Nord with an idea of what to expect. These expectations can often There is the notable exception of the mandatory first visit trip up the Eiffel Tower, which can be a touch underwhelming, but the rest of the tourist mainstays never fail to impress.
Article by: Linda Williams
