A Glance at Paris... Un coup d’oeil à Paris!

Paris is alive! While the ancient buildings remain a constant, the city seems to change with every season and with different times of the day. When you visit Paris, you will be able to discover an amazing city! As the Seine River meanders through its center, the views of this magical City of Light, LaVille Lumière, are different. The lively joie de vivre, a wonderful expression describing the French spirit, is everywhere and this combines with the history of this most remarkable city to give the world a most unique place!

On this page, we'll be sharing different glimpses into Paris and painting our own images and impressions! It would impossible to describe what you can do and experience in this city, but do check our Paris day tours page to learn what À Paris Travel can arrange! Join us for a fully-escorted trip to Paris!

When most people think of seeing Paris, they think of "The Big Three – La Tour Eiffel, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Originally constructed in 1889 as a temporary exhibition in celebration of the French Revolution, the Eiffel Tower exists today as the most visited monument in the world (as France is the most visited country in the world). Be sure to put it on your Paris night-time itinerary because on the hour 20,000 twinkling lights light-up the tower.

The Arc de Triomphe was originally commissioned by Napoleon.  He wanted his victorious troops to march through it. Sadly this didn't happen because he met his Waterloo. However, it does commemorate many of his victories and  remembers those killed in WWI with the grave of the unknown soldier and the eternal flame of remembrance.

Notre Dame Cathedral, a marvel of Gothic architecture, had its first stone laid in 1163. The medieval craftsman (most of the architects and sculptors remain anonymous) passed along their knowledge from generation to generation and the work was completed some 170 years later. You can enjoy this and more sight-seeing on one of our walking tours.

Admittedly, "The Big Three must be visited. However, you've got to experience the accessorized Paris. And just what is the "accessorized Paris"? Well, anyone who has seen a beautifully dressed Parisian woman knows that the accessories are impeccable! The French can accessorize their outfits perfectly. Just as a Parisian bedecks herself and can accessorize like none other, so is the city of Paris accessorized in the most unique of ways.

As you tour the streets of Paris and appreciate the sights before you, without question the accessorizing of this city is what you see and what it's all about! In walking, you'll be close enough to the heart of the city that you cannot help but notice this phenomenon. This is the way to experience Paris!

While the landmarks mentioned above should not be missed, there's so much else that makes Paris a city like none other. To truly feel this, you must stroll the avenues and along the River Seine! By doing so, for example, you discover the "bouquinistes" (second-hand booksellers), the green boxes along the Seine where you'll discover for sale a potpourri of souvenirs, artwork, jewelry, antique books, and mementoes.

This concept has been around for centuries and is just one aspect of life along the Seine River. As Blaise Cendrars, (a Swiss born poet who moved to France) expressed it "I could spend my whole life Watching the Seine flow by...It is a poem of Paris."

Walking along the side streets, you happen upon neighborhoods where the children are playing games and enjoying a patch of green. Wandering the avenues, you see the cafés where the Parisians are all facing the sidewalk as they sip their coffee. They don't sit around the table, but on one side, towards the street! It's charmingly Parisian to see!

In fact, you usually feel compelled to pause and do the same! Besides, chances are you'll get to witness the traffic of Paris. This is something to behold! Small and smaller cars buzz the streets and somehow manage to squeeze into parking spots whose dimensions are less than they are! More walking takes you by countless pâtisseries, where the array of sumptuous delights is irresistible.

It's a thrill to happen upon picture perfect spots! After photographing the Ile St. Louis side of Notre Dame (the more majestic side, in my opinion!), it's a short walk to a special spot—a very dramatic yet quietly moving memorial. It's the Memorial de Déportation and should never be missed. The inscription says ""1940 – Aux deux cent mille martyrs Français morts dans les camps de la déportation – 1945" (...to the 200,000 French who were killed in the concentration camps). Because it is tucked away, it is often missed...but never by me!

Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements or neighborhoods. Each one has its own government (ie. mayor, etc.), too. If you see that your hotel address is 75008, you will know that you'll be staying in the 8th arrondissement! You would see this expressed as 8ème.  One of our wonderful driving tours in Paris will help you understand the layout of the city.

The pulse of Paris can be felt in these neighborhoods, each with unique sights, smells, charm, and character! Montmartre's (18th arrondissment or 18ème) artists are the essence of that little village and the other areas offers up a feast of enjoyment to the pedestrian wishing to sample Paris.

Walking the Marais (4th arrondissement or 4ème), for example, visitors can visit the Musée Picasso, shop in elegant boutiques, admire the tradition and history alive in the Jewish quarter of Rue des Rosiers, and marvel at Place des Vosges, France's first royal square. Across the Seine River in the Latin Quarter (5ème), you'll discover narrow little streets, many students, international restaurants, and very much of a village feeling.

Throughout Paris, you will observe a most bustling, urban existence. You'll see old ladies pulling their carts returning from the market, a weekly routine which they likely have done for decades! What a visual contrast to also see the hurried, but purposeful manner in which the fashionably dressed younger women walk in the highest of high heeled shoes (and never miss a beat!).

And so...life goes on as Paris' buildings, avenues, passages, and people are all intertwined and they are intricately adorned with jewels to be discovered. In the City of Lights, the curious tourist has a superbly decorated city waiting to be admired! Contact us for all your Paris arrangements. We are eager to help you!

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