Paris, France

Nearby areas in Paris, France

The Right Bank

North of the River Seine, the rive droite is home to the grand boulevards - the most famous is the Champs-Elysées - and most monumental buildings dating from Baron Haussmann's 19th-century reinvention of the city. This is where most visitors spend the majority of their time, at least during the day. The top museums such as the Louvre are the focus of much visitor attention. The shops around the rue de Rivoli and Les Halles also entice many visitors, and peaceful quarters like the Marais are favorites casual strolling.

Montmartre

The most famous of the outer quarters of Paris is the 18th arrondissement on the Right Bank. Here are Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge, the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur, and the Place du Tertre. Rising up to the north, it has managed to remain undisturbed by the march of time and is still an almost rural village within the city that is home to a colorful mixture of locals and artists.

The Left Bank

South of the River Seine, the rive gauche has a distinctly different feel to it. It is the haunt of bohemians and intellectual dissidents, who fill the bars and restaurants with a time-honored irascible atmosphere. Some of the most wanderable streets are St-Germain and St-Michel, which are full of interesting nooks and crannies.

The Latin Quarter

This intellectual heart and soul of Paris is located in the 5th arrondissement, on the Left Bank. Bookstores, moody jazz clubs, Roman ruins, student hang-outs, and churches characterize the quarter. This is where the Parisian image of writers or philosophers discussing ethereal ideas over a cup of coffee was born. It has been called the Latin Quarter since the founding of the Sorbonne in 1253, because the students and professors all spoke in that ancient language of scholars.

Île de la Cité

Connected to the banks by bridges, this island in the Seine is the birthplace of the city and home to the Cathédrale de Notre Dame. This was the original site of the Roman garrison, and later of the palace of the Merovingian Kings and the Counts of Paris, who in 987 became kings of France. Developer Haussman, unfortunately, cleared the island of most of its Medieval buildings. Also of great interest on the island is the Conciergerie, Paris' oldest prison, where Marie-Antoinette, Robespierre, and others were incarcerated pending their executions.

Île St-Louis

Like the Île de la Cité, this island in the Seine is also connected to the banks by bridges, and is a stylish district with no museums or monuments, but with many venerable 17th-century mansions on narrow streets. This is a peaceful and atmospheric locale where you can stroll down the shop-filled rue Île-St-Louis - a friendly weekend promenade where pedestrians take over - or along the tree-shaded quais by the river. At nights, the graceful beauty of the island is enhanced when the lights come on, casting shadows from the trees across the buildings, whose elegant interiors are irresistible to glimpse through the windows.

For more information about Paris, France

Office de Tourisme de Paris

127 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris, phone 011-33-1-49-52-53-54, fax 011-33-1-49-52-53-00.

New York

444 Madison Ave, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10022, phone 212-838-7800, email info@francetourism.com.

Chicago

676 N Michigan Ave, Suite 3360, Chicago, IL 60611-2819, phone 312-751-7800, email info@francetourism.com.

Los Angeles

9454 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 715, Beverly Hills, CA 90212-2967, phone 310-271-6665, email info@francetourism.com.

For more information, you can call "France on Call" at 410-286-8310.