Paris is said to be the most romantic city in the world ... it’s certainly one of the most beautiful. It stimulates the senses, demanding to be seen, heard, touched, tasted and smelled. It’s a city of contrasts – a place of wide boulevards and narrow back streets, expensive fashion houses and shabby flea markets, gourmet restaurants and street-corner pizza stands. It has spectacular art and architecture and a rich history dating back to 55BC when a small, flood-prone fishing village inhabited by the Parisii tribe was conquered by the Romans. The beguiling River Seine winds through its heart and the Eiffel Tower, once derided and unloved, is now its iconic centrepiece. First-time visitors will be surprised at how many other images of the city they have absorbed already – the Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and the Sacré Cœur. Paris is a living, breathing city waiting to be explored.
