Paris is the capital city of France (also known as the ‘City of Lights’), located on the River Seine in northern France. The city contains some of the most famous and highly visited tourist sites in the world including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre Museum and Notre-Dame Cathedral. Paris has also been known as one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. It is very influential in culture, food, and art. It is also home to some of the world’s finest fashion designers, earning it the title, ‘Capital of Fashion’.
The history of Paris began during the 3rd century AD with the settlement of a Celtic tribe called Parisii, who founded a fishing village in the centre of modern-day Paris. Paris (known as Lutetia) was conquered by Julius Caesar in 52 BC and prospered greatly under the Roman Empire. The Capetians came into power following the demise of the Roman Empire and ruled Paris until the 18th century.
Following their involvement in the American War of Independence, France came close to bankruptcy. The failure of the 1788 harvest caused famine to sweep through the country and crowds stormed the Bastille prison on 14th July 1789, starting the French Revolution.
After the revolution, Napoleon conquered most of Europe until his defeat in 1814. The effects of World War I and the Great Depression took their toll on the city. However, the Nazi occupation of the city during World War II meant that Paris was not subjected to the same level of bombing that damaged many Western European cities and post-war Paris emerged resilient. Today, Paris is once again one of the greatest cities in the world.
Paris has an affable climate with long hot summers and cool winters. Average temperature during summer months (June to August) is 17-19°.
Access & Transportation
Paris is a major transportation hub with great flight connections to many countries worldwide. It is also well connected by railway and road to other European cities.
Paris has three major airports which together operate 14,000 flights a week to and from 697 cities worldwide. All three airports are within easy reach of the capital.
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle (23km from Paris) – www.easycdg.com
- Paris Orly (14km from Paris) - www.airport-orly.com
- Paris-Beauvais (90km from Paris)– www.aeroportbeauvais.com
Paris is connected to most European cities by railway and can be reached in a matter of hours. It has 7 train stations located in the heart of the city, with easy access to local transportation such as the metro or bus.
- Gare du Nord
- Gare de l’Est
- Gare Saint-Lazare
- Gare Montparnasse
- Gare de Lyon
- Gare de Bercy
- Gare d’Austerlitz
France is well-connected to most European cities by extensive motorway systems. Paris is surrounded by a 35km ring road from which you can exit to different areas of the city.
Visitors can easily navigate their way around the city using the local transportation network, which consists of 16 metro lines, 5 regional express train lines, 8 tram lines and 378 bus routes.