As the paradigm
of high style, this is perhaps the most tantalizing city in
Europe, yet it is deeply rooted in traditional village life.
Nowadays, some of the most palpable pleasures of Paris are found
in the daily street life and along the spirited banks of the
River Seine. Fortunately, the city is so clearly laid out that
you can easily discover the different personalities of each
section - the arrondissements - as you saunter around at your
own pace. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "Good Americans,
when they die, go to Paris." The smart ones don't wait
around 'til then!
Areas Within the Destination
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 atmosphericlocale 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.
