Place des Vosges
The Marais district spent a long time as a swamp and then as agricultural land, until in 1605 King Henry IV decided to transform it into a residential area for Parisian aristocrats. He did this by building Place des Vosges and arraying 36 symmetrical houses around its square perimeter. The houses, each with arcades on the ground floor, large dormer windows, and the requisite creepers on the walls, were initially built of brick but were subsequently constructed using timber with a plaster covering, which was then painted to look like brick. Duels, fought with strictly observed formality, were once staged in the elegant park in the middle. From 1832-48 Victor Hugo lived at a house at No 6, which has now been turned into a municipal museum. Today, the arcades around the place are occupied by expensive galleries and shops, and cafés filled with people drinking little cups of coffee and air-kissing immaculate passersby.
Bois de Boulogne
The modestly sized Bois de Boulogne, on the western edge of the city, is endowed with forested areas, meandering paths, belle époque cafes and little wells of naughtiness. Each night, pockets of the Bois de Boulogne are taken over by prostitutes and lurkers with predacious sexual tastes. In recent years, the police have cracked down on the area‘s sex trade, but locals still advise against walking through the area alone at night.
Outer ?le de France
The relatively small region surrounding Paris - known as the ?le de France (Island of France) - was where the kingdom of France began its 12th-century expansion. Today, it‘s a popular day-trip destination for Parisians and Paris-based visitors. Among the region‘s many attractions are woodlands ideal for hiking, skyscrapered districts endowed with sleekly functional architecture, the much-maligned EuroDisney, elegant historical towns and Versailles, the country‘s former political capital and seat of the royal court. The latter is the site of the Chateau de Versailles, the grandest and most famous palace in France. Built in the mid-1600s during the reign of Louis XIV, the chateau is a keen reminder of just how much one massive ego and a nation‘s wealth could buy in days of old (eat your heart out, Bill Gates). Apart from grand halls, bedchambers, gardens, ponds and fountains too elaborate to discuss, there‘s also a 75m (250ft) Hall of Mirrors, where nobles dressed like ninnies could watch each other dancing.
Canal Saint Martin
The little-touristed Saint Martin canal, running through the north-eastern districts of the Right Bank, is one of Paris‘ hidden delights. The 5km (3mi) waterway, parts of which are higher than the surrounding land, was built in 1806 to link the Seine with the much longer Canal de l‘Ourcq. Its shaded towpaths - specked with sunlight filtering through the plane trees - are a wonderful place for a romantic stroll or bike ride past locks, metal bridges and unassuming but well turned-out Parisian neighbourhoods.
Paris has two airports, Aéroport d‘Orly, south of central Paris, and Aéroport Charles de Gaulle, in the north, is a major international hub, so you shouldn‘t have any trouble finding a flight, regardless of where you‘re flying. Paris is also famous for its sophisticated underground system, known as Metro. No matter where you are, chances are that there‘s a metro station within a few blocks.
Europe is famous for its fascinating cultural background and the same is true to Paris. Why shall you wait? It‘s well worth visiting it.