paris

Said to be one of the world's most beautiful, fashionable and artistic capitals. Visit just once and its hard to disagree.

Whilst walking through the centre of Paris you would be forgiven for thinking you've walked onto an art film set, its architecture includes some of the most spectacular buildings and monuments in Europe with an ambience which is exciting, alluring and effortlessly romantic.

Paris is well known as the City of Lights mainly due to the artists and philosophers which have been attracted to the city over the years. The city has been graced by such historical luminaries as Sartre, Voltaire, Hugo, Rousseau and Descartes.

They city is bisected by the Seine River which runs right through the centre, there are many museums, churches, monuments, shops, hotels and restaurants on both sides with the Notre Dame Cathedral which sits right in the middle of the river atop the L'Ile de la Cité.

The Eiffel Tower is an unmistakable feature of the Paris skyline, and not only a symbol for paris but for the entire country. If you are thinking of visiting the Eiffel Tower go early in the morning to avoid the crowds, or alternatively at night when the tower is lit up with over 10,000 lights!

Why not take in some art at the world renowned Louvre, with the mesmerising glass pyramid its one of the most recognisable buildings in Pairs. Housing extensive Italian collections including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, a superlative array of French masterpieces as well as a diverse range of sculptures and ancient treasures. For those art lovers there is also the Picasso museum, which demonstrates how his unique style developed over time.

The cultural scene in Paris is so vibrant that the problem is deciding between so many choices. A large number of churches and museums around the capital play host to classical concerts, providing a wonderful atmosphere in which to listen to live performances. Paris loves its theatre and permanently offers a range of staged entertainments ranging from the classics to burlesque and from can-can to ballet.

It takes under 3 hours to drive to Paris from Calais and with so much to do and see its well worth the effort.