Paris, the capital of France, is also, for many, the capital of literature and the arts. It is also a city of architectural splendour; Paris's history is written in the very mortar of its buildings, from Antiquity (the baths in Cluny, the Lutèce amphitheatre) to the 21st century (the Quai Branly museum).
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Paris, the capital of France, is also, for many, the capital of literature and the arts. It is also a city of architectural splendour; Paris's history is written in the very mortar of its buildings, from Antiquity (the baths in Cluny, the Lutèce amphitheatre) to the 21st century (the Quai Branly museum).

The "City of Love", with its romantic Montmartre area, has inspired many a poet and novelist - such as Victor Hugo - and many an artist too, for its other nickname is the City of Light.

The 19th century saw many urban developments throughout Paris. Under Napoleon III, prefect Haussmann oversaw the construction of the the Garnier Opera house and landscaped the whole area. Larger streets were designed in a grid pattern and lined with grand apartment buildings in the Haussmann style. By 1860 the city was divided into 20 quarters (known as "arrondissements") which are numbered in a spiral pattern.

Paris's World Expos began to attract international attention in the late 19th century; and it was at this time that the Eiffel Tower was built, towering above the city, while the Metro began to burrow its network of tunnels underground.

The city has for years been synonymous with fashion and luxury. Prestigious designers and brands were based in the capital early on, making it a favoured destination for the rich and famous, who still parade along Rue Saint-Honoré, Avenue Montaigne or the Champs-Elysées. Paris's chic department stores (Bon Marché, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette), as much as its art-house theatres, independent cinemas and museums (Louvre, d'Orsay), reveal an ever-changing, ever-innovative and yet always characteristically… well, Parisian experience.

At the time of Roman conquest in 55 BC, Paris was a mere fortified village called Lutecia. In 486 Paris became the capital city of the Frank kingdom under Clovis.

Philippe Auguste had the Louvre Fortress built in the 13the century; it was designed to strengthen the city's defenses. After a period of famine in the 14th century and English occupation during the Hundred Years' War, Parisreached a golden era under François I in the 16th century.

Louis XIV, based in Versailles, deserted the city as instability grew. Cradle of the Enlightenment the following century, Paris became the spearhead of the Revolution in 1789, and therafter a revolutionary battlefield. It was Napoleon III who commissioned Baron Haussmann to transform Paris' traffic network by laying grandiose avenues.

Nowadays, with its 3 million inhabitants, Paris is a major economic asset as well as an intellectual and cultural nerve-centre.

Where to start when visiting Paris and its monuments?

Ideally begin with the Louvre Museum. First a Medieval castle before becoming the Palace of French Kings until 1678, the Louvre is a rectangular building from which the François Mitterand Pyramid rises. This edifice has been home to one the world's most prestigious museums for over two centuries.

The museum's collections cover a range of artwork that includes all history's great civilizations. You will need more than a day to contemplate all its wonders.

Another key step in your tour of the city will be the Eiffel Tower. At first hated by Parisians, the tower was built to celebrate the centenary of the French Revolution; it was designed by Gustave Eiffel who was specialized in steel constructions. The monument raised strong reactions from French intellectuals before becoming a symbol of the city and earning the respect of the world. Towering at 320 meters, weighing more than 10 000 tons and requiring 40 tons of paint every four years, the "Steel Monster” is near the top of the list of favoured monuments visited by tourists.