Paris

The City of Lights and home to the iconic Eiffel Tower, avante garde fashion, Notre Dame the Champs Elysees, Paris is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. With many dreaming of a a trip to this romantic city, where sitting in a café and watching the passers-by is just as exciting as watching the city from the top of Eiffel Tower.

Location

France’s capital, Paris, is located on the River Seine, in northern France, in the heart of L’Ile de France.

How to get to Paris

If you plan to take a flight to Paris, you should know that the city is served by three international airports: Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), Orly International Airport (ORY) and Beauvais (BVA).

Charles de Gaulle International Airport is one of the major European airport hubs. It’s big, crowded and notoriously confusing, so make sure to allow plenty of time for transfers.

Orly International Airport is used mainly by Air France, other local carriers and some European airlines.

Beauvais is used mainly by low-cost carriers.

Paris is well connected to the other cities in France and to Europe by the rail network. TGVs –the high speed trains- are world-famous. Such trains link Paris to London and Brussels, as well as to other cities in France.

By bus, Paris is well connected to European cities. One of the major companies linking Paris to other European cities is Eurolines.

Weather

Paris has temperate oceanic weather, with 4 distinct seasons.

During winter –December to February-, temperatures rarely go below freezing but hang just around that point. It’s also windy and rainy. It rarely snows in Paris. The coldest month is January when the temperature averages 4 C/ 39 F.

Spring –March to May – is pretty much hectic. It can be rainy and cold, but also sunny and crisp during March and April. By May you can expect almost perfect weather.

Summer –June to August- can be either hot and humid or mild. Rain is quite common as well. The hottest months are July and August when the average maximum temperature is 24C /75 F.

Autumn –September to November-is quite mild. Expect rain though, mostly by mid-November. However, October might be just the perfect month to visit Paris: the days are sunny, although rather crisp.

What to do

Paris is filled with landmarks, which makes it impossible to visit everything on your first trip here. Even trying to write a must-see list for your stay in Paris will be rather overwhelming.

Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) is one of the most recognized structures in the world. You can visit the tower every day of the year, day or night. Rates vary from season to season and are between €4 and €6.70 for adults.

Arc de Triomphe is located on the famous Champes Elysees. The grave of the unknown solider is under the arch and was added in 1921. There is an underground tunnel to access the arc. In order to get to the top of the arc you need to climb the 40 stairs. The arch is open all year round from 10 AM to 11 PM (or 10:30 PM from October to March). The ticket costs €8 for adults.

Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most well known cathedrals in Europe (if not in the world). Home to The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Victor Hugo’s novel), the cathedral is magnificent and draws millions of tourists every year. The opening hours are between 9:30 AM/10 AM and 5:30 PM/6:30 PM, depending on the season. A ticket costs €7.50 for adults.

Sacre Coeur Basilica (Basilique du Sacré-Cœur) is located at the summit of Montmartre butte and is one of the most popular landmarks of Paris.

Chateau de Versailles is the home of Lousi XIV or “Sun King”. You can choose among the different tours available, but probably the best alternative is to take the audio tour and visit, among other places, the world famous Grand Appartements and the Hall of Mirrors.

Museums: there are 83 museums in Paris but before the number overwhelms you, try to visit at least Le Louvre and Picasso Museum.

Cafes: one of the best ways to spend time in Paris is to watch the passers-by while enjoying a coffee and croissant in a Parisian café. By the way: the cafes where Hemingway used to hang are really expensive but you can easily nurse an espresso for an hour, while enjoying the scenery.

Disneyland Paris attracts visitors from all over Europe. It’s the perfect choice is you plan a family vacation.