Introducing Paris
Well informed, eloquent and oh-so-romantic, the ‘City of Light’ is a philosopher, a poet, a crooner. As it always has been, Paris is a million different things to a million different people.
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Paris has all but exhausted the superlatives that can reasonably be applied to any city. Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower – at sunrise, at sunset, at night – have been described countless times, as have the Seine and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences between the Left and Right Banks. But what writers have been unable to capture is the grandness and even the magic.
Paris probably has more familiar landmarks than any other city in the world. As a result, first-time visitors often arrive in the French capital with all sorts of expectations: of grand vistas, of intellectuals discussing weighty matters in cafés, of romance along the Seine, of naughty nightclub revues, of rude people who won’t speak English. If you look hard enough, you can probably find all of those. But another approach is to set aside the preconceptions of Paris and to explore the city’s avenues and backstreets as if the tip of the Eiffel Tower or the spire of Notre Dame wasn’t about to pop into view at any moment.
You’ll soon discover (as so many others before you have) that Paris is enchanting almost everywhere, at any time, even ‘in the summer, when it sizzles’ and ‘in the winter, when it drizzles’, as Cole Porter put it. And you’ll be back. Trust us.
Ready to go?
- Download our new French Offline Translator app. Simply talk or type, and it translates. Available for iPhone, iPad and Android.
- Check out the Lonely Planet Paris City Guide app and our new Paris Walking Tours with Audio available via iTunes.
Last updated: 27-Sep-2011
Tips & articles
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Where to stay in Paris
1 February 2012
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19 January 2012
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Retail therapy: top tips for shopping in the Paris sales
11 January 2012
That wild frenzy of retail-therapy madness called the January sales has kicked off in Paris. Shopping in the city is...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Travelling via train from Paris to Berlin
by abalada 14 September 2011
> So, I'm travelling from Paris to Berlin via sncf train I doubt this. The only direct train is a [CityNightLine|http://www.citynightline.d…
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Travelling via train from Paris to Berlin
by thegirlagain 14 September 2011
Hey all! So, I'm travelling from Paris to Berlin via sncf train and I"m very confused between the difference of a 'Cabine' and a 'placeme…
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Paris
Things to do
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Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Paris
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1 Paris' highlights
What not to miss in the quintessentially romantic city.
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2 Paris in the springtime
Whether you’re a first-timer or are back for more, these suggestions will make you fall in love with Paris this spring.
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3 A perfect day in Paris
Got 24 hours in the perfect city? Here's how to make the most of it.
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4 Hidden flavours of Paris
Our food experts lead you to the French capital’s best steaks, freshest baguettes, its most welcoming bars and secret street markets.
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5 Shopping à la Parisienne
Paris’s reputation as a shopper’s paradise is not exaggerated. Its endless and endlessly diverse retail opportunities live up to the hype.
Our favourite Paris Blogs (beta)
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Eye Prefer Paris Tours: Brent, Christi, and the Twins Jonathan & Harrison
Blog: I Prefer Paris - 2 February 2012
I do many tours with families coming to Paris for the first time and always get so much joy seeing their faces light up in wonderment at the beauty of the city. The M. family, Brent, Christi, and the twins...
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The Sensuality of Food
Blog: A Traveler's Library - 1 February 2012
Destinations: Monte Carlo, Paris, London Book: White Truffles in Winter (a novel) by N. M. Kelby This fictionalized biography of the great French chef, Auguste Escoffier– – is delicious, scandalous, lascivious, luscious… The writing is lush. The author, N. M. Kelby, paints the portrait of a man obsessed with luscious food and delicious women.
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February Eye Need to Do's: Gigi, Elisa Doughty, and Dan Flavin
Blog: I Prefer Paris - 1 February 2012
The Society of the Friends of Colette Screening The Society of the Friends of Colette is having screening of the beloved Oscar winning film Gigi, starring Leslie Caron, to benefit La Maison de Colette. Leslie Caron will be signing copies...
