Unlike London, which was once destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666, and Lisbon, which was once destroyed by the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, Paris, in its development since the Middle Ages, has on the one hand preserved the imprints of the past, even the layout of some of the oldest streets, and on the other hand developed a uniform style and modernized its infrastructure.
Much of the urban landscape of contemporary Paris is the result of the massive urban renewal of the city by Baron Haussmann during the Second French Empire in the mid-19th century. For many centuries the city was a labyrinth of narrow streets and half-timbered houses, but beginning in 1852, Baron Haussmann's massive urban program gave way to entire blocks of neoclassical, middle-class, stone buildings flanking wide boulevards; much of the "new" Paris is the one you see today. Today's popular boulevards such as Boulevard St. Germain and Sevastopol were created. Often used as a synonym for the "alignement" regulations, Paris was characterized by a pre-determined street width along both sides of the boulevard, where facades were positioned and buildings of the same height were constructed, with the height of the building defined by the width of the street it faced. The fa?ade of the building is rich in rhythm, designed to decorate the balconies of the second floor and the fifth floor.
Paris has long adhered to strict urban planning, particularly limiting the height of buildings. The planning of the French Second Empire still applies today in many cases. Today, new buildings exceeding 37 meters in height are only permitted in exceptional cases, and in many areas the height limit is even lower.
The center of Paris is far more densely populated than any other major Western city. The three most famous landmarks in Paris are Notre Dame, the 12th-century cathedral on the ?le de la Cité; the Arc de Triomphe, built by Napoleon I; and the 19th-century Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower, a "temporary" structure built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World's Fair, has never been dismantled and is now an enduring symbol of Paris. The historic axis of Paris is a straight line from the city center to the west, made up of monuments, buildings, and streets, which begins at the Louvre at its eastern end, then passes through the Jardin des Tuileries, the Place de la Concorde, the Champs Elysées, and the Arc de Triomphe in the center of the Place de Gaulle, and continues westward from the 1960s to the business district of La Défense, whose centerpiece is the new, square Arc de Triomphe of the district of La Défense; This area is home to most of the skyscrapers in the Paris metropolitan area. The Musée de l'Invalides is the burial place of many great French soldiers, including Napoleon, and the Pantheon Church is the burial place of many prominent French men and women. Some prominent members of the "old regime" were imprisoned in the old prison of the former Conciergerie before their deaths during the French Revolution. Another symbol of the Revolution is the two statues of Liberty on Swan Island (?le des Cygnes) on the Seine River and in the Luxembourg Park. The larger statue was sent as a gift to the United States in 1886 and is currently housed in the harbor of New York City. The Paris Opera House, built in the late Second Empire, houses the Paris Opera Ballet, while the former Louvre is now one of the most famous museums in the world. The Sorbonne, the most famous part of the University of Paris, is located in the center of the Latin Quarter. Beyond Notre Dame, other masterpieces of church architecture include the 13th-century Gothic court church of the Sainte Chapelle and the Madeleine.In 1991 the many attractions along the Seine in Paris were added together to the World Heritage List.
Roads
The city of Paris*** has 6,088 public*** or private roads (1997). The widest of these is the Rue Foch in the 16th arrondissement, which is 120 meters wide, the Avenue de Selves in the 8th arrondissement is the shortest road in Paris at only 110 meters long, and the Rue de Vaugirard is the longest street in Paris, spanning the 6th and 15th arrondissements, at 4,360 meters long. Rue des Deglés in the 2nd arrondissement is the shortest street in Paris, at only 5.75 meters, while Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche in the 5th arrondissement is the narrowest official street in Paris, at 1.8 meters wide (some sources indicate Sentier des Merisiers in the 12th arrondissement, which measures less than 1 meter wide, or Passage de la Duée, which today, although destroyed on the right and surrounded by a fence, measures only 80 centimeters wide. Finally, the steepest road in Paris is Rue Gasnier-Guy in the XXth arrondissement, with a slope of 17 %.
Architecture
Many of Paris's important institutions are located outside the city limits. The financial and business district of La Défense, the main wholesale grain market (Rungis), the Ecole Polytechnique, the Ecole Supérieure d'Entreprendre de Paris (HEC), the Ecole Supérieure d'Economie et des Sciences de Commerce (ESSEC), the Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires Industrielles (INSEAD), the world-famous research laboratories (in Chacré and évry), the largest sports stadium (the Stade de France) and the ministry of transportation are all located on the the outskirts of the city.
Planning
The La Défense district is located in the northwest of Paris, on the banks of the Seine River, 5 kilometers from the Arc de Triomphe, on the same east-west axis as the Palais de Louvre and the Place de la Cinquième (now known as the Place Charles de Gaulle).
In 1932, the Seine provincial capital had organized a historical formation of the main axis of the east and west and the Star Square to the De Fonce area of the road to improve the beautification of the "idea competition". In 1958, the "Planning Agency of the Public of La Défense" was set up, proposing that La Défense should become a modern business district with facilities for work, residence and play, and that it should serve as a "showcase" for Paris in the year 2000. In 1963, the first master plan was adopted, including the eastern business district and the western park district, with a planned land area of 760 hectares. 1962-1965, the "Greater Paris District Planning and Reorganization Guidance Program", the district of Desfontaines was designated as one of the nine sub-centers around the city center of Paris; in the early 80's, it had already been basically built up.
Downtown view
Place de la Bastille (4th, 11th, and 12th arrondissements, right bank) is an area of historical importance not only to Paris but to France as a whole, and because of its historical value, the square has often been used for political demonstrations, including the March 2006 mass labor protests. Champs-élysées (8th arrondissement, Right Bank) Avenue connecting the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe, converted from a 17th-century garden walk. It is one of the many tourist attractions and the main shopping street of Paris. The Place de la Concorde (8th arrondissement, Right Bank) is located at the eastern end of the Champs-Elysées, originally known as the "Place Louis XV", the site of the infamous guillotine. The Egyptian obelisk is the "oldest monument" in Paris. In the square, on either side of the Rue Royale, there are two identical stone buildings: the one to the east is the French Admiralty and the one to the west is the luxurious Hôtel de Klillon. The nearby Place Vend?me is known for its fashion and luxury hotels, with the H?tel Litz and the H?tel de Vend?me and its jewelry stores, and many famous fashion designers have their salons on the square. Les Halles (1st arrondissement, Right Bank) used to be the central market for meat products in Paris, and since the late 1970s has formed the main shopping center around Europe's largest metro contact station (Ch?telet-Les Halles). The former Mall of Les Halles was demolished in 1971 and replaced by the Forum des Halles of Les Halles. The Central Market of Paris, the largest wholesale food market in the world, has been relocated to Rungis in the southern suburbs.Le Malais (3rd and 4th arrondissements) is the trendy area of the Right Bank, a place that is very open-minded in terms of culture. Montaigne (8th arrondissement), next to the Champs Elysées, is home to luxury brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Givenchy. Montmartre (18th arrondissement, Right Bank) with its Sacré-Coeur Sacré-Coeur, has historically been an artists' area, with many artists' studios and cafés in the area. Montparnasse (14th arrondissement) is a historic area on the Left Bank known for its artists' studios, concert halls and café life. It is home to the huge Montparnasse - Bienvenüe metro station, and the lone skyscraper, the Montparnasse building. Rue de l'Opéra (9th arrondissement, Right Bank), the area around the Paris Opera House, is home to the highest concentration of Parisian department stores and offices, including the Spring department store and Galeries Lafayette Paris, as well as the Paris headquarters of financial giants Crédit Lyonnais and American Express.
Built in a radial pattern from the Place de Chatelet, the city is based on the Place de Chatelet, which is surrounded by the center of the city (Centre) up to the Champs-élysées, i.e., this part of downtown Paris is the oldest but also the most vibrant part of the city. The "center" of the city center is for the Seine River around the West Bank Island (Cite) on the Notre Dame (Notre-Dame de Paris) and the Paris District Court ancient prison (Conciergerie).
North of the Cite, is the Plaza de Concorde (Pl. de Concorde), the Paris Opera (i.e., Opera Garnier), Madeleine Church (Sainte Marie Madeleine), the Louvre (Palais du Louvre), the Tuileries Gardens (Parc des Tuileries) are located in the right bank of the city center. This area. Starting from the Arc de Triomphe du Caroussel, entering the Jardin des Tuileries, passing through the obelisk of the Place de la Concorde, following the Champs-Elysees straight to the stately Arc de Triomphe, and then continuing to the Grande Arche in La Défense, this central axis is a scenic route that is known the world over.
If you take the Champs-Elysees as the dividing line and look west, the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, and Les Invalides are on the left bank. Farther north, the white spires of the Basilique du Sacré Coeur on the Montmartre hill loom like a landmark, second only to the Eiffel Tower as a Parisian landmark.
The Louvre
This world-famous palace of art was built in the early 12th century for defensive purposes, but was later expanded and restored to become a magnificent royal palace. From the 16th century onwards, Fran?ois I began a large-scale collection of all kinds of works of art, and later emperors continued this tradition, enriching the Louvre's collection. Today, the museum collection has reached 400,000 pieces of art, including sculpture, painting, fine arts and crafts and the ancient Orient, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greco-Roman and other 7 categories. 1981, the French government will be this exquisite building for large-scale renovation, since then the Louvre has become a professional museum. It is worth mentioning that the Louvre main entrance has a transparent pyramid building, its designer is the famous Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei.
The Eiffel Tower
(La tour Eiffel)
Built in 1889 for the then International Exposition, the building was subjected to a lot of criticism after the construction of a pile of rotten iron destroyed the beauty of Paris. Today, the Tower, which has held the record for the world's tallest building for more than 40 years, has become the most important symbol of Paris. Romantic Parisians gave the Tower a beautiful name - the Shepherdess of the Clouds. Eiffel Tower is a grand commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the bourgeois revolution in France in 1789 at the time of the sensational international exposition held and built. Named after the designer, the famous French architectural engineer Gustave Eiffel, and a bronze bust of Eiffel was molded under the tower.
1889 coincided with the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, the French government decided to celebrate in grand style, held an unprecedented scale of the World's Fair in Paris, to show the achievements of industrial technology and culture, and to build a monument to symbolize the French Revolution and Paris. The organizing committee had hoped to build a classical, monumental mass with statues, monuments, gardens and temples, but out of more than 700 submissions, the design of bridge engineer G. Eiffel (1832-1923) was chosen: a giant tower symbolizing the civilization of the machine and visible from any corner of Paris.
Notre Dame de Paris
Located on ?le de la Cidé, the birthplace of Paris, Notre Dame de Paris
Built in 1163 and completed over four centuries, it is a masterpiece of the Gothic church. The interior of Notre Dame de Paris is austere and solemn, with attractive stained-glass windows, a flying buttress wall and a monstrous water spout.
Arc de Triomphe
(Arc de Triomphe)
Located in the wide stars of Charles de Gaulle Square. It is the end of the Champs Elysées and the highest point of the Chaillot Hills. From the Charles de Gaulle Square extends 12 avenues in all directions. The grand, magnificent Arc de Triomphe towers above the traffic circle in the center of the square. This arch was constructed in 1806 under Napoleon's orders by Charles de Gaulle. By order of Napoleon, it was used to honor the French army. Triumphal Arch It has only one archway with a barrel vault on it, and its size exceeds that of the Triumphal Arch of Constantine in Rome. With a height of 50 meters and a width of 45 meters, the triumphal arch has huge reliefs on each side.
The most famous and most exquisite one is located in the lower right side of the side facing the Champs Elysées, above the depiction of the 1792 Volunteer Army expedition, this masterpiece named "Marseillaise". The celebrations of Napoleon's great victories are depicted elsewhere above this relief, with the names of the battles inscribed on a shield at the top, and in 1920 an "Unknown Soldier" was erected under the archway, where the flames are extinguished every evening. The building also contains a small expense memorial that chronicles the history of the monumental structure, where visitors can see the names of eight generals, some of whom are underlined because they were killed in action.
Versailles
Originally a royal hunting lodge, the royal palace from the beginning of Louis XIV (1682) until the French Revolution, this is a must-see for all visitors to Paris, behind the palace is a huge royal garden. Located 20 kilometers west of Paris, the Palace of Versailles was built by Louis XIV and is famous for its lavish opulence and imaginative architectural design. The complex has a total length of 580 meters and includes the Palace Castle, the gardens and the Trianon. Romantic Paris:Sunset on the Seine River
Literary Paris: Latin Quarter
Buy a Paris Hotel Guide
A booklet in the nature of a Paris hotel guide is sold in the tourist office guide houses in Paris. "hotelset Résidencesde Tourisme", which collects all the hotels from the 1st to the 20th arrondissements and even the suburbs. Although there are no photos or detailed descriptions, it is divided by arrondissement and is extremely useful for finding hotel phone numbers and prices. It's only 10F a copy, so buy one and the next time you come to Paris, it'll be so much easier to find a hotel to stay in.
Do your homework before you go
There are a lot of apps you can try out these days that give detailed descriptions of popular cities to visit, and it's very easy to take them with you. The latest to come out so far is the Paris Toucan Guide, which has gotten good reviews.
Offices of Tourism in Paris
The first place you should visit when you arrive in Paris is the Office de Tourisme, a centralized office at 127 Champs-Elysées that not only makes hotel reservations, but also answers all the questions tourists may have and gives you maps and guides to hotels and restaurants. In addition to the office on the Champs-Elysées, there are similar offices at major stations, airports and even the Eiffel Tower during the peak tourist season.
World Heritage Committee:
From the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower and from the Place de la Concorde to the Chateau de Versailles, the history of Paris is seen to have originated from the Seine. While Haussmann's wide squares and boulevards influenced urbanism around the world in the late 19th and 20th centuries, Notre Dame de Paris and the Church of the Saints became architectural masterpieces.
Paris is truly a city blessed with many historical monuments and architectural beauties to explore in the city alone, and of course the French cuisine is impeccable, with fine wines and grapes to savor, it is a city of romance, full of sensuality, and no shortage of material pleasures. It is an honor to be a Parisian in any country.
Come To Paris Paris Tourism Services
Come to Paris is a Paris-based travel company registered and authorized by the French Tourism Authority to receive Chinese tourists in France, and its Paris service group helps you really know France and Paris. ComeToParis will be responsible for your food, drink and entertainment in Paris. Nightclubs (Moulin Rouge, Lido, Crazy Horse, Latin Paradise), guided tours, boat trips on the Seine, airport transfers, restaurant reservations.
Best Time to Visit
Weather is a relatively unimportant factor when traveling to Paris. Paris has a mild climate throughout the seasons, with summer highs rarely exceeding 25°C, and winter lows usually above 0°C. The weather in Paris is usually very warm. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year, with rain falling on at least 1/3 of the days in every month, so carrying an umbrella is essential.
For shopaholics, January and June are the most glamorous seasons in Paris, when clothing retailers are having their seasonal sales at unimaginably low discounts. The annual sales start on the second Wednesday of January and the third Wednesday of June, so plan your trip with time in mind. 1. Escargot: An edible snail. The dish is usually served with garlic and butter. The snails are served in their shells, so there is a fork for removing the meat. The meat of a large French snail is harder to chew than chicken and has a slightly earthy and mushroom-like flavor. (The use of garlic and butter gives the snails a mellow, fresh flavor.)
The recommended restaurant, which is located on Rue Montmartre, has a Replay down the street (on the corner of Rue Montmartre and Rue Etienne Marcel) called Le Tambour, which is easy to find. It is a small bar that serves dinner from 7 p.m. We recommend the lamb shank and escargot. The leg of lamb is delicious and the portion is very large, only 11 euros. The escargot is a little more expensive, in the Latin Quarter, it is about 6 euros for 6 pieces and 11 euros for 12 pieces, but this place is 7 euros for 6 pieces and 14 euros for 12 pieces, and I don't like the taste of the escargot myself, but the sauce made by this place is very tasty. Best of all, this place has an English menu (the nearest metro station is Les Halles on line 4.)
2. Sweetbreads: Actually, this dish is made from a flavorful piece of meat from the thymus gland area of a calf. The beef is first lightly cooked in its original stock over Chinese heat, then the meat is sliced, coated in flour, and then lightly fried. Lemon and pickled prickly sago buds are usually added during the microfrying. The cooked meat has the texture of crab meat, but the flavor is decidedly beefy. It's a bit more work to make this dish, but it does make the beef mince tender and flavorful.
3. Crème brulée: Egg custard (usually vanilla) with caramelized sugar.
4, pickled cabbage (choucroute) as the main pork pot, Alsace famous dish. Choucroute is a large pot of cured sauerkraut with lots of cured and smoked pork, such as bacon, bacon, pig's feet and well-known sausages, boiled in a pot of potatoes and served with a glass of ice-cold beer.
5, foie gras Foie Gras: the most expensive dishes, "the world's king of green food" reputation, can lower cholesterol, reduce blood lipids, soften blood vessels, slow aging.