Explore Paris this spring

Paris is the capital city of France, situated on the River Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region. The capital has an estimated population of 2.2m within the city limits and 9.9m within the greater metropolitan area. As one of the top four alpha cities in the world along with London, New York and Tokyo, it has become the most popular destination in the world, with an estimated 30 million foreign visitors every year. Dubbed the City of Light, it has a reputation for being the most beautiful and romantic city in the world, brimming with history, and is extremely influential in the realms of culture, art, fashion, food and design.

The most famous and popular sights in Paris include the Eiffel Tower, the Père-Lachaise Cemetery (the site of Jim Morrison’s grave as well as other celebrities), the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was the inspiration for Victor Hugo's novel 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'. The Louvre, one of the finest museums in the world is a must-see for anyone visiting Paris. The site of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, it is of considerable size, offering enough to see to spend an entire day or more visiting. Other museums worth a visit include the Picasso Museum, the Musée d'Orsay - home to several great artists of the 19th century - and Gentre Georges Pompidou, a museum of modern art, the building being an attraction in itself.

There are many events on the calendar for Paris this spring. For example, in January, the city is host to the Maison & Objet France’s furniture and interiors trade fair; while in February, Paris will host matches in the Six Nations Rugby championship. In March, Paris will host Fashion Week, displaying women’s prêt-a-porter collections; while May sees Paris host the French Tennis Open.

There are hundreds of beautiful restaurants in Paris, offering tasteful and trendy interiors, well-planned and executed cartes and menus offering a creative mélange of French and foreign cuisine. It’s often a good idea to keep in mind that restaurants situated near tourist attractions can be very expensive, and often do not offer the best value for money – to get the best meals at a reasonable price try to find out where the locals eat instead. For seafood lovers, Paris is a great place to try oysters, moules frites (steamed mussels and French fries), sea snails and other delicacies. Meat delicacies include venison, boar, and other game.

Each of Paris' 20 districts has its own fair share of bars, cafés and taverns, but some, such as the Bastille, are more renowned for its nightlife. Of course there are lots of places worth going to outside of these clusters, such as the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz. If you do decide to paint the town red, do remember to dress up, as many nightclubs have strict dress codes.

Paris is of course one of the greatest fashion centres in the world, making it a great place to do clothes shopping. For high end couture, the areas from the Louvre to Place de la Concorde are your best bet and the area around Place Vendome is known for its jewellers. Paris also has 3 main flea-markets on the city outskirts, most famous being the Clignancourt Flea Market, great for retro fashion, antiques and second-hand goods.

With so much to see and do going on in the city, its likely that a weekend break in Paris won't be long enough to fully appreciate all that this stunning city has to offer, and as a result Paris will become a place you'll visit again and again.

About the Author

Andrew Regan is an online, freelance author from Scotland. He is a keen rugby player and enjoys travelling.