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Paris. Pop. 2,167,994. Currency - Euro. Language – French. Time Zone GMT + 1 hour. Airports – Charles de Gaulle CDG, Orly ORY, Beauvais BVA. Best Time to go – anytime. Paris is the capital and largest city in France, and with over 30 million foreign tourists per year is the world’s most visited city. The centre of Paris is divided into 20 districts called arrondissements, numbered from 1 to 20 in a clockwise spiral from the middle of the city: 1st (the geographical centre of Paris and home to Louvre Museum, the Jardin des Tuileries, and Place Vendôme); 2nd (home of the bourse stock exchange); 3rd (home to part of the Marais); 4th (Notre-Dame Cathedral); 5th (La Sorbonne University); 6th (Jardin du Luxembourg); 7th (Eiffel Tower); 8th (Champs-Elysées, and Arc de Triomphe); 9th (Opéra Garnier); 10th (Gare du Nord); 11th (Bastille); 12th (Gare de Lyon, and the Bois de Vincennes); 13th (Quartier Chinois); 14th (Montparnasse Cemetery); 15th (Montparnasse Tower); 16th (the Bois de Boulogne); 17th (Place de Clichy); 18th (Montmartre); 19th (Parc de la Villette); and 20th (Père Lachaise Cemetery). One area, which is not assigned with an arrondissement is La Défense, a very important modern high-rise business and office-tower district. Paris has an extremely powerful economy mainly based on service industries but has significant sectors such as automobiles, aeronautics, and electronics. However, it’s most prominent industry is tourism which only properly started after the arrival of the railway which coincided with the opening of the Eiffel Tower around 1889. Tourists then got a thirst for the French museums and monuments including: The Louvre (holds the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo statue); Centre Georges Pompidou; Musée d'Orsay; Musée Picasso; Sacré Coeur; Chateau de Versailles; Rodin Museum; and Sainte Chapelle. Of course no visit to Paris would be complete without some, or a lot of, shopping. For the high end shopping market, the area around Place Vendome is known for its jewelery shops such as Cartier. Rue de Rivoli from Louvre to Place de la Concorde has a number of sophisticated shops, and of course you shouldn't miss Gallerie Lafayette and Le Printemps. After a hard day looking at the breathtaking works of art in the Louvre or taxing the credit card in the Champs-Elysées shops Paris has hundreds of eateries. The restaurant trade began in Paris over 200 years ago but is regarded as second to Lyon in the French culinary league. However, in relatively recent years Parisian cooks have revitalised their trade and today you can find hundreds of beautiful restaurants with thoughtful interior design and well-planned and executed cartes and menus offering a creative mixture of French and foreign dishes. This Travel Links Directory reviewer recently tried out the snails in a rich garlic sauce which were expensive but unique.

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