|
|
Geography and history have combined to give Paris a remarkably
coherent and intelligible structure. The city lies in a basin
surrounded by hills. It is very nearly circular, confined within the
limits of the the ring road, the boulevard périphérique, which
follows the line of the city's nineteenth-century fortifications.
The capital's raison d'être and its lifeline, the River Seine
, flows east to west, carving the city in two. Anchored at the hub
of the circle, in the middle of the river, is the island from which
the rest of Paris grew: the Île de la Cité , home of the
capital's oldest religious and secular institutions - Notre Dame
cathedral and the Palais de Justice.
The
north or Right Bank ( rive droite ) of the Seine is
characterized by imposing government buildings, sweeping vistas and
elegant boulevards. The longest and grandest thoroughfare is the
so-called Voie Triomphale , which runs from the Louvre to the
Grande Arche de la Défense in the northwest, taking in the Tuileries
gardens, Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe, each monument an expression
of royal or state power across the centuries. To the immediate north and
east of the Voie Triomphale spread the commercial and financial
quarters, site of the stock exchange, the refurbished nineteenth-century
passages and Les Halles
shopping centre. Just to the east of Les Halles lie the Marais
and Bastille quartiers, two of the city's liveliest and most
happening areas.
The
south bank of the river, or Left Bank ( rive gauche ),
owes its existence to the cathedral school of Notre-Dame, which spilled
over from the Île de la Cité and became the university of the Sorbonne,
attracting scholars and students from all over the medieval world. Ever
since, it has been the traditional domain of academics, writers and
artists.
|
The
city is divided into twenty arrondissements , whose spiral
arrangement provides a fairly accurate guide to its historical growth.
Centered on the Louvre, they wind outwards in a clockwise direction. The
inner hub of the city comprises arrondissements 1er to 6e, and it's here
that most of the major sights and museums are to be found. The outer or
higher-number arrondissements were mostly incorporated into the city in
the nineteenth century - some, such as Montmartre, Belleville and
Passy , have succeeded in retaining something of their separate
village identity. Historically, the districts to the west attracted the
aristocracy and the newly rich, while those to the east accommodated
mainly the poor and the working class, distinctions which largely hold
true to this day, though much of the east is gradually being gentrified.
Paris is not particularly well endowed with parks. The largest, the
Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes , at the western
and eastern limits of the city respectively, do possess small pockets of
interest, but are largely anonymous sprawls. For a break from the bustle
of the city, it is best to try an out-of-town excursion, to the gardens
of Giverny , for example, or the forest of Fontainebleau.
|
France
guide, hotels
Paris hotels
France
When to go and where
Getting
there
Airfares
Red tapes & visas
French embassies
overseas
Customs
Costs, money,
banks
Transport
Museum reduced
admission
Changing money
Travelers' checks
Health and
insurance
Disable visitors
The people
Getting around
Trains
Buses
Flying, ferries
Driving
Hitching
Bicycles
Boating
Eating and
drinking
Breakfast,
cheese, crepes
Regional cuisine
Wine & other drinks
Communications & media
Music, theatre
Buying tickets, dance, mime
Trouble and the police
Racism,
illegal immigration
Theft, loss
credit card
Gay & lesbian
Gay,
lesbian contacts, info
Work and study
Studying in France
Cinema
Language, pronunciation
Tourist offices, maps, info
Best of France
Public holidays
Festivals
Festival Calendar
Sports,
outdoor activities
Directory
|
Art
Mannerism
and Italian
influence
The Seventeenth Century
The
Early Eighteenth Century
Neoclassicism
Romanticism
The
Nineteenth Century
Impressionism
Camille Pissarro
Auguste Renoir
Edgar
Degas
Toulouse-Lautrec
Post-Impressionism
The
Twentieth Century
Dada,
Dali
History
Early Civilizations
Pre-Roman Gaul
Romanization
The
Franks and Charlemagne
The
rise of the French Kings
The
Hundred Years War
The Wars
of Religions
Kings, Cardinals and Absolute Power
Louis XV and
the Parlements
Revolution
The Rise
of
Napoléon
The Restoration and 1830 Revolution
The Second
Republic
Napoleon and the Commune
The Third
Republic
World War I
World War II
The
Aftermath of War
De Gaulle
Presidency
Pompidou and Giscard
The
Mitterand Era 1981-95
Chirac's
Presidency
Municipal
elections
France
Brief History
Google maps
|
