The Marais, which means "marsh" or "swamp" fist became a fashionable address back when King Charles V moved his court here in 14^th century. The Marais is one of the city's most historic and sought-after residential districts. Except for the architecturally whimsical Pompidou Center, the tone here is set by the gracious architecture of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Largely in commemoration of the bicentennial of the French Revolution, the Bastille are was renovated and became one of the trendiest sections of Paris. Strolling through the bustling Marais streets today, it's easy to appreciate the fabulous gold-hue facades of these buildings.

  

 CENTER POMPIDOU - The Centre Pompidou broke the mold with its 'inside out' construction: the steel skeleton from which the floors are suspended dominantly visible from the outside, together with the giant external escalators, with the color-coded service ducts exposed on both the inside and out. Now that the fact of these appearances is no longer shocking, attention focus on how they are done. Twenty years, on the escalator remains a phenomenon, and the plaza continues to thrive, but the exhibition spaces themselves, and the rather dry, regular block shape of the overall building, are beginning to come across as almost a little dull.

 MAISON de VICTOR HUGO – set on beautiful 17^th century Place des Vosages, this house was the residence of the workaholic author famed Les Miserables and the Hunchback of Notre-Dame. He lived here between 1832 and 1848 and memorabilia on view include several of his atmospheric, Gothic-horror-movie-like sketches, tribute to Hugos unsuspected talent as an artist, along with illustrations for his writings by the other artist. Upstairs, in Hugo's original apartment , you can see the tall desk where he stood to write, along with furniture from several of his homes – including the Chinese-theme panels and woodwork he commissioned for his mistress. Opens Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm. Free admission. Metro Station: St.Paul

 MUSEE PICASSO – house in the 17^th century Hotel Sale, this museum has the largest collection of Picassos in the world. The museum gives you a great snapshot of the painter's life. The building is showing some of the wear and tear that goes with being one of the city's most popular museums; on peak summer afternoons this place is more congested than the Gare du Lyon. Opens 9:30am to 5:30pm. Metro station: St. Sebastien.

 PLACE DE LA BASTILLE – an excellent place to visit if you are planning to overthrow a monarchy, the Place de la Bastille is also a great jumping-off point for lunch. Nothing remains on the infamous Bastille prison destroyed at the beginning of the French Revolution. As part of the countrywide celebrations for July 1989, the bicentennial of the French Revolution, the Opera de la Bastille was erected, inspiring substantial redevelopment on the surrounding streets, especially along Rue de Lappe and Rue de la Roquette. Metro Station: Bastille

 PLACE DES VOSGES – the oldest monumental square in Paris. Originally known as Place Royal, it has kept its Renaissance beauty nearly intact, although its buildings have been softened by time, their pale pink brick crumbling slightly in the harsh Parisian air and the darker stone facings pitted with age. The two larger buildings on either side of the square were originally the king's and queen's pavilions. The statue in the center is of Louis XIII

The Eiffel Tower, or Tour Eiffel, lords over southwest Paris, and form nearly wherever you are on this walk you can see its jutting needle. For years many Parisians felt it was an iron eyesore and called it Giant Asparagus, a vegetable that weighed 15 million pounds and grew 1,000 feet high. But gradually the tower became part of the Parisian landscape, entering the hearts and souls of Parisians and visitors alike Thanks to its stunning nighttime illumination, topped by four 6,000-watt projectors creating a lighthouse beacon visible for 80 km around, it continues to make Paris live up to its moniker La Ville Lumiere – the City of Lights. Water is th second highlight here; fountains playing beneath Place du Trocadero and boat tours along the Seine on a Bateau Mouche. Museums are the third; the area around Trocadero is full of them. Style is the fourth, and not just because the buildings here are overwhelmingly elegant – but because this is also the center of haute couture, with the top names in fashion all congregated around Avenue Montaiigne, only a brief walk from the Champs-Elysees, to the north.

The 2.1 km Champs-Elysees was originally laid out in the 1660s by landscape gardener Andre Le Notre as parkland sweeping away from the Tuilerries. Site of most French national celebrations, the Champs-Elysees is the last leg of the Tour de France bicycle race, on the third or fourth Sunday in July.

 EIFFEL TOWER – If the Statue of Liberty is emblematic of New York, Big Ben is London, Toronto is CN Tower, then the Eiffel Tower is the symbol of Paris. French Engineer Gustave Eiffel – already famous for building viaducts and bridges – spent two years working to erect this monument for the World Exhibition of 1889. And after it was built, many Parisians felt it was an iron eyesore and called it the Giant Asparagus, agreeing with designer Willaim Morris, who, explaining why he had been spending so much time at the tower, said " Why on earth have I come here? Because it's the only place I can't see it from. Gradually, though, the Tour Eiffel became part of the Parisian landscape, entering the hearts and souls of Parisians and visitors alike. Opens June to late August 9am to midnight; late Aug to May 9am to 11pm. Admission: 2^nd floor 4.20 euros, 3^rd floor 7.70 euros, 4^th floor 11 euros. Metro Station: Bir-Hakeim, Trocadero, Ecole Militaire.

 ARC DE TRIOMPHE – Set on Place Charles de Gaulle the colossal, 164-foot Arc De Triomphe was planned by Napoleon but not finished until 1836, 20 years after the end of his rule. A small museum halfway up the arch is devoted to its history. France's unknown soldier is buried beneath the archway; the flame is rekindled every evening at 6:30 pm. Opens daily 10am to 11pm. Admission: 8 euros. Metro Station: Etoile.

  FONDATION PIERRE BERGE – YVES SAINT LAURENT – With his business partner, Pierre Berge, iconic fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) reopened his former atelier in 2004 – thjs time as a gallery and archive of his work. Temporary exhibits, some fashion-related, rotate roughly every six months. The first, a show of Saint Laurent's art-inspired clothing, including his Mondrian dress, was a knockout; a more recent exhibit was devoted to theater artist Robert Wilson. Opens Tuesday-Sunday 11am to 6pm. Admission: 5 euros. Metro Station: Alma-Marceau.

 PALAIS DE CHAILLOT – This honey-colour, art Deco culture center facing the Seine, perched atop tumbling gardens with sculpture and fountains, was built in the 1930s and houses 3 museums. The palace terrace, flanked by gilded statuettes (and often invaded by roller skaters and skateboarders) offers a wonderful picture-postcard view of the Eiffel Tower and is a favourite spot for a fashion photographers. Opens daily (except Tuesday) 10 am -6pm. Admission: 6.50 euros. Metro Station: Trocadero

  MUSEE d'ART MODERNE de la VILLE de PARIS – The City Museum of Modern Art shows temporary exhibits of painting, sculpture, installation and video art, plus a permanent collection of top-tier 20^th century works from around the world. The building reopened in 2006 and its vast, white-walled galleries are an ideal backdrop for the bold statements of 20^th century art. Opens daily (except Monday) 10am – 6:45pm. Admission: 7 euros. Metro Station: Iena

In the center of Paris nestled in the River Seine are the two celebrated islands, the Ile de la Cite and the Ile St. Louis. Today it is famed for the great, brooding cathedral of Notre-Dame and the dazzling Sainte-Chapelle. If Notre Dame represents church, another major attraction of this walk – the Louvre – symbolizes state. Louvre is the greatest museum in the world, as well as the one of the easiest to get lost in. All in all this area comprises some of the most historic and beautiful sights to see in Paris.

  NOTRE-DAME – Notre-Dame is the symbolic heart of Paris and, for many, of France itself. Napoleon was crowned here, and kings and queens exchanged marriage vows before the altar. There are a few things worth seeing inside the Gothic cathedral, but the real highlights are the exterior and the unforgetable view of Paris, framed by stone gargoyles, from the top of the south tower. Begun in 1163, completed in 1345, badly damaged during the Revolution, and destroyed by the architect Eugene Viollet-le duc in the 19th century, Notre=Dame may not be France's oldest or largest cathedral, but in beauty and architectural harmony it has few peers. Notre-Dame was one of the first Gothic cathedrals in Europe. It was also one of the first buildings to make use of flying buttresses – exterior supports that spread out the weight of the building and its roof.T he most tranquil place to appreciate the architecture of Notre-Dame is from the lovely garden behind the cathedral, Square Jean-XXIII. Metro Station: Cite

  LOUVRE – the Louvre is packed with legendary collections including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.. To get into the Louvre, you may have to wait in two long lines: one outside the Pyramide entrance portal and another downstairs at the ticket booth. Once inside you should stop by at the information desk to pick-up a free colour-coded map and check which rooms are closed for the day.

  GRAND PALAIS – With its curve glass roof, Grand Palais is unmistakable when approach from either Seine or the Champs-Elysees, and forms a turn of the 20th-century Beaux Arts showpiece with the Petit Palais on the other side of Avenue Winston Churchill. Toda the Grand Palais plays host to major exhibitions. Its smallest counterpart, the Petit Palais, set just off the Champs-Elysees, presents a permanent collection of French painting and furniture, with splendid canvases by Courbet and Bouguereau. Opens Teusda – Sunday 10-6 pm. Admission: 11 euro. Metro Station: Champs-Elysees-Clemeceau.

 JARDIN DU TUILLERIES – Monet and Renoir captured this gracious garden with paint brush. A palace once stood here on the site of a clay pit that supplied material for many of the city's tile roof. (Hence the name tuilerrie, or tile work). Now the Tuilerries is typically a French garden: formal and neatly patterned, with statues, row of trees, fountains with gaping fish, and gravel paths . Admission is free. Metro Station: Tuilerries.

  PLACE DE LA CONCORDE – this majestic squatre at the foot of the Champs-Elysees was laid out in the 1770s, but there was nothing in the way of peace or concord about its early years. Between 1793 and 1795 more than a thousand victims, including Lous XVI and Marie-Antoinette, were sent into oblivion at the guillotine. The top of the 107-foot Obelisk – a present from the victory of Egypt in 1833 – was regilded in 1998. Metro Station: Concorde

 SAINTE-CHAPELLE – this Gothic chapel was built by Louis IX in the 1240s to house what he believed to be Christs Crown of Thorns, purchased from Emperor Baldwin of Constantinople. St.-Chapelle is essentially an enormous magic lantern illuminating the 1,130 figures from the Bible, to create – as one writer poetically put it – "the most marvelous coloured and moving air ever held within four walls". Opens daily 9:30am-6pm. Admission:7 euro. Metro Station: Cite

  

 PONT NEUF (NEW BRIDGE) – Crossing the Ile de la Cite. Just behind the Square du Vert-Galant, is the oldest bridge in Paris, confusingly called the New Bridge – the name was given when it was completed in 1607, and it stuck. It was the first bridge in the city to be built without houses lining either side, allegedly because Henri IV wanted a clear view of Notre-Dame from his windows at the Louvre. Mtreo Station: Pont-Neuf.

Paris is the most romantic place in the world. Paris could take you multiple lifetimes to explore from top to bottom – and that’s not counting the Louvre. Happily, the metro system is extremely efficient and will aid your see-and-flee sightseeing. But to truly savour Paris’ heady parfum, opt for the bus, or even better, your feet. 

Here are 8 iteneraries  when travelling to Paris.

·          From Notre-Dame to Place de la Concorde (click for details) – spend time wandering around the lovely Ile de la Cite, of the Notre-Dame, and relaxing in the Tuilleries before tackling the Louvre.

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 The Faubourg St. Honore – Chic spots in cities come and go, but the Faubourg’s always had it and probably always will, with its well-established shops and cafes.

·          From the Tour Eiffel to the Arc de Triomphe (click here for more info) – You won’t be able to cover this whole area in one day, but plan lots of time for what could be called “monumental” Paris. In adition to the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Elysees, and the Arc de Triomphe, there are several excellent museums worth planning yours days around.

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 The Marais & the Bastille (Click here for more info) – The marais is Paris’ most popular Sunday-afternoon-lazing neighborhood, where you can while away the afternoon at the Place des Vosages or shop to your heart’s content. And if it’s new and happening in Paris, the Bastille is where you will find it.

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   Ile St.-Louis & the Quarter Latin – Ile St.-Louis is one of the most romantic spots in Paris. Leave time to wander the Latin quarter, a hood known for its vibrant student life.

·         From Orsay to St.German-des-Pres – Great cafes and two of the city’s most fabulous museums are found here also. Also don’t miss the Jardins du Luxembourg.

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·         Montmarte – Like a small village inside a big city Montmarte feels distinctly separate from the rest of Paris – but its prime tourist territory with Sacre-Coeur as its main attraction.

When you’re in Paris you must use the Paris Etiquette. The Parisian reputation for rudeness is undeserved. Parisians are sticklers for “politesse” and exchanging formal greetings is the rule. Informal American-style manners are considered impolite. Beginning an exchange with a simple “DO you speak English?”  will get you  of on the right foot. Learning a few key French words will take you afar. Offer a hearty bonjour (bohn-zhoor) when walking into  a shop or café and an au revoir (o ruh-vwahr) when leaving even if nobody seems to listening. When speaking to a woman above the age of 16, use madame. For a young woman or girl, use mademoiselle. A man of any age goes by monsieur (muh-syuh). Always say please, s'il vous plait (seel- voo-play), and thank you, merci.

What To Wear When in Paris. When it come to dress, the French reserve athletic-type clothing for sports. Sneakers are fine as long as they are  not gym shoes. You will feel comfortable wearing jeans just about anywhere as long as they are neat, although before you head out for the evening  make sure to check if they are acceptable.