A metropolis packed with numerous sights which are symbols of France, it doesn't really need a massive introduction as I suspect many of you who are bored enough to be reading this post will have been here before anyway.
It's comparable to London, across the water in the United Kingdom, in terms of size, population, infrastructure and the cost of local transport - which is expensive compared to pretty much everywhere else on the continent! When I visited it was in the aftermath of the 2015 terrorist atrocities (so it was probably quieter than usual in terms of tourist numbers) and by coincidence, where I'd booked to stay, in an area called Belleville, wasn't all that far from Place de la Republique and some of the places which were targeted.
Curiously, at the time you could still walk under the Eiffel Tower but because of terrorist attacks in the years since, you can no longer do so and protection has been built around the monument.
As it was February, the weather wasn't the greatest during my few days stay, but I did get around to seeing many of the vast sights such as La Louvre, the Arc De Triomphe, Notre-Dame and many others which I've forgotten even exist.
Football fans will no doubt be aware the city is home to Paris Saint-Germain, who are arguably the biggest team in Europe yet to reach a Champions League Final. I watched them smash Lyon, 3-0, in a Coupe De France tie and memories of that will be up on the blog in the next few days.
The Stade de France, is also located on the outskirts of the city in an area called Saint-Denis.
One thing I will say about Paris is despite the glitz, glamour and being perceived as a romantic city of love (and all that codswallop), the River Seine looked filthy when I visited and worse than everywhere else in Europe with the exception of the Thames in London. Bercy bus station also looked like a soul-destroying place!
As always, enjoy the photos...
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