Paris, National capital and global city in France.
Paris is the French capital on the Seine, covering roughly 105 square kilometers and divided into 20 districts that spiral outward from the historic center to the outer neighborhoods. Large green spaces such as the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Bois de Vincennes are scattered between residential and business areas.
A Celtic settlement called Lutetia was established on the Île de la Cité in the third century BCE and taken by the Romans in the first century CE. The settlement became capital of the Frankish kingdom in the tenth century and was thoroughly redesigned during the nineteenth century under Napoleon III by Baron Haussmann.
Locals gather on sidewalk terraces of cafés and brasseries, watching the daily rhythm of the streets over coffee or a glass of wine. Markets offering fresh produce and flowers are a regular part of neighborhood life, and squares and parks serve as meeting points for people of all ages.
A dense network of metro lines, regional trains and buses connects all districts, with most stations within walking distance of one another. International airports and high-speed rail links provide connections to other European capitals and destinations on other continents.
The Grand Paris project has added around 200 kilometers of automated metro lines and 68 new stations to the existing network since 2016. Beneath the streets, a catacomb system stretches through roughly 300 kilometers of tunnels, holding the remains of an estimated six million people from cemetery closures in the eighteenth century.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
