In the movie Sabrina, Audrey Hepburn says “Paris is always a good idea.” I couldn’t agree more. Having lived and worked in Paris for a year, I can vouch for the truth in this idea. The personality of this city was completely in sync with mine. Sports – check, art – check, music – check, romance – check. My soul was full of joy when I spent my time there. Every walk was full of beautiful surprises. Here are some reasons I could think of visiting Paris other than the food and fashion, of course. I don’t think I need to talk much about the Parision or French cuisine. To state a few highlights, best of cheese, best of desserts, best of bakeries and fine dining are found in this basket of French capital.

Reason 1 Iconic Monuments

Whether you are a tourist or a local, Eiffel tower is the Parisian signature you cannot avoid. This tower when built was the tallest tower in the world. This was true for about 40 years until other towers came up around the world. Take a cruise on the Seine river for a more beautiful perspective of the tower. Along the Seine, also stands the Cathedrale of Notre Dame. Victor Hugo’s book called the Hunchback of Notre Dame gave this church global fame. This church is the highest visited monument in Paris. The 2019 fire has destroyed its rear heavily but government aims to restore it by 2024. Not a monument but a classic library of Shakespeare and co stands across Notre Dame on the Seine as well. Book lovers and famous authors flock to this store which still retains a rustic charm. Street food of St michelle and the city hall of Paris are worth checking out nearby.

Reason 2 Monalisa’s smile

The most famous painting of the world, the MonaLisa sits in the Louvre Museum behind the pyramid entrance. Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Picasso and many other artists’ works are found there. The museum leads to the grand Tuileries Garden and the Place de la Concorde. The square tells a gory tale of the climax of French Revolution. It extends into the Avenue de Champs-Élysées. This avenue is the epitome of luxury stores and high end fashion. The Arch de Triomphe standing at the other end of the avenue lends a beautiful centre point. Twelve major Parisian streets converge on it in a star shape. These streets house the various palacial shopping malls like Galarie Lafayette, Printemps, Passage du havre and so on. Various Asian and European cuisine restaurants line this shopping area.

Reason 3 Montmarte Village

The highest point in Paris is the Basilica of Sacre Coeur. It sits atop the hilly area of Montmarte. This Arrondissement in Paris has an old time vibe like nowhere else. It is like you enter a time capsule and come out in the Cabaret era. Small shops line the slope that lead to the Basilica. Musicians and other artists are always performing on the stairway to this church. Despite the increasing pollution, Sacre Couer maintains its marble white colour. Several famous artists lived and walked the streets of this hill. Among these were Picasso, Manet, Van Gogh, Renoir and others. The apartments they lived in, still stands among the streets behind the church. The Artists square houses a bunch of amateur artists and pros who sketch or paint on the spot. Down the hill lies the infamous cabaret Moulin Rouge. The whole hill has many other wind mills which were actually among vineyards before. Most of these mills are became bars, cafes or cabarets later. Cafe de deux moulin, of the Amelie movie fame, lies just behind Moulin Rouge. And shh, a little dirty secret ahead. The red light district of Pigalle begins a few steps ahead of the Moulin Rouge. Try not be scandalised by the line up of Sex shops on its way to this disctrict.

Reason 4 Sports

The unofficial world cup of cycling, 21 day multistage Tour de France is held every year. It concludes at the Avenue Champs-Élysées of Paris among one of the biggest crowds seen in any event. The french are even more crazy about football. The top world players like Messy and Mbappe play for their beloved PSG club. The PSG stadium is something worth visiting, especially for a live game. Tennis is incomplete without the tournament on the clay courts of Rolland Garros in Paris. Tennis legends like Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have all graced these tournaments. They pull crowds from the whole of Europe during these games.

Did you observe that the above four reasons can constitute a 4 day itinerary to Paris? If you did, kudos to you.

Paris is of course a very crowded and a cosmopolitan city to say the least. The high tourism constitutes to the population too. Indians, Chinese, Sri Lankan, African and of course all of the European ethnicity people live and love here. This makes Paris a very french and a very international city at the same time. However, don’t let the busyness of the city scare you. The Parisian art, the romance, the history, the grandeur and the electric atmosphere deserves some respect. Make sure to not see this city in a hurry. Let your senses observe the beauty in the legendary sightings and the chaos.