Top Paris Resources


The French will tell you that there is so much more to see and do in Paris than just what you see in the brochure.

Whether its a holiday, on business, or for a weekend break Paris continues to increase in popularity amongst us Brits - and rightly so!

That's why its important to get your travel plans sorted out properly, and in our opinion, flight, holiday and hotel specialists Opodo offer the best service online - but you can find that out for yourself here...


Lutetia was renamed Paris in 212, after the local tribe, but the rest of the 3rd and 4th century was wracked by war and civil unrest. The city came under attack from barbarian invaders, prompting the construction of a defensive city wall. In 357 the Emperor Constantine's nephew Julian arrived in Paris to become the city's new governor. Although his uncle was famously the emperor who declared Christianity the official religion of the Empire, Julian "the Apostate" strove to roll back its advance. He became emperor in 361 but died in battle only two years later.

Paris held out for four months, by which time starvation had taken hold and the population had been reduced to eating rats. The city finally surrendered on 28 January 1871 with punitive terms being inflicted on the defeated French. They were, in fact, unacceptably punitive in the eyes of many Parisians, who saw the peace treaty signed by the government of Adolphe Thiers as a betrayal.

Matters came to a head on 23 August 1572 with the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre, when Catholic mobs killed an estimated 3,000 Protestants on the instructions of King Charles VIII. His successor, King Henry III, attempted to find a peaceful solution but the city's population turned against him and forced him to flee in May 1588. The following year, he was assassinated by a fanatical Dominican monk, bringing the Valois line to a premature end.

France's political divisions were a major factor in its ill-preparedness for the outbreak of the Second World War on 3 September 1939. Some of the Catholic Right were openly hostile to parliamentary democracy, Socialism and Communism, and welcomed the possibility of a fascist regime, even imposed by foreign forces.

The Louvre was redeveloped and acquired its spectacular glass pyramid, while a futuristic new district was constructed just outside the city limits at La Defense. The Opéra Bastille and Bibliotheque Nationale de France François Mitterrand proved less successful, experiencing big cost overruns and a series of technical problems.

Formerly the capital of a colonial empire stretching over five continents, Paris is still regarded as the heart of the French-speaking world and has retained a strong international position, hosting the headquarters of the OECD and the UNESCO among others. This, combined with its financial, business, political, and tourism activities, have turned Paris into one of the major transportation hubs on Earth, and Paris is recognized as one of a handful of "world cities".

 

plaisance metro paris | metro paris travelling | metro paris zone | price of the metro in paris | metro underground map paris | paris metro route planner | paris metro train | art nouveau the metro paris | by calais metro paris | plan de metro paris | metro line in paris | metro ticket in paris | how to use metro in paris | paris metro line map | paris metro line | map metro online paris | map metro paris showing station street | eurostar paris day trip | london paris eurostar | eurostar holiday to paris | paris eurostar 2 night | paris by eurostar | eurostar deal to paris | cheap eurostar to paris only | eurostar trip to paris | eurostar ticket to paris | eurostar train to paris | trip to paris by eurostar | 2 cheap eurostar night paris trip | eurostar paris weekend | cheap eurostar paris | eurostar paris disney | eurostar paris package | eurostar paris offer | cheap trip to paris eurostar | eurostar prices to paris | eurostar to paris plus hotel | eurostar cheap holidays paris | cheap eurostar ticket to paris | eurostar disneyland paris deal | paris deal cheap eurostar | travel to paris on eurostar | eurostar paris nord | eurostar and accommodation to paris | day trip to paris by eurostar | 2 cheap eurostar night paris | euro disney paris eurostar rail journey | eurostar from london to paris | eurostar to paris first class | paris eurostar discount |

Paris | Paris Resources
Sources of Paris information from the web.