Paris, is the capital of  France and it’s most popular city. Paris is one of major Europe’s centers of finance , commerce , gastronomy and of course , fashion.

Interesting facts about Paris

1. The Louvre is the largest museum in the world.

   The Musée du Louvre contains around  615,797 works of art, but only 35,000 exhibits are on display for visitors to see. If you want to view all of the available public pieces, you will need  many days because this field trip can take more than five days. Some important pieces include:

   “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci , “Venus de Milo” by Alexandros Antioch , “The Code of Hammurabi” 

2. There are 37 bridges connecting the 2 sites of the city. The 37 bridges intersect along the River Seine, linking the city from left to right include:
   Pont Neuf , Pont Alexandre III , Pont Royal 

3. The Eiffel Tower has 1,665 stairs leading up to the top. There are 1,665 stairs to climb to the top of La Tour Eiffel. However, you don’t really need to climb all 1,665 steps to reach the top. You can choose to take the elevator too! But if you’re set on climbing the tower on foot, it will take you between 30 and 45 minutes to climb the tower’s impressive 674 steps from the esplanade to the second level. 

4. There are about 450 parks and gardens spread around the city like Jardin du Luxembourg , Jardin des Tuileries and Bois de Boulogne.

5. Chanel , Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton started in Paris. 

One of the Paris facts that you probably know already is that Paris is the home of haute couture! Many high fashion name brands began in the French capital, including Chanel, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton. Paris fashion week is also one of the biggest fashion events of the year and has been held annually in the French capital since 1973.

6. The Paris Pantheon was originally constructed to serve as a church for the patron of Paris.

Situated in the Quartier Latin there’s both the chance to go high above the ground as well as below it in this iconic Parisian building. The Pantheon was actually originally intended to be a church dedicated to St Genevieve, patron saint of Paris.

However, following the death of statesman Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de Mirabeau, it was quickly changed to be a resting place for people in France. It’s considered a great honor to be interred in the Pantheon. Today, the building serves as a mausoleum. At present, there are only 5 women interred in the Pantheon and 72 men.

7. The oldest cafe in Paris dates back to the 17th century.

Situated on Cour du Commerce Saint André, the eatery of Le Procope was originally established all the way back in 1686 and is often said to be the oldest café in the city in continuous operation. The café is situated on the River Gauche (left bank) and can be found in the 6th arrondissement.

Of course, the term café does not necessarily always mean ‘coffee shop’ when it comes to Paris and instead the bistro  serves typically French food ,not to mention Napoleon Bonaparte’s hat in the entranceway.

8. The River Seine has two natural islands and more manmade islands.

Flowing directly through the centre of Paris and up through Northern France until it deposits into the sea at Le Havre, the River Seine is the very reason why Paris is located where it is in the first place.

The River Seine now has two natural islands: Île Saint-Louis and Île de la Cité. Once upon a time, the Seine would have actually had more islands. 

9. Paris has over 400 Art Nouveau buildings.

When you think Paris, you probably think of the classical sandy stoned building style that’s known as Haussmannian.

In fact, there are over 400 Art Nouveau structures in the city which date from the end of the 1800s to the beginning of the 1900s. Most of the Art Nouveau buildings in the city can be found in the 7th and 16th arrondissement. 

10. The construction of the Arc De Triomphe took 30 years to complete.

Napoleon authorized the construction of the Arc de Triomphe in 1806 because he wanted to erect a large triumphal arch to celebrate his troops, the Grand Armee. The arch was completed in 1836 and had 50 meters in height and 45 meters in width.

The underground of the arch is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier who fought in World War I, and the names of the 558 French generals of the First French Empire are engraved on the walls of the arch. The Arc de Triomphe is one of the top landmarks in France and if you ever visit the historical building you will know it is worth it.