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With well over 2,100,000 inhabitants, Paris is a truly thriving city and is understood as the fashion capital of the world. An incredibly well-liked tourist destination, the word Paris has become synonymous with culture and romance. With the opportunities to visit hundred of shops and specialty boutiques, historical architecture and destinations, eat and dine on fine French cuisine, and to create lasting memories, travellers head off to Paris, France to have the getaway of a lifetime and to enjoy Paris tourism. A location with a history stemming from as early as the third century, Paris has much to offer the traveller looking to experience new cultural experiences. The historic buildings, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the many museums are just a few things that people find of interest in Paris tourism. The Louvre is one of the most popular museums in the world, home to some of the most coveted and priceless art seldom seen anywhere else. Welcoming more than eight million visitors every year, the Louvre is a must for every traveller who appreciates the rare art in its collections. Take a stroll on the Left Bank to see the Pantheon and watch the artists at work beside the River Seine. Paris is in itself a landmark with many landmarks. Thus, you can spend weeks sightseeing and learning the city and the history behind France. Between all these educational tours of the Louvre and other museums, Paris is also one of the centres of high fashion shopping along with Milan, London, and New York. If all the walking from sightseeing and shopping is not enough, you can buy your way to events like the Paris Film Festival, the French Tennis Open, and Bastille Day, which is a national holiday in France. Bastille Day celebrates the Bastille march during the July Revolution. Paris tourism and activities are known for fine cuisine options too. When in Paris undoubtedly the tourist will want to sample some of the French cuisine, and there are plenty of fine places to do so. The Breizh Caf?t 109 rue Vie, serves cr?s, chocolates, as well as other dishes like smoked herring, potato, cr? fra?e. Meanwhile, the Itin?ires at 5 rue de Pontoise serves up amazing dishes with green asparagus, dried tuna, duck breast and lemon tarts. Alternative cuisines are available at the more than 150 restaurants with unique and tasty menus are within the boundaries of Paris. Paris offers a wide variety of entertainment. From cultural events to live music to cabaret shows, Paris is the city that never sleeps. Visitors can enjoy some lively festivals in the city during certain months, such as Fete de la Musique (a street musical festival), Festival du Film de Paris, and Festival d’Automne (contemporary dance festival). Live jazz is played every night at Le Bilboquet by both local and international musicians. Rock and blues fans can head to Chesterfield Caf?which hosts US rock and blues bands. Or, they can go to La Fleche d’Or Caf?which features rock and blues concerts in the evening from Thursday to Sunday. The Moulin Rouge Paris, the famous cabaret, offers dinners and several cabaret shows for an evening of exciting Paris entertainment. Paris hoards a lot of tourists, but it is by no means only a tourist city. Although the locals love to have tourists around, Paris is also the capital of France with numerous business districts, which is why locals appear serious and businesslike. The romantic atmosphere, industrious people, and unparalleled culture make it one of the most majestic cities in the world.

La Samaritaine is a department store in Paris, but it’s not just any department store in Paris. It’s an architectural masterpiece where Art Deco meets Art Nouveau and the two achieve symbiotic splendor in immense expanses of glass and green ornamental iron.

La Samaritaine is just off the famous Pont Neuf. As for the shopping, what is available may not be as chic as what one might find in the “grands magasins” such as Au Bon Marché & Galeries Lafayette, but La Samaritaine may have terrific slashed-price sales anytime on such items as sportswear, household goods and furnishings. There’s always a huge selection.

The best thing to do at La Samaritaine is to go up to the roof. There’s a restaurant up there where you can get a bite and something to drink. But the reason I go up there is for the panoramic view of Paris, from which you can really make things out clearly, as opposed to from atop the Eiffel Tower, from which everything is sort of a beautiful blur. The view from La Samaritaine is above the very heart of Paris, with such nearby visible wonders as the Pont Neuf, Square du Vert Galant (Henry IV; such a romantic setting), the Conciergerie (a massive one-time prison to Marie Antoinette), the Pont des Arts (a pedestrian bridge and favorite picnic spot), & the Ile de la Cité, just to name five. The top of the low barrier ringing the viewing deck has beautiful tile plates depicting what famous sites one can see in the distance beyond them, and these really help you to get your berrings if you are a first-timer to Paris.

Oh, dear. It has just come to my attention that La Samaritaine may be closed until as late as 2011, for restrengthening of the structure. Here’s hoping the job will be done sooner than that. Until then, I would suggest you check online sources for the current status of the reopening.

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