Paris 101: Paris for the First Time Visitor

Paris city of romance and dreams has always had a enormous pull for the tourist and for the last 200 years all roads have been to Paris

Whether your perfect base in Paris are a central Paris hotel choose something memorable for your stay.

Choose the neighbourhood that works best for your trip. Arty Montmatre, the laid-back left bank or something further out on the Metro line they all have their advantages. A self-contained Paris apartment all offer something - decide what is important to you before making a booking.

Here are some suggested starting places for a first time visitor to Paris. The extensive, reliable and cheap metro makes it easy to get around Paris regardless of where you are staying
Remember to hold onto your wallet tight, especially when the hoards descend on you trying to sell the usual tourist junk at popular locations such as the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre|Notre Dame Cathedral.

River Seine
The River Seine is an excellent place to start your Paris break. From the Seine you can take in the heart of the ancient city of Paris and provides easy access to many of Paris's most famous attractions.

Champs-Elysees
Although an attraction in itself, the long and wide Champs-Elysees boulevard is often a pleasant departure from the more built up areas of the city. Tourists are unlikely to find a cheap Paris hostel along here, however. However the many luxury 5 star hotels are nearby.

At one end of the Champs-Elysees is the Arc de Triomphe: one of the city's must-sees, honoring the soldiers that fought in France's wars. It can also be an amusing place to watch cars carefully navigating the bizarre Charles de Gaulle roundabout (nicknamed L'Etoile, or star), one of the world's worst roundabouts. As a predestrian avoid death and take the underpass.