Paris is a marvelous city, simply wonderful and beautiful. It is called the Capital of the World, and this is true only because it is being visited by all the people from all the places of the world. Actually, the crowds on the streets consist i think mostly of the tourists that can be easily recognized by the thick cameras on their necks and amazed glances constantly thrown around.

The locals are quite calm though and I would say – not pretty fond of the tourists. Though I did not meet any hostility myself personally from the locals, but they say that it is quite easy to annoy a Frenchman from Paris just asking something like: Where can I find the Eiffel Tower here?. He would probably answer you in French, because the French people are even at the top of the impolite tourist rating when they travel themselves – they try to speak their native language even abroad in the hotels and on the streets.

The city itself is gorgeous, full of beautiful Paris hotels & very proud of itself and this is earned. Almost every building has it’s own history and is quite old. You won’t see actually any skyscrapers in the central parts of the city except one lonely black tower near one of the railway stations and of course the Eiffel Tower. The locals are very proud of the old building and overall the old shape of the city. That is why even the construction of the Eiffel Tower in the 19th century has raised a great complaints of the locals because they thought that this «monster of metal» destroys the original shape of the historically rich city.

But the tower was built for some technological exhibition as the monstrous gate to it. And it remained, in spite of the protests. And with the course of time, the commercial effect of it’s existence prevailed over the complaints and it got into the everyday life of the France. Even the real estate costs almost double price if you can see the tower from your windows.

The modern business skyscrapers are also part of the modern Paris life, but the business quarter is located a little bit aside, at the border of the city and is called «Defence». And these skyscrapers are really huge. I have never been in New York or any other city with traditional business parts full of skyscrapers, but I was really impressed, for the first time in my life I have seen such tall building in real and I think even the Empire State Building won’t impress me much after those. There is also one strange building in the middle of the district in the shape of arc and you can get on the top of it with two elevators and the look from out there is just wonderful – especially in the night. I have taken a couple of outrageous pictures with a DSLR-Camera with one minute exposure.

Did you ever see how do they park their cars in Paris? I am not sure if they do it in the same way in other French cities, but that was really funny. There were 2 cars with quite a lot of space between them to park in. And a man with the VW Golf, which is a pretty short car, wanted to park in. You would say – it is a piece of cake, what is the problem? But it was even worse – he has driven the Golf between the cars backwards, pretty slowly, but absolutely without looking into the mirrors. Half a meter, 30 cm., 10 cm., bump! Only after he has bumped the car that stood in the back, he decided to switch to the first gear and put the car straight. But this should have also be done with the feeling… and sound! He has stopped moving forward only when he heard the bump with the front car. After that he released the gas and has let his car roll a couple of centimeters back, went out of the car and gone away, as if nothing happened. After that I have tried to find a single car without scratches on bumpers – I did not find a single one.

So, if you want to have some fun in Paris – welcome, but not with your own car.

If you’re an infrequent visitor to London and plan to hit the tourist trail then the last thing you’ll want is to be pointed in the direction of the underwhelming, the uninspiring or the instantly forgettable. There’s enough of that where you live, which is why you’re visiting London!

Our guide features London’s best galleries, museums, landmarks, London hotels, historical sites, shopping areas and entertainment zones, all guaranteed to provide the ultimate London tourist experience. The attractions we’ve highlighted are unashamedly well known, but do you really want to be returning home to tell your friends about the fantastic thimble shop in Pimlico you visited? Or would you rather rave about the phenomenal view of one of the world’s great cities from the top of The Eye, or that you’ve actually seen the beauty of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers with your own eyes?

London has a multitude of varied and exciting attractions but these are the ones without which, your trip just wouldn’t be the same!

Oxford Street
Britain’s busiest high street and London’s best known shopping area is chock-a-block full of the largest branches of the nation’s most popular shops – over 300 in fact. Many of the biggest high street names have their flagship stores here and the street also boasts the oldest record shop in the world (HMV at number 363). It’s not all hardcore shopping though – light entertainment is often provided in the form of chanting Hari Krishnas skipping along the pavement. If you can’t find what you want to buy in Oxford Street, you haven’t got much of a hope elsewhere.

Nearest Tubes: Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus, and Tottenham Court Road

Camden Market
If you’re after a more bohemian approach to shopping than the Oxford Street experience, then get yourself up to Camden. One of London’s coolest areas has a seemingly endless array of shops and stalls selling such items as clothing (new, second hand and retro), customised Doc Martins and trainers, jewellery, bootleg CDs and DVDs and craft ware. Open daily; it’s a multi cultural experience with some great little food outlets dotted all over.

Nearest Tube: Camden Town

Tower of London
Built by Billy The Conqueror nearly a thousand years ago, this is one of the best preserved and most famous historic landmarks in the world. Full of the history of executions and imprisonments and offering the spectacle of the Beefeaters, the ravens and the crown jewels as well as the majesty of the building itself, this remains THE essential place of historic interest to visit when in London.

http://www.camelotintl.com/tower_site/index.html

Nearest Tube: Tower Hill.

St. Paul’s Cathedral
Britain’s best known place of worship and certainly one of its most recognisable buildings, having so often been the centrepiece of state occasions. The cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built 300 years ago following the destruction of the previous building by the Great Fire Of London. An awe inspiring feat of architecture, steeped in history and featuring works of art, monuments, mosaics and the Whispering Gallery, the Cathedral is also still a busy working church. So booking your wedding here during the summer months might just be a bit tricky.

Nearest Tube: St Pauls

National Gallery
The National Gallery is home to one of the greatest collections of European art in the world. Featuring works painted between 1250 and 1900, the collection includes such well known pieces as Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Botticelli’s Venus And Mars and Constable’s Hay Wain. Sadly, the work of the great Rolf Harris is too recent and too Australian to be included – see the Tate Modern.

Nearest Tube: Charing Cross.
Admission: Free

British Museum
Founded over 250 years ago, it could be said that the British Museum is one of London’s oldest and most prized exhibits – the museum building itself is one of Britain’s greatest architectural landmarks. Housed inside is a collection of art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures the world over spanning two million years featuring the Rosetta Stone, the Easter Island statue and the earliest known image of Christ.

Nearest Tubes: Tottenham Court Road, Goodge Street, Russell Square & Holborn. Admission: Free

London Eye
Undoubtedly the quickest way to take in all of London’s major attractions is by jumping on the Eye. There’s not much of the city that can’t be seen from the top of what has become one of the London skyline’s most dominating features. To further enhance your flight on this modern day feat of engineering, you can even order champagne to be served in your capsule (not recommended for the easily nauseas).

http://www.londoneye.com

Nearest Tubes: Waterloo & Westminster.

Tate Modern
If random blobs of paint on canvas and piles of rusty old engine parts is your idea of art, then get yourself down to the Tate Modern. Created in a disused power station on the banks of the Thames, the gallery has become one of London’s most fascinating attractions since opening in 2000. The collection features works by Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Pollock and Warhol and represents all the major movements since 1900. Sadly, the work of the great Rolf Harris is too art like to be included – see the National Gallery.

Nearest Tubes: Southwark & Blackfriars.
Admission: Free (however donations are gratefully received)

Covent Garden
Formerly a fruit and vegetable market, ‘The Garden’ is now a constant and varied hive of activity. It has a hugely diverse selection of shops, eateries, bars, a market selling art, crafts, antiques and souvenirs, historic buildings, theatres, the Royal Opera House and fantastic free entertainment provided by street entertainers and musicians. If you can’t find something to capture your interest at Covent Garden then you must be harder to please than Simon Cowell on a bad day.

Nearest Tube: Covent Garden.

Trafalgar Square
Undoubtedly one of the most famous sights of London without visiting which, a trip to the capital would be incomplete. Not only are tourists drawn to see Nelsons Column, the fountains, the lions, the annual gift of a huge Christmas tree from Norway and the pigeons (dirty little so and sos), but it is where the masses flock to in times of national celebration or when there is cause to demonstrate. Trafalgar Square truly is the meeting place of the nation.

Nearest Tube: Charing Cross.

By: Lisa Mills

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