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France is the world’s most popular tourist destinations, at one point receiving as much as close to eight million tourists in a single year. Paris being the country’s capital, and a rather glorified one at that, sees most of these tourists, making what is possibly the world’s most visited city. If Paris isn’t on your agenda – whether as a serious traveller or simply as someone who likes to take off on international travel once in a while – it should be. Even if the rest of France doesn’t hold your interest, Paris is bound to. Here are a few interesting facts about Paris that should have you dying to visit it. • Here’s a fun fact about Paris. Did you know that the Parisian district of Montparnasse derives its name from Greek mythology? It’s true. Montparnasse’s namesake happens to be Mount Parnassus, a highly mythologised structure that exists even today in Greece. Interestingly, Mount Parnassus was the home of the Muses, and was logically thus associated with several forms of art; sculpture, music, poetry etc. • Another fun etymological fact: the city of Paris derives its name from the name of its original inhabitants; that is the Gaulish tribe of Parisii. • Another theory states that the city of Paris was named after Prince Paris of Troy. • Paris and its nearby areas are home to a staggering three thousand plus historical monuments. In fact, the real figure is close to about four thousand. However, only four of these are recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. • Bread is a huge part of Parisian (and French) culture. Baguettes, which are long thin loaves of French bread, are a staple in the French diet and are also governed by law. The standard dough for a legitimate baguette is defined by French law, as is the standard size of one. (65cms) • The population of dogs in Paris exceeds that of children. • At one point, it was forbidden to construct buildings in Paris that exceeded more than six stories in height. • There are a total of thirty seven bridges in Paris. Of these, only thirty three are illuminated at night. • Of these thirty seven bridges, the Pont Neuf, or New Bridge, actually happens to be one of the oldest bridges in Paris. It also happens to be the first Parisian bridge built without houses on it, as well as being the first which had a pavement to separate pedestrians from the passing traffic. • You would think that the most visited tourist attraction is the Eiffel Tower, or perhaps the Louvre. Both are wrong guesses. Disneyland Paris sees far more visitors than Eiffel Tower and the Louvre combined. • Paris is nicknamed ‘The City of Lights’ not just because of how pretty it looks at night, but because it is believed to house a highly accomplished society of intellectuals and thinkers. There are few cities in the world that can boast of having as much character as France, and few vacations can boast of being as fun and stimulating as Paris holidays. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ninad Chaudhari works as a Web UI Designer / Developer with Cox & Kings. In his spare time, Ninad is an ardent photographer and loves the opportunities that international travel packages can give him time to pursue his passion. His albums are replete with amazing pictures of his holidays in Paris.
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