The Parisii settled in what is now the right bank as early as 250 B.C., during the second Iron Age. The settlers named it after the Celtic word for "marsh." By 53 B.C. the settlement had grown and spread to what is now called the Left Bank. In 280 A.D. the city was raided by barbarians and the Parisii were forced to take refuge on the island. It is little surprise that the Parisians are wary of strangers as their entire history is full of being raided and pillaged with this raid being the first documented one in the city's traumatic history.
Now it is a city with so much to do - so many sights you have to see before you leave, the number of high profile monuments and buildings are many and of course you can’t leave without a trip on the Seine, a glimpse of the Mona Lisa and a scrumptious Parisian lunch.
It’s a city of art and theatre, of The Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, of the Champs Elyesee and the Canal St-Martin, of nightclubs and the Moulin Rouge - never a dull moment in this historic, romantic and bustling city.
So use this Paris travel guide to get some ideas for the best attractions, info on hotels and apartments to stay, and to learn a little of this atmospheric city.
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