Mercure's travel guides

The cries of hawkers and market stall-holders; the bright neon of nightclubs and the yellow gleam of dimly lit cafés; the streets teeming with tourists, businesspeople and eccentrics; the taste of fresh coffee and buttery croissants, the smell of roasting chestnuts. Paris is all these things and more.

An ancient settlement conquered by the Romans in 52 BC, Paris has grown from an insignificant outpost to a cosmopolitan capital city of over two million people, and has gained a deserved reputation as a center of culture and learning. Philosophers from Voltaire to Jean-Paul Sartre; writers such as Emile Zola and Victor Hugo; musicians from Chopin and Debussy to Edith Piaf; and artists including Monet, Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec have all lived and worked here. Their legacy shows in the magnificent architecture lining the streets, where museums, galleries and concert halls abound and where even the metro stations are adorned with art nouveau flourishes.

Scale the stone steps up to the gleaming white Sacré Coeur basilica for a stunning panorama: Paris's low skyline pierced by the Eiffel and the Montparnasse towers and, in the distance, the high-powered business district La Défense. The River Seine meanders through the centre of the city, dividing it into Right Bank ("Rive Droite" – the centre of business and administration) and Left Bank ("Rive Gauche" – the traditional gathering place of students and socialists). In the centre of the river, the Île de la Cité holds the ornate Notre Dame cathedral while its sister island, Île Saint-Louis, retains its narrow cobbled streets lined with delis, boutiques and restaurants.

From the Louvre, nestled on the Right Bank in the city centre, head west through the Jardin des Tuileries towards Place de la Concorde, pierced by an ancient Egyptian obelisk. Then stroll up the wide Champs-Elysées, past designer shops and touristy restaurants, to the imposing Arc de Triomphe. Or head east to Place de la Bastille where a shiny opera house stands in place of the ancient political prison. From here, the Canal Saint-Martin traces Paris's newly trendy areas northeast: the Marais district, Rue Oberkampf and Parc de la Villette, where concerts are held in summer.

With two major airports, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY), and train stations with fast links to London, Brussels and Barcelona, it's easy to get to Paris. And with 300 metro stations, an extensive bus system and plentiful taxis it's simple to get around. The city centre is divided into 20 districts, or arrondissements, each with their own personality and attractions. So get lost in the city's maze of walk-able streets, splurge on rich food and fine wines, and revel in the history, the art, the architecture, the music and the special atmosphere of it all.