Ile-de-France

Surrounding the city of Paris is the region of Ile-de-France, a green land where the living is good – a region full of energy.

Of course, there will always be Paris – the powerhouse of its dynamic region. But don't overlook the rest of Ile-de-France: it's a charming area with many different aspects. From the Chevreuse, Yvette or Essonne valleys with their pretty villages to the inviting forests at Rambouillet, Saint-Germain or Fontainebleau, Ile-de-France is a natural paradise.

It's also an inspirational region where you walk in the footsteps of famous artists who were charmed by its light and atmosphere: at Barbizon, so dear to landscape painters; at Nogent-sur-Marne or Auvers-sur-Oise, home of the Impressionists… Ile-de-France is a land of heritage with a long list of fascinating cultural sites – Versailles, Vaux-le-Vicomte, the Saint-Denis basilica and more. And ultimately, it's a meeting place which concentrates all the talent of the French lifestyle.

Paris. The city of lights, a lover's paradise, capital of style and fashion, an active, modern and trendy metropolis that holds up a mirror to France… Paris is all this. And so much more!

Try to define Paris in a few words. It can't be done! How could we list its countless characteristics without appearing to be arrogant? How can we stay humble without doing it an injustice?

It's hard to list all of the city's unique monuments (the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Panthéon and others), its charming quarters (Montmartre, the Marais, Saint-Germain-des-Prés), its traditional brasseries and restaurants serving cuisine from all over the world, its famous museums (the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Centre Georges Pompidou, the Institut du Monde Arabe) and the lesser-known museums of advertising, fashion or fairground arts, its many different moods… These few pages would be insufficient – and we'd still only just scratch the surface. Every exploration of Paris creates a secret alchemy where a crowd of intangible parameters come into play – not least the visitor's personality. Paris is a parade of impressions, fleeting yet definitive. A sunset over the Pont des Arts seen from the Carré du Louvre. A white wine in a bistro in the 18th arrondissement. The smooth sound of a saxophone gilding the night in a Latin Quarter jazz club. Find out for yourself: Paris never stops moving, never stops growing with the contact of those who visit. Paris is waiting for you – waiting to become your Paris.