Gavin Manerowski

The well-known refrain “I love Paris in the springtime”, taken from the Ella Fitzgerald number, has a lot of truth to it. The city of Paris is beautiful year round, but the verdant greenery and stunning quality of light in the springtime, coupled with the fact that the bustling summer tourist season has not yet begun, makes the city of love all the more appealing. The chic capital of France has hundreds of sights, sounds, smells and tastes to offer the discerning tourist as the holiday season gets underway, with plenty to do out of doors and in while the weather settles into summer warmth. Gavin Manerowski travelled to France and spent some time in the nation’s capital assailing his senses with all that the city has to offer.

The Louvre plays host to what are arguably some of the greatest works of art ever created by humankind. The Mona Lisa and her enigmatic smile can be viewed here, as can the statue of the Venus de Milo which was found in 1820 in the city ruins on the Greek island of Milos and thought to have been created between 130 and 100 BC. Works by famous names such as Hieronymus Bosch, Caravaggio and Raphael are displayed within the hallowed walls of this most famous of art galleries, while the Louvre Pyramid entrance has become an iconic landmark in its own right.

For first time visitors to Paris a trip up the Eiffel Tower is essential. One of the most easily recognised landmarks in the world today, the Eiffel Tower was constructed in 1889 as the entrance to the World’s Fair. At the time of building the Eiffel Tower was the world’s tallest man made structure, surpassed in 1930 by the Chrysler Building. Roughly the equivalent height of an eighty-one storey building, the Eiffel Tower today offers tourists and locals alike one of the best views across the city and the opportunity to explore a part of history.

The Champs-Élysée is one of the best known streets in the entire world. Home to hundreds of luxury shops, gourmet restaurants and other exclusive businesses, the horse-chestnut lined street offers passers-by the opportunity to take a seat at one of the numerous pavement cafes in order to watch the world go by, purchase designer clothing and accessories and view the open-air marionette theatre which has been a Parisian tradition since the nineteenth century.