Paris has long been in the top 3 of the most visited cities in the world, attracting a record breaking 38 million visitors in 20191. However behind the glamour and shimmer of this iconic city, Parisians are under pressure. The city is expensive, overcrowded, polluted and full of tourists. They are used to a lot of ‘Merde’. Dog poo (although the streets are now cleaner), cigarette buds on pavements, nasty smells on the Métro (when there isn’t a strike), sky high rent and house prices, the cost of a café when all you need a break on a terrace.

But Paris remains a dream city for most citizens of the world. Its beauty and its charm mixed with its raw and rugged character are fascinating. It is an awe-inspiring mystery.

The Seine shaped its history, with early settlers farming on the site of the Louvre, 4,000 years B.C. The city then built itself around that central area and was extremely well preserved, even during WW2. In recent years, regeneration of peripheral areas into residential neighbourhoods and new business districts such as ‘La Défense’ and ‘Station F’ (the centre of French tech), have brought a modern look and vibe to Paris, with better transport connections to the Greater Paris, ‘la banlieue’.

It is the home to world iconic landmarks and museums such as the Sacré Coeur, la Tour Eiffel, the Louvre, and more recently L’Atelier des Lumières, but also world famous restaurants and ‘Haute Couture’ brands. This book is for Paris lovers, but also for those who have yet to visit or those desperate to return.