Paris is not known as the city of love for nothing. Romance blossoms everywhere. The city is filled with quiet little spots, quaint galleries and restaurants that encourage love to bloom. Whether you are a shoestring traveler, or a resort friend, Paris can accommodate your every desire. From incredible food and art to fascinating history and beautiful cityscapes, there is something for everyone in Paris. Paris is truly a feast for the senses !!

Paris is split in half by the river Seine. Extravagant bridges, or "ponts," connect the left and right banks, linking the chic Ile-St-Louis and Ile de la Cite (home of Notre Dame) to the mainland. These bridges offer some of Paris's best photo opportunities, especially at night, when monuments are floodlit.

Along the Right Bank (rive droite) lie the grands boulevards, such as the Champs-Elysees; stately facades; the Arc de Triomphe, the Opera Garnier and the Louvre. Tucked away in the midst of all this grandeur is the trendy, labyrinthine Marais, Paris' own Greenwich Village. Montmartre, the northernmost area of the Right Bank, resembles a little village, with steep cobblestone streets, tiny, ivy-covered houses and quiet squares. The area around the Bastille has become one of the trendiest corners of Paris, with numerous cafes and clubs and now the Opera Bastille, new home of the Paris Opera Company.

The Left Bank (rive gauche) is slightly funkier than the Right. Many of the streets are reserved for -- or taken over by --pedestrians. The cafes of St.Germain, where Simone de Beauvoir and Sartre once sat debating existentialism, are still a favorite gathering place for "philosophers" and seekers. Montparnasse, formerly the home of Picasso, Giacometti and other artists, is a bustling neighborhood adjacent to St. Germain. It's crowded with cinemas and famous brasseries.