Interesting facts about Paris that you did not know about

😉 Greetings to regular readers and visitors of the site! I bring to your attention this short article “Interesting facts about Paris that you did not know about”. About the most romantic city, what you can expect from it and what you shouldn’t be surprised at.

Paris facts

The reference point for all road distances in France is kilometer zero. It is located in Paris on the Ile de la Cité, in the square in front of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Metro

Paris is two huge labyrinths: above the ground and below it.

If it is very interesting to wander along the streets of the city-museum, which miraculously survived after two world wars, it is easy for guests of the capital to get lost in the Paris metro.

The Paris subway seems to have been designed to hide from enemies in case of war. It is absolutely impossible to understand this endless interweaving of tunnels, branches and stairs, where there are almost no escalators (not to mention elevators), without Ariadne’s thread.

The Paris Metro is the sixth largest in the world in terms of the number of passengers carried. It is one of the oldest metro systems in Europe, second only to London, Budapest and Glasgow.

By the way, the world’s first public transport route appeared in the capital of France. This happened on March 18, 1662, at the initiative of Blaise Pascal, multi-seat carriages appeared for the public.

Streets of Paris

However, getting around by land is even more difficult. Traffic jams seem to have no end! Paris has more Asians, African Americans, beggars, merry-go-rounds, traffic jams and queues than anywhere else in Europe.

The “Upper Labyrinth” attracts with architecture and legends. Within one block, Gothic is intertwined with Baroque, Empire and Art Nouveau, alongside wall paintings by contemporary graffiti artists. Antiquity, luxurious stucco molding, street art – these are not all the advantages of tall, stately buildings.

The streets of the French capital repeatedly bifurcate, forming acute-angled sections. The lanes are generally arbitrary, some of them just skirting around the buildings. Navigating in Paris for the untrained is not easy, even if you have a map in front of your eyes.

Speak French!

In general, at first glance, the people of France are indifferent to tourists. They are not very friendly (except for barkers in restaurants and shops) and do not know any foreign languages ​​at all. The local dislike of the British is understandable – it has historical roots.

It is surprisingly difficult to meet a local who speaks English better than a 5th grade student in a regular Russian school.

The authorities of one of the ten most popular cities on Earth do not consider it necessary to install English-language signs at every intersection. Or, for example, translate the rules for using the subway into English.

Where are more tourists?

The world’s largest treasury of arts, the Louvre was built in 1793 and is today the most visited museum in the world. It hosts over 5 million people annually. But the most visited place is Disneyland Paris, with an average of 12,5 million people visiting it per year.

Interesting facts about Paris (video) ↓

Madame and Monsieur, if you liked the article “Interesting facts about Paris”, share with your friends on social networks. 🙂 I wish you to definitely visit Paris, and if you were there – come back again!