So often we travelers only hang out in the historic old quarters of Europe’s great cities. Join me today in this little clip from my TV show to see the contemporary side of Paris. We’ll visit La Défense, a forest of skyscrapers nicknamed Paris’s “petit Manhattan.”
Watch my complete TV episode about life and art in Paris for free on our website.
Old timers remember Les Halles as Paris’ gigantic central produce market. Demolished in the 1970s, it was replaced with an underground shopping mall. And for a generation it’s been a mess. But now the complex is being transformed into a modern underground shopping center and a huge city park — all sitting atop a massive underground transportation hub. Here’s a peek at the latest (complete with my horrible French pronunciation):
This is Day 32 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.
Brows are it! I’m in my favorite European city researching our Paris guidebook with co-author Steve Smith, and I’m feeling a bit amused by the très chic dimensions of this city. If you happily waited half an hour in line for “the cupcake to die for” when that was the craze, you’ll love the many new fads here in Paris. Here’s my favorite — the notion that my eyebrows need rearranging. But apart from that, I’m loving Paris.
This is Day 31 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.
The Paris Ferris Wheel offers a 200-feet-high view of the City of Light from its location at the bottom of the Champs-Elysées. This transportable wheel (with 11,000 gallons of water in its footings for ballast) has traveled the world, and has a permanent-for-now home on the Place de la Concorde, next to the Tuileries Garden and the Louvre (open long hours daily, €12 for two slow revolutions). Ride with me to get a peek at the amazing view from the top.
This is Day 30 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.
From time to time we share a random video clip to fuel your travel dreams. Join us today as we visit Versailles and explore how, with ever more power and wealth, France’s ruling elite became dangerously out of touch from the grinding reality of people’s daily lives.
Watch my complete TV episode about side trips from Paris on our website.