Once visited never forgotten, Paris is an irresistible city of contrasts, a place where there is an almost perfect balance between the young and the old, the ancient and the modern. Although it is constantly reinvigorated, most of the buildings are between three hundred and six hundred years also and some are even older than that. And hopefully most of them will still be there for many hundreds of years to come.

Hotel de Sens, Marais area of Paris, France by Pline

The Marais area of Paris, with its narrow streets and Medieval and Renaissance architectural styles, is the city’s oldest quarter and dates from the 12th century. Although you might not think it now, it was called Marais as that is French for swamp which at one time it was. The quarter has been through many changes. Initially is was place favoured by royalty and the aristocracy, then following the French revolution it fell into ruin. It was never really revived until the 1960s, but since then it has become an important artistic and cultural centre of the city.

Reputedly the oldest stone house in Paris is Nicolas Flamel’s house in the rue Montmorency in the third arrondissement. Flamel has the reputation of being an alchemist, and according to an inscription outside the house was built in 1407. The ground floor of the house is now a restaurant called Auberge Nicolas Flamel.

The house of Nicolas Flamel, now a restaurant, in Paris, France by Thiebes

The oldest church in the city is the Église St-Germain des Prés. Built in the sixth century it was located just outside medieval Paris and was the church associated with the Abbey St-Germain des Prés, where the Neustria Merovingian kings were buried.

In stark contrast, Le Projet Triangle in the Porte de Versailles area is an example of modern Paris architecture. It has been designed so that it casts no shadow on adjacent buildings and resembles an extremely thin pyramid. Its construction will be completed in 2014 and with its fifty storeys it will be the first skyscraper to be built in Paris in the last thirty years.

A different way to arrive in Paris is to travel by bus. There are frequent buses to Paris directly from London and it is the cheapest way to get there. Alternatively you can go by train, which naturally is faster but is also much more expensive, but if you can possibly avoid it, don’t fly; Charles de Gaulle Airport has the reputation of being the most hated airport in the world.

Byline: This article has been written by Claire Chat a new Londoner, travel passionate and animal lover. She blogs about Pets and Travelling in Europe. If you want Claire to write you specific content, you can find email her here or contact her on Twitter (Claire_Chat).

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