With its tall tower and long river, Paris is my dream destinationEiffel and Seine major attractions

Unlike in many American cities, height restrictions prevent very tall buildings in Paris, where the Eiffel Tower dominates the skyline.

By STEPHEN DARLINGTON

BHSB Journalism Student
       

The French capital of Paris is a major European city and a global center for art, fashion, food and culture. It is also my dream destination – not least because some nice people live there.
    
Wide boulevards and the River Seine criss-cross Paris's 19th-century cityscape.

Construction of Notre Dame Cathedral
spanned from 1200 to 1345

The city is known for landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the 12th century, gothic Notre Dame Cathedral. It is also known for its cafés, culture and designer boutiques along the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

The places I would want to visit when I get older are the Eiffel Tower, because it is tall, and the River Seine, because it is long.

The Eiffel Tower is 324 meters high. At 777-kilometers long, the Seine is an important commercial waterway within the Paris basin in the north of France.

My visit to Paris would cost me at least $30,000. This would include payment for the airfare, the hotels and food and spending money. When I save enough money (because where else would you get it?), I will take my mother, brother, niece and grandmother. I will also take my friends.

The Mona Lisa hangs in the Louvre

I will stay there for a month or two, and – besides seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Seine –  I will visit Notre Dame, the Louvre (where the world's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, hangs), the Arc de Triomphe and Versailles, the former king’s palace.

I will also go to the beaches alongside the river, just outside the city.

The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice on the Champ de (field of) Mars. It is named for the engineer, Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.

The Arc de Triomphe (Triumphal Arch)
honors those who died for France in
the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars

Another famous monument in Paris is the Arc de Triomphe (Triumphal Arch). It stands at the western end of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle (he was a famous French leader).

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a boulevard in the 8th Arrondissement (district) of Paris. It is 19 kilometers long and 70 meters wide, running between the Place de la Concorde and the Place Charles de Gaulle, where the Arc de Triomphe is located.

Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles is near Paris. It is the central part of a complex that housed the French government, most notably its royalty, during the reigns of Louis XIV (France’s famed “Sun King”) Louis XV and Louis XVI. After the French Revolution in 1789, it ceased to be a permanent royal residence.

The glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre,
where visitors can see the Mona Lisa

The Musée du Louvre (known simply as The Louvre) is the world’s largest museum. A central landmark of the city, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st Arrondissement. It was also once a palace for French kings.

Stephen Darlington is 14 years of age. Originally from Jamaica, he is a dedicated student who has proven himself to be a focused researcher in his bid to expand his knowledge of cultures from all around the world. Click here to also read his touching story about why he intends to become a doctor.