Paris- Ile-de-France

In this case the word "Ile" (Fr. island) can be translated from Latin as heart or center. "Paris is all you want" - this phrase of Frederick Chopin still remains true! Narrow Medieval streets and grand boulevards, luxurious restaurants and bistros, famous monuments and ultra-modern trading centers, opera houses and jazz cellars saturated with smoke - no matter what kind of Paris you are looking for, you can not fail to feel its specific atmosphere.

Every year about 20 million tourists come here - such is the attractiveness of this city with 2,000 years' history. The original center of city development was the Island of Cite - the place of settling of ancient Celtic tribes. Now it serves as the meeting place for the tourists that come to see Paris. It has very few bistros and restaurants, but a great number of gift shops. It is also home for such world-famous sights as Notre-Dame de Paris and Sainte-Chapelle.

Paris is also a pilgrimage of gourmets, where even the wide-spread system of fast food joints could never change the traditions. Apart from the multitude of richly decorated 3-stars restaurants, some of which can boast of legendary fame, this capital also has a great number of small restaurants that serve most exquisite dishes.

Entertainment: There is hardly another city in Europe that can offer so much of it as Paris does: opera houses and drama theatres, variety performances, concert halls, cinemas and cabarets, dancing bars and night clubs. Most of these are concentrated in the three centers: Montparnasse, Saint Germain des Pres and Monmartre.

Shopping in Paris is nothing but pure pleasure. Without doubt, Paris is a real Eldorado for those who are looking for something special and are ready to pay whatever it costs. The most fashionable and expensive shops are located on the Faubourg-Saint-Honore, occupied by trendsetters of classical Paris fashion. Shops that offer novelties of clothing design can be found in the Les Halles quarter - the place of settlement of couturiers that represent innovative trends.

Not far from Paris there are beautiful forests. Just several minutes - and the Cathedral in Chartres appears before you in all its magnitude. This charming town is the home for the studio of artist Patrick Lepage, who will be happy to show you his admirable glassware. To the west from Paris lies the Loire Valley with its magnificent castles.

Historic Monuments:
La Tour Eiffel, Notre-Dame de Paris, Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, Mairie de Paris, the Opera Garnier, Basilique du Sacre Coeur, the Louvre Museum, Musee d'Orsay, the Georges Pompidou Center, the Picasso Museum, the Cluny Museum (and the famous de la Dame a la Licorne tapestries), the Grevin Wax Museum, the Museum of Wine.

Paris the Luxurious:
Avenue Montaigne - Dior, Chanel, Lacroix; Avenue Marceau - Saint Laurent, Vuitton; Place Vendome - Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels; Rue du Faubourg St Honore - Hermes, Lagerfeld.

Outside Paris:
Versailles and its gardens, the Vaux-le-Vicomte palace, the Fontainbleau Palace and forests, the Chartres Cathedral.

Cuisine:
The famous restaurants: Alain Ducasse, Guy Savoy, le Jules Verne, l'Espadon, l'Ambroisie, la Tour d'Argent, Lucas Carton, Pierre Gagnaire, Maxim's

Traditional and Regional Cuisine:
Marius et Jeanette, Nos Ancetres les Gaulois

Outside Paris:
Hostellerie du Bas Breau in Barbizon, l'Aigle Noir in Fontainebleau, le Bourgeois Gentilhomme and le Grill des Barbares in Senlis, le Cheval Blanc in Sept Saulx.

The Vincennes Zoo, the Paris Circus, Jardin des Plantes (botanic gardens), the La Villette Center of Science and Industry, the Asterix Park and Disneyland.

Go to the top of Arc de Triomphe, enjoy the wonderful view, then go down the Champs Elysees, stop at La Tour Eiffel, drop in at the Louvre and the Tuileries, pay a visit to the quarter of Notre-Dame de Paris - see the temple, the island of St Louis and take a rest at one of Paris cafes, watching passers-by the way Parisians do.

Guided Tours:
Paris (4 or 8 hours), Versailles (4 hours), Vaux-le-Vicomte and Versailles (8 hours), Chantilly and Senlis (8 hours).

Romantic Stroll:
Take a stroll along the Seine embankment and have dinner on the Bateau-Mouches riverboat.

Romantic Gardens:
Bois de Vincennes, its lakes and the Buddhist temple; rows in the Bois de Boulogne, the Buttes Chaumont Park, the Montsouris Park, the Monceau Park and the Luxembourg Gardens.

Canals of Paris:
Saint Denis, Saint Martin and Ourcq. Candlelight dinner in the Esclimont castle, with a stroll in the park of 120 acres.

Paris and its region is an excellent place for conducting seminars in the atmosphere that goes beyond the common limits, which allows one to use the art of living a la francaise to the full measure. We can offer you fully equipped offices, conference halls and hotels that meet all your requirements.

Golf in Chantilly,the Polo Club in Chantilly, bicycle rides around Paris, horse riding, the Acqua Boulevard center of water entertainment.