Paris & Ile-de-France, France — Bella Via Travels
France
Paris & Ile-de-France
The city that needs no introduction
Paris is the city that everyone thinks they know — and the city that surprises everyone who takes the time to look beyond the obvious.
The Marais is the Paris that most visitors discover first and return to most often: the Place des Vosges, the Musee Picasso, the Jewish quarter of the Rue des Rosiers, the galleries of the Rue de Bretagne. The 11th arrondissement to the east has the best restaurants in the city and the most interesting food market, the Marche d'Aligre.
Saint-Germain-des-Pres is the Paris of the literary imagination — the Cafe de Flore, the Brasserie Lipp, the bookshops of the Rue de l'Odeon. The Palais Royal, a few minutes' walk to the north, is one of the most beautiful and least-visited spaces in the city: a garden surrounded by arcades of antique dealers, restaurants and the Comedie-Francaise.
Beyond the peripherique, the Ile-de-France holds Versailles, Fontainebleau and the cathedral of Chartres — three of the greatest monuments in France, each within an hour of the city centre. Bella Via designs Paris itineraries that combine the city with the region, and that find the version of Paris that suits you.
“Paris is best understood on foot, with no particular destination and a willingness to follow a street wherever it leads.”
What to Expect
The Bella Via Experience in Paris & Ile-de-France
The Marais
The most rewarding arrondissement in Paris — the Place des Vosges, the Musee Picasso, the Jewish quarter and the best galleries in the city.
The Palais Royal
A garden surrounded by arcades of antique dealers and restaurants — one of the most beautiful and least-visited spaces in Paris.
Versailles
The palace and gardens of Louis XIV — best visited on a weekday morning in spring or autumn, when the crowds are manageable and the gardens are at their finest.
Chartres Cathedral
The finest Gothic cathedral in France — an hour from Paris by train, with stained glass that has not been equalled in eight centuries.
Paris rewards those who resist the temptation to see everything and instead find the version of the city that is theirs. We will help you do exactly that.