Michelle's Family in beautiful Paris!

Paris Overview
Few places are as mythologized as the French capital. No surprise then that more visitors choose a Paris vacation each year over any other city worldwide. Paris travel lives up to many of its mythological qualities. With its graceful boulevards and bridges, tree-shaded pavement cafes and accordions squeezing out timeless tunes on street corners, you'll have barely begun your Paris vacation before you'll see why it's known as the city of romance. A Paris vacation also lives up to its reputation for providing experiences of fine dining, fashion and art with household-name chefs, legendary labels and momentous museums.But other myths are way off the mark. In particular, Parisians are only too willing to speak English (or give it their best shot) if you start the conversation in the local language. Just a few basics—“bonjour” (hello), “s'il vous plait” (please), “merci” (thanks), or even just “parlez-vous anglais?” (do you speak English?)—will be hugely appreciated, and will make a sizeable difference in your Paris vacation. In the City of Light—a name Paris earned during the age of the Enlightenment—you will find countless spots to appreciate the wonder of your surroundings. Paris travel isn't complete without a trip to the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe or Notre Dame, all providing stunning and romantic views of the magnificent city. Setting Paris apart from other world cities are the foresighted planning laws that have spared it from becoming a concrete jungle, preserving its classical low-rise architecture, fountain- and pond-filled parks and hidden leafy squares. Also setting it apart is its compactness. Within its ring road, Paris’s 20 inner-city arrondissements (administrative jurisdictions) span less than six miles north-south by under seven miles east-west. Overlapping these, its village-like neighborhoods—home to some 2.2 million people—are easy to cover on foot, bicycle or metro. Anyone visiting Paris for the first time (or wanting to rediscover the magic of Paris) should definitely board a river cruise. If you just want to sit back and watch the scenery glide past, try the venerable Bateaux Mouches. To visit Paris landmarks along the way, hop on and off the Batobus, which shuttles between eight Seine-side attractions including the Eiffel Tower, Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre and Notre Dame. Boats run during the daytime and throughout the evening, but try to time at least part of your trip for sunset, when Paris is at its most romantic.