About Paris
Paris is the capital of France and its most populous city, with a population of 2,175,601 (estimated population as of 2018) in more than 105 square kilometers (41 square miles).[1] Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of Europe's most important centers of finance, diplomacy, trade, fashion, gastronomy, science and art.
The city of Paris is the administrative center of the Paris Region, or Île-de-France region, with an estimated population of 12,174,880, or approximately 18 percent of the population of France (as of 2017).[2] The Paris Region had a GDP of €709 billion ($808 billion) in 2017.[3]
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Worldwide Cost of Living Survey in 2018, Paris was the second most expensive city in the world, ahead of Zurich, Hong Kong, Oslo and Geneva, and after Singapore.[4] Another source ranked Paris as the most expensive in 2018, on par with Singapore and Hong Kong.[5][6]
Paris is a major rail, highway and air transport hub served by two international airports: Paris–Charles de Gaulle (which is the second busiest airport in Europe) and Paris–Orly.[7][8]
The city's metro system, the Paris Metro, opened in 1900, serves 5.23 million passengers per day;[9] It is the second busiest metro system in Europe after the Moscow Metro. Gare du Nord is the 24th busiest train station in the world, but was also the busiest outside Japan, with 262 million passengers in 2015.[10]
Paris is particularly known for its museums and architectural landmarks: the Louvre received 2.8 million visitors in 2021, despite lengthy museum closures caused by the COVID-19 virus.[11]
The Musée d'Orsay, Musée Marmottan Monet, and Musée de l'Orangerie are known for their collections of French Impressionist art. The Pompidou Center's Musée National d'Art Moderne has the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe. Musée Rodin and Musée Picasso exhibit the works of two famous Parisians.