City Info
France | Paris

Paris is the capital of France and the country’s largest city with over 2.1 million inhabitants, known as Parisiens. Situated on the river Seine, Paris includes two islands, the Île Saint-Louis and the larger Île de la Cité, and is surrounded by two large parks, the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes, which are ideal for weekend visits during your internship. The Seine was the most important factor in the development and growth of the city and splits the city into two unequal banks. On the northern Right Bank (rive droite), a densely populated and modern area of the city, you will find numerous important trade and financial centres. The southern Left Bank (rive gauche) is seen as the romantic and intellectual district, especially the Latin Quarter, which has become a highly popular residential area.

Paris is the most popular tourist destination in the world, with 45 million visitors every year. It’s history spans more than 2500 years and as a visitor here you will never run out of places to see and explore – the city boasts some of the world’s most famous landmarks, notably the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame cathedral and the Arc de Triomphe. The so-called “historical axis” is a line of monuments that run in a roughly straight line from the city-centre westwards. Beginning with the Louvre, it continues through the 16th century Tuileries Gardens and on to the Champs-Élysées, a beautiful major shopping street which connects the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde – site of the guillotine during the French Revolution. Paris is also packed full of museums and art galleries, of which the Louvre and Georges Pompidou Centre are the most well-known, as well a whole host of theatres and opera houses. The hill of Montmartre is also a must-see – a historic area, home to the Sacré Coeur Basilica and many cafés and arty shops. The city is a leading business and cultural centre, and has the largest purpose-built business district in Europe, La Défense, which hosts a large variety of businesses and international organisations. The Paris urban area has an extremely diverse business activity, although it has recently been shifting towards high-value-added service industries such as finance and I.T. and high-tech manufacturing, for example electronics and aerospace. In Paris, you will get up-close and personal with the hustle and bustle of urban life, and a trip on the Paris Metro is certainly an unforgettable experience. During your internship you will have the opportunity to experience all this for yourself. A more exciting destination for your internship, it would be impossible to find!