Mysteries inside Paris

“Charming, historic, romantic” are the words many tourists often use to describe Paris. The French capital has always been likened to a “shining beacon” attracting tourists from all over the world looking for a fun vacation. In July and August, the city is expected to be more bustling than ever when it hosts the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.

Paris has so many destinations for tourists to visit, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral or Notre Dame, where the past and present meet. In April 2019, the cathedral caught fire and is still undergoing restoration. This December, the cathedral will reopen to visitors. 2,000 sculptors, stonemasons, carpenters and artists have focused on restoring the cathedral to make this historic destination "look as close to how it looked before the fire as possible".

Paris's past is not only on the streets. Enter a seemingly ordinary building in the Montparnasse district and descend the stairs into the underground, and you will come to an equally famous icon: the Catacombs of Paris. Dubbed "the world of the dead in the heart of Paris," the catacombs are home to 6 million souls and are considered "one of the largest mass graves in the world."

“The people who lie here are all the people who have lived in Paris for the last 10 centuries,” tour guide Richard Quest and Joe Minihane, from the UK, told them as they walked past rows of skulls and bones neatly arranged on the walls. The site used to be a limestone quarry until the late 18th century, when Parisians were faced with the reality of overcrowding in cemeteries. The solution was to move the dead to specialized ossuaries, located in the city’s vast underground limestone mines.

Today, the underground catacombs occupy only a tiny fraction of the vast network of quarries that lie beneath the streets of Paris. They are so vast that it is believed they could hold the entire local population.

TourCatacombs under Parisis currently one of the most popular tours for international visitors because it brings many reflections on life. The trip reminds people to think about death as an obvious thing, the law of life. Everyone will die and will feel that death is no longer scary. "Everyone will come to that day", said Richard's tour guide.

Leaving the catacombs tour, visitors can regain their spirits by heading to the Boulevard de Clichy, whereMoulin Rouge, "the fairy cave in the heart of Paris nightlife". The birthplace of the famous can-can dance with high kicks, Moulin Rouge with its bright red windmills attracts more than 600,000 visitors each year.

Opened in 1889 by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidles, the venue is located in the Pigalle red-light district, on the Boulevard Clichy near Montmartre. Over its 120-year history, it has gone from cabaret to theatre, to cinema to cabaret.

Of course, no trip to Paris would be complete without spending time climbingEiffel TowerThe city's tallest building is a symbol not only of Paris but of France. And few people know it as well as tour guide Jose Ruiz Cobo, who has worked there for 21 years.

Cobo recommends climbing to the top of the tower early in the morning, when there are not many tourists, and visiting architect Gustav Eiffel's secret room at the top.

The French may be impatient, but when it comes to food, they are willing to put in a lot of time. They can wait in line, no matter how long, to buy their morning baguette. In 2022, UNESCO added the baguette to its cultural heritage list, recognizing its significance and importance to the French way of life.

Paris is also known as a culinary paradise with famous dishes such as foie gras, croissants and omelettes. According to 16-star Michelin chef Yannick Alleno, when training new chefs, omelettes are the most suitable dish to start them off with. Alleno's omelette recipe includes four eggs, milk and ground pepper. Before cooking over high heat, the chef needs to know how to shake the pan to ensure the eggs are cooked properly, the edges are never scorched or dry. Eggs are a simple dish, but "eat an omelette in Paris and you will dream of making it the same way when you go home," Alleno says.