You may regard Paris as a tourist's city. Somewhere you love to visit for a romantic weekend away but not somewhere to up sticks and move to permanently. It's sometimes hard to believe that ordinary people are living and working in Paris, but if you are going to make the French capital your home you will need to look past all the tourist attractions and into the heart of Parisian life, which is more colourful and enchanting than anything you will find in a guide book. Your days probably won't be spent taking leisurely walks along the Seine, but it's the little things that make living in Paris such fun, like the smell of bakeries that linger in the air and the fact that you will never have far to travel to get your daily dose of pain au chocolat. "I love everyday life in Paris", says Gemma Frier, who relocated from Brighton to Saint-Germain two years ago. "In Paris, people drop by and have a bite to eat, I can take my dog to the office, and I walk to work. I love living there"

Paris – considered by many as the most glamorous city in Europe – is an enticing mix of the traditional and the cosmopolitan. It still attracts creative types – writers, actors and artists – and the city is a great place to enjoy not only haute couture and gourmet cuisine, but to experience the throbbing nightlife and intense cultural aspects the city has to offer. Paris is divided into 20 different neighbourhoods called arrondissements. The suburbs are called the banlieue, they are generally more peaceful than the city, and those to the west of Paris – Neuilly, Boulogne, Saint Cloud and Levallois – are the most sought-after from a residential perspective.

There are very few townhouses in Paris and they therefore sell or rent at a premium. Most habitable property is made up of apartments situated in 19th-century apartment buildings. Yet property and living in Paris doesn't come cheap, of course, although if you're prepared to buy a new one-bedroom apartment in an up-and-coming area you still might get change from a £100,000 budget. At least getting too and from your property shouldn't be too much of a problem. Paris boasts two major international airports, offering flights to some 134 countries. The high-speed TGV passenger trains connect Paris with hundreds of destinations throughout France and Europe. More importantly, London can be reached in just over two and a half hours by Eurostar.

The city is very well-serviced by public transport. The metro system is fast and inexpensive, and the bus system – once you have got the hang of the bus routes – is convenient. Unless you plan to be living in the suburbs it's entirely possible to get around Paris without owning a car. So Paris will retain its charm and beauty for years to come. Gay Paris here we come...

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Read articles about other French cities:
Discovering Aix-en-Provence
Falling in love with Dijon

Article published in August 2007