Ile de France

Paris is the heart of Ile de France and although a bustling city is surrounded agricultural land, forests and parks. Due to the proximity to the capital the French Court of many years ago, encouraged the building of beautiful chateaux. Ile de France, meaning Island of France, is so-called because it is in the middle of the Rivers Aube, Marne, Oise and Seine

Departments and Main Towns

Departments: Paris (75), Seine-et-Marne (77), Yvelines (78), Essonne (91), Hauts-de-Seine (92), Seine-Saint-Denis(93), Val-de-Marne (94), Val-d’Oise (95)

Capital - well Paris of course! The Paris suburbs (banlieue) include Neuilly and Saint Cloud which are to the north of Paris and are smart expensive areas. Paris is separated into 20 arrondissements,

Main Towns - Bobigny, Creteil, Cergy-Pontoise. Evry, Melun, Nanterre,Versailles,

"Royal Towns": Fontainebleau, Rambouillet and Vaux-Le-Vicomte,

Transport

Four RER (Réseau Express Régional) high speed suburban railway lines connect Paris and the Ile-de-France suburbs and commuter belt with the métro via major stations.

Driving in Paris - Click here Using the Metro - Click here

Cheese

Brie - is from an area partly in Ile-de-France and partly in Champagne. The soft creamy and delicious cheese dates back to the fifteenth century. Well known Ile de France Bries are Brie de Meaus, Brie de Melun and Coulommiers

Specialities

The food of the area is classic French, delicious and with the appeal of both good presentation and taste.

Soufflés could be considered a typical regional dish. They can be either sweet or savoury. They can be tricky to make as much depends on oven temperature, preparation and cooking time. Basically a creamy base - created from egg yolks and whatever addition, seasoning or flavouring necessary and this is combined carefully with whipped egg whites.

The classic Soupe a l’Onion - is from this region. This is a clear onion soup made from onions and beef stock served with croutons and cheese plus of course seasoning. This is traditionally served in the early hours of the morning to revive night time revellers at parties or celebrations such as Weddings and New Year's Eve throughout France.

Attractions

Disney Land Paris Take a "virtual visit" by going to http://www.disneylandparis.com

Tour Eifel -Quite a climb up but you can make a "virtual visit" by going to http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/ which is the official website for the Eifel Tower

Versailles