Just 26km to the northeast of Paris, join the well-signposted and impeccably maintained A1 Motorway to reach La Ville Lumière (so nicknamed because it was one of Europe’s first cities to adopt street lighting) in under 50 minutes. The piercing Eiffel Tower, celebratory Arc de Triomphe and imposing turrets of Notre Dame Cathedral dominate the city’s striking skyline.

The capital’s roots can be traced back to 250 BC, when the Celtic Parisii tribe settled on the Île de la Cité, one of the islands in the Seine. The city went on to birth Gothic architecture, and was the throne of the Enlightenment’s intellectual boom in the 18th century. It was in the 19th-century Napoleonic era that many of Paris’ signature monuments and boulevards were established.

A hub of world-famous museums and galleries—ranging from the 18th-century Musée du Louvre and Musée d'Orsay to the modernist Centre Georges Pompidou—Paris is not short on culture. Among its 20 arrondissements—of which bohemian Montmartre and the brainy Quartier Latin are popular stop-offs—Paris is revered for its chic fashion, romantic architecture and, of course, incredible food. Indulge in the lofty designer boutiques sprinkled along the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, chased with a meal at one of the French capital’s more than 70 Michelin-starred restaurants.

Interested in exploring more historic architecture? Half an hour from Charles de Gaulle Airport, skirting Paris’ periphery, the medieval Basilique Cathédral de Saint-Denis is one of the oldest examples of Gothic architecture, completed in 1144. Further-flung sights include the grandiose Palace of Versailles and the tranquil town of Giverny, whose gardens were Claude Monet’s muse.

Leave behind the bright lights of the city and voyage into the charming Oise-Pays de France. The park offers around 150,000 acres of verdant hiking turf. Oenophiles will appreciate the rolling vineyards of Champagne an hour’s drive from the capital.

A multitude of stunning north French communes, coastal villages and mountainous regions are within striking distance when you hire a car with Avis from Charles de Gaulle Airport. Don’t miss Normandy’s cobble-paved capital Rouen or harbourside Le Havre.