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In this elaborate room decorated mainly in marble, a statue of Louis XIV, the creator of Versailles, stands centre stage, exuding regal splendour beneath the fine painted ceiling.

Louis XIV’s throne room is, naturally, one of the palace’s centrepieces, and features a suitably regal portrait of the 18th-century king. Dedicated to the god Apollo, it reflects the divine way in which the French monarchy saw themselves.

The Catalan painter (1904–89) came to Paris in 1929 and held his first Surrealist exhibition that year. He kept a studio in Montmartre, and his work is now celebrated in the Espace Montmartre Salvador Dalí.

Born in Ireland in 1906, the playwright lived in Paris from 1928 until his death in 1989.

The Irish-born Nobel prize-winning writer settled in Paris in 1937, having previously studied here. He died in 1989 and his gravestone is a simple slab, reflecting the writer’s enigmatic nature (see Samuel Beckett).

This old street market in avenue de Saxe is a little off the usual tourist track, but the view of the Eiffel Tower above the fruit and vegetable stalls is totally Parisian and will especially appeal to photographers.

Gustave Flaubert (1821–80) studied law in Paris but illness disrupted his chosen career and he devoted himself to literature. This work (L’ucation sentimentale in French), first published in 1870 in two volumes, stands alongside his greatest novel, Madame Bovary (1857), and marks the move from Romanticism to Realism in French literature.

This bookshop has played host to many celebrated writers including Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Gide and Stein.

The tranquil western tip of the Ile de la Cité, with its verdant chestnut trees, lies beneath the Pont Neuf – take the steps behind Henri IV’s statue. This king had a notoriously amorous nature and the name of this peaceful square recalls his nickname, meaning “old flirt”. From here there is a wonderful view of the Louvre (see Musée du Louvre) and the Right Bank. It is also the departure point for cruises on the Seine on Les Vedettes du Pont-Neuf (see Boat Tours).