By PETER ALLEN

Pride of place: The City of London came top of a French tourism report, ahead of long-term rival Paris


The two cities have been bitter rivals for years, arguing over which is the most beautiful, historic and tourist-friendly.

But finally, it seems, the French have conceded, penning a report into European destinations which names London as the best capital for its warm welcome of visitors from abroad.

Paris may pride itself on good Gallic cuisine, chic pavement cafes and superior sights, but officials responsible for selling France's attractions to the world admit that London often performs the best in these categories.

The British capital now has the bragging rights over five of Europe's top cities, with everything from its cuisine to its taxis considered the most impressive, along with national icons like Westminster Abbey and Trafalgar Square.

'Twenty Four Hours In A Tourist Capital' - a detailed report on Europe's six major capitals by the Paris-Ile de France Regional Tourism Committee (CRT) - puts London in first place.

It gave the city an impressive score of 82 out of 100 for the welcome it offers visitors from abroad.

Paris - officially the world's most popular tourist destination in terms of number of visitors - tied in second place on 79 with Amsterdam.


Losing out: Gay Paris fell short of London's high standards in terms of cuisine, attractions and public transport


Runner up: Amsterdam tied with Paris for second place in the survey of six of Europe's main capitals


Madrid and Rome both scored 76 per cent, while Berlin came in last with 74.
Undercover French investigators could barely fault what they found in England, although there was a minor complaint about the lack of foreign languages being spoken.


The survey, which graded 116 criteria ranging from sign posts at the airport to the quality of museums, found that very few people in London could respond to any other European language beyond English, least of all French.

Public transport in Paris is considered particularly poor, with tickets difficult to buy, and the Metro looking increasingly old and dirty.

Paris hotels - which have shot up in price in the decade or so since the introduction of the euro - were also found wanting, with a total mark of 74 per cent, compared to 89 per cent for London.

Conceding that Paris now has ground to make up on London, CRT boss Jean-Pierre Blat, said: 'The survey results reflect reality. Paris is a destination that knows how to welcome visitors, even though there are definite improvements to make.'

However, he suggested that the French were often the most critical of their own capital - a fact which might explain them marking Paris below London.

Drawing attention to London's only perceived fault, Mr Blat added: 'In Paris we speak English, Italian, and Spanish, while in London they only speak English.'

Notable disasters in the marking included just 15 per cent for Germany for the quality of sign posts at Berlin Tegel airport, where there is no tourist information centre at all.



Hotspot: Rome and Madrid came in joint fourth position in the survey by undercover French tourist, with Berlin lagging behind in sixth


source: dailymail