London more attractive city to visitors than Paris, say the French

London, Nov 19 (ANI): The French have conceded that London is better than Paris, says a new tourism survey.

Officials responsible for selling Gallic attractions to the world admit that visitors would be better off crossing the Channel to the English capital.

This is despite decades of Anglo-French rivalry, with Parisians regularly boasting that nothing beats their restaurants, pavement cafes and tourist destinations like the Eiffel Tower.

London now has the bragging rights over five of Europe's capitals, 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, reports Daily Mail.

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.

Madrid and Rome both scored 76 per cent, while Berlin came in last with 74.

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. (ANI)