Few cities have inspired so many books as Paris, France. Renowned writers such as Victor Hugo, Marcel Proust, Gertrude Stein, and Ernest Hemingway all penned prose in the City of Light.

Before you visit Paris, I highly recommend reading books about the city that are not travel guides (which are fine, too), but memoirs and essays to help give you a sense of what it’s like to be there. (I’m partial to nonfiction in general, but might publish a post about fiction to read before visiting Paris…if I ever actually read any).