Over 70 of the French kings were buried in a basilica in this Paris suburb. Denis, who was the first bishop of Lutetia in the 3rd century, was beheaded at Montmartre. Legend has it that once decapitated, he picked up his head and walked into the villag e that was later named for him. Today 95,000 people -- a third of whom are immigrants -- live in the city, which is about six miles from Paris. Siemens, Panasonic and the company that builds high-speed trains (TGV) that connect French cities have factorie s here.

Built for the World Cup, Stade de France seats 80,000 fans and will be the home stadium for the French national team after the finals. Construction on the venue started in May 1995 and was completed in November 1997. The stadium is the biggest multifun ction Olympic-sized stadium in the world, according to FIFA, and is located about two miles from Paris.