London vs Paris — true size compared
London is about 14.91× the area of Paris — a difference of roughly 1,466.6 km² (566 sq mi). You could fit Paris inside London about 14 times.
Greater London spans 1,572 km² (607 sq mi) along the River Thames in southeast England.
The City of Paris is just 105.4 km² (40.7 sq mi) — one of the most compact major capitals in Europe.
Overlay London and Paris on the map →
Why maps make London and Paris look wrong
Almost every web map — Google Maps, Apple Maps, OpenStreetMap — uses the Mercator projection. Mercator preserves shape locally, but it stretches land the further you get from the equator. Greenland ends up looking bigger than Africa. Alaska rivals the contiguous US. That's why London and Paris can look similar on a world map even when one is many times larger. The only fair way to compare is to lift one outline off the map and drop it on top of the other at true scale.
Quick facts
- London: 1,572 km² · 607 sq mi
- Paris: 105.4 km² · 41 sq mi
- Ratio: London is 14.91× Paris
- Absolute difference: 1,466.6 km² (566 sq mi)
- Paris fits inside London ~14 times
Frequently asked
Is London bigger than Paris?
London is the bigger of the two, at 1,572 km² compared to 105.4 km² for Paris.
How many times does Paris fit inside London?
About 14 times — the exact ratio is 14.91×.
Why does the map exaggerate one of them?
Mercator projection. Places far from the equator get visually stretched. Overlay the two at true scale to see the honest comparison.