Paris: What to see: Paris is undoubtedly a city that captivates at first sight. The French capital is magnificent in all seasons and at any time of day. The inviting aroma of freshly baked baguettes in the numerous boulangeries, strolls along the Seine, the artists of Montmartre, the vibrant nightlife, the cafés and restaurants of the city center: Paris is a multi-ethnic metropolis with many facets, capable of satisfying the most diverse tastes: it certainly won't disappoint!
Paris what to see
Central Paris can be divided into two macro-areas: the Rive Droite (Right Bank) and the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) with respect to the course of the Seine. The city is also divided into 20 districts ( arrondissements ) that begin in the center and branch out clockwise. Traveling from one area to another is easy and convenient, as each neighborhood is served by a dense network of subways and trains that allow you to reach every corner of Paris.
Find out HOW TO GET TO PARIS .
A single post wouldn't be enough to list all the beautiful things to see in Paris: Below I've selected the most significant places that a tourist shouldn't miss during their stay in the French capital.
The Louvre Museum
The Louvre , established in 1793 and located in the 1st arrondissement , is undoubtedly one of the most famous museums in the world: among its 380,000 works of art are Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Venus of the Rocks, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo. The museum houses collections of Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Arab, and Western art dating back to 1848 (the Musée d'Orsay, on the other hand, showcases modern art), assembled by French governments over the centuries: the exhibition is so vast that a whole day is not enough to see it all.
Palais du Louvre square stands the large 21-meter-high glass pyramid, which is also the museum's main entrance. There are also other less crowded entrances to the pyramid: the Galerie du Carousel (which can be accessed directly from the metro station), the Passage Richelieu , and the Lions' Gate .
For information: http://www.louvre.fr/
Opening hours: Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
. Wednesday and Friday: 9:00 am to 9:45 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.
Admission: 12-16 euros.
Jardin des Tuileries
The Tuileries Garden , located between the Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel (opposite the entrance to the Louvre) and the Place de la Concorde , is the oldest and most visited garden in Paris. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a magnificent French-style garden, square and geometric, designed in the 17th century by the architect André Le Notre, commissioned by Catherine de' Medici. The garden features a pond and a Ferris wheel.
The Pompidou Centre
A few steps from the Louvre Museum stands the Centre National d'Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou (also known as the Centre Beaubourg), designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano in 1977.
This area relaunched Paris as the capital of French modernity. The Centre Pompidou is an imposing and colorful steel structure. On the ground floor, the Forum du Centre Pompidou , an open space hosting temporary exhibitions, is housed, while the remaining floors house the Bibliothèque Publique d'Information , a large public library, the Centre d'Design Industriale , and the Musée National d'Art Moderne (MNAM).
Marais – The Bastille
The Marais is a neighborhood on the Right Bank located north of the Île Saint-Louis , within the third and fourth arrondissements. It is one of the central and historic districts of Paris: some of the city's oldest streets and buildings, dating back to the pre-Revolutionary era, are located here. Originally a wealthy neighborhood, this area was reclaimed by bohemians after the Revolution: today, Le Marais is full of museums, cafés, bakeries, and bars.
Between the 11th and 12th Arrondissements lies the La Bastille , home to the famous fortress-prison, a symbol of the French Revolution. It was stormed and destroyed by the revolutionaries on July 14, 1789, and today only a few traces of the perimeter remain. At the center of the square stands the July Column , commemorating the martyrs of the revolutions of 1830 and 1848. Today, Place de la Bastille is a lively neighborhood full of nightlife venues.
Noteworthy are the Musée Picasso and the Opéra Bastille , the second most important Parisian opera house, inaugurated on 14 July 1989 on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille.
City Island
Ile de la Cité is the name of the island that rises on the Seine in the center of Paris: it represents both the geographical and historical center, as it was here that the first settlement that gave rise to the current metropolis arose. The island is connected to both banks by nine bridges, the most famous of which is the Pont Neuf . Ile de la Cité is home to some of the city's main monuments, such as Notre-Dame Cathedral , the Sainte Chapelle , and the Conciergerie , the former royal palace transformed into a prison where enemies of the revolution (including Marie Antoinette) were incarcerated.
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris , known throughout the world thanks to Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, is the city's most visited monument and one of the most famous symbols of the French capital. Built between 1160 and 1345, the cathedral represents the quintessential example of French Gothic architecture. From its summit, you can admire the French capital from different perspectives, similar to climbing the Eiffel Tower .
Also on the Ile de la Cité is the Sainte Chapelle : in full French Gothic style, it was built by King Louis IX in the 13th century as a reliquary to house Jesus' crown of thorns.
The church's peculiarity is a unique complex of fifteen finely colored stained-glass windows and a large rose window that create wonderful plays of light.
The Île de la Cité is also connected to the Île Saint-Louis . While the Île de la Cité is characterized by squares, monuments, and historic sites, the Île Saint-Louis is rather quiet and more suitable for a romantic stroll: you can stop on the benches along the Seine or retreat to one of the many cafés. It's also possible to take a sightseeing tour of the Île de la Cité and the Seine aboard the typical Bateaux Parisiens .
The Latin Quarter
The Latin Quarter is located in the 5th Arrondissement , on the Left Bank , and is one of the most famous and picturesque neighborhoods in the city: its name derives from the fact that, before the French Revolution, all communication between professors and students took place in Latin. The Latin Quarter has in fact been Paris's student district since the 12th century, when Sorbonne University Among its multitude of alleys and small squares you can find numerous cafes, small shops and vintage bookshops. If you happen to be there in the evening, don't miss the opportunity to dine in one of the many ethnic restaurants (Greek, Moroccan or Italian).
The neighborhood is concentrated between the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Jardin des Plantes , a botanical garden established in 1926 as a reserve of medicinal plants.
Attractions in the Latin Quarter include the Musée National du Moyen Age , the Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle, the Institut du Monde Arabe , and the imposing Panthéon , a jewel of neoclassical architecture.
Saint Germain and Montparnasse
The Saint-Germain-des-Prés ( 6th arrondissement ) has a series of small streets, lined with bars, that are very lively and crowded in the evening. Here you'll find the church of Saint-Germain des Prés , the oldest in Paris, built in the 11th century, and the Eglise Saint-Sulpice Jardin du Luxembourg is also not to be missed .
Numerous nonconformist intellectuals gathered in the historic cafés of Saint-Germain during the occupation and again after the war. Although today numerous clothing and luxury shops have replaced the bookshops and cultural institutions, the old cafés that hosted artists still remain, evoking the atmosphere of the past.
Montparnasse neighborhood , a little further south, you can visit the Cemetery , where artists such as Baudelaire, Simonne de Beauvoir, Guy de Maupassant, Serge Gainsbourg, and Philippe Noiret are buried. The name Montparnasse (Mount Parnassus) derives from the fact that a small hill once stood between Boulevard Montparnasse and Boulevard Raspail, formed by waste from the limestone quarries that once existed in the area.
The Catacombs of Paris are also open to the public. They began as an underground ossuary, built towards the end of the 18th century to deal with the spread of epidemics caused by overcrowding in some cemeteries. They consist of a path approximately 1.7 km long that winds 20 meters underground, and inside they preserve the remains of approximately 6 million people. The entrance is located at 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy .
Hours: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. Closed on Mondays.
Admission: €10.00.
Montparnasse neighborhood , once the heart of Parisian cultural life, underwent a series of urban transformations in the 1970s and 1980s that changed its face and made what was once an artists' neighborhood unrecognizable. A symbol of this transformation is the Montparnasse Tower : with 56 floors and a height of 196 meters, this skyscraper offers the most expansive panoramic view of the city of Paris. From the terrace on the top floor, you can enjoy a 360° view, ideal for taking excellent photographs of the Paris skyline.
Opening hours: 9:30 am to 10:30 pm.
Admission: €15.50.
The Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay Faubourg Saint-Germain district ( 7th arrondissement ), displays a rich collection of paintings, sculptures and art objects created between 1840 and 1914 and houses the best artistic production of the Impressionists : Manet, Pissarro, Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin etc.
Another peculiarity of the museum is the fact that it was set up inside an old railway station from 1900, of which the structure and the clock are still clearly visible.
Opening hours: open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm.
Entrance fee: 11.00 euros.
The Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides
The Eiffel Tower is undoubtedly the most famous monument in Paris, visited by millions of tourists every year. If you come to Paris, you can't forget to see it!
Built as a temporary structure for the 1889 World's Fair and designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower is an enormous iron structure that dominates the city from a height of 324 meters. It consists of three floors accessible by elevator or on foot via stairs, and houses souvenir shops, exhibition spaces, and the Jules Verne restaurant .
From the summit terrace, accessible by elevator, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the entire city, as well as enjoy a delicious romantic dinner. In the evening, the tower is illuminated by 20,000 lights, offering an unmissable and unique spectacle: what's more, for the first five minutes of every hour, the tower sparkles.
To avoid the queue at the ticket office, we recommend purchasing your ticket online . However, do so a few months in advance, as tickets sell out quickly.
Opening hours: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Admission: €15.50
A short distance from the Eiffel Tower is the monumental complex of Les Invalides ( L'Hôtel National des Invalides ), a vast Baroque architectural complex built in the 17th century to house and care for war invalids. Today it houses the Army Museum , one of the largest in the world, which houses weapons and armor from around the world, original documents, and an exhibition dedicated to the Second World War. At the center, the Eglise du Dôme Napoleon's tomb in its circular crypt .
Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Admission: €9.50.
Palais de Chaillot or Trocadéro
The Palais de Chaillot , also called the Trocadero , is located on the Chaillot hill opposite the Eiffel Tower. The palace's distinctive feature is its two curved wings surrounding a large central terrace offering a splendid view of the Eiffel Tower . The building is lined with statues by Paul Belmondo, Léon-Ernest Drivier, and Marcel Gimond. The Trocadero houses a theater and several museums.
The Champs-Elysées
The Champs Elysées , the busiest avenue in Paris, represents the Paris of fashion and shopping: along the avenue are the boutiques of the most prestigious French and international designers (Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Dior and many others) as well as cinemas, theaters, restaurants and nightclubs. The Champs Elysées are especially wonderful in the evening and during holidays when flags and lights are displayed. This avenue, more than 2 km long, connects Place de la Concorde to Place Charles de Gaulle , at the center of which stands the famous Arc de Triomphe , built by order of Napoleon.
Place Vendome
Place Vendome , one of the most beautiful and famous squares in Paris, was created between the late 17th and early 18th centuries at the behest of Louis XIV. The octagonal square is located north of the Tuileries .
The square is a favorite destination for shopping enthusiasts: among the elegant buildings surrounding it are banks, jewelry stores, and numerous boutiques, including the Parisian headquarters of the Maison Valentino Ministry of Justice and the historic Ritz Hotel are also located here , hosting numerous dignitaries visiting Paris.
At the center of the square stands a bronze column approximately 44 meters high, built at the behest of Napoleon and dedicated to the victory at the Battle of Austerlitz . The spiral of the bronze column is decorated with 66 bronze reliefs commemorating the triumphs of Napoleon's army. Inside, a spiral staircase rises to the top, where a statue of Napoleon in imperial regalia stands.
Montmartre and Pigalle
Montmartre and Pigalle are two neighboring neighborhoods. The former, located near the Absesses , is an artists' neighborhood that lies at the foot of the Basilique du Sacré Coeur , built between 1873 and 1919 on the top of Montmartre hill. The latter is known as a red-light district and a hub for nightlife: visit Place du Tertre and Place Pigalle , the area of the Moulin Rouge and Moulin de la Galette , where nightlife is guaranteed.
The Sacré-Coeur Basilica , located at the top of Montmartre, is one of the city's symbols and one of the highest points: from its steps, you can admire all of Paris at your feet! The basilica can be reached by climbing a long staircase (230 steps), or by a convenient funicular, which takes you to the top in just a few seconds. Admission to the basilica is free, while access to the dome is located outside the church on the left: from its summit, you can enjoy a 360-degree view of Paris. Admission costs 5 euros.
Another place worth visiting in Montmartre is the Artists' Square, where painters and portraitists are always at work. Many famous artists have passed through this neighborhood's history, including Toulouse-Lautrec, Pisarro, Van Gogh, Utrillo, Modigliani, and Picasso. In Place des Absesses, don't miss the I Love You Wall (" Le mur des je t'aime "), a work of art composed of 612 blue tiles measuring 21 cm by 29 cm, each with the words "I Love You" written in 311 different languages, covering a 10-meter by 4-meter wall.
The Père – Lachaise cemetery
Père-Lachaise Cemetery is the largest and best-known cemetery in Paris. Located in eastern Paris, it is famous for housing the graves of many famous figures, such as Balzac, Oscar Wilde, Delacroix, Modigliani, Jim Morrison, and Chopin. Specifically, Jim Morrison's grave is in sector 6, Oscar Wilde's in sector 89, and Balzac's in sector 48.
Bois de Boulogne
To the west of Paris, in the 16th arrondissement , lies the Bois de Boulogne , an immense green area of 845 hectares commissioned by Baron Haussmann in the 19th century, today one of the largest and most popular parks in Paris, located in the western part of the city, near the suburbs of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine .
The forest was once a hunting reserve for the Kings of France, but today it is the ideal place to relax and enjoy outdoor activities: there are two connected lakes where you can go rowing, a racecourse, an adventure park for children, and a botanical garden.
La Defense
The Arc de La Défense is a modern monument located in the La Défense , on the western extension of the historic axis of Paris that runs from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe. A modern and futuristic monument, the Arc de Triomphe is a 110-meter-high cube, hollowed out in the center and covered in glass and white Carrara marble. The hollow space within is so large it could contain Notre Dame Cathedral, and its roof weighs approximately 30,000 tons.
The Arche de la Défense was designed by the Danish architect Johann Otto von Spreckelsen and was inaugurated on 14 July 1989, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the French Revolution: his idea was that the arch should be a monument dedicated to humanity and humanitarian ideals, rather than to military victories like the Arc de Triomphe.
Inside, it houses government offices, a conference and exhibition center, the Computer Museum, and a restaurant. At the top, there is a large panoramic terrace accessible to the public and reached by a panoramic elevator. From here, you can enjoy a marvelous view that extends from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower, and the Montparnasse Tower.
Opening hours: Open daily from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
Entrance fee: 10 Euros.
Paris: What to See: Attractions Map
92044 Puteaux, France
France
16 Rue du Repos, 75020 Paris, France
75009 Paris, France
Place du Tertre, 75018 Paris, France
75018 Paris, France
35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris, France
Paris, France
Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, France
75001 Paris, France
Paris, France
75116 Paris, France
75007 Paris, France
Field of Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France
1 Rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 75007 Paris, France
Inspection Générale des Carrières, 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris, France
33 Avenue du Maine, 75015 Paris, France
Paris, France
75006 Paris, France
Place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris, France
1 Rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard, 75005 Paris, France
75005 Paris, France
75006 Paris, France
Paris, France
75005 Paris, France
75004 Paris, France
2 Boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris, France
8 Boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris, France
75004 Paris, France
75001 Paris, France
75004 Paris, France
75004 Paris, France
Paris, France
75004 Paris, France
113 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France
75001 Paris, France