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What to see in Paris, France
Paris is a round-the-clock city and whatever the time of year or day you'll never be short of things to do. The city's tourist hotspots are famous the world over but in this vast metropolis there's a lot more to see than just these.
CityCenter
Separated into the Right Bank (north side) and Left Bank (south side) by the Seine, Paris is also divided into 20 arrondissements, each of which have their own distinctive character. An extensive metro system makes getting around the city relatively easy but, without a doubt, the best way to discover the different flavours of Paris is on foot. So put on your favourite walking shoes and get ready to explore one of the most fascinating cities in the world.
Highlighted below the top10 hotspots which cannot be missed when you visit Paris are mentioned.
For more highlights, please click the citymap above.
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1. LeftBank _ Eiffel Tower
One of the world's most famous monuments, La Tour Eiffel is an unmistakeable feature of the Paris skyline. Designed by Gustav Eiffel for the 1889 World Fair, when completed the tower was the tallest building in the world at 300 metres. It is no exaggeration to say that the EiffelTower is the symbol not only of Paris but of the entire country. Although no longer the tallest structure in the world it still offers one of the best vantage points from which to get your bearings in the City of Lights. Take the lift all the way up to level three for some spectacular views across Paris.
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2. Champs-Elyees North - Arc de Triomphe
Located on the Rive Droite, almost directly north from the EiffelTower, the Arc de Triomphe was intended to be a monument to Napoleon's military prowess, being commissioned by the Little Corporal in 1806. It has since been at the centre of much of Paris's history with both the German occupying army and the liberating Allied forces marching through it during World War Two. The arc is also the focal point of state funeral processions with Napoleon himself and Victor Hugo being just two historical figures whose funeral corteges have travelled through the monument. From the top you can enjoy excellent views of Paris, particularly down the Grand Axe from the modern business centre of La Défense to the Champs-Elysées and the Louvre.
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3. Notre Dame and LiÎle de la Cité
On LiÎle de la Cité in the middle of the Seine, the magnificent Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame has now been greatly restored to its former glory. You can generally only see a limited amount of the interior, but it is still well worth a visit to see the stunning rose windows in the nave. If you're Catholic, attending mass here is particularly uplifting. For a fee, you can climb to the top of Notre Dame's towers and gaze down at the city along with the gargoyles that perch atop its walls.
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4. The Sacré Coeur
With its many domes visible from afar across Paris, the white Basilique du Sacré Coeur, atop Montmartre, rises more like a fabulous oriental palace than a church. The place is magnetically kitsch inside and out, although the Benedictine nuns and their hymns create a suitably religious atmosphere each day of the week for mass. From in front of the basilica the views over Paris are exhilarating. Beside the basilica is the lovely Gothic church of St Pierre, all that remains of the royal abbey of Montmartre which was destroyed during the Revolution.
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5. The Louvre
A colossal French royal château turned into the greatest art museum in the world, the Louvre is the most famous building on the Rive Droite of the Seine. The main entrance is via the mesmerising glass pyramid designed by IM Pei and opened in 1989. First-timers tend to go straight for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa in the extensive Italian collections, and visitors sometimes forget that the gallery boasts a superlative array of French masterpieces, as well as phenomenal French and foreign sculpture galleries. As if that wasn't enough, the vast place also contains one of the largest collections of ancient treasures in the world, including staggering Egyptian artefacts brought to France after the Napoleonic campaigns.
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6. Musée d'Orsay
The main challenger to the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay lies on the Rive Gauche of the Seine opposite the royal palace. This splendidly pompous building went up at the very end of the 19th century, having been designed by Victor Laloux as a railway station for the 1900 Paris World Fair. Saved from destruction in the 1970s, it was transformed into an art museum, taking up the story of French art where the Louvre leaves off, up to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. The magical works of Impressionists such as Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne and Pissarro are the highlights.
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7. The Pompidou Centre
Immodestly flaunting its plumbing on the outside and daubed in vulgarly bright colours, the bold and brash Centre Pompidou caused a sensation when it first opened. The main attraction for tourists is the Musée National d'Art Moderne. Here you can saunter past splendid works by the leading modern painters who shook the art world between the 1900s and the 1960s. The emphasis is on French artists, or those who lived in France. Picasso, Braque, Matisse and the likes count among the stars.
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8. The Cluny
Medieval art is celebrated at the Musée National du Moyen Age, better known simply as the Cluny. The settings in this ornate if over-restored Gothic house, built on the site of Roman baths, may be slightly old-fashioned. However, you can't help but admire the tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn, the original statues of the Kings of Judah from Notre Dame's façade and some of the finest church treasures in Europe.
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9. The Pompidou Centre
Immodestly flaunting its plumbing on the outside and daubed in vulgarly bright colours, the bold and brash Centre Pompidou caused a sensation when it first opened. The main attraction for tourists is the Musée National d'Art Moderne. Here you can saunter past splendid works by the leading modern painters who shook the art world between the 1900s and the 1960s. The emphasis is on French artists, or those who lived in France. Picasso, Braque, Matisse and the likes count among the stars.
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10. Père-Lachaise Cemetery
Amidst all its vibrant life Paris is home to quite possibly the most famous cemetery in the world. Père-Lachaise (Boulevard de Ménilmontant, 20e) has become a major attraction for admirers not just of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison, but also for those of major French cultural figures such as Molière, La Fontaine, Balzac and Victor Hugo. Other cemeteries worth visiting in the city include the Cimetière du Montparnasse (3 Blvd Edgar Quinet, 14e) which can claim Baudelaire, Sartre and de Beauvoir among its inhabitants. Meanwhile the Cimetière de Montmartre (18e) is home to Stendhal, Berlioz, Dumas, Degas and Nijinsky (as in the dancer Vaslav, and not the racehorse).
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