See & Do
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.
LeftBank
Historically, the area of Paris south of the Seine has been known for its bohemian and carefree atmosphere. This particular section of the Left Bank is largely offices and residences but it is also home to several major Paris landmarks. The most famous of these is the EiffelTower which has dominated Paris’ skyline since its opening in 1889. The Left Bank is also of special interest to war buffs because of the amazing collection of military exhibits at the Musee de l’Armée, which is found on the same site as the Hôtel des Invalides, Napoléon’s Tomb, and the magnificent Église du Dôme.
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Leftbank - The 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.
Famously the construction was only intended to last the duration of the fair. However, over a century after its erection the tower is still as sturdy as ever. To avoid the queues come early in the morning - or visit at night when the tower is lit up with over 10,000 lights.
Champ de Mars, 7e. Open: daily 09h30-23h00. Admission: EUR11 to level three; EUR7.70 to level two; EUR4.20 to level one. Tel: +33 (0)1-4411-2323. Métro: Bir-Hakeim or RER Champ-de-Mars.
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Champs-Elyees North
Originally laid out in the 1660s as a park leading away from the Jardins de Tuileries, the Champs-Elysées is a tree-lined 2km roadway connecting the Arc de Triomphe to the Obelisk of Luxor at Place de la Concorde. This line can also be extended in both directions to include La Défense, the Louvre, and the Hôtel de Ville. Set aside a day for a walk along the “main axis of Paris” to experience these landmarks of Parisian history or just to enjoy the scenery.
Click here for the highlights of Champ-Elyees North
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.
Place Charles de Gaulle, 8e. Open: 10h00-22h30 (Oct-Mar); 10h00-23h00 (Apr-Sep). Admission: EUR8, adults; EUR5, children. Free to all on the first Sunday of each month Feb-May. CMM. Tel: +33 (0)1-5537-7377. Métro: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.
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Cruise the Seine
A great way to introduce yourself to Paris is to take a cruise along the Seine in one of the pleasure boats commonly known as bateaux-mouches or vedettes. The most popular points of departure for boats include the western tip of the Île de la Cité and the Pont de l'Alma close to the EiffelTower. Trips normally last an hour and run throughout the day except during flood periods. Expect to pay around EUR9. Dinner is available on some trips. Try any of the following cruise companies for various itineraries:
Les Vedettes du Pont-Neuf, Square du Vert-Galant, 1er. Tel: +33 (0)1-4633-9838. Métro: Pont-Neuf.
Bateaux Parisiens Tour Eiffel, Port de la Bourdonnais, 7e. Tel: +33 (0)1-4411-3344. Métro: Trocadéro.
Bateaux Vedettes de Paris, Port de Suffren, 7e. Tel: +33 (0)1-4418-1950. Métro: Bir-Hakeim.
Notre Dame and L'Île de la Cité
On L'Île 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.
Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris. Place du Parvis Notre Dame, 4e. Open: daily 09h30-19h30. Admission: free to the nave. Free guided tours available in various languages. CMM. Tel: +33 (0)1-4234-5610. Métro: Cité/St-Michel.
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.
Musée du Louvre. Palais du Louvre, 1er. Open: Wed-Mon 09h00-18h00 (until 21h45 Mon & Wed). Admission: EUR8.50, adults; free for children. Free to all visitors on the first Sunday of each month. CMM. Tel: +33 (0)1-4020-5317. Métro: Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre.
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.
35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 18e. Open: daily 06h00-23h00. Admission: free to the cathedral; EUR5 to the crypt. Tel: +33 (0)1-5341-8900. Métro: Abbesses/Anvers.
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.
Quai Anatole France, 7e. Open: Tue-Wed & Fri-Sat 09h30-18h00, Thu 10h00-21h45, Sun 09h00-18h00. Admission: EUR7.50, adults; free for children. Free to all visitors on the first Sunday of each month. CMM. Tel: +33 (0)1-4049-4978. Métro: Solférino or RER Musée d'Orsay.
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.
If you like the works of art on show here the city of Paris also has its own separate top-class modern art collection in the Palais de Tokyo.
Centre Georges Pompidou, Place Georges Pompidou, 4e. Open: Wed-Mon 11h00-21h00. Admission: EUR10, adults; free for children. Free to all visitors on the first Sunday of each month. CMM. Tel: +33 (0)1-4478-1233. Métro: Hôtel de Ville/Rambuteau or RER Châtelet les Halles.
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.
6 Place Paul Painlevé, 5e. Open: Wed-Mon 09h15-17h45 (opening times may vary). Admission: EUR6.50, adults; free for children. Free to all on the first Sunday of each month. CMM. Tel: +33 (0)1-5373-7816. Métro: Cluny-La Sorbonne or RER St-Michel.
PicassoMuseum
Picasso spent many years in France, including the war years, and the Musée Picasso (in the Marais quarter on the Rive Droite) is crammed with works by the Spanish exile. The amazingly diverse works demonstrate how the genius developed his unique style through different periods.
Musée National Picasso. Hôtel Salé, 5 Rue de Thorigny, 3e. Open: Wed-Mon 09h30-18h00 (Apr-Sept); 09h30-17h30 (Oct-Mar). Admission: EUR9.50, adults; free for children. Free to all on the first Sunday of each month. CMM. Tel: +33 (0)1-4271-2521. Métro: St-Paul.
Conciergerie
Paris's revolutionary history is covered in the Conciergerie, the remnants of a medieval royal palace on l'Île de la Cité. The building doubled as an infamous prison during the bloody uprising and was the place of Marie Antoinette's incarceration - from where she was taken to the guillotine on October 16, 1793.
1 Blvd du Palais, 1er. Open: daily 09h30-18h00 (Mar-Oct); 09h00-17h00 (Nov-Feb). Admission: EUR6.50, adults; free for children. CMM. Tel: +33 (0)1-5340-6097. Métro: Cité/Châtelet.
Montmartre
The "Hill of the Martyrs", named after early Christians persecuted by the Romans, lies north of the city centre and is crowned by the magnificent Sacré Coeur. Montmartre became the haunt of countless artists in the 19th century and virtually everything in the area is devoted to their memory. The very pretty Place du Tertre is the heart of touristy Montmartre but beyond the square you can find seclusion from the crowds.
The nearby Espace Dali (Rue Poulbot, 18e. Tel: +33 (0)1-4264-4010) is filled with works by the surrealist Spanish artist, and not far off, in Rue Cortot, the Musée de Montmartre (12 Rue Cortot, 18e. Tel: +33 (0)1-4606-6111) proves an interesting local history museum. The village-like ambience of the area is heightened by a couple of old windmills, namely the Moulin de la Galette and the Moulin du Radet, and a patch of vineyard.
Paris Cemeteries
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).
MilitaryMuseum
The military history of the whole of France, not just Paris, takes up large parts of the massive Les Invalides complex.
As the name implies, these buildings were originally constructed as a hospital for the huge number of soldiers wounded in King Louis XIV's wars. The complex now houses the Musée de l'Armée, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs and the Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération.
France's proud military heritage is evident throughout, in an overwhelming wealth of paintings, engravings, uniforms and weapons. Of course Napoleon is well represented; displays include reconstructions of several of the Little Corporal's rooms, his death mask and one of his favourite horses, stuffed. Below the dome of Les Invalides's church lies Napoleon's elephantine tomb.
Hôtel National des Invalides. 129 Rue de Grenelle, 7e. Open: 10h00-18h00 (19h00 for Napoleon's tomb). Admission: EUR7.50, adults; free for children. A separate charge applies to visit Napoleon's tomb. CMM. Tel: +33 (0)1-4442-3877. Métro: Invalides/Pont de l'Alma.
The Panthéon
Soufflot originally built the enormous domed Panthéon on the Rive Gauche as a church for Louis XV. At the Revolution it was turned into a monumental temple to the memory of the great citizens of the French nation: Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, Zola and the Curies (Pierre and Marie), have all been given places among other famous French men and women through the ages.
Place du Panthéon, 5e. Open: daily 10h00-18h30 (summer), 10h00-18h00 (winter). Admission: EUR7.50, adults; free for children. CMM. Tel: +33 (0)1-4432-1804. Métro: Cardinal Lemoine or RER Luxembourg.
Views of Paris
The 196 metre-high summit of the Tour Montparnasse provides some of Paris's most impressive views. The building itself is nothing to look at (unless you have a soft spot for brutalist tower blocks) but take the super-fast lift to the 56th floor and you will be rewarded with a superb 360-degree vista of the city, taking in the Eiffel Tower, Sacré Coeur and all the other major landmarks. Rue de l'Arrivée, 15e. Open: daily 09h30-23h00. Admission: EUR8.50, adults; EUR5.80, children. Tel: +33 (0)1-4538-5256. Métro: Montparnasse-Bienvenue.
More interesting architecturally, and almost as good in the view stakes, in the heart of the city's business district the ultra-modern Grande Arche de la Défense stands as a modern-day Arc de Triomphe. A panoramic glass lifts transport visitors 110 metres to the viewing floor at the top - for a perfect view along the full length of the Champs Elysée. Parvis de le Défense. Open: 10h00-20h00. Admission: EUR7.50, adults; EUR6, children. Tel: +33 (0)1-4907-2727. Métro: Grande Arche de la Défense.
