Commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon, not long after his victory at Austerlitz, it was not completed until 1836. There are four huge relief sculptures at the bases of the four pillars. These commemorate The Triumph of 1810 (Cortot); Resistance , and Peace (both by Etex); and The Departure of the Volunteers, more commonly known by the name La Marseillaise (Rude). Engraved around the top of the Arch are the names of major victories won during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. This site is not to be missed, recognized as one of the most prominent landmarks of the world. Underneath the Arch is the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” and eternal flame recognizing the dead of the two world wars. Admission: EUR7

The Arch is most easily (and safely) reached by tunnel from the north side of the Champs Elysées.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most visited tourist spots in the world. The tower stands 300 meters tall, at the time of it’s construction in 1889 it was the world’s tallest building. Architect Gustave Eiffel took a lot of heat from the people of Paris who did not like the design and wanted the structure torn down. Visitors use the stairs up to the second floor, where there is a lift to the spectacular views of Paris at the .

Wonderful architecture!

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was in exile when he died on the Isle of St. Helena. In 1840 the French decided to construct a glorious memorial that was opened in 1853. Five enormous blocks are used as the layout, and listed on the walls are each of Napolean’s victories. Also located in this area is the Musee de l’Armee and the French War Museum.

Take a 3-hour cruise along the River Seine and the St. Martin Canal all the way to Parc de la Villette, and then return. Have a relaxing picnic in the park during your stay. Expect this too take the whole morning and early afternoon to complete. The cruise costs EUR 16 for adults; EUR 9 for children aged 4-11

This site is a definite must see! Designed by architects Louis le Vau and Jules Hardouin in 1668 on what once was a small hunting site for King Louis XIV’s father, it now stands as the largest palace in Europe. The impressive, detail, design and overall magnificence of the palace is breathtaking. The interior, designed by painter Charles Le Brun, is equally impressive with the Royal Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors. Be sure to also check out the Petit Trianon (1762) and the Grand Trianon (1687) also located in the park. Expect to spend a whole day here with countless sites to see and plenty of shopping and dining in the area. Admission: Château EUR7, Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon EUR5.

TMétro: Solférino

his magnificent museum, located in the old Orsay railway station built in 1900, is dedicated to all forms of artistic expression: painting, sculpture and photography of the 1848-1914 period. The era of the impressionist painters is particularly well represented with the masterpieces of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas… Admire the delicate brush strokes of Renoir, the serious self-portrait of Van Gogh, the radiance of a Monet’s landscape amongst other artistic marvels.
Built by the architect Victor Laloux in 1900, the “Gare d’Orsay” was one of the Paris stations where trains departed to the south-west of France (Orléans and Bordeaux). Located across the Louvre on the Seine’s left bank, it has been spectacularly renovated from 1977 to 1986 to house the Orsay museum. The museum architecture has been praised as a major success in industrial building renovation.
The Orsay museum (Musée d’Orsay in french) is the 19th century French arts museum. It is known worldwide for its famous impressionist collections and is a must to arts lovers.
In the 1870, “Impressionism” was a French “Avant-garde” painters group rejected by the official academy. The impressionists (among them Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Edgar Manet, Théo Van Gogh and Paul Cézanne) painted ordinary life and people on the spot and in the open air.
They rejected historical and mythological subjects. They used light colors. Above all, they are famous for having departed from the tradition of painting “reality”. Instead, they used color spots and strokes to suggest their “impression” of the reality that only reveals itself from the distance.
This museum is located at a very historically unique site, an old train station that runs along a large body of water. Go inside and check the museum’s impressive collection of impressionist and neo-impressionist art. Walk around and enjoy the views, even grab a bite to eat at the cafe, or take a cruise along the popular Paris Canal ride.

Commonly known as the Beaubourg, this distinctive building was commissioned in 1968 by the then President Georges Pompidou, and opened in 1977. Most Parisians were initially shocked by its unconventional ‘inside out’ architectural style: air conditioning, escalators and lifts are all on the outside, giving the interior unparalleled freedom. Extensively refurbished in the late 1990s, the centre is home to the Musee National d’Art Moderne and the Bibliothèque Publique d’Information (BPI) as well as temporary exhibitions, cinemas, and other attractions. All-inclusive museum admission: EUR10 Adults; EUR8 Reduced. Hours vary for individual attractions.

Beaubourg only got better after its recent remodeling. It rivals – and in my opinion – surpasses the collections of the Tate Modern in London and MoMA in New York. If you have any interest in modern art whatsoever, this is the place to go. – The plexiglass escalator offers the best views of Paris on the way up. The bookstore is tops, and an outlet of Printemps offers a wide selection of chic little gifts to bring back to friends. The rooftop retaurant, called “Georges”, offers spectaular views in a chic setting – pricey, but worth it. – - The other highpoint for modern art is the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris-Palais de Tokyo. Built in the mid-1930s, it houses the modern art collection of the City of Paris; spectacular and highest-quality, it is an often overlooked.

Originally meant to defend Paris against the Vikings, this Renaissance palace became a museum in 1793. Today it houses impressive collections of Etruscan, Egyptian, Oriental, Roman and Greek artefacts as well as sculptures, paintings and other works of art ranging from the Middle Ages up to 1850, including Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic ‘Mona Lisa’. Architect I.M. Pei’s amazing glass pyramid, commissioned by the President François Mitterrand, caused a sensation when it was added in 1989.
The Louvre has approximately 6,000 European paintings and and was originally designed as a palace. It has been influenced by major events in French history and has experienced changes and additions to the original structure by many architects and decorators. When the Musee d’Orsay was created in 1986, most of the post 1848 works left the Louvre and were transferred to the new Museum which is close by.
The Louvre was built on the site of a medieval fortress on the banks of the Seine river. It was used as the official residence of the French Kings during the 16th and 17th centuries before the Court moved to Versailles in 1682. It officially became a “Peoples Museum” in 1793 after the Revolution, and is now one of the most important museums in the world.
Its collection, which ranges from Egyptian art of 5000 BC to nineteenth-century work, is divided into seven departments: Oriental and Islamic Antiquities; Egyptian Antiquities; Greek, Roman and Etruscan Antiquities; Painting; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; and Graphic Arts.
Throughout the 17th century, as France assumed a dominant role in Europe, the Louvre’s holdings increased dramatically. Particularly important acquisitions during this period were major works by the great Dutch and Flemish masters. In the 18th century the annual salon exhibitions were established. The first state museum was opened in the Louvre in 1793. The central position held by the Louvre in the artistic life was magnified by Napoleon I, who began its Egyptian collection. The overall museum complex was completed under Napoleon III (r. 1852-70). Subsequently, the Louvre expanded its collections greatly through gifts and bequests. Its departments now include Oriental (ancient Mesopotamian), Greek and Roman, and Egyptian antiquities; sculptures from the Middle Age to modern times; furniture and objets d’art; and European paintings and drawings.
In the late 1980’s during the construction of I.M. Pei’s pyramids, the original Medieval fortress base was unearthed, quickly incorporated into the design, and is now on display as part of the museum’s collection.
The relaxing Tuileries garden near by the Louvre museum is one of the most beautiful parks in Paris. Altogether a first class combination well worth a full day of your time.
Admission is EUR8.50 (EUR6 after 6p), and it’s free for children under 18

This magnificent Roman-Byzantine style basilica was designed by Paul Abadie around 1875, and was finally opened in 1914. Atop the tall tower there is a picture-perfect view of the local district, a place where you can get a birds-eye view of all the rooftops below. Inside sites include the crypt and the mosaic of Christ. Admission: (basilica) free
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Sacre Coeur for me is the most beautiful church in Paris. It is a very large white building with several domes of various sizes, and is built high on a hill making it visible from large parts of Paris. The church itself came into being after the Prussina War in 1870. Two Catholic businessmen (who must have been loaded) made a pledge to build a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Christ (Sacre Coeur means Sacred Heart), should France be saved from the Prussian onslaught. Well I hate to spoil the anticipation, but yes of course France was spared. Work started in 1875, and was completed in 1914, but World War I and the German invasion of Paris meant that the church was consecrated until 1919. If you arrive at the bottom of the hill, beware, there are a lot of steps to get to the top! There is a Funiculaire up the hill however, which can be taken from abbesses metro station.

Metro: Cité

This Gothic style cathedral was contructed between the years 1163 – 1212, and renovated and completed in 1270. The 387-step climb to the top is rewarded with spectacular views and group picture moments. Inside see the magnificent stain-glass windows, on the outside check out the detail in the designs of the doorways and 69 meter tall towers.
The Notre-Dame Cathedral dates back to the 13th century and is one of the masterpieces of Gothic art in Western Europe. Its stainglasses and the huge interior are really stunning artistic experiences of mystical dimension. Located on the Cité island and surrounded by the Seine river, Notre-Dame is a flagship in the Parisian landscape and provides a magnificent view of the city from the top of its towers.
The site of Notre-Dame is the cradle of Paris and had been the religious center of the city. The Celts had their sacred ground here, the Romans built a temple to worship Jupiter. A Christian basilica was built in the 6th century and the last religious structure before the Notre-Dame construction started was a Romanesque church.
Bishop Maurice de Sully started the construction in 1163. The Cathedral was to be built in the new gothic style and had to reflect Paris’s status as the capital of the Kingdom France. It was the first cathedral built on a monumental scale and became the prototype for future cathedrals in France, like the cathedrals of Amiens, Chartres or Rheims, just to name the most famous.
It took until 1345 before the cathedral was completed, partly because the design was enlarged during construction. The result is an overwhelming building, 130m long with two 69 meters tall towers. The spire, which reaches 90m, was added in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc. The Notre-Dame has several large rose windows, the northern 13th century window is the most impressive. It is 21 meters high.
The spectacular eastern buttresses are 15m wide. The west side features 3 wide portals, the gallery of Kings and the famous gargoyles.
Excavations under the parvis have revealed traces of Notre-Dame’s history from Gallo-Roman times to the 19th century. Vestiges of Roman ramparts, rooms heated by hypocaust (an ancient system with underground furnaces and tile flues), medieval cellars, and the foundations of a foundling hospital are displayed, as are several fascinating photographs of the surrounding neighborhood before Baron Haussmann’s renovations.
Starting in 1991, a 10 year program of general maintenance and restoration was initiated. While work continues, sections of the structure are likely to be shrouded by scaffolds.
Expect the site to be exceptionally busy on Sundays. Admission: cathedral is free, towers around EUR6