Paris - Attractions
Paris Sightseeing and Attractions
For definitive entertainment listings, there's no better source than the weekly magazines Pariscope, L’Officiel des Spectacles and Zurban; and Boulevard, published every two months.
No other European city indulges the imagination and the senses quite like Paris. For centuries the city has cultivated a uniquely heady mix of individuality, innovation and civic pride that has inspired generation upon generation of Europe's leading thinkers, creatives and bohemians.
The city's cultural landmarks display an incomparable heritage: the centre of Paris is a core of legendary landmarks, monuments, museums and thoroughfares. Ancient Gallo-Roman remains, medieval and Renaissance palaces, abbeys and churches, Gothic and Enlightenment masterpieces, Revolutionary and Napoleonic monuments, modern design masterpieces - it's all here in abundance. Art galleries and museums are everywhere - close to 300 at the last count – and dedicated to all manner of esoteric subjects. Not surprisingly, the real treats are often well concealed in this city, down its quiet streets and shadowy corners, inside the quirky museums.
Paris Attractions
Musée de Louvre
99 Rue de Rivoli, Paris 75001
Tel: +33 1 40 20 51 51
First opened during the Revolution in 1793. With over 300,000 artworks, antiquities, sarcophagi and statues including the incredible Venus de Milo, the Louvre is a truly unmissable experience.
Champs-Elysées & Arc de Triomphe
Champs Elysées, Paris 75008
Tel: +33 1 44 13 17 17
The Voie Triomphale is an excellent place to begin a walking tour of central Paris. Napoleon's tribute to the French army, the Arc de Triomphe offers splendid views at the centre of the world's first traffic roundabout, with the Voie Triomphale and Champs-Elysées descending elegantly to the Louvre and Place de la Concorde respectively.
Eiffel Tower
Champs de Mars, Paris 75007
Tel: +33 1 44 11 23 45
The most spectacular views of Paris are witnessed from all floors of the Eiffel Tower. It is possible to walk most of the way up and around this fascinating metal structure. A lift completes the journey to the top.
Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral
Place du Parvis Notre Dame, Paris 75004
Tel: +33 1 42 34 56 10 | Fax: +33 1 43 29 50 40
Begun in 1163 but not completed until 1361, it fell into ruin after the Revolution but was brought back to life after the success of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel. The addition of the gargoyles, spire and self-sculpture by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc remain areas of contention.
Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde, Paris 75008
Tel: +33 1 47 03 12 50
Very busy landmark square at the end of the Champs-Elysées. A true Parisian experience.
Sainte-Chapelle
4 Boulevard du Palais, Paris 75001
Tel: +33 1 43 54 30 09
One of the most important examples of 13th-century French architecture, built to house the precious possessions of Louis IX.
Les Invalides
Esplanade des Invalides, Paris 75007
Tel: +33 1 44 42 37 67
Commissioned by Louis XIV as a home for injured soldiers, one of its two churches holds the remains of Napoleon. The site also contains the Musée de l'Armée.
Sacré-Coeur
35 Rue Chevalier de la Barre, Paris 75018
Tel: +33 1 42 51 17 02
The classic lines of the beautiful 19th-century church are as much a part of the stunning Paris skyline as the Eiffel Tower.
Musée National du Moyen-Age (Musée de Cluny)
6 Place Paul-Painlevé, Paris 75006
Tel: +33 1 43 25 62 00
The Musée National du Moyen-Age, or Museum of the Middle Ages, houses a variety of medieval artefacts including art and craft works, antique furnishings and manuscripts.
Musée Rodin
77 Rue de Varenne, Paris 75007
The Musée Rodin is a beautiful building dedicated to the works of French Sculptor Auguste Rodin. It includes his more famous works, The Thinker and The Kiss, with some of his sculptures displayed throughout the buildings manicured gardens.
Musée d'Orsay
62, rue de Lille, 75343 Paris Cedex 07
+33 (0)1 40 49 48 14
The Musée d'Orsay is a former train station and home to a collection of artworks dating from 1848 to 1915. The Museum is reknown mostly for its collection of impressionist and post-impressionist works, including work by masters such as Degas, Renoir, Gauguin and Van Gogh.