Paris Sights

  1. Aquarium Tropical

    The Tropical Aquarium, at the western edge of the Bois de Vincennes, is Paris' most ambitious, with fish and other sea creatures from around the world in tanks spread throughout a dozen rooms. It was established in 1931 and housed in one of the few buildings left from the Exposition Coloniale of that year. Its role is as much a teaching venue as a tourist attraction.

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  2. Arc de Triomphe

    The Arc de Triomphe is the world's largest traffic roundabout and the meeting point of 12 avenues. Commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon to commemorate his imperial victories, it was not completed until 1836. From the viewing platform at the top (284 steps up), you can see the avenues - many named after illustrious generals - radiating toward every part of Paris.

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  3. Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

    Although smaller than Paris' most famous arc de triomphe , this 1805-erected triumphal arch, located in the Jardin du Carrousel at the eastern end of the Tuileries, is a more ornate affair. It's adorned with eight pink marble pillars, each topped with a statue of a soldier in Napoleon's army.

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  4. Archives Nationales

    France's National Archives are housed in the Soubise wing of the Hôtel de Rohan-Soubise. Here you'll find antique furniture and 18th-century paintings but primarily documents - everything from medieval incunabula and letters written by Joan of Arc to the wills of Louis XIV and Napoleon. The ceiling and walls of the interior are extravagantly painted and gilded in the rococo style.

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  5. Arènes De Lutèce

    The Roman amphitheatre called Lutetia Arena, dating from the 2nd century, could once seat around 10,000 people for gladiatorial combats and other events. Discovered in 1869 by accident while Rue Monge was under construction and heavily rebuilt in 1917, it is now used by neighbourhood youths playing boules and football.

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  7. Assemblée Nationale

    The National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, meets in the 18th-century Palais Bourbon fronting the Seine. Tours are now available only through local deputies, thus only citizens or residents are eligible.

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  8. Av des Champs-Élysées

    Av des Champs-Élysées (the name refers to the 'Elysian Fields' where happy souls dwelt after death according to Greek myth) links place de la Concorde with the Arc de Triomphe. The avenue has symbolised the style and joie de vivre of Paris since the mid-19th century and remains a popular tourist destination.

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  9. Ballon Eutelsat

    The Eutelsat Balloon run by Aeroparis in Parc André Citroën will take you 150m off the ground and provide fabulous views of Paris and the Seine but don't expect to get very far; the helium-filled balloon remains firmly tethered to the ground. Passengers are not allowed on board in windy conditions. Be sure to call in advance.

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  10. Basilique de St-Denis

    St-Denis Basilica was the burial place for all but a handful of France's kings and queens from Dagobert I (ruled 629-39) to Louis XVIII (ruled 1814-24), constituting one of Europe's most important collections of funerary sculpture. The single-towered basilica, begun around 1136, was the first major structure to be built in the Gothic style, serving as a model for other 12th-century French cathedrals including the one at Chartres.

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  11. Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

    The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, perched at the very top of Butte de Montmartre (Montmartre Hill), was built from contributions pledged by Parisian Catholics as an act of contrition after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. Construction began in 1873, but the basilica was not consecrated until 1919.

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  13. Bateaux Mouches

    Bateaux Mouches runs the biggest tour boat company on the Seine. Cruises depart from and return to the Pont de l'Alma and pass the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower in the west, and Île St-Louis in the east. The night time spectacle of Paris shimmering off the Seine on a summer evening is an unforgettable experience.

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  14. Bibliothèque Nationale de France

    Just across the Seine from Bercy are the four glass towers of the controversial two billion euro National Library of France conceived by the late President François Mitterrand as a 'wonder of the modern world' and opened in 1998. The library contains around 12 million tomes stored on some 420km (261mi) of shelves and can accommodate 2000 readers and 2000 researchers.

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  15. Bois de Boulogne

    The 845-hectare Bois De Boulogne (Boulogne Wood) on the western edge of Paris owes its informal layout to Baron Haussmann, who was inspired by Hyde Park in London. The wood's enclosed Parc de Bagatelle in the northwestern corner, is renowned for its beautiful gardens surrounding the 1775-built Château de Bagatelle. There are areas dedicated to irises (which bloom in May), roses (June to October) and water lilies (August).

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  16. Bois de Vincennes

    The 'Vincennes Wood' encompasses some 995 hectares in the southeastern corner of Paris. Located at the wood's northern edge, the Château de Vincennes is a bona fide royal chateau with massive fortifications and a moat. Louis XIV spent his honeymoon at the mid-17th-century Pavillon du Roi, the westernmost of the two royal pavilions flanking the Cour Royale (Royal Courtyard).

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  17. Bourse de Commerce

    At one time the city's grain market, the circular Trade Exchange was capped with a copper dome in 1811. The murals running along internal walls bellow the galleries show French trade and industry through the ages. They were painted in 1889 and restored in 1998.

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  19. Cabinet des Médailles et Monnaies

    Housed in the original home of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France before it moved to its high-tech headquarters in the 13e arrondissement more than a decade ago is this enormous hoard of coins, medals and tokens numbering more than 500,000.

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  20. Catacombes de Paris

    In 1785, Paris decided to solve the problem of its overflowing cemeteries by exhuming the bones of the buried and relocating them to the tunnels of several disused quarries, leading to the creation of the Catacombes. Visitors to this disturbing 'attraction' will find themselves 20m (65ft) underground, working their way along corridors stacked with bones.

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  21. Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Paris

    If Paris has a heart, then this is it. Notre Dame de Paris is not only a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, but has also been Catholic Paris' ceremonial focus for seven centuries. The cathedral's immense interior, a marvel of medieval engineering, holds over 6000 people and has spectacular rose windows.

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  22. Centre Pompidou

    The Pompidou Centre, also known simply as Beaubourg, is all about modern and contemporary 20th-century art. Thanks in part to its vigorous schedule of temporary exhibitions, it's the most visited cultural site in Paris. Two floors are dedicated to some of the 40000-plus works of the Musée Nationale d'Art Moderne, the country's collection of 20th-century art.

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  23. Champs-Élysées

    Av des Champs-Élysées, whose name refers to the 'Elysian Fields' where happy souls dwelt after death according to Greek mythology, links Place de la Concorde with the Arc de Triomphe. The avenue has symbolised the style and joie de vivre of Paris since the mid-19th century and remains a popular tourist destination.

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  25. Chapelle Expiatoire

    The austere, neoclassical Atonement Chapel, opposite 29 rue Pasquier, sits atop the section of a cemetery where Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and many other victims of the Reign of Terror were buried after their executions in 1793. It was erected by Louis' brother, the restored Bourbon king Louis XVIII, in 1815. Two years later the royal bones were removed to the Basilique de St-Denis.

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  26. Cimetière de Montmartre

    Established in 1798, this is perhaps the most celebrated necropolis in Paris after Père Lachaise. It is home to the graves of writers Zola, Dumas the younger, Stendhal and Heinrich Heine, composers Jacques Offenbach and Hector Berlioz, artist Degas, dancer Vaslav Nijinsky and film director François Truffaut - among many others.

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  27. Cimetière du Montparnasse

    Celebs laid to rest here include writers Charles Baudelaire, Guy de Maupassant, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir; playwright Samuel Beckett; and photographer Man Ray. Montparnasse's tomb traditions include fans leaving metro tickets on the grave of singer Serge Gainsbourg in reference to his song, 'Le Poinçonneur des Lilas'. Free maps are available from the conservation office.

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  28. Cimetière du Père Lachaise

    Founded in 1804, Père Lachaise's 70000 ornate tombs form a verdant, open-air sculpture garden. Among its resting residents are famous composers, writers, artists, actors, singers, dancers and even the immortal 12th-century lovers Abélard and Héloïse.

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  29. Cinémathèque Française

    After a protracted gestation this national cultural institution, better known for screening classic French and cutting-edge foreign films, has moved into its stunning postmodern premises and unveiled exhibition spaces for its permanent collection (Passion Cinéma) and temporary exhibitions (Espace Cinéphile). It also houses screening rooms and the Bibliothèque du Film (Film Library) for researchers. Enter from place Leonard Bernstein.

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