Soaring 52m high in the middle of place de la Bastille, the green-bronze July Column is topped by a gilded, winged Liberty. It was built between 1835 and 1840 to commemorate the 1830 Revolution; revolutionaries from this uprising are buried beneath it. Following the redevelopment of place de la Bastille, linking it to the Bassin de l'Arsenal's forecourt to create a 'pedestrian peninsula' in 2020, the crypt is set to open to the public.
Colonne de Juillet
Paris
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.43 MILES
There are different ways to experience the Eiffel Tower, from a daytime trip or an evening ascent amid twinkling lights, to a meal in one of its…
0.93 MILES
Home to Europe's largest collection of modern and contemporary art, Centre Pompidou has amazed and delighted visitors ever since it opened in 1977, not…
1.09 MILES
Visit Sainte-Chapelle on a sunny day when Paris’ oldest, finest stained glass (1242–48) is at its dazzling best. The chapel is famous for its stained…
1.53 MILES
It isn’t until you’re standing in the vast courtyard of the Louvre, with its glass pyramid and ornate façade, that you can truly say you’ve been to Paris.
2.16 MILES
It’s gruesome, ghoulish and downright spooky, but it never fails to captivate visitors. In 1785, the subterranean tunnels of an abandoned quarry were…
2.43 MILES
Even if you're not an art lover, it is worth visiting this high-profile art museum to lose yourself in its romantic gardens.
1.51 MILES
This famous inner-city oasis of formal terraces, chestnut groves and lush lawns has a special place in Parisians' hearts.
1.22 MILES
Elegant and regal in equal measure, the massive neoclassical dome of the Left Bank's iconic Panthéon is an icon of the Parisian skyline. Louis XV…
Nearby Paris attractions
0.01 MILES
A 14th-century fortress built to protect the city gates, the Bastille became a prison under Cardinal Richelieu, which was mobbed on 14 July 1789, igniting…
0.1 MILES
Designed by architect Carlos Ott, this concrete, glass and steel opera house is Paris' largest, with a 2745-seat main auditorium. During his presidency,…
0.19 MILES
Between 1832 and 1848 the celebrated novelist and poet Victor Hugo lived in an apartment in Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée, a townhouse overlooking one of Paris'…
0.24 MILES
Inaugurated in 1612 as place Royale and thus Paris' oldest square, place des Vosges is a strikingly elegant ensemble of 36 symmetrical houses with ground…
5. Building Where Jim Morrison Died
0.24 MILES
Devout fans of rock star Jim Morrison can admire the elegant Hausmannian building at 17 rue Beautreillis, where the singer lived in an apartment on the…
0.25 MILES
In the southwestern corner of place des Vosges, duck beneath the arch to find two beautifully decorated, late-Renaissance courtyards festooned with…
0.28 MILES
The disused 19th-century Vincennes railway viaduct was reborn in 1993 as the world's first elevated park, planted with a fragrant profusion of cherry…
8. Place du Marché Ste-Catherine
0.33 MILES
Clad with benches and shaded by trees, this pretty pedestrian square is framed on three sides by atmospheric cafe pavement terraces that are perfect for…