Must-see attractions in Paris

  • Wide shot of Eiffel Tower with blue sky, Paris, France.

    Eiffel Tower

    Paris

    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…

  • Paris, France - August 13, 2016: The Pompidou Centre is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement. It houses the Public Information Library and the museum of Modern art.

    Centre Pompidou

    Paris

    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…

  • MARCH 16, 2017: a stained glass window inside the Sainte Chapelle church.

    Sainte-Chapelle

    Paris

    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…

  • September 2016 - Paris, France- Le Louvre museum in daytime

    Musée du Louvre

    Paris

    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.

  • Skulls and bones in Paris Catacombs

    Les Catacombes

    Paris

    It’s gruesome, ghoulish and downright spooky, but it never fails to captivate visitors. In 1785, the subterranean tunnels of an abandoned quarry were…

  • Grounds of Rodin Museum sculpture garden.

    Musée Rodin

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Even if you're not an art lover, it is worth visiting this high-profile art museum to lose yourself in its romantic gardens.

  • JULY 30, 2012: Model sailing boats in the pool in front of Luxembourg Palace in Luxembourg Gardens.

    Jardin du Luxembourg

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    This famous inner-city oasis of formal terraces, chestnut groves and lush lawns has a special place in Parisians' hearts. 

  • PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 08, 2016 : French Mausoleum of Great People of France - the Pantheon in Paris. France.; Shutterstock ID 573291478; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Panthéon POI

    Panthéon

    Latin Quarter

    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…

  • France, Paris, Seine River banks listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, musee d'Orsay

    Musée d’Orsay

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Musée d’Orsay may not be quite as famous as the Louvre—though it’s located a mere 10-minute walk away—but this Left Bank museum holds its own in its…

  • The Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.

    Jardin des Tuileries

    Paris

    Filled with fountains, ponds and sculptures, the formal 28-hectare Tuileries Garden, which begins just west of the Jardin du Carrousel, was laid out in…

  • Station F in the 13th arrondissement (district).

    Station F

    Paris

    The world's largest start-up campus was unveiled by French president, Emmanuel Macron, in mid-2017. At any one time, some 3000 resident entrepreneurs from…

  • Coucher de l'Arc de Triomphe de l'étoile à  Paris

    Arc de Triomphe

    Paris

    If anything rivals the Eiffel Tower as the symbol of Paris, it’s this magnificent 1836 monument to Napoléon’s victory at Austerlitz (1805), which he…

  • Pere Lachaise Cemetery

    Cimetière du Père Lachaise

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Opened in 1804, Père Lachaise is the world's most visited cemetery. Its 70,000 ornate tombs of the rich and famous form a verdant, 44-hectare sculpture…

  • Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Begun in 1875 in the wake of the Franco-Prussian War and the chaos of the Paris Commune, Sacré-Cœur is a symbol of the former struggle between the…

  • Panoramic of Notre Dame at sunset, Paris

    Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

    Paris

    While its interior is closed off to visitors following the devastating fire of April 2019, this masterpiece of French Gothic architecture remains the city…

  • Hôtel des Invalides

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Flanked by the 500m-long Esplanade des Invalides lawns, Hôtel des Invalides was built in the 1670s by Louis XIV to house 4000 invalides (disabled war…

  • Musée National Picasso

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    One of Paris’ most treasured art collections is showcased inside the mid-17th-century Hôtel Salé, an exquisite private mansion owned by the city since…

  • Shoah Memorial at the Holocaust museum in Paris, France.

    Mémorial de la Shoah

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Established in 1956, the Memorial to the Unknown Jewish Martyr has metamorphosed into the Memorial of the Shoah – 'Shoah' is a Hebrew word meaning …

  • The "wall of love" in Paris.

    Le Mur des je t'aime

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Few visitors can resist a selfie in front of Montmartre's 'I Love You' wall, a public artwork created in a small park by artists Frédéric Baron and Claire…

  • Musée de Montmartre

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    This delightful 'village' museum showcases paintings, lithographs and documents illustrating Montmartre's bohemian, artistic and hedonistic past – one…

  • Église St-Eustache

    Paris

    Just north of the gardens adjoining the city’s old marketplace, now the Forum des Halles, is one of the most beautiful churches in Paris. Majestic,…

  • Musée Jacquemart-André

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    The home of art collectors Nélie Jacquemart and Édouard André, this opulent late-19th-century residence combines elements from different eras – seen here…

  • Église St-Germain des Prés

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Paris’ oldest standing church, the Romanesque St Germanus of the Fields, was built in the 11th century on the site of a 6th-century abbey and was the main…

  • Institut du Monde Arabe

    Latin Quarter

    The Arab World Institute was jointly founded by France and 18 Middle Eastern and North African nations in 1980, with the aim of promoting cross-cultural…

  • La REcyclerie

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    An abandoned Petite Ceinture train station has been repurposed as an eco-hub with an urban farm along the old railway line, featuring community vegetable…

  • Palais Garnier

    Paris

    The fabled ‘phantom of the opera’ lurked in this opulent opera house, designed in 1860 by Charles Garnier (then an unknown 35-year-old architect). Reserve…

  • Musée Marmottan Monet

    Paris

    This museum showcases the world’s largest collection of works by impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840–1926) – about 100 – as well as paintings by…

  • Musée Guimet des Arts Asiatiques

    Paris

    Connoisseurs of Japanese ink paintings and Tibetan thangkas won't want to miss the Musée Guimet, the largest Asian art museum in France. Observe the…

  • Atelier des Lumières

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    A former foundry dating from 1835 that supplied iron for the French navy and railroads now houses Paris' first digital-art museum. The 1500-sq-metre La…

  • Cimetière du Montparnasse

    Paris

    This 19-hectare cemetery opened in 1824 and is Paris’ second largest after Père Lachaise. Famous residents include writer Guy de Maupassant, playwright…

  • Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac

    Paris

    A tribute to the diversity of human culture, this museum's highly inspiring overview of indigenous and folk art spans four main sections – Oceania, Asia,…

  • Basilica of St. Denis, Paris

    Basilique de St-Denis

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Once one of France's most sacred sites, this basilica was built atop the tomb of St Denis, the 3rd-century martyr and alleged first bishop of Paris who…

  • Promenade Plantée

    Paris

    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…

  • PARIS - JULY 13 : Palais-Royal (1639), originally called Palais-Cardinal, it was personal residence of Cardinal Richelieu in Paris, France on July 13,2012. Sculptures..; Shutterstock ID 110693474; Your name (First / Last): redownload; GL account no.: redownload; Netsuite department name: redownload; Full Product or Project name including edition: redownload

    Jardin du Palais Royal

    Paris

    The Jardin du Palais Royal is a perfect spot to sit, contemplate and picnic between boxed hedges, or to shop in the trio of beautiful arcades that frame…

  • PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 16, 2013: Detail from the Arts et Metiers metro station in Paris at September 15 2013.Station was redesigned in 1994 in a reminiscent of science fiction works of Jules Verne.; Shutterstock ID 407355013; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Gillmore; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/ Online Design /LaurenGillmore/POI

    Musée des Arts et Métiers

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    The Arts and Crafts Museum, dating to 1794 and Europe's oldest science and technology museum, is a must for families – or anyone with an interest in how…

  • Tour Montparnasse in Paris, France.

    Tour Montparnasse

    Paris

    Spectacular views unfold from this 210m-high smoked-glass-and-steel office block, built in 1973. A speedy elevator whisks visitors up in 38 seconds to the…

  • Canal Saint Martin, Republique.

    Canal St-Martin

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    The tranquil, 4.5km-long Canal St-Martin was inaugurated in 1825 to provide a shipping link between the Seine and Paris' northeastern suburbs. Emerging…

  • Spire and sculptures on roof of Grand Palais.

    Grand Palais

    Paris

    Erected for the 1900 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair), the Grand Palais is topped by a huge 8.5-tonne art nouveau glass roof. It hosts some of Paris’…

  • Parc Andre Citroen located on left bank of river Seine with a tethered hot air balloon, Ballon de Paris, allowing visitors to rise above the Paris skyline.

    Ballon de Paris

    Paris

    Drift up and up but not away – this helium-filled balloon in Parc André Citroën remains tethered to the ground as it lifts you 150m into the air for…

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