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.

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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 …

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • Detail of Grande Galerie de l'Evolution in Musee National d'Histoire Naturelle.

    Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle

    Latin Quarter

    Despite the name, the National Museum of Natural History is not a single building, but a collection of sites throughout France. Its historic home is in…

  • 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…

  • The Conciergerie and the River Seine, Paris.

    Conciergerie

    Paris

    A royal palace in the 14th century, the Conciergerie later became a prison. During the Reign of Terror (1793–94) alleged enemies of the Revolution were…

  • Obelisk, Opera, place de la Bastille, Paris, Franc

    Place de la Bastille

    Paris

    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…

  • 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…

  • Parc du Champ de Mars with Eiffel Tower in background.

    Parc du Champ de Mars

    Paris

    Running southeast from the Eiffel Tower, the grassy Champ de Mars – an ideal summer picnic spot – was originally used as a parade ground for the cadets of…

  • 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…

  • Paris, France / May 13th 2018: A wide angle photo includes people shopping for flowers at Rungis Market outside of Paris, France. Rungis Market is the largest horticulture market in the world.

    Marché International de Rungis

    Paris

    Covering an area bigger than Monaco (234 hectares), Paris' wholesale markets are sectioned into vast halls for meat, cheese, fish, fruit and vegetables,…

  • Musée des Arts Décoratifs

    Paris

    Privately administered collections of applied arts and design, advertising and graphic design, and fashion and textiles are displayed in the Rohan Wing of…

  • July 2, 2017: pedestrians on the Champs Elysees, which is known for luxury brands.
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    Avenue des Champs-Élysées

    Paris

    No trip to Paris is complete without strolling this broad, tree-shaded avenue lined with luxury shops. Named for the Elysian Fields (‘heaven’ in Greek…

  • Pavillon de l'Arsenal, exterior

    Pavillon de l'Arsenal

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Built in 1879 as a museum, this magnificent glass-roofed building with arched wrought-iron girders wasn't actually used as one until over a century later,…

  • 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’…

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