Paris sights and places to see

There are various ways to see Paris. You can do it on your own and discover things or you can go on a guided tour which will probably save you time but won’t give you the same feeling of working things out for yourself. You can hire a cab or walk and explore to your heart’s content. Walk down the Champs Elysees from the Arc de Triomphe and you pass some famous restaurants and hotels. Midway is the Rond Point and from there to the Place de la Concorde you may walk down a tree-lined avenue to Avenue Gabriel, where you find public buildings, including the Presidential Palace and, the American Embassy.

At the Place de la Concorde you’ll encounter the Crillon and the Marine Ministry. About two blocks away is the Church of the Madeleine which is a must, as are Notre Dame on the Ile de La Cite and the Sainte Chapelle located inside the Palais de Justice, and which has the most beautiful stainedglass window arrangement in Europe. There are lectures and tours through the Great Cathedral that are most interesting. See also the Tuileries Gardens along the Rue de Rivoli, you can’t miss the Eiffel Tower or the Opera.

Go to the Left Bank and take a look at the Boul’ Mich, or, Boulevard St. Michel and the Latin Quarter. The Sorbonne is nearby and the Pantheon. The Luxembourg Gardens and Palace are here, too. Of course, climb the hill to Montmartre, with its twisting streets and many restaurants and cafes. Sacre Coeur stands on top of the hill and you get a magnificent view of the city below. Back in the heart of Paris you will, of course, see the Place Vendome, the Rue de la Paix.

Take a stroll down the chain of Grands Boulevards: Boulevard de la Madeleine, Boulevard des Capucines, Boulevard des Italiens, Boulevard Poissonniere, Boulevard St. Denis, Boulevard St. Martin, which form a wide continuous avenue of shops and theaters.
Drive out through the Bois de Boulogne, with its lakes and fine restaurants and bridle paths. It’s charming.

Browse at the open book stalls along the Seine. Take a trip on the Seine River, on the colorful “Bateau Mouche,” and see all the familiar monuments from a different angle.

Boat trips are 1 to 2 hours long, and some include lunch or dinner. Visit “Les Halles,” Paris’ central market at the end of a long night out, and have onion soup. Pay a visit to the Hotel des Invalides and Napoleon’s tomb. In fact, do anything that interests you. It is all fascinating.

Versailles-Fontainebleau .There are many short trips out of Paris to the environs which are practically musts. Versailles ‘is 12 miles away. Here are the gardens, the Palace of Louis XIV, the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon. You can see La Malmaison on this trip, too, the home of Napoleon and Josephine. Fontainebleau, with its Renaissance palace, its formal gardens, is fascinating.

You can visit this on a standard tour or drive it in a cab. Fontainebleau, once a twelfth-century fortress, was reconstructed in the sixteenth century and eventually became the favorite residence of Napoleon. Drive through the 42,000-acre forest. During the summer in the gardens of Versailles and Fontainebleau there are fountain displays, Night Festivals with ancient dances, fireworks, etc.

These nocturnal performances are a must, and tickets can easily be purchased in most of the travel agencies.Paris lies in the centre of a saucer-like hollow, protected by a circle of mighty forests – Fontainebleau, Rambouillet, Gompiegne, and others. These royal forests, each with its palace or chateau, give character to the Ile-de-France, a region otherwise flat and uninspiring.

Musee du Louvre

Long before the novel “Code Da Vivci”, the Louvre inspired various stories and myths with countless antiquities, such as the Victory of Samothrace and Aphrodite of Milos, but also works such as the “Mona Lisa” which are presented in 60,000 sq.m. . of.

Cathedral of Notre Dame

Notre Dame de Paris, one of the most famous churches in the world, dominates the middle of the Ile de la Cite, separating the highly commercial and bustling rue de Rivoli from Saint-Michel with its small, picturesque alleys. Its gothic grandeur is breathtaking especially as it is reflected every night in the waters of the Seine.

Pompidou Center

The postmodern pride of the city is justified. And if once his industrial design frightened Parisians, now it is the focus of great art exhibitions, while his library is open to the public and includes treasures. It is worth a walk from the top floor, which houses the famous cafe-restaurant with breathtaking views.

Saint Louis
This island was loved by Voltaire and Baudelaire, the filmmakers fell in love with it and it is duly honored – especially in the summer – by Parisians: they still enjoy ice cream from its famous patisseries on the decks, young people skate, outdoors – life here is like a novel.

Eiffel Tower

It is inextricably linked to Paris and is a must-see for all visitors, and has been featured in many films. In fact, this original advertising symbol created by Gustave Eiffel had provoked huge reactions, but has now become an eternal symbol of the city. It has three accessible levels, each accessible by stairs or elevator. It is beautiful at night, with thousands of lights shining along its entire length, making it visible from almost anywhere.

Comedie-Francaise

The French National Theater, praised by Moliere, is set amidst beautiful bell-shaped buildings, palaces and, of course, the imposing “Ritz”. There is also a passage from the house where Chanel lived, to the neighboring rue Cambon.

Paris National Opera

Chagall painted the incomparable ceiling of the Palais Garnier, Gaston Leroy inspired the “Phantom of the Opera”, while all the sopranos dreamed of her stage. The neighborhood from the Opera to the Place de la Madeleine with its large department stores and the emblematic arched galleries is also aristocratic and charming.

Marais

The former stronghold of alternative Paris is today the heart of the most trendy trends: fashionable cafes, fashion studios, small galleries and shops of all kinds spread out in its alleys. The Jewish quarter with the most delicious falafels of the city remains intact, as well as the rue Vielle du Temple cafes lined up next to each other and the most stylish shops with second hand clothes. Follow the lanterns that adorn its alleys – they will lead you to the Place de Vosges with its countless arches and aristocratic windows.

Musee d’Orsay

Former train station that now functions as a museum of the cream of Impressionist – and not only – art. From Monet and Manet to Toulouse Lautrec and Cézanne, there is a long list of eponymous painters on display here.
Place de la Concorde
Just stand on the edge to have a view of the most emblematic sights of the city at the same time: the famous obelisk that adorns the middle of the square, the Seine, the Champs Elysees, the Jardin des Tuileries, the Louvre and the National Assembly building!

Montmartre

Picasso, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Miller are just some of the legends that circulated in its freeways.

The steps of the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, from where you can admire all of Paris, remain emblematic and here you will find endless itinerant artists.

Time seems to have stopped in the vicinity: on rue Tholoze there is still the small cinema that Buιuel and Cocteau once had, in the small garden of which you can enjoy an icy Cabernet, while on rue Lepic the purebred bistros stand out. In fact, the movie “Ameli” was shot in one of them.

Champs-Elysees

The Avenue des Champs-Elysees is arguably the largest, most historic and now most expensive boulevard in Paris: it starts from the Place de la Concorde and along it you will find a number of majestic shops, cafes, restaurants and huge cinemas and theaters. At the end there are a number of villas – where today embassies are housed – and of course the Arc de Triomphe.

Saint-Germain

The most stylish ladies of the city still go to the branded boutiques and the intellectuals drink Kir Royal at the tables of “Cafe de Flore” or “Deux Magots”. If existentialism was born somewhere here, where Chartres frequented, today Parisian fashion is flourishing in the same places.