Attractions
With the quick train from London, Paris is now more popular than
ever and is an easy weekend destination. Paris is fairly compact
and easy to navigate and many tourists opt to walk or bicycle
around to soak up the flavour of the city and take in the numerous
iconic landmarks and parks or stop at one of the many pavement
cafés. A cruise down the Seine is also a popular option as
many of the city's greatest sights are on the river including
Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Place de la Concorde and the Eiffel
Tower.
Other things to see in Paris include the Basilique du
Sacre-Cœur, which offers great views over Paris, and the
Pompidou Centre, housing the Musée National d'Art Modern,
while the square to the west of the building attracts a varied
assortment of street performers.
South of the river you can visit the Musée d'Orsay, the
Rodin Museum and the Hotel des Invalides, the burial place of many
great French soldiers, including Napoleon Bonaparte, or idle away
an afternoon in the Jardin du Luxembourg. Further along you can
stroll through the Jardin des Plantes, Paris' first public garden,
created by Louis XIII's doctor for the cultivation of medicinal
plants, or visit the National History Museum.
Notre-Dame
Notre-Dame looms large over the Place de Parvis, on the Isle de
la Cité, and as the most enduring symbol of Paris is an
alluring tourist attraction. Built between 1163 and 1345 the
Cathedral is considered one of the of the world's Gothic
masterpieces....
see full detailsLouvre
One of the world's great art museums, this vast edifice houses
an extraordinary collection of paintings, sculptures and
antiquities from all over the world. The Louvre was opened to the
public in 1793, soon after the Revolution, to display the
spectacular treasures looted from...
see full detailsMusée d'Orsay
This great museum is fairly new by Paris standards. It is
situated in a railway station by the Seine and houses a vast
collection of works from the significant 1848 to 1914 period. There
are important works from the Art-Nouveau movement but the...
see full detailsMusée Rodin
The Rodin Museum is situated near the Musée d'Orsay and
is housed in what was formerly the Hôtel Biron, the beautiful
hotel where Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) once lived and worked. Inside
are many of Rodin's great marble sculptures including
The
Kiss while outside, in...
see full detailsMusée National Picasso
The Picasso Museum is situated in a 17th century mansion in the
heart of Paris. The collection was started in 1973, after the
French government accepted Picasso's own collection in lieu of
death duties, and was added to after his widow's death in...
see full detailsArc de Triomphe
The world's largest triumphal arch, the Arc de Triomphe de
l'Etoile is set at the centre of a star-shaped configuration of 12
radiating avenues. It stands 165ft (51 metres) tall and the names
of major victories won during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic
periods are...
see full detailsLes Invalides
Les Invalides were built by Louis XIV in 1670 as a military
hospital to take care of wounded soldiers. This attraction
comprises the largest single collection of monuments and museums in
Paris all relating to the military history of France. It is a
burial...
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