11 Paris attractions to put on your bucket list

1.Eiffel Tower

This is perhaps the most famous architectural monument in the world, an emblem of Paris. It's hard to believe today, but when it was opened, the tower was described as "terrible" and "monstrous".

The Eiffel Tower was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel and was built for the Paris Exposition of 1889, held in honor of the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The facility is made up of 15,000 steel sections held together with 2.5 million rivets.

With its height of 307 meters, the tower remained the tallest architectural building in the world until 1931, when the Empire State Building in New York (381 m) took the title.

The Eiffel Tower has three levels, with the top standing at a staggering 276 meters. You can get there with a panoramic elevator, which is taken from the second level. And the view from the top is: "WOW"!

Practical advice:

1) Book your tickets in advance to avoid queuing.

2) Visit the Eiffel Tower in the evening too, when it is lit up and looks… unique! In about 15 minutes you will also witness a light show.

3) Prices and working hours:

Opening hours: every day

From June 15 to September 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.;
During the rest of the year – from 9.30 a.m. to 11.00 p.m.;
Around Easter and Spring Break - extended hours until midnight.

Prices:
* Up to the second level – Adults: 9 E; children from 12 to 14 years: 7.50 E; for children from 4 to 11 years: 4.50 E;

  * To the top - Adults: 15 E; children from 12 to 14 years: 13.50 E ; for children from 4 to 11 years: 10.50 E;

     To the staircase (valid up to the second level) –
     For an adult: 5 E ; for children from 12 to 14 years: 4 F; for children from 4 to 11 years: 3 E;

2. The Louvre

The LouvreThe opulent palace, once home to French kings, is now an incredible art museum. In its courtyard is the famous "Glass Pyramid" designed by Leo Ming Pei in 1917.

There are more than 30,000 works of art in the Louvre - from antiquity to modern times. It is impossible to see everything in just one visit or one day. Therefore, I recommend you to focus on any particular gallery. Among the most attractive are the galleries of classical sculpture, Italian Renaissance, French artists of the 17th century.

And don't miss the biggest "star" of the exhibit: Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (a.k.a. the Gioconda)!

The exhibits are divided into three departments: Denon, Richelieu and Sully.

in the Louvre

Work time:

– from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. every day except Tuesday
– until 21.45 on Wednesdays and Fridays

Closed on January 1st, May 1st and December 25th.

Prices: for an adult – 12 €

* every first Sunday of the month – free of charge

The Louvre Palace itself is a landmark with impressive architecture. It is surrounded by the "Tuileries Gardens" - one of the largest and most beautiful parks in Paris, the work of the famous landscape architect, André Le Nôtre. The park has perfectly structured trees, decorative water pools and nice benches where you can sit to enjoy the surrounding beauty (or grab a quick snack :).
3. Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral

Cathedral-Notre-Dame

Notre-Dame (Holy Virgin) Cathedral is a triumph of Gothic architecture. It is located in the very heart of Paris on the Île Cité in the "Latin Quarter". This island on the Seine is the historical and geographical center of the city. On this small piece of land, the Celtic tribe "Parisians" created the first settlement, and then the Romans built the Gallo-Roman city of Lutetia, from which Paris was born.

In a later period, from the 6th to the 14th century, the island was the residence of the French kings.

Notre Dame Cathedral was built in 1163 by King Louis IX (Saint Louis) and Bishop Maurice. The entire construction lasted 150 years. The style is early and late Gothic.

The ornamental design of the facade will immediately grab your attention. The abundance of sculptures, flying buttresses and gargoyles will take your breath away.

view-from-notre-dame

The interior of the sanctuary is a vast vaulted space, the most distinctive part of the interior being the beautiful, stained glass windows. I recommend that you pay more attention to the rose window in the north transept. It is a unique work of art containing 80 Old Testament scenes inspired by the Holy Virgin.

Every Saturday and Sunday at 19:15 the cathedral offers a special audio-visual show, which takes place on a tulle screen measuring 100 square meters.

Entrance - free.

Opening hours: Every day from 8.00 a.m. to 6.45 p.m., except on Saturdays and Sundays, when it is open until 7.15 p.m.

Be sure to also see the 21 figures in the "Gallery of the Kings" who lost their heads during the French Revolution (the heads are on display in the "Cluny Museum").

Curious: There is a belief that if you turn around in the square in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral, you will return to Paris. The question is: do you want it??
Shocking fire at Notre Dame

Unfortunately, on 15.04.2019 this great Cathedral suffers a terrible tragedy... A fire breaks out in Notre Dame, the causes of which are not clear at the moment, the BBC reports. There is a hypothesis and that they have in common the renovation works in the cathedral.

After a long battle with the flames during the night, the fire was brought under control. Fortunately, 2 of the iconic towers and many works of art housed in Notre Dame have been saved.

Notre Dame Cathedral

fire at Notre Dame Cathedral
4. Champs-Elysées Boulevard

Champs-Elysées

I was a poor student when I first came across the Champs-Élysées. A perfectly arranged space of asphalt, buildings, trees and cool benches. Interestingly, until the 16th century, it was a deserted, swampy area. Then that same landscape architect, Le Notre, ennobled it.

The Champs-Élysées starts at Place de la Concorde and ends at Place Charles de Gaulle. It is divided into 2 parts.

The lower part, resting on the "De la Concorde", includes the park "Garden des Champs-Élysées" and the "Petite Palais" of art.

The upper part extends to the Arc de Triomphe and is a long stretch filled with shops, luxury designer boutiques, hotels, restaurants, cafes, cinemas and theaters. This glamorous and lively part of the boulevard attracts the most tourists as well as Parisians themselves.
5. The Arc de Triomphe

triumphal arch

The Arc de Triomphe is dedicated to the victories of the French armies of the Revolution and the First Empire. Napoleon ordered the construction of this mighty structure in 1806, but did not live to see it completed in 1836.

Designed by JF Chalgrin, the arch features larger-than-life reliefs of figures that depict the departure, victories and glorious return of the French armies.
The names of more than 660 generals and more than 100 famous battles are inscribed on the inside of the arch.

From the observation deck of the arch there is a panoramic view of the 12 avenues (boulevards) radially located from the Place de Etoile..

Work time:

- from 10.00-23.00 from 01.04 to 30.09
- from 10.00-22.30 from 01.10 to 31.03

Price: €9
6. Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) Basilica and Montmartre

Basilica-Sacred-Heart

Visiting this divine place is one of my most vivid memories of Paris. Climbing the sacred hill for Parisians, Montmartre, where the Roman Catholic basilica is located, is quite an adventure. The cobbled streets, winding like serpentines in the Alps, are very beautiful - especially in summer, when the roses bloom. And when you climb the hill and catch a glimpse of this Romano-Byzantine architectural work of art, you'll understand why it's called the "White Church." It really is dazzling white! It is made of a special kind of stone, calcite, which releases a white substance when it rains. In this way, the famous white color of the basilica and the eternal purity of the "Sacred Heart" are guaranteed.

Montmartre Hill is the second highest point in the city (after the Eiffel Tower) and from the steps in front of the church there is a lovely view of Paris. Without a doubt, one of the best places for selfies!
7. The Luxembourg Garden

Luxemburg-Garden-ParisA wonderful park for walks and rest, built in the 17th century by order of Maria Medici. The main credit for its current appearance goes to the architect who also designed the "Arc de Triomphe" in the 19th century - J.F. Chalgrin. In the center of the park is a large, octagonal lake with a fountain, surrounded by two picturesque terraces with statues.

For me, there are two attractions in the park that you should not miss. One is the copy of the "Statue of Liberty" - a bronze model that served as a prototype for the large statue in New York. The other is the "Fountain of the Medici", hidden among the trees against the east wing of the palace. The most beautiful fountain I have ever seen!
8. The Pantheon

PantheonBuilt originally as a church and with a facade like the original from Rome, the Pantheon is a striking representative of neoclassical architecture. The US Senate building, the Capitol, borrows its elliptical dome from this project.

After the French Revolution, the Pantheon was turned into a national monument. It is the most famous tomb in the country. In the crypt of the former church "Sainte Genevieve" located on the hill of the same name in the "Latin Quarter", some of the greatest sons and daughters of the nation have found rest, such as: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Descartes, Emile Zola, Pierre Curie, Marie Curie, Al. Dumas-father and others.

It is also home to the famous Foucault Pendulum.

Site: Official site
Opening hours: Every day from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.
Prices: For an adult - 7 Euro; For young people from 18 to 25 years old - 4.50 Euro; For persons under 17 - free of charge.
9. The d'Orsay Museum

Musée d'Orsay

Known as the "Home of the Impressionists", the Musée d'Orsay is a former train station from the Belle Epoque era. The spacious modernist building has housed works by some of the most brilliant impressionist artists. Among them are classical Impressionist artists such as Degas, Manet, Monet and Renoir; to representatives of Post-Impressionism, such as Cézanne and Van Gogh.

And after filling your senses with the masterpieces of the Impressionist masters, you can also take care of your gastronomic needs in the museum's historically significant restaurant, complete with gilded ceilings and glittering chandeliers (there are 2 moregallant cafes).

Work time:
Every day except Monday from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.;
Extended working hours on Thursday – until 9.45 pm;

Prices:
For an adult – 11 Euro;
For young people from 18 to 25 years old - 8.50 Euro;
For everyone after 4:30 p.m. (except Thursdays) – 8.50 Euro; on Thursday - after 6:00 p.m.
10. The Palais Garnier Opera House (a.k.a. the Paris Opera House)

Palais-Garnier

If I had to describe this beautiful neo-baroque home of the opera and ballet in Paris in just one word, it would be an excited exclamation or a sigh! It was designed by Charles Garnier in the lavish "Napoleon III" style and built between 1862 and 1875. The facade features classical columns and eight sculptures of allegories: Poetry, Music, Idyll, Recitation, Song, Drama and Dance. The loggia depicts busts of composers Halevi, Meyerbeer, Rossini, Aubert, Spontini, Beethoven and Mozart. At the very top of the building, at its four ends, there are exquisite, gilded groups of sculptures celebrating Poetics and Glory.

If you are a die-hard opera fan, don't miss visiting the Library-Museum of the Opera, located inside the building.

Warning: avoid anything containing the number 13 at the Paris Opera! This is a legendary bad omen for this building.
  11. The Paris Catacombs

Paris catacombs

“Stop! This is the empire of death!” reads a sign just before you enter the catacombs. Be aware that the queues are long and the experience a bit eerie, so if you're sensitive and uncomfortable with tight and damp spaces/suffer from claustrophobia - think twice before embarking on this adventure. If that doesn't scare you, act boldly!

In fact, these catacombs appeared after a protest by Parisians who were against the large cemetery in the city. This is how this "landmark" was created, because all the bones and skulls were moved here - the bones of nearly 6 million people, which created the reputation of the catacombs as "the largest cemetery in the world". The corridors are about 2 km long and are located about 20 m below the streets of Paris.

Their official name is the "Public Ossuary", but they are known as the Paris Catacombs.

Opening hours: from 10 am to 5 pm every day except Monday

Price: 8 euros (reduction for persons up to 25 years old from the EU - 4 E); children up to 12 years old – for free

***
From the stylish fashion boutiques to the fine cuisine, from one of the most famous cathedrals to the eerie catacombs, Paris is synonymous with sophisticated lifestyle and absolute freedom of existence! Paris is a city that is sure to create incredible memories. They call it the "City of Love", "Sin City", "Capital of Fashion"... Check for yourself what kind of city Paris will become for you.

*Recommendation: use the metro to get around - don't rent a car or taxi - this is the only way to avoid the huge traffic jams in the city!
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