We have gathered a list together of the top 10 best sightseeing places to visit in Paris. Number one is of course going to be the Eiffel Tower but there are also many other things to do, we hope you like our suggestions.
1. Eiffel Tower
The famous Eiffel Tower is wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel and has been in situ since 1889. The Eiffel Tower is the most visited monument with an entrance fee in the world with millions of people ascending it every year. The tower is 330 metres tall which is about the same height as an 81-storey building and is the tallest structure in Paris.
2. The Louvre
The Louvre Museum is the world’s most visited museum and is a historic landmark in Paris. It is home to some of the most famous works of art, including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. It was built in late 12th to 13th century and sits on the Right Bank of the River Seine in the centre of Paris.
3. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris, mostly commonly referred to as simply Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité. The cathedral, which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It also stands out for its musical elements as it has three pipe organs and immense church bells. In 2019, while undergoing renovation and restoration, the roof of Notre-Dame sadly caught on fire and burned for around 15 hours. The cathedral suffered serious damage as a result and work to repair it finally began last year. The government of France has said it hopes for the reconstruction to be completed by Spring 2024 in time for the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. If you are wanting to visit the Notre-Dame before then, the cathedral’s parvis is accessible to the public and you can of course observe it from the outside, however, full access to the towers and treasures will be closed until the reconstruction is mostly complete.
4. Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile is another famous monument in Paris, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l’Étoile—the étoile or “star” of the juncture formed by its twelve radiating avenues. The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault also lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.
5. Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, approximately 12 miles west of Paris. Roughly 15m people visit the Palace, Park or Gardens of Versailles every, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.
6. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris
The Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in Paris, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacré-Cœur Basilica is located at the summit of the butte of Montmartre. From the dome, two hundred meters above the Seine, it is possible to see all of Paris, and the countryside for 50km around. It is the second-most visited monument in Paris, after the Eiffel Tower.
7. Musée d’Orsay
The Musée d’Orsay is a museum in Paris, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d’Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station which was built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. It houses the largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world, by painters including Van Gogh. It is one of the largest art museums in Europe. Last year alone the museum had one million visitors, which is still far behind years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the drop, it ranked fifteenth in the list of most-visited art museums in 2020.
8. Center Georges Pompidou
The Centre Pompidou, whose full name is Centre national d’art et de culture Georges-Pompidou, also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil, and the Marais. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the architectural team of Richard Rogers, Su Rogers, Renzo Piano, along with Gianfranco Franchini. It houses the Bibliothèque publique d’information, a vast public library; the Musée National d’Art Moderne, which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe; and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. It is named after Georges Pompidou, the President of France from 1969 to 1974 who commissioned the building, and was officially opened on 31st January 1977 by President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.
9. Luxembourg Gardens
The Jardin du Luxembourg, known in English as the Luxembourg Garden, often referred to as the Jardin du Sénat, is located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Creation of the garden began in 1612 when Marie de’ Medici, the widow of King Henry IV, constructed the Luxembourg Palace as her new residence. The garden today is owned by the French Senate, which meets in the Palace. It covers 23 hectares and is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, tennis courts, flowerbeds, model sailboats on its octagonal Grand Bassin, as well as picturesque Medici Fountain, built in 1620. The name Luxembourg comes from the Latin Mons Lucotitius, the name of the hill where the garden is located.
10. Disneyland Paris
To finish our list, number 10 had to of course be Disneyland Paris. The theme park is the most visited theme park in Europe and encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex and a golf course. Fun can be had here for any ages, whether it’s a couple, group of friends or a family affair, it is definitely worth a visit if you’re in France.
