Top Paris Attractions, Paris Things to Do

Paris. Just the word alone evokes images, music, even an idea of life. It’s often referred to as the City of Love, sometimes as the City of Lights, but more than anything, it’s a city that is loved. What is it that brings people to Paris, sometimes over and over again?

Eiffel Tower 

As much as it’s adored today, the “Iron Lady” was apparently hated at the time of its construction. The Eiffel Tower was built for the Universal Exhibition in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel and stood for years as the tallest building in the world.

Many Parisians couldn’t wrap their minds around the idea of such a large structure being erected on the Champ de Mars. Petitions were made to halt its building, and even after the tower was completed, some considered it an eyesore and clamored for it to be disassembled. The story goes that an excuse had to be found to justify keeping the structure, something that would make it essential to Parisian life. It became an enormous radio antenna and to this day serves as an integral part of French communication.

Religious Monuments

Right in the middle of the city is the Notre Dame. Since Paris went on a cleaning spree of its most famous facades and monuments, only the face of the Notre Dame has had its years of grime and grit completely stripped away. The sooty sides are great for kindling the imagination of younger visitors, where blackened gargoyles sneer out from the stonework, and Gothic details create a spidery yet beautiful cathedral. 

 

• Artists display their work on the streets below Notre Dame.

Fredrik Vogel

A tour of Paris’ religious monuments is not in the least achieved without a hike to the Sacré-Coeur, a basilica of white stone perched high above the cityscape. From the stairs that lead to the entrance are a sweeping view of Parisian rooftops and the imposing silhouette of Montparnasse Bienvenue (a big, black skyscraper). Unlike so many of the city’s other churches and cathedrals, the Sacré-Coeur was not built in the Gothic style, but rather a Romano-Byzantine architecture. Its domed tops, arched entrance and almost surprisingly gargoyle-free façade distinguish it as much as its location at the peak of Montmartre.

If you’ve never descended into the maze-like depths of a mass warehouse of bones, then the catacombs in Paris (1 Place Denfert Rochereau, metro Denfert Rochereau) will nicely fulfill this function. After widespread illness plagued the area of Les Halles, the nearby Cimetière des Innocents was pegged as the cause and the cemetery’s bones were lifted and resettled in the old quarries of Paris. As other cemeteries throughout the city began to overflow, more and more skeletons were marched down into the quarries.

There are 1.2 miles of bones neatly stacked, sometimes in patterns and designs, with the date of relocation and site of origin meticulously labeling each pile. It is a dark, moist and occasionally strange-smelling experience, with bizarre quotes (in French) illuminating the relationship between life and death carved into the walls.  

Jardin du Luxembourg 

If you’ve had enough of cathedrals, palaces and towers, the Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens) is also a favorite place to visit in Paris. Located on more than 55 acres of land, it is dotted with tennis courts, children’s playgrounds, statues, chess boards, fountains and flowers. Kids rent toy sailboats and chase them around the main fountain, adults recline in pale green lawn chairs, a paper or book in hand, and couples stroll along the gravel paths or lollygag in the grass near the southeast bend of the park. It’s a relaxing way to take a break from sightseeing, while still taking in the sights.

 

• A street artist works near the Centre Georges Pompidou.

*** Fanch The System !!! ***

Arc de Triomphe

You can’t leave Paris without seeing the Arc de Triomphe. It was conceived when France was at its strongest under Napoléon I. Beneath it lies the tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I, and the Germans marched through it into Paris during World War II. Now it serves as a bridge from the present to the past. Its very architecture tells a story of the values France once held, and the events it has seen relay how those values grew and changed over recent history.  

The Moulin Rouge 

Just as French as the Arc de Triomphe is the cancan. And where can the cancan be seen? At the Moulin Rouge of course! I’ll be honest, it’s not what it once was. Despite this, it strives to put on a class act, and there’s no lack of feathers and sequins to prove it. One can dine, take in a spectacle, or do both at the same time.

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