Best Tourist Attractions in Paris

Paris is one of the most popular places in the world, recognizable from a simple glance at a picture. Paris garners millions of tourists each year and id very active when it comes to tourism making it the tourism capital of Europe. But like humans, like we are, we cant visit everywhere in Paris, so I am here to give you a list of best tourist attraction in Paris.

They are:

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel tower is The most visited tourist attraction in Paris, it also ranks high on the list of best tourist attractions in Paris. The tower was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel for the Paris Exhibition of 1889.

The tower consists of 18,000 sturdy iron sections (weighing over 10,000 tons) held together by 2.5 million rivets. This innovative structure is now considered a masterful architectural feat and is the most emblematic sight in Paris. From the Jardins du Trocadéro and the lawns of the Champs de Mars, there is just the right distance from the Eiffel Tower for a picture-perfect photo-op. Reaching 324 meters in height, the tower was the world’s tallest building until the Empire State Building was erected.

Louvre Palace

A sumptuous palace that was once the home of France’s Kings, the Louvre is the most important of Paris’ top museums. Visitors enter the museum in the courtyard of the palace at the glass pyramid (designed by Ieoh Ming Pei in 1917). The Louvre Museum possesses more than 30,000 artworks (many considered masterpieces)—from antiquities to European paintings of the 15th to 19th centuries.

It is impossible to see it all in one visit, but tourists can focus on a particular gallery, such as classical sculpture, Italian Renaissance art, or 17th-century French paintings, or take a self-guided tour to see the Louvre Museum’s highlights.

The most famous piece is the Mona Lisa or La Gioconda (or La Joconde in French) painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503-1505. Other exceptional works are the ancient Venus de Milo sculpture, the monumental Victory of Samothrace of the Hellenistic period, the immense Wedding Feast at Cana painting by Veronese (1563), and Botticelli’s frescoes. Also, a must-see is Liberty Leading the People (1831) by Eugène Delacroix, depicting the Parisian uprising of July 27th to 29th, 1830 known as “Trois Glorieuses” (“Three Glorious Days”).

Notre Dame

A triumph of Gothic architecture, the Notre-Dame stands in the heart of Paris on the Ile de la Cité near the attractions of the Latin Quarter. An island in the Seine River, the Ile de la Cité is the historical and geographical centre of Paris. On this small plot of land, the Romans built the Gallo-Roman city of Lutetia, and from the 6th century to the 14th century, the Kings of France resided here.

The Notre-Dame Cathedral was founded in 1163 by King Louis IX (Saint Louis) and Bishop Maurice de Sully, and the construction took more than 150 years. The cathedral was first created in Early Gothic style, while later additions (the west front and the nave) show the transition to High Gothic style. Tourists are immediately struck by the ornamental design of the facade, with its profusion of sculptures and gargoyles, while elaborate flying buttresses provide structural integrity for the enormous building. Look out for the 21 figures above the doorway in the Gallery of Kings, who lost their heads during the Revolution. (The heads are now on display in the Musée de Cluny.

Place de la Concorde

Created between 1755 and 1775 by the architect of King Louis XV, this impressive octagonal square is at the heart of 18th-century Paris. With its majestic dimensions, the Place de la Concorde is one of the most attractive squares in the city. It was the scene of several key historical events, including the execution of King Louis XVI, and it was part of Napoleon’s triumphal route.

The square offers sensational views of the triumphal route towards the Arc de Triomphe and the Défense, and towards the Louvre, as well as to the Madeleine and the Palais-Bourbon. At the centre is an Egyptian obelisk, which was presented to Charles X by the Viceroy of Egypt. During summer, there is a Ferris wheel here.

The Place de la Concorde is a busy intersection with heavy traffic, circulating at high speeds. French drivers don’t always pay attention to pedestrians, so tourists should make sure to get out of the way! To arrive at the Place de la Concorde, walk from the Louvre through the Jardin du Tuileries or the Rue du Rivoli, or follow the Quai along the Seine River. Alternatively, take the Métro to Concorde station

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is dedicated to the soldiers who fought in the French armies of the Revolution and the First Empire (Napoleonic Wars). Napoleon commissioned the building of this mighty structure in 1806 but did not live to see its completion in 1836. Designed by JF Chalgrin, the massive 50-meter-high arch features bas-reliefs with larger-than-life-size figures, which depict the departure, victories, and glorious return of the French armies.

Particularly noteworthy is the bas-relief by François Rude on the Champs-Elysées-facing side: Departure of the Volunteers of 1792, also known as The Marseillaise, illustrating the troops led by the winged spirit of Liberty. On the inner surface of the arch are the names of more than 660 generals and more than a hundred battles.

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