▲▲▲Notre-Dame Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris)
▲Deportation Memorial (Mémorial de la Déportation)
Map: Major Museums Neighborhood
▲▲▲Orsay Museum (Musée d’Orsay)
▲▲Orangerie Museum (Musée de l’Orangerie)
▲▲▲Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel)
▲Quai Branly Museum (Musée du Quai Branly)
▲Paris Sewer Tour (Les Egouts de Paris)
▲Riverside Promenade (Les Berges du Seine)
National Maritime Museum (Musée National de la Marine)
Architecture and Monuments Museum (Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine)
▲▲Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb (Musée de l’Armée)
▲Self-Guided Bike Loop from Champ de Mars Park
▲▲Marmottan Museum (Musée Marmottan Monet)
▲Latin Quarter (Quartier Latin)
▲▲Cluny Museum (Musée National du Moyen Age)
Delacroix Museum (Musée National Eugène Delacroix)
▲Luxembourg Garden (Jardin du Luxembourg)
▲Petit Palais (and the Musée des Beaux-Arts)
▲Paris Ferris Wheel (Roue de Paris)
La Défense and La Grande Arche
▲▲Opéra Garnier (Opéra National de Paris—Palais Garnier)
▲▲Jacquemart-André Museum (Musée Jacquemart-André)
MARAIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND NEARBY
▲Carnavalet Museum (Musée Carnavalet)
▲▲Picasso Museum (Musée Picasso)
▲Jewish Art and History Museum (Musée d’Art et Histoire du Judaïsme)
Map: Marais Neighborhood & Nearby
Holocaust Memorial (Mémorial de la Shoah)
▲▲Pompidou Center (Centre Pompidou)
Promenade Plantée Park (Viaduc des Arts)
▲Père Lachaise Cemetery (Cimetière du Père Lachaise)
Victor Hugo’s House (Maison Victor Hugo)
▲Montmartre Museum (Musée de Montmartre)
Paris is blessed with world-class museums and monuments—more than anyone could see in a single visit. To help you prioritize your limited time and money, I’ve chosen what I think are the best of Paris’ many sights. I’ve clustered them into walkable neighborhoods for more efficient sightseeing.
When you see a 
in a listing, it means the sight is described in greater detail in one of my self-guided walks or tours. A 
means the walk or tour is available as a free audio tour (via my Rick Steves Audio Europe app—see here). Some walks and tours are available in both formats—take your pick.
This is why some of Paris’ greatest sights get less coverage in this chapter—we’ll explore them later in the book, where you’ll also find crucial info on avoiding lines, saving money, and finding a decent bite to eat nearby.
For general tips on sightseeing, see here. For advice on saving money, see “Affording Paris’ Sights” on here. Also, be sure to check www.ricksteves.com/update for any significant changes that may have occurred since this book was printed.
If you plan ahead, you can avoid many of the lines that tourists suffer through in Paris. For most sightseers, the best single way to avoid long lines is to buy a Paris Museum Pass. If you decide to forego the pass—or for sights not covered by the pass—you have other options. Note, though, that because of heightened terrorism concerns, there are likely to be slow security checks at most tourist-oriented sights.
In Paris there are two classes of sightseers—those with a Paris Museum Pass, and those who stand in line. The pass admits you to many of Paris’ most popular sights, and it allows you to skip ticket-buying lines (but not security lines). You’ll save time and money by getting this pass. Pertinent details about the pass are outlined here—for more info, visit www.parismuseumpass.com.
The pass pays for itself with four key admissions in two days (for example, the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, and Versailles), and it lets you skip the ticket line at most sights (2 days-€48, 4 days-€62, 6 days-€74, no youth or senior discounts). It’s sold at participating museums, monuments, TIs (small fee added; includes TIs at Paris airports), and at some souvenir stores located near major sights. Try to avoid buying the pass at a major museum (such as the Louvre), where the supply can be spotty and lines long. It’s not worth the cost or hassle to buy the pass online—you have to either pay dearly for shipping, or print vouchers and redeem them in person at a Paris TI.
To determine whether the pass is a good value for your trip, tally up what you want to see from the list below. Remember, with the pass you skip to the front of most (but not all) lines, which can save hours of waiting, especially in summer. Another benefit is that you can pop into lesser sights that otherwise might not be worth the expense.
Families: The pass isn’t worth buying for children and teens, as most museums are free or discounted for those under age 18 (teenagers may need to show ID as proof of age). If parents have a Museum Pass, kids can usually skip the ticket lines as well. A few places, such as the Arc de Triomphe and Army Museum, require everyone—even pass holders—to stand in line to collect your child’s free ticket.
Here’s a list of key sights and their admission prices without the pass:
| Louvre (€15) | Notre-Dame Tower (€10) |
| Orsay Museum (€11) | Paris Archaeological Crypt (€7) |
| Orangerie Museum (€9) | Paris Sewer Tour (€4.40) |
| Sainte-Chapelle (€8.50) | Cluny Museum (€8) |
| Arc de Triomphe (€9.50) | Pompidou Center (€14) |
| Rodin Museum (€10) | Picasso Museum (€11) |
| Army Museum (€11) | Conciergerie (€8.50) |
| Panthéon (€8.50) | Château Chantilly (€16) |
| Château Fontainebleau (€11) | Versailles (€25 total) |
Notable sights that are not covered by the pass include the Eiffel Tower, Montparnasse Tower, Marmottan Museum, Opéra Garnier, Notre-Dame Treasury, Jacquemart-André Museum, Grand Palais, Catacombs, Montmartre Museum, Sacré-Cœur’s dome, and the ladies of Pigalle. The pass also does not cover these recommended sights outside Paris: Vaux-le-Vicomte, Château d’Auvers in Auvers-sur-Oise, and Monet’s Garden and House in Giverny.
Plan carefully to make the most of your pass. Validate it only when you’re ready to tackle the covered sights on consecutive days. Activating it is simple—just write the start date you want (and your name) on the pass. But first make sure the sights you want to visit will be open when you want to go (many museums are closed on either a Mon or Tue).
The pass provides the best value on days when sights close later, letting you extend your sightseeing day. Take advantage of late hours on selected evenings or times of year at the Arc de Triomphe, Pompidou Center, Notre-Dame Tower, Sainte-Chapelle, Louvre, Orsay, Rodin Museum, and Napoleon’s Tomb. On days that you don’t have pass coverage, plan to visit free sights and those not covered by the pass (see here for a list of free sights).
You can’t skip the security lines, though at a few sights (including the Louvre), pass holders may be able to skip to the front. Once past security, look for signs designating the entrance for reserved ticket holders. If it’s not obvious, boldly walk to the front of the ticket line, hold up your pass, and ask the ticket taker: “Entrez, pass?” (ahn-tray pahs). You’ll either be allowed to enter at that point, or you’ll be directed to a special entrance. For major sights, such as the Louvre and Orsay museums, I’ve identified pass holder entrances on the maps in this book. Don’t be shy—some places (the Orsay and the Arc de Triomphe, in particular) have long lines in which pass holders wait needlessly.
If you don’t purchase a Paris Museum Pass, or if a sight is not covered by the pass, there are other ways to avoid long waits in ticket-buying lines.
For some sights, you can buy advance tickets either at the official website or through a third party (for a fee). Some tickets require you to choose a specific entry time, like at the line-plagued Eiffel Tower. You can also buy tickets in advance for many other sights (including the Louvre, Orsay, Picasso Museum, Rodin Museum, and Monet’s gardens at Giverny) as well as for activities and cultural events (Bateaux-Mouches cruises, Sainte-Chapelle concerts, and performances at the Opéra Garnier).
TIs, FNAC department stores, and travel-services companies such as Paris Webservices and Fat Tire Tours sell individual “coupe-file” tickets (pronounced “koop feel”) for some sights, which allow you to use the Museum Pass entrance (worth the extra cost and trouble only for sights where lines are longest). TIs sell these tickets for a small fee, but elsewhere you can expect a surcharge of 10-20 percent. FNAC stores are everywhere (www.fnactickets.com), even on the Champs-Elysées (ask your hotelier for the nearest one); for Paris Webservices, see here. Despite the surcharges and often-long lines to buy them, getting coupe-file tickets can still be a good idea.
Fat Tire Tours offers Skip the Line tickets and tours of major sights, including the Louvre, Notre-Dame Tower, Catacombs, Eiffel Tower, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, and Versailles (see here or visit www.fattiretours.com/paris).
Some sights, such as the Louvre, have ticket-vending machines that save time in line. These accept cash (usually no bills larger than €20) or chip-and-PIN cards (so many American credit cards won’t work). And at certain sights, including the Louvre and Orsay, nearby shops sell tickets, allowing you to avoid the main ticket lines (for details, see the Louvre and Orsay tour chapters).
Many of these sights—Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, and more—are covered in detail in my Historic Paris Walk. If a sight is covered in the walk, I’ve listed only its essentials here. See my Historic Paris Walk or download my free audio tour.
This 850-year-old cathedral is packed with history and tourists. With a pair of 200-foot-tall bell towers, a facade studded with ornate statuary, beautiful stained-glass rose windows, famous gargoyles, a picture-perfect Seine-side location, and textbook flying buttresses, there’s a good reason that this cathedral of “Our Lady” (Notre-Dame) is France’s most famous church.
Check out the facade: Mary with the Baby Jesus (in rose window) above the 28 Kings of Judah (statues that were beheaded during the Revolution). Stroll the interior, which echoes with history. Then wander around the exterior, through a forest of frilly buttresses, watched over by a fleet of whimsical gargoyles. The long line to the left is to climb the famous tower.
Cost and Hours: Cathedral—free, Mon-Sat 7:45-18:45, Sun 7:15-19:15; Tower—€10, covered by Museum Pass but no bypass line, daily April-Sept 10:00-18:30, Fri-Sat until 23:00 in July-Aug, Oct-March 10:00-17:30, last entry 45 minutes before closing, avoid the worst lines by arriving before 10:00 or after 17:00 (after 16:00 in winter); Treasury—€5, not covered by Museum Pass, Mon-Fri 9:30-18:00, Sat 9:30-18:30, Sun 13:30-18:40; audioguide-€5, free English tours—normally Mon, Tue, and Sat at 14:30, Wed and Thu at 14:00; Mo: Cité, Hôtel de Ville, or St. Michel; tel. 01 42 34 56 10, www.notredamedeparis.fr.
For a detailed tour of Notre-Dame Cathedral, see here of my Historic Paris Walk or download my free audio tour.
This intriguing 20-minute stop lets you view Roman ruins from Emperor Augustus’ reign (when this island became ground zero in Paris), trace the street plan of the medieval village, and see diagrams of how early Paris grew. It’s all thoughtfully explained in English (pick up the floor plan with some background info) and well presented with videos and touchscreens.
Cost and Hours: €7, covered by Museum Pass, Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon, enter 100 yards in front of cathedral, tel. 01 55 42 50 10, www.crypte.paris.fr.
Visiting the Crypt: The first few displays put the ruins in historical context. Three models show the growth of Paris—from an uninhabited riverside plot to the grid-planned Roman town of Lutèce, then to an early medieval city with an enclosing wall and the church that preceded Notre-Dame. A fourth model (off to the left) shows the current Notre-Dame surrounded by buildings, along with the old, straight road—Rue Neuve de Notre-Dame—that led up to the church and now runs right down the center of the museum. The ruins in the middle of the museum are a confusing mix of foundations from all these time periods, including parts of the old Rue Neuve.
As you circle the ruins counter-clockwise, here are some highlights: Along the right side of the museum, you can see big stone blocks from the old Roman wall. At the back, you can step onto the remains of a Roman dock. Further along is a chance to build Notre-Dame Cathedral with a touchscreen, and a view of the Rue Neuve ruins. On the museum’s far side, find the thermal baths, where you can see a Roman building with “hypocaustal” heating—narrow passages pumped full of hot air to heat the room.
Climb down the steps into this memorial dedicated to the 200,000 French victims of the Nazi concentration camps. As Paris disappears above you, this monument draws you into the victims’ experience. Once underground you enter a one-way hallway studded with tiny lights commemorating the dead, leading you to an eternal flame.
Cost and Hours: Free, Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00, Oct-March until 17:00, closed Mon year-round, may randomly close at other times, free but boring audioguide; at the east tip of Ile de la Cité, behind Notre-Dame and near Ile St. Louis (Mo: Cité); tel. 01 46 33 87 56.
The residential island behind Notre-Dame is known for its restaurants (see the Eating in Paris chapter), great ice cream, and shops (along Rue St. Louis-en-l’Ile).
For a detailed description of Ile St. Louis, see here of my Historic Paris Walk chapter or download my free audio tour.
The interior of this 13th-century chapel is a triumph of Gothic church architecture. Built to house Jesus’ Crown of Thorns, Sainte-Chapelle is jam-packed with stained-glass windows, bathed in colorful light, and slippery with the drool of awestruck tourists. Ignore the humdrum exterior and climb the stairs into the sanctuary, where more than 1,100 Bible scenes—from the Creation to the Passion to Judgment Day—are illustrated by light and glass.
Cost and Hours: €8.50, €13.50 combo-ticket with Conciergerie, free for those under age 18, covered by Museum Pass; daily March-Oct 9:30-18:00, Wed until 21:30 mid-May-mid-Sept, Nov-Feb 9:00-17:00; be prepared for long lines (for tips on avoiding them, see here), audioguide-€4.50 (€6 for two), evening concerts—see here, 4 Boulevard du Palais, Mo: Cité, tel. 01 53 40 60 80, www.sainte-chapelle.fr.
For a detailed tour of the cathedral’s interior, see here of my Historic Paris Walk or download my free audio tour.
Marie-Antoinette was imprisoned here, as were Louis XVI, Robespierre, Danton, and many others on their way to the guillotine. Exhibits with good English descriptions trace the history of the building and give some insight into prison life. You can also relive the drama in Marie-Antoinette’s cell on the day of her execution—complete with dummies and period furniture.
Cost and Hours: €8.50, €13.50 combo-ticket with Sainte-Chapelle, covered by Museum Pass, daily 9:30-18:00, 2 Boulevard du Palais, Mo: Cité, tel. 01 53 40 60 80, www.paris-conciergerie.fr.
For a detailed description of the Conciergerie, see here of my Historic Paris Walk or download my free audio tour.
The Riviera it’s not, but this string of fanciful faux beaches—assembled in summer along a one-mile stretch of the Right Bank of the Seine—is a fun place to stroll, play, and people-watch on a sunny day. Each summer, the Paris city government closes the embankment’s highway and trucks in potted palm trees, hammocks, lounge chairs, and 2,000 tons of sand to create colorful urban beaches. You’ll also find “beach cafés,” climbing walls, prefab pools, trampolines, boules, a library, beach volleyball, badminton, and Frisbee areas in three zones: sandy, grassy, and wood-tiled. (Other less-central areas of town, such as Bassin de la Vilette, have their own plages.)
Cost and Hours: Free, mid-July-mid-Aug daily 8:00-24:00, on Right Bank of Seine, just north of Ile de la Cité, between Pont des Arts and Pont de Sully; for information, go to www.quefaire.paris.fr/parisplages.
Paris’ grandest park, the Tuileries Garden, was once the private property of kings and queens. Today it links the Louvre, Orangerie, and Orsay museums. And across from the Louvre are the tranquil, historic courtyards of the Palais Royal.
This is Europe’s oldest, biggest, greatest, and second-most-crowded museum (after the Vatican). Housed in a U-shaped, 16th-century palace (accentuated by a 20th-century glass pyramid), the Louvre is Paris’ top museum and one of its key landmarks. It’s home to Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and hall after hall of Greek and Roman masterpieces, medieval jewels, Michelangelo statues, and paintings by the greatest artists from the Renaissance to the Romantics.
Touring the Louvre can be overwhelming, so be selective. Focus on the Denon wing, with Greek sculptures, Italian paintings (by Raphael and da Vinci), and—of course—French paintings (Neoclassical and Romantic), and the adjoining Sully wing, with Egyptian artifacts and more French paintings. For extra credit, tackle the Richelieu wing, displaying works from ancient Mesopotamia, as well as French, Dutch, and Northern art.
Cost and Hours: €15, includes special exhibits, free on first Sun of month Oct-March, covered by Museum Pass, tickets good all day, reentry allowed; Wed-Mon 9:00-18:00, Wed and Fri until 21:45 (except on holidays), closed Tue, galleries start shutting 30 minutes before closing, last entry 45 minutes before closing; crowds worst in the morning (arrive 30 minutes before opening) and all day Sun, Mon, and Wed; videoguide-€5, guided tours available—see here, several cafés, tel. 01 40 20 53 17, recorded info tel. 01 40 20 51 51, www.louvre.fr.
Getting There: It’s at the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre Métro stop. (The old Louvre Métro stop, called Louvre-Rivoli, is farther from the entrance.) Bus #69 also runs past the Louvre.
See the Louvre Tour chapter or download my free audio tour.
Across from the Louvre are the lovely courtyards of the stately Palais Royal. Although the palace is closed to the public, the courtyards are open.
Cost and Hours: Free and always open. The Palais Royal is directly north of the Louvre on Rue de Rivoli (Mo: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre).
Visiting the Courtyards: Enter through a whimsical (locals say tacky) courtyard filled with stubby, striped columns and playful fountains (with fun, reflective metal balls). Next, you’ll pass into another, perfectly Parisian garden. This is where in-the-know Parisians come to take a quiet break, walk their poodles and kids, or enjoy a rendezvous—amid flowers and surrounded by a serene arcade and a handful of historic restaurants. Bring a picnic and create your own quiet break, or have a drink at one of the outdoor cafés at the courtyard’s northern end. This is Paris.
Though tranquil today, this was once a hotbed of political activism. The palace was built in the 17th century by Louis XIII and eventually became the headquarters of the powerful Dukes of Orléans. Because the Dukes’ digs were off-limits to the police, some shocking free-thinking took root here. This was the meeting place for the debating clubs—the precursors to modern political parties. During the Revolution, palace resident Duke Philippe (nicknamed Philippe Egalité for his progressive ideas) advocated a constitutional monarchy, and voted in favor of beheading Louis XVI—his own cousin. Philippe hoped his liberal attitudes would spare him from the Revolutionaries, but he, too, was guillotined. His son, Louis-Philippe, became France’s first constitutional monarch (r. 1830-1848). The palace’s courtyards were backdrops for a riotous social and political scene, filled with lively café culture, revolutionaries, rabble-rousers, scoundrels, and...Madame Tussaud’s first wax shop (she used the severed heads of guillotine victims to model her sculptures).
Nearby: Exiting the courtyard at the side facing away from the Seine brings you to the Galeries Colbert and Vivienne, attractive examples of shopping arcades from the early 1800s (see here).
The Orsay boasts Europe’s greatest collection of Impressionist works. It might be less important than the Louvre—but it’s more purely enjoyable.
The Orsay, housed in an atmospheric old train station, picks up where the Louvre leaves off: the second half of the 19th century. This is art from the tumultuous time that began when revolutions swept across Europe in 1848 and ended when World War I broke out in 1914. Begin with the conservative art of the mid-1800s—careful, idealized Neoclassicism (with a few rebels mixed in). Then tour the late 1800s, when the likes of Manet, Monet, Degas, and Renoir jolted the art world with their colorful, lively new invention, Impressionism. (Somewhere in there, Whistler’s Mother sits quietly.) The Orsay also displays the works of their artistic descendants, the Post-Impressionists: Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat, and Toulouse-Lautrec. On the mezzanine level, waltz through Rodin sculptures and Art Nouveau exhibits, and finish in the Grand Ballroom, which shows the chandeliered elegance of this former train station.
Cost and Hours: €11, €8.50 Tue-Wed and Fri-Sun after 16:30 and Thu after 18:00, free on first Sun of month and often right when the ticket booth stops selling tickets (Tue-Wed and Fri-Sun at 17:00, Thu at 21:00; they won’t let you in much after that), covered by Museum Pass, combo-ticket with Orangerie Museum (€16) or Rodin Museum (€18). Museum open Tue-Sun 9:30-18:00, Thu until 21:45, closed Mon, last entry one hour before closing (45 minutes before on Thu), Impressionist galleries start shutting 45 minutes before closing. For line-avoiding tips, see here; museum especially crowded on Sun and Tue; audioguide-€5, guided tours available—see here; cafés and a restaurant, tel. 01 40 49 48 14, www.musee-orsay.fr.
Getting There: The museum, at 1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur, sits above the RER-C stop called Musée d’Orsay; the nearest Métro stop is Solférino, three blocks southeast of the Orsay. Bus #69 also stops at the Orsay. From the Louvre, it’s a lovely 15-minute walk through the Tuileries Garden and across the pedestrian bridge to the Orsay.
See the Orsay Museum Tour chapter or download my free audio tour.
Located in the Tuileries Garden and drenched by natural light from skylights, the Orangerie (oh-rahn-zhuh-ree) is the closest you’ll ever come to stepping right into an Impressionist painting. Start with the museum’s claim to fame: Monet’s Water Lilies. Then head downstairs to enjoy the manageable collection of select works by Utrillo, Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse, and Picasso.
Cost and Hours: €9, €6.50 after 17:00, free for those under age 18, €16 combo-ticket with Orsay Museum, covered by Museum Pass; Wed-Mon 9:00-18:00, closed Tue; audioguide-€5, English guided tours usually Mon and Thu at 14:30 and Sat at 11:00, located in Tuileries Garden near Place de la Concorde (Mo: Concorde or scenic bus #24), 15-minute stroll from the Orsay, tel. 01 44 77 80 07, www.musee-orangerie.fr.
See the Orangerie Museum Tour chapter.
Built on the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution (and in the spirit of the Industrial Revolution), the tower was the centerpiece of a World Expo designed simply to show off what people could build in 1889. For decades it was the tallest structure the world had ever known, and though it’s since been eclipsed, it’s still the most visited monument. Ride the elevators to the top of its 1,063 feet for expansive views that stretch 40 miles. Then descend to the two lower levels, where the views are arguably even better, since the monuments are more recognizable.
Cost and Hours: €17 to ride all the way to the top, €11.50 for just the two lower levels, €5 to climb the stairs to the first or second level, not covered by Museum Pass; daily mid-June-Aug 9:00-24:45, last ascent to top at 23:00 and to lower levels at 24:00 (elevator or stairs); Sept-mid-June 9:30-23:45, last ascent to top at 22:30 and to lower levels at 23:00 (elevator) or at 18:00 (stairs); cafés and great view restaurants, Mo: Bir-Hakeim or Trocadéro, RER: Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel (all stops about a 10-minute walk away). Recorded information tel. 08 92 70 12 39, www.toureiffel.paris.
Reservations: Since long waits are common, it’s wise to make a reservation well in advance of your visit. At www.toureiffel.paris, you can book a time slot to begin your ascent; this allows you to skip the long initial entry line. Tickets go on sale about three months in advance and sell out quickly for visits from April through September, so don’t dally.
See the Eiffel Tower Tour chapter (which includes more tips on getting in).
This is the best collection I’ve seen anywhere of non-Western art from Africa, Oceania, Asia, and the Americas. Because art illustrates the ways in which a people organizes and delineates its culture and beliefs, viewing this collection offers a richer appreciation of traditions from around the world. The exhibits are presented in a wild, organic, and strikingly modern building. It’s well worth a look if you have a Museum Pass and are near the Eiffel Tower.
Cost and Hours: €10, free on first Sun of the month, covered by Museum Pass; museum—Tue-Sun 11:00-19:00, Thu-Sat until 21:00, closed Mon, ticket office closes one hour before closing; gardens—Tue-Sun 9:15-19:30, Thu-Sat until 21:15, closed Mon; audioguide-€5, 37 Quai Branly, 10-minute walk east (upriver) of Eiffel Tower, along the river (RER: Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel or Pont de l’Alma), tel. 01 56 61 70 00, www.quaibranly.fr.
Visiting the Museum: After passing the security check and the ticket taker, pick up the museum map, then follow a ramp upstream along a projected river of the 1,657 names of the peoples covered in the museum. The permanent collection occupies the first floor up. Masks, statuettes, musical instruments, textiles, clothes, voodoo dolls, and a variety of temporary exhibitions and activities are artfully presented and exquisitely lit (the dim lighting also helps to preserve the fragile works). There’s no need to follow a route: Wander at whim. Helpful English explanations are posted in most rooms and provide sufficient description for most visitors, though serious students will want to rent the audioguide.
Eiffel Tower Views: Even if you skip the museum, drop by its peaceful garden café for fine Eiffel Tower views (closes 30 minutes before museum) and enjoy the intriguing gardens. The pedestrian bridge that crosses the river and runs up to the museum also has sensational tower views.
Discover what happens after you flush. This quick, interesting, and slightly stinky visit (a perfumed hanky helps) takes you along a few hundred yards of water tunnels in the world’s first underground sewer system.
Cost and Hours: €4.40, covered by Museum Pass, Sat-Wed 11:00-17:00, Oct-April until 16:00, closed Thu-Fri year-round, located where Pont de l’Alma greets the Left Bank—on the right side of the bridge as you face the river, Mo: Alma-Marceau, RER: Pont de l’Alma, tel. 01 53 68 27 81.
Visiting the Sewer: Pick up the helpful English self-guided tour, then drop down into Jean Valjean’s world of tunnels, rats, and manhole covers. (Victor Hugo was friends with the sewer inspector when he wrote Les Misérables.) You’ll pass well-organized displays with extensive English information explaining the history of water distribution and collection in Paris, from Roman times to the present.
The evolution of this amazing network of sewers is fascinating. More than 1,500 miles of tunnels carry 317 million gallons of water daily through this underworld. It’s the world’s longest sewer system—so long, they say, that if it were laid out straight, it would stretch from Paris all the way to Istanbul.
It’s enlightening to see how much work goes into something we take for granted. Sewage didn’t always disappear so readily. In the Middle Ages, wastewater was tossed from windows to a center street gutter, then washed into the river (which also supplied locals’ drinking water). In castles, sewage ended up in the moat (enhancing the moat’s defensive role). In the 1500s, French Renaissance King François I moved from château to château (he had several) when the moat-muck became too much. This tour illustrates how, over time, sewage became separated from drinking water and explains the intricate systems in place today that sustain that separation.
This one-time busy expressway turned riverfront park runs along the Left Bank of the Seine from the Pont de l’Alma (near the Eiffel Tower) to the Orsay Museum, allowing walkers to experience the Seine at water level. Distractions abound, with loads of kid-friendly activities, gardens, lively cafés, sling chairs, crêperies, and more. It’s part of Paris’s grand 21st-century plan to rid the city center of cars and create pedestrian-friendly areas. It’s hugely popular in good weather, and a fun place to rub shoulders with Parisians.
This fun museum anchors a dazzling collection of ship models, submarine models, torpedoes, cannonballs, beaucoup bowsprits, and naval you-name-it. It’s a kid-friendly place filled with Pirates of the Caribbean-like ship models, some the size of small cars. Start with the full-sized party barge made for Napoleon in 1810, then look up to see the elaborate stern of the 1694 Réale de France royal galley (don’t miss the scale model in the glass case). From here you can follow a more or less chronological display of ship construction, from Roman vessels to modern cruise ships to aircraft carriers. Few English explanations make the free audioguide essential.
Cost and Hours: €8.50, includes audioguide, free for those age 26 and under, covered by Museum Pass; Mon and Wed-Fri 11:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 11:00-19:00, closed Tue; on left side of Place du Trocadéro with your back to Eiffel Tower, tel. 01 53 65 69 69, www.musee-marine.fr.
This museum, on the east side of Place du Trocadéro, takes you through 1,000 years of French architecture, starring some of France’s greatest Gothic churches—all brought to life through full-sized casts and scale models. Pick up the museum plan, augment it with the English info sheets in the rooms, and focus most of your time on the ground floor. Walk the length of the floor, passing under tympanum arches and pondering how many ways you can envision the Last Judgment. Gaze into the eyes of medieval statues from the abbey of Cluny, Chartres Cathedral, Château de Chambord, and much more. A U-turn at the end of the hall leads to the Renaissance and the screaming passion of the Revolution.
Take the elevator up a floor to see thought-provoking designs for modern projects, including for low-income housing. You can walk into a room from Le Corbusier’s 1952 Habitation Unit from Marseille and appreciate what a forward thinker this man was. Farther along, you’ll see how colorfully painted the chapels were in medieval churches. The views to the Eiffel Tower are sensational.
Cost and Hours: €8, includes audioguide, covered by Museum Pass, Wed-Mon 11:00-19:00, Thu until 21:00, closed Tue, 1 Place du Trocadéro, Mo: Trocadéro, RER: Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel, tel. 01 58 51 52 00, www.citechaillot.fr.
Wine enthusiasts may want to stop into this 15th-century cellar for a musty, atmospheric, wine-fueled experience. The museum displays tools and items used for harvesting and winemaking, collected over the years by the Confrérie des Echansons. The role of this order is to protect and promote French wines. Started in 1954, it has thousands of members worldwide. Follow your visit with a wine tasting (€5 for one glass, €25 to taste three wines with a sommelier) and/or lunch at the restaurant (open 12:00-15:00, free aperitif with lunch if you show this book).
Cost and Hours: €10, €8 with this book, includes dry audioguide, Tue-Sat 10:00-18:00, closed Sun-Mon, 5 Square Charles Dickens, Mo: Passy, 15-minute walk from Eiffel Tower, tel. 01 45 25 63 26, www.museeduvinparis.com.
Paris is changing quickly, but a stroll down this market street introduces you to a thriving, traditional Parisian neighborhood and offers insights into the local culture. Although this is a wealthy district, Rue Cler retains the workaday charm still found in most neighborhoods throughout Paris. The shops lining the street are filled with the freshest produce, the stinkiest cheese, the tastiest chocolate, and the finest wines (markets generally open Tue-Sat 8:30-13:00 & 15:00-19:30, Sun 8:30-12:00, dead on Mon). I’m still far from a gourmet eater, but my time spent tasting my way along Rue Cler has substantially bumped up my appreciation of good cuisine (as well as the French knack for good living).
See Rue Cler Walk chapter.
Europe’s greatest military museum, in the Hôtel des Invalides, provides interesting coverage of several wars, particularly World Wars I and II. At the center of the complex, Napoleon lies majestically dead inside several coffins under a grand dome—a goose-bump inducing pilgrimage for historians. The dome overhead glitters with 26 pounds of thinly pounded gold leaf.
Cost and Hours: €11, €9 after 17:00 (16:00 in Nov-March), free for military personnel in uniform, free for kids but they must wait in line for ticket, covered by Museum Pass, special exhibits are extra; open daily 10:00-18:00, Nov-March until 17:00; tomb also open July-Aug until 19:00 and April-Sept Tue until 21:00; museum (except for tomb) closed first Mon of month Oct-June; Charles de Gaulle exhibit closed Mon year-round; videoguide-€6, cafeteria, tel. 08 10 11 33 99, www.musee-armee.fr.
Getting There: The Hôtel des Invalides is at 129 Rue de Grenelle, a 10-minute walk from Rue Cler (Mo: La Tour Maubourg, Varenne, or Invalides). You can also take bus #69 (from the Marais and Rue Cler), bus #87 (from Rue Cler and Luxembourg Garden area), or bus #63 from the St. Germain-des-Prés area.
See the Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb Tour chapter.
This recently renovated, user-friendly museum is filled with passionate works by the greatest sculptor since Michelangelo. You’ll see The Kiss, The Thinker, The Gates of Hell, and many more. Well-displayed in the mansion where the sculptor lived and worked, exhibits trace Rodin’s artistic development, explain how his bronze statues were cast, and show some of the studies he created to work up to his masterpiece, the unfinished Gates of Hell. Learn about Rodin’s tumultuous relationship with his apprentice and lover, Camille Claudel. Mull over what makes his sculptures some of the most evocative since the Renaissance. And stroll the beautiful gardens, packed with many of his greatest works (including The Thinker) and ideal for artistic reflection.
Cost and Hours: €10, free for those under age 18, free on first Sun of the month Oct-March, €4 for just the garden (with several important works on display), €18 combo-ticket with Orsay Museum, both museum and garden covered by Museum Pass; Tue-Sun 10:00-17:45, Wed until 20:45, closed Mon; gardens close at 18:00, Oct-March at 17:00; audioguide-€6, mandatory baggage check, self-service café in garden, 77 Rue de Varenne, Mo: Varenne, tel. 01 44 18 61 10, www.musee-rodin.fr.
See the Rodin Museum Tour chapter.
This easy, level one-hour bike tour is designed as a loop trip. It starts at the Champ de Mars, follows the riverside promenade, and heads into the Tuileries Garden, across Place de la Concorde, and along the Champs-Elysées before returning to the park.
Your main obstacle when riding this route will be pedestrian traffic—try to avoid weekends when locals flock to the riverside. Feel free to linger longer when the spirit moves you. Respect one-way bike lanes—travel only in the direction indicated. For information on where to pick up a bike, see here. If using a Vélib’ bike (explained on here), you could do a one-way trip and drop your bike at any rack (you’ll find a rack near the Pont de l’Alma bridge, before you reach the tower).
Many major sights in Paris are open between 9:00 and 18:00, but some open even earlier and/or stay open late.
Sacré-Cœur: Basilica daily at 6:00 (dome opens at 8:30 May-Sept, 9:00 Oct-April)
St. Sulpice Church: Daily at 7:30
Notre-Dame Cathedral: Mon-Sat at 7:45, Sun at 7:15
Paris Plages (Paris Beaches): Mid-July-mid-Aug daily at 8:00
Père Lachaise Cemetery: Mon-Fri at 8:00, Sat at 8:30, Sun at 9:00
Gardens at Versailles: Tue-Sun at 8:00
Every night in Paris, at least one sight is open late. Keep in mind that many of them stop admitting visitors well before their posted closing times.
Jacquemart-André Museum: Mon until 20:30 during special exhibits
Gardens at Versailles: April-Oct daily until 20:30 (may close earlier for special events)
Rodin Museum: Wed until 20:45
Marmottan Museum: Thu until 21:00
Napoleon’s Tomb: April-Sept Tue until 21:00
Pompidou Center: Wed-Mon until 21:00, special exhibits until 22:00 and Thu until 23:00
Architecture and Monuments Museum: Thu until 21:00
Jewish Art and History Museum: Wed until 21:00 during special exhibits
Quai Branly: Thu-Sat until 21:00 (gardens until 21:15)
Sainte-Chapelle: Mid-May-mid-Sept Wed until 21:30
Louvre: Wed and Fri until 21:45
Orsay Museum: Thu until 21:45
Sacré-Cœur: Basilica daily until 22:30
Tower at Notre-Dame: July-Aug Fri-Sat until 23:00
Arc de Triomphe: Daily April-Sept until 23:00, Oct-March until 22:30
Paris Plages (Paris Beaches): Mid-July-mid-Aug daily until 24:00
Eiffel Tower: Daily mid-June-Aug until 24:45, Sept-mid-June until 23:45
The Route: Find your way to the south side of the Champ de Mars (near Ecole Militaire). Zig-zag your way back and forth across the park for views as you ride toward the river. Brake for pétanque games and Eiffel Tower views (prepare to walk the bike through tourist crowds as you approach the tower).
Turn right onto Quai Branly (the street running along the river below the tower) and join the bike lane. Cross Quai Branly at the first traffic light (just after passing the Quai Branly Museum). Ride into the riverside parkway, then drop down the ramp to the riverside promenade (Les Berges du Seine, described on here). Take oodles of time to savor the riverside activities, cafés, and people-watching.
Follow the riverside path to its end at the Orsay Museum. Exit up the ramp, then walk your bike across the bridge (Pont Royal) and turn left into the Tuileries Garden (do not ride into the underpass tunnel). You can’t ride down the center of the Tuileries, but you can on the elevated section just above the river. On your way down the path, find a good place to park your bike and enjoy a deserved break in a chair by a pond.
Carry your bike down a flight of steps and continue at street level, still hugging the river side of the park. Exit the park through its main exit, cross Place de la Concorde, then ride along the path that leads straight ahead along the Champs-Elysées. Turn left on Avenue Winston Churchill, passing between the Grand Palais and Petit Palais.
Ride back to the river, but do not cross it. Enjoy views of the beautiful Alexandre III Bridge from the riverbank, then reverse about 10 yards to find the bike lane in the parkway and follow it toward the Eiffel Tower. Cross the next bridge (Pont des Invalides), return to the riverside promenade, and pedal back to the Champ de Mars and Eiffel Tower.
In this private, intimate, and untouristy museum, you’ll find the best collection anywhere of works by Impressionist headliner Claude Monet. Follow Monet’s life through more than a hundred works, from simple sketches to the Impression: Sunrise painting that gave his artistic movement its start—and a name. The museum also displays some of the enjoyable large-scale canvases featuring the water lilies from his garden at Giverny.
Cost and Hours: €11, not covered by Museum Pass, €18.50 combo-ticket with Monet’s garden and house at Giverny (see here; lets you skip the line at Giverny); Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, Thu until 21:00, closed Mon; audioguide-€3, 2 Rue Louis-Boilly, Mo: La Muette, tel. 01 44 96 50 33, www.marmottan.fr.
See the Marmottan Museum Tour chapter.
For more information on many of these sights, see the Left Bank Walk and the “Sèvres-Babylone to St. Sulpice” stroll in the Shopping in Paris chapter. My Historic Paris Walk chapter and audio tour also dip into the Latin Quarter.
This Left Bank neighborhood, immediately across the river from Notre-Dame, was the center of Roman Paris. But the Latin Quarter’s touristy fame relates to its intriguing, artsy, bohemian character. This was perhaps Europe’s leading university district in the Middle Ages, when Latin was the language of higher education. The neighborhood’s main boulevards (St. Michel and St. Germain) are lined with cafés—once the haunts of great poets and philosophers, now the hangouts of tired tourists. Though still youthful and artsy, much of this area has become a tourist ghetto filled with cheap North African eateries. Exploring a few blocks up or downriver from here gives you a better chance of feeling the pulse of what survives of Paris’ classic Left Bank.
See the Left Bank Walk chapter.
This treasure trove of Middle Ages (Moyen Age) art fills old Roman baths, offering close-up looks at stained glass, Notre-Dame carvings, fine goldsmithing and jewelry, and rooms of tapestries. The star here is the exquisite series of six Lady and the Unicorn tapestries: A delicate, as-medieval-as-can-be noble lady introduces a delighted unicorn to the senses of taste, hearing, sight, smell, and touch.
Cost and Hours: €8, includes audioguide, free on first Sun of month, covered by Museum Pass (though pass holders pay €1 for audioguide); Wed-Mon 9:15-17:45, closed Tue; near corner of Boulevards St. Michel and St. Germain at 6 Place Paul Painlevé; Mo: Cluny-La Sorbonne, St. Michel, or Odéon; tel. 01 53 73 78 16, www.musee-moyenage.fr.
See the Cluny Museum Tour chapter.
A church was first built on this site in A.D. 558. The church you see today was constructed in 1163 and is all that’s left of a once sprawling and influential monastery. The colorful interior reminds us that medieval churches were originally painted in bright colors. The surrounding area hops at night with venerable cafés, fire-eaters, mimes, and scads of artists.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily 8:00-20:00, Mo: St. Germain-des-Prés.
For more on St. Germain-des-Prés, see here of the Left Bank Walk chapter.
For pipe-organ enthusiasts, a visit here is one of Europe’s great musical treats. The Grand Orgue at St. Sulpice Church has a rich history, with a succession of 12 world-class organists—including Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré—that goes back 300 years.
Patterned after St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the church has a Neoclassical arcaded facade and two round towers. Inside, in the first chapel on the right, are three murals of fighting angels by Delacroix: Jacob Wrestling the Angel, Heliodorus Chased from the Temple, and The Archangel Michael (on the ceiling). The fourth chapel on the right has a statue of Joan of Arc and wall plaques listing hundreds from St. Sulpice’s congregation who died during World War I. The north transept wall features an Egyptian-style obelisk used as a gnomon on a sundial. The last chapel before the exit has a display on the Shroud of Turin.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily 7:30-19:30, Mo: St. Sulpice or Mabillon. See www.stsulpice.com for special concerts.
Sunday Organ Recitals: You can hear the organ played at Sunday Mass (10:30-11:30, come appropriately dressed) followed by a high-powered 25-minute recital, usually performed by talented organist Daniel Roth.
Nearby: Tempting boutiques surround the church (see the Shopping in Paris chapter), and Luxembourg Garden is nearby.
For more on St. Sulpice, see here of the Left Bank Walk chapter.
This museum celebrating the Romantic artist Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) was once his home and studio. A friend of bohemian artistic greats—including George Sand and Frédéric Chopin—Delacroix is most famous for his monumental flag-waving Liberty Leading the People (displayed at the Louvre).
Cost and Hours: €7, free on first Sun of the month, covered by Museum Pass; Wed-Mon 9:30-17:30, closed Tue; 6 Rue de Furstenberg, Mo: St. Germain-des-Prés, tel. 01 44 41 86 50, www.musee-delacroix.fr.
Visiting the Museum: The tiny museum—with a few of Delacroix’s paintings and a smattering of memorabilia—is three rooms on one floor in the main building, the artist’s studio in back, and his oasis-like garden.
Delacroix’s living room is decorated with original furniture, paintings and exotic keepsakes (swords and gourds) from his travels. The bedroom (with fireplace) is where Delacroix died in 1863, nursed by his longtime servant, Lucile Virginie “Jenny” Le Guillou (her portrait may be on display). Look for Delacroix’s small worktable (where he kept his paints). Outside is his small-but-peaceful walled garden where you can visit his studio (atelier).
Delacroix built the studio to his own specifications, with high ceilings, big windows, and a skylight, ideal for an artist working prior to electric lights. It’s easy to imagine him working here at his easel. You may see his haunting painting of Mary Magdalene (titled Madeleine au Desert) or a small-scale study for The Death of Sardanapalus, which hangs in the Louvre. Some of Delacroix’s most popular works were book illustrations (lithographs for Goethe’s Faust, Revolutionary history, and Shakespeare). Admire Delacroix’s artistic range—from messy, colorful oils to meticulously detailed lithographs.
For more on Delacroix’s life, see here in the Left Bank Walk chapter.
This lovely 60-acre garden is an Impressionist painting brought to life. Slip into a green chair pondside, enjoy the radiant flower beds, go jogging, play tennis or basketball, sail a toy sailboat, or take in a chess game or puppet show. Some of the park’s prettiest (and quietest) sections lie around its perimeter. Notice any pigeons? The story goes that a very poor Ernest Hemingway used to hand-hunt (read: strangle) them here.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily dawn until dusk, Mo: Odéon, RER: Luxembourg.
For more on the garden and nearby sights, see here in the Left Bank Walk chapter. Also see the kid-friendly activities in the garden (Paris with Children chapter) and cafés listed in “Les Grands Cafés de Paris” (Eating in Paris chapter).
Other Parks: If you enjoy Luxembourg Garden and want to see more green spaces, you could visit the more elegant Parc Monceau (Mo: Monceau), the colorful Jardin des Plantes (Mo: Jussieu or Gare d’Austerlitz, RER: Gare d’Austerlitz), or the hilly and bigger Parc des Buttes-Chaumont (Mo: Buttes-Chaumont).
(See “Panthéon” map, here.)
This state-capitol-style Neoclassical monument celebrates France’s illustrious history and people, balances a Foucault pendulum, and is the final home of many French VIPs.
In 1744, an ailing King Louis XV was miraculously healed by St. Geneviève, the city’s patron saint, and he thanked her by replacing her ruined church with a more fitting tribute. By the time the church was completed (1791), however, the secular-minded Revolution was in full swing, and the church was converted into a nonreligious mausoleum honoring the “Champions of French liberty”: Voltaire, Rousseau, Descartes, and others. On the entrance pediment (inspired by the ancient Pantheon in Rome), the Revolutionaries carved the inscription, “To the great men of the Fatherland.”
Cost and Hours: €8.50, free for those under age 18, covered by Museum Pass, €2 for dome climb (not covered by Museum Pass); daily 10:00-18:30, Oct-March until 18:00, last entry 45 minutes before closing; audioguide-€5, Mo: Cardinal Lemoine, tel. 01 44 32 18 00, http://pantheon.monuments-nationaux.fr.
Dome Climb: From the main floor, you can climb 206 steps to the colonnade at the base of the dome for views of the interior and a 360-degree view of the city. You’re not so much high above Paris—it feels like you’re in the middle of it. To visit, join the queue at the meeting spot near the nave. An escort takes groups of about 50 at a time. Visits leave about every hour until 17:30 (or earlier—confirm the schedule as you go in) and take 40 minutes.
Self-Guided Tour: Stand in the 
nave and take in the vast, evenly lit space—360 feet long, 280 feet wide, and 270 feet high. On the left wall, find the mural of St. Geneviève dressed in white, saving the fledgling city from Attila the Hun, the event that marks the birth of an independent Paris. When Geneviève died (A.D. 512), she was buried here atop what was at the time the city’s highest hill (elevation 200 feet). When Louis XV rebuilt her church to make the domed structure we see today (1791), her relics were placed directly beneath the dome. Even when Revolutionaries stripped the church of Christian elements and publicly burned Geneviève’s relics, the French still honored Geneviève as their champion. You can see Geneviève immortalized high in the frescoed dome and in the mosaic over the altar wall—always depicted as the lady in white.
The Panthéon’s murals also honor 
other French heroes. In the right transept (left wall) is Clovis, the father of the Franks and contemporary of Geneviève. He’s the guy in winged helmet and Asterix-style mustache amid the chaos of battle, having a vision of Christ that leads him to victory. In the next panel, he kneels to be baptized a Christian (and was subsequently buried here on Geneviève’s hill). On the opposite wall is Charlemagne being crowned Emperor of the Franks (c. 800), marking the symbolic birth of France. In the left transept are scenes of Joan of Arc, who rallied the French in the 1420s to rid the country of the English.
The 15,000-ton 
dome is made of a core of iron ribs covered with stone. Under the dome stand four statue groups, marking the next phase of French history, the Revolution. The most striking statue (of a bold, forward-facing woman) is dedicated to Denis Diderot, whose Encyclopédie championed secular knowledge. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (find his portrait in the low-profile round relief on the base) promoted the idea of a social contract between government and the people. The statue of men in business suits depicts the orators and bureaucrats who served the state. Finally, there are the generals, including Napoleon on horseback.
A Foucault pendulum swings gracefully at the end of a cable suspended from the towering dome. It was here in 1851 that the scientist Léon Foucault first demonstrated the rotation of the earth. The great length of the cable (220 feet) produces a slow enough oscillation to make the rotation more obvious. Stand a few minutes and watch the pendulum’s arc (appear to) shift as you and the earth rotate beneath it. (It’s easier to visualize if you picture the pendulum suspended directly above the North Pole, with the earth spinning beneath it. Every time the pendulum swings back to the same spot, the earth will have shifted. If there was a bowling pin on the earth, the pendulum would eventually knock it over.) The pendulum can also be used to tell time: Check your watch against the 24-hour dial that surrounds the pendulum.
At the altar end of the church stands the massive 
Convention Nationale Monument. “Marianne,” the fictional woman who symbolized the Revolution, stands in the center, flanked by soldiers who fight for her and citizens who pledge allegiance to her. The inscription below reads “Live free or die.” Marianne embodies liberty, reason, and the nation of France. Above her is a mosaic in which Christ (accompanied by Geneviève and Joan of Arc) seems to give his blessing. From Geneviève to Joan of Arc to Marianne, France has always incarnated its national spirit in the female form.
To the right of the monument, 
French writers have their names inscribed onto the walls.
To the left of the monument is a room displaying a 
model of the Panthéon. This cross-section model allows you to look inside and see the structural elements. The dome is actually made of three domes-within-a-dome, and it’s supported by flying buttresses. Also, notice that there’s no patriotic inscription over the entrance, as the model was built before the Revolution.
A staircase behind the monument leads down to the 
crypt, where a panoply of greats is buried. Rousseau is along the right wall as you enter, while Voltaire faces him impishly from across the hall. A little farther on the left is Soufflot, the architect who built the Panthéon, and Marat, the Revolutionary murdered in his bathtub. From the small central rotunda, straight ahead are more greats: Victor Hugo (Les Misérables, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame), Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo), and Louis Braille, who invented the script for the blind. To the right of the central rotunda you’ll find scientist Marie Curie (follow the glow), and various WWII dead, from Holocaust victims to the hero of the resistance, Jean Moulin. This building is truly a pantheon of all those who’ve forged France’s freedom and defended freedom of thought.
From here, if you’re planning to do the 
dome climb, return to the entrance and find the meeting point.
This sadly out-of-place 59-story superscraper has one virtue: If you can’t make it up the Eiffel Tower, the sensational views from this tower are cheaper, far easier to access, and make for a fair consolation prize. Come early in the day for clearest skies and shortest lines, and be treated to views from a comfortable interior and from up on the rooftop (consider their €5 breakfast with a view). Sunset is great but views are disappointing after dark. Some say it’s the very best view in Paris, as you can see the Eiffel Tower clearly...and you can’t see the Montparnasse Tower at all.
Cost and Hours: €16, 30 percent discount with this book, not covered by Museum Pass; daily 9:30-23:30, Oct-March until 22:30; entrance on Rue de l’Arrivée, Mo: Montparnasse-Bienvenüe—from the Métro, stay inside the station and follow sparse Tour signs to exit #4; tel. 01 45 38 52 56, www.tourmontparnasse56.com.
Visiting the Tower: Find the view elevator entrance near the skyscraper’s main entry (under the awning marked Panoramique). Exit the elevator at the 56th floor, passing the eager photographer (they’ll superimpose your group’s image with the view). Here you can marvel at the views of tout Paris (good even if cloudy), have a drink or a light lunch (reasonable prices), and peruse the gift shop. Take time to explore every corner of the floor. Exhibits identify highlights of the star-studded vista. Many find the view from this level better than from the 59th floor, as there are no railings blocking the sightlines.
Next, climb three flights of steps (behind the photographer) to the open terrace on the 59th floor to enjoy magnificent views in all directions (and a surprise champagne bar). Here, 690 feet above Paris, you can scan the city through glass panels that limit wind. The view over Luxembourg Garden is terrific, as is the view up the Champ de Mars to the Eiffel Tower. Montparnasse Cemetery is right below, and the high-rise suburbs lie immediately to the west. From this vantage, it’s easy to admire Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s grand-boulevard scheme (see sidebar on here). Notice the lush courtyards hiding behind grand street fronts.
Sightseeing Tip: The tower is an efficient stop when combined with a day trip to Chartres, which begins at the Montparnasse train station (see the Chartres chapter for details).
Descend 60 feet below the street and walk a one-mile (one-hour) route through tunnels containing the anonymous bones of six million permanent Parisians.
In 1786, health-conscious Parisians looking to relieve congestion and improve the city’s sanitary conditions emptied the church cemeteries and moved the bones here, to former limestone quarries. For decades, priests led ceremonial processions of black-veiled, bone-laden carts into the quarries, where the bones were stacked in piles five feet high and as much as 80 feet deep. Descend 130 steps and ponder the sign announcing, “Halt, this is the empire of the dead.” Shuffle through passageways of skull-studded tibiae, admire 300-year-old sculptures cut into the walls of the catacombs, and see more cheery signs: “Happy is he who is forever faced with the hour of his death and prepares himself for the end every day.” Then climb 86 steps to emerge far from where you entered, with white-limestone-covered toes, telling everyone you’ve been underground gawking at bones. Note to wannabe Hamlets: An attendant checks your bag at the exit for stolen souvenirs.
Cost and Hours: €12, not covered by Museum Pass, Tue-Sun 10:00-20:30, closed Mon; lines can be long, between 10:00 and 16:00; arrive by 9:30 to minimize the wait; ticket booth closes at 19:30, come no later than 19:00 or risk not getting in; audioguide-€5, tel. 01 43 22 47 63, www.catacombes.paris.fr.
Getting There: 1 Place Denfert-Rochereau. Take the Métro to Denfert-Rochereau, then find the lion in the big traffic circle; if he looked left rather than right, he’d stare right at the green entrance to the Catacombs.
After Your Visit: You’ll likely exit at 36 Rue Rémy Dumoncel, far from where you started (though this may change in 2017). Turn right out of the exit and walk to Avenue du Général Leclerc, where you’ll be equidistant from Métro stops Alésia (walk left) and Mouton Duvernet (walk right). Traffic-free Rue Daguerre, a pleasing pedestrian street (see the Shopping in Paris chapter), is four blocks to the right on Avenue du Général Leclerc (a block from where you entered the Catacombs).
This famous boulevard is Paris’ backbone, with its greatest concentration of traffic. From the Arc de Triomphe down Avenue des Champs-Elysées, all of France seems to converge on Place de la Concorde, the city’s largest square. And though the Champs-Elysées has become as international as it is Parisian, a walk here is still a must.
To reach the top of the Champs-Elysées, take the Métro to the Arc de Triomphe (Mo: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile), then saunter down the grand boulevard (Métro stops every few blocks, including George V and Franklin D. Roosevelt).
See the Champs-Elysées Walk chapter.
Napoleon had the magnificent Arc de Triomphe commissioned to commemorate his victory at the 1805 battle of Austerlitz. The foot of the arch is a stage on which the last two centuries of Parisian history have played out—from the funeral of Napoleon to the goose-stepping arrival of the Nazis to the triumphant return of Charles de Gaulle after the Allied liberation. Examine the carvings on the pillars, featuring a mighty Napoleon and excitable Lady Liberty. Pay your respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Then climb the 284 steps to the observation deck up top, with sweeping skyline panoramas and a mesmerizing view down onto the traffic that swirls around the arch.
Cost and Hours: Free and always viewable; steps to rooftop—€9.50, free for those under age 18, free on first Sun of month Oct-March, covered by Museum Pass; daily 10:00-23:00, Oct-March until 22:30, last entry 45 minutes before closing; lines are slow—see here for advice; Place Charles de Gaulle, use underpass to reach arch, Mo: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile, tel. 01 55 37 73 77, www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr.
See the Champs-Elysées Walk chapter.
This free museum displays a broad collection of paintings and sculpture from the 1600s to the 1900s on its ground floor, and an easy-to-appreciate collection of art from Greek antiquities to Art Nouveau in its basement. Though it houses mostly second-tier art, there are a few diamonds in the rough (including pieces by Rembrandt, Courbet, and Monet). The building itself is impressive, and the museum’s classy café merits the detour. If it’s raining and your Museum Pass has expired, the Petit Palais is a worthwhile stop.
Cost and Hours: Free, Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, Fri until 21:00 for special exhibits (fee), closed Mon; audioguide-€5; across from Grand Palais on Avenue Winston Churchill, a looooong block west of Place de la Concorde, Mo: Champs-Elysées Clemenceau; lovely café, tel. 01 53 43 40 00, www.petitpalais.paris.fr.
Visiting the Museum: Enter the museum, ask for a ticket to the permanent collection (free but may be required), and head down the main hall. Soak up turn-of-the-century ambience, with Art Nouveau vases and portraits of well-dressed, belle époque-era Parisians. Find the occasional printed information in English.
Turn right, entering the large painting gallery that features Romantics and Realists from the late 19th century. Midway down the main hall on the left, Courbet’s soft-porn The Sleepers (Le Sommeil, 1866) captures two women nestled in post-climactic bliss. His large, dark Firefighters (Pompiers courant à un incendie) is a Realist’s take on an everyday scene—firefighters rushing to put out a blaze.
Turning the corner, you’ll find artwork by Gustave Doré (1832-1883), best known as the 19th-century’s greatest book illustrator. In his enormous La Vallée de larmes (1883), Christ and the cross are the only salvation from this “vale of tears.”
At the end of the main hall, enter the smaller room to find Claude Monet’s Sunset on the Seine at Lavacourt (Soleil couchant sur la Seine a Lavacourt, 1880). Painted the winter after his wife died, it looks across the river from Monet’s home to two lonely boats in the distance, with the hazy town on the far bank. The sun’s reflection is a vertical smudge down the water. Nearby are works by Alfred Sisley, the American painter Mary Cassatt, and other Impressionists. Before heading downstairs, check out the side rooms adjoining the large painting gallery, with exquisite furniture in the Louis XIV, XV, and XVI styles.
The museum’s basement features a surprising collection of art, from Greek antiquities to Art Nouveau, including paintings by the Dutch masters Rembrandt and Jan Steen.
This grand exhibition hall, built for the 1900 World’s Fair, is used for temporary exhibits. The building’s Industrial Age, erector-set, iron-and-glass exterior is striking, but the steep entry price is only worthwhile if you’re interested in any of the exhibitions currently on view. Many areas are undergoing renovation, which may still be underway during your visit. Get details on the current schedule from a TI, in Pariscope, or from the website.
Cost and Hours: Admission prices and hours vary with each exhibition; major exhibitions usually €11-15, not covered by Museum Pass; generally open daily 10:00-20:00, Wed until 22:00, some parts of building closed Mon, other parts closed Tue, closed between exhibitions; Avenue Winston Churchill, Mo: Champs-Elysées Clemenceau or Franklin D. Roosevelt, tel. 01 44 13 17 17, www.grandpalais.fr.
The Paris Ferris Wheel, situated on Place de la Concorde or in the Tuileries Garden, depending when you visit, offers a 200-foot-high view of Paris. Your ticket covers two slow revolutions, and generally it’s two passengers per gondola.
Cost and Hours: €12, open long hours daily in high season.
For a remarkable Parisian panorama and a suitable location for your next affair, head to Hôtel Hyatt Regency and its Bar la Vue, on the 34th floor. Ride the free elevators to floor 33 and walk up one flight to the bar. You’ll enter a sky-high world of colorful stools and swivel seats, glass walls, expensive drinks (beer-€15), and jaw-dropping views that are best before dark and not worthwhile in poor weather (bar open daily 17:00-late, “sunset happy hour” 17:00-19:00, tel. 01 40 68 51 31, www.parisetoile.regency.hyatt.com).
Getting There: It’s at Porte Maillot (3 Place du Général Koenig). Take the Métro to the pedestrian-unfriendly Porte Maillot stop. Follow signs to Palais des Congrès, and enter the underground mall, turn right at the small sign for Hôtel Hyatt Regency, and walk straight until you arrive at the hotel (don’t take escalator from mall up—if you get lost there are maps everywhere in the mall). If you’re coming from the Rue Cler area, take RER-C from Invalides or Pont de l’Alma toward Pontoise to Porte Maillot. If you’re pooped or strapped for time, the skies are clear, and the sun’s about to set, spring for a taxi or Uber.
Though Paris keeps its historic center classic and skyscraper-free, this district, nicknamed “le petit Manhattan,” offers an impressive excursion into a side of Paris few tourists see: that of a modern-day economic superpower. La Défense was first conceived more than 60 years ago as a US-style forest of skyscrapers that would accommodate the business needs of the modern world. Today La Défense is a thriving commercial and shopping center, home to 150,000 employees and 55,000 residents.
For a worthwhile visit, take the Métro to the La Défense Grande Arche stop, follow Sortie Grande Arche signs, and climb the steps of La Grande Arche for distant city views. Then stroll about three-quarters of a mile gradually downhill among the glass buildings to the Esplanade de la Défense Métro station, and return home from there. Mall stores are open every day.
Visiting La Défense: The centerpiece of this ambitious complex is the mammoth La Grande Arche de la Fraternité. Inaugurated in 1989 on the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, it was, like the Revolution, dedicated to human rights and brotherhood. The place is big—Notre-Dame Cathedral could fit under its arch. The four-sided structure sits on enormous underground pillars and is covered with a veneer of beautiful white Carrara marble. The arch is a 38-story office building for 30,000 people on more than 200 acres. The left side houses government ministries, the right side corporate offices, and the top is dedicated to human rights. The “cloud”—a huge canvas canopy under the arch—is an attempt to cut down on the wind-tunnel effect this gigantic building creates.
Wander behind the arch, past freestanding glass sheets that help to deflect wind, to see an unusual mix of glassy skyscrapers and a cemetery (in the orchard). Study the Le Corbusier-style planning, where motor traffic (the freeway and trains that tunnel underneath) are separated from pedestrian traffic (the skybridges).
Back on the mall side, notice the Arc de Triomphe in the distance, bull’s-eye down the Esplanade. La Grande Arche aligns perfectly with the Arc de Triomphe, the Obelisk on Place de la Concorde, and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in front of the Louvre.
Survey the skyscraping scene. La Défense is much more than its eye-catching arch—it’s an international power broker. Check out the skyscrapers from left to right: Engie deals in electricity, Areva is a global energy company that is big into nuclear power, and EDF is France’s national gas company. Back to the left, that tall brass thing is one of French artist César Baldaccini’s famous thumb statues (40 feet high).
Wander down the Esplanade (a.k.a. “le Parvis”), back toward the city center (and to the next Métro stop). Take in the monumental structures around you: Les Quatre Temps is a giant shopping mall of 250 stores, and like malls at home, it’s a teenage wasteland when school is out and eerily quiet at night.
Facing Les Quatre Temps, the half-dome Center of New Industries and Technologies (better known as CNIT) was built in 1958 and looks like it. It’s now a congress center and is a feat of architecture: It’s the largest concrete vault anywhere that rests on only three points. Enter the vault to see a semicircle of dazzling offices and shops that recede as they rise, like the seating in an opera house.
Your trip to Paris is played out in the streets, but the brilliance of the City of Light can only be fully appreciated by rising above it all. Invest time to marvel at all the man-made beauty, seen best in the early morning or around sunset. Many of the viewpoints I’ve listed are free or covered by the Museum Pass; otherwise, expect to pay €8-15. Here are some prime locations for soaking in the views:
Eiffel Tower: It’s hard to find a grander view of Paris than from the tower’s second level. Go around sunset and stay after dark to see the tower illuminated; or go in the early morning to avoid the midday haze and crowds (not covered by Museum Pass, see here).
Paris Ferris Wheel: The Roue de Paris offers a 200-foot-high view of Paris from Place de la Concorde or the Tuileries Garden (not covered by Museum Pass, high season only, two slow and scenic loops, see here).
Arc de Triomphe: Without a doubt, this is the perfect place to see the glamorous Champs-Elysées (if you can manage the 284 steps). It’s great during the day, but even greater at night, when the boulevard positively glitters (covered by Museum Pass, see here).
Notre-Dame’s Tower: This viewpoint is brilliant—it couldn’t be more central—but it requires climbing 400 steps and is usually crowded with long lines (try to arrive early or late). Up high on the tower, you’ll get an unobstructed view of gargoyles, the river, the Latin Quarter, and the Ile de la Cité (covered by Museum Pass, see here).
Steps of Sacré-Cœur: Join the party on Paris’ only hilltop. Walk uphill, or take the funicular or Montmartrobus, then hunker down on Sacré-Cœur’s steps to enjoy the sunset and territorial views over Paris. Stay in Montmartre for dinner, then see the view again after dark (free, see here).
Galeries Lafayette or Printemps: Take the escalator to the top floor of either department store (they sit side by side) for a stunning overlook of the old Opéra district (free, see here).
Montparnasse Tower: The top of this solitary skyscraper has some of the best views in Paris, though they’re too high to be worthwhile after dark. Zip up 56 floors on the elevator, then walk to the rooftop (not covered by Museum Pass, see here).
Pompidou Center: Take the escalator up and admire the beautiful cityscape along with the exciting modern art. There may be better views over Paris, but this is the best one from a museum (covered by Museum Pass, see here).
Place du Trocadéro: This square, a 20-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, is the place to see the tower. Come for a look at Monsieur Eiffel’s festive creation day or night (when the tower is lit up), before or after your tower visit.
Arab World Institute (Institut du Monde Arabe): This building near Ile St. Louis has free, 180-degree views over the river from its roof terrace (Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon, don’t wait in special exhibit line—ask for entrance for “la terrasse,” 1 Rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard, Place Mohammed V, Mo: Jussieu, www.imarabe.org).
Bar at Hôtel Hyatt Regency: This otherwise unappealing hotel is noteworthy for its razzle-dazzle 34th-floor Bar la Vue, where you can sip wine and enjoy a stunning Parisian panorama (free elevator but pricey drinks, see here).
In France, getting a building permit often comes with a requirement to dedicate two percent of the construction cost to art. Hence the Esplanade is a virtual open-air modern art gallery, sporting pieces by Joan Miró (blue, red, and yellow), Alexander Calder (red), and Yaacov Agam (the fountain with colorful stripes and rhythmically dancing spouts), among others. Near Yaacov’s fountain, find La Défense de Paris, the statue that gave the area its name; it recalls the 1870 Franco-Prussian war—a rare bit of old Paris out here in the ’burbs.
As you descend the Esplanade, notice how the small gardens and boules courts (reddish dirt areas) are designed to integrate tradition into this celebration of modern commerce. Note also how the buildings tend to decrease in height and increase in age as you approach Paris’ center. Your walk ends at the amusing fountain of Bassin Takis, where you’ll find the Esplanade de la Défense Métro station that zips you out of all this modernity and directly back into town.
The glittering Garnier opera house anchors this neighborhood of broad boulevards and grand architecture. This area is also nirvana for high-end shoppers, with the opulent Galeries Lafayette, the delicate Fragonard Perfume Museum, and the sumptuous shops that line Place Vendôme and Place de la Madeleine (see here for my self-guided shopping walk of this area). Key Métro stops include Opéra, Madeleine, and Havre Caumartin (RER: Auber).
(See “Opéra Garnier 2nd Floor” map, here.) (Opéra National de Paris—Palais Garnier)
A gleaming grand theater of the belle époque, the Palais Garnier was built for Napoleon III and finished in 1875. From Avenue de l’Opéra, once lined with Paris’ most fashionable haunts, the facade suggests “all power to the wealthy.” In the 1980s, that elitism prompted the call for a new opera house built for the people, and the larger Opéra Bastille was situated symbolically on Place de la Bastille, where the French Revolution started in 1789. The smaller Opéra Garnier is now home to ballet, some opera, and other performances.
To see the interior, you have several choices: Take a guided tour (your best look), tour the public areas on your own (using the audioguide and/or my self-guided tour, below), or attend a performance. Note that the auditorium is sometimes off-limits due to performances and rehearsals. Highlights of the interior include the Grand Staircase, the various chandeliered reception halls, the 2,000-seat auditorium, and a few exhibits on the building and opera.
Cost and Hours: €11, not covered by Museum Pass, generally daily 10:00-16:30, mid-July-Aug until 18:00, 8 Rue Scribe, Mo: Opéra, RER: Auber, www.operadeparis.fr/en/visits/palais-garnier.
Tours: The €5 audioguide gives a good self-guided tour. Guided tours in English run at 11:30 and 14:30 July-Aug daily, Sept-June Wed, Sat, and Sun only—call to confirm schedule (€14.50, includes entry, 1.5 hours, tel. 01 40 01 17 89 or 08 25 05 44 05).
Ballet and Concert Tickets: To find out about upcoming performances, ask for a schedule at the information booth, consult Pariscope magazine (see here), or look on the Paris Opera website (www.operadeparis.fr). There are usually no performances mid-July-mid-Sept. It’s easiest to reserve online. To buy tickets by phone, call 08 92 89 90 90 (toll call) within France or 01 71 25 24 23 from outside France (office closed Sun). You can also go directly to the ticket office (open Mon-Sat 11:30–18:30 and an hour before the show, closed Sun).
Self-Guided Tour: For the best exterior view, stand in front of the Opéra Métro stop. (To better understand what you’re seeing, read the “Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann” sidebar on here.) The building is huge. Its massive foundations straddle an underground lake (inspiring the mysterious world of The Phantom of the Opera). It’s the masterpiece of architect Charles Garnier, who oversaw every element, from laying the foundations to what color the wallpaper should be. His cohesive design was so admired that the building came to be known as the Palais Garnier.
Take in the facade. Garnier’s classically inspired facade is a celebration of opera—the art form that combines all the arts. Atop the green dome, a shimmering Apollo, the God of Music, holds aloft his shining bronze lyre, as if to declare, “This is a temple of the highest arts.” (You’ll see lyres and Apollos all over the building, outside and in.) Running across the middle of the facade are (smallish) bronze busts of famous composers. The medallions with “E” and “N” honor the Emperor Napoleon III. On the lower right (second statue from the right) is a copy of the well-known Dance by Carpeaux (whose original is in the Orsay).
The tourist entrance is around the left side of the building, between the two curved ramps. In fact, this was once the rich patrons’ entrance, as they could drive their carriages right up the ramps and slip in, away from the riff-raff. Before the entrance stands a bust of Garnier and a bronze plaque showing the building’s footprint. Find the horseshoe-shaped seating area (in the center), the rectangular stage (to the left), and the rectangular Grand Staircase (to the right). Notice how little space was given to the seating area itself—the public spaces were paramount.
Enter, buy your ticket, and make your way (up a small curving staircase) to the foot of the Grand Staircase. Gaze up into this vast hall, where the whole building is united by the set of stairs that branches into a Y midway up. Take in the columns, statues, railings, lanterns, chandeliers, and the different colors of marble, as your eye goes up to a ceiling fresco featuring Apollo. Check out the Grand Staircase from all angles: from the bottom looking up, from the landing as you ascend, and looking back from above. This staircase was the Opera House’s real “stage,” for the evening’s real show: the grand spectacle of elite Parisians—out to see and be seen—strutting their elegant stuff. Mentally populate the space with fin de siècle ladies in flowing satin gowns and white-gloved gentlemen in top hats and tuxes.
Ascend to the top of the stairs, where you’ll find the numbered doors of the box seats. These were where the rich people watched the opera. Before entering, note the busts between the boxes, honoring great librettists, set designers, dancers, and composers, like Hector Berlioz (near box #37). The famous box #5 (around the left) honors the (fictional) Phantom of the Opera, who always sat here. The novel and musical are based on two historical facts: the building’s underground cistern, and a real incident in which the chandelier fell and killed someone.
Now enter an open box and take in the view of the amphitheater. The red-velvet performance hall seats 2,000. Admire Marc Chagall’s colorful ceiling (1964) playfully dancing around the seven-ton chandelier. If Chagall’s modern depiction of famous operas feels out of place, we’ll soon see the original painting it replaced. The stage curtain is made of canvas, painted to look like...a curtain, seemingly made of velvet, complete with fake folds and tassels. Note the box seats next to the stage—the most expensive in the house, with an obstructed view of the stage—but just right if you’re here only to be seen.
Now work clockwise around the Grand Staircase to tour the opulent, chandeliered reception rooms, where operagoers gathered for drinks and socializing during intermission. Start in the far corner with the domed Rotonde du Glace, where they indulged in ice cream treats under a ceiling painting of Bacchus and his revelers. Among the room’s busts, find Antonio Salieri (Mozart’s rival) and several “divas”—noted singers and dancers, back when dance was one of opera’s best-loved elements. (In fact, most performances here today are by the Garnier Opéra’s dance company.)
Head down the long, chandelier-strewn Galerie du Glacier, and turn right (just before the end) into the tiny Salon du Soleil. This Room of the Sun dazzles the eye with a black-and-gold sunray ceiling and walls fitted with infinity mirrors.
Continue straight to the Grand Staircase and turn left, entering the large Grand Foyer. This long, high-ceilinged Hall-of-Mirrors-esque space was the main gathering place at intermission. Its golden decor (mostly gold paint, not gilding) features statues, columns, and chandeliers, all set off by colorful ceiling paintings. Find 20 lyres in a minute. The statues at either end, by the fireplaces, are 24-carat gold, and visibly shinier than the gold-painted statues. Garnier proudly put his own bust here (at the far end, midway up), eternally admiring his fine work. Step outside onto the balcony (or look out the windows), and you realize this room sits in the middle story of the facade, overlooking Place de l’Opéra.
Exit the Grand Foyer near the far end, pass through the tiny Salon de la Lune (Soleil’s nocturnal counterpart), and turn left into the 
museum. Browse the long hallway of exhibits, seeing a cutaway model of the stage (with two subterranean levels below and elaborate pulleys above) and many paintings of famous singers, dancers, composers, and set designers. Near the far end is a round gold-framed work depicting the original ceiling painting that graced the auditorium before Chagall came along. Muses spin and cavort among the fluffy clouds of heaven. The museum leads into the library, with dioramas of set designs for famous operas, including Faust, by Paris’s hometown boy Charles Gounod.
Head downstairs (where there are often other exhibits), and enjoy one more view from the foot of the Grand Staircase.
Nearby: Across the street, the illustrious Café de la Paix has been a meeting spot for the local glitterati for generations. If you can afford the coffee, this spot offers a delightful break.
Near Opéra Garnier, this perfume shop masquerades as a museum. Housed in a beautiful 19th-century mansion, it’s the best-smelling museum in Paris—and you’ll learn a little about how perfume is made, too (ask for the English handout).
Cost and Hours: Free, daily 9:00-17:30, 9 Rue Scribe, Mo: Opéra, RER: Auber, tel. 01 47 42 04 56, http://nouveaumuseefragonard.com.
The upscale Opéra neighborhood hosts some of Paris’ best shopping. Even window shoppers can appreciate this as a ▲ “sight.” Just behind the Opéra, the Galeries Lafayette department store is a magnificent cathedral to consumerism, under a stunning stained-glass dome (for more, see here of the Shopping in Paris chapter). The area between Place de la Madeleine, dominated by the Madeleine Church (looking like a Roman temple), and the octagonal Place Vendôme, is filled with pricey shops and boutiques, giving travelers a whiff of the exclusive side of Paris (for a boutique-to-boutique stroll through this area, see here).
This thoroughly enjoyable museum-mansion (with an elegant café) showcases the lavish home of a wealthy, art-loving, 19th-century Parisian couple. After visiting the Opéra Garnier and wandering Paris’ grand boulevards, get inside for an intimate look at the lifestyles of the Parisian rich and fabulous. Edouard André and his wife Nélie Jacquemart—who had no children—spent their lives and fortunes designing, building, and then decorating this sumptuous mansion. What makes the visit so rewarding is the excellent audioguide tour (included with admission, plan on spending an hour with the audioguide). The place is strewn with paintings by Rembrandt, Botticelli, Uccello, Mantegna, Bellini, Boucher, and Fragonard. Though there are no must-see masterpieces, the art gathered here would still be enough to make any gallery famous.
Cost and Hours: €12, includes audioguide, not covered by Museum Pass; daily 10:00-18:00, Mon until 20:30 during special exhibits (which are common); can avoid lines (worst during the first week of special exhibits and weekends generally) by purchasing tickets online (€2 fee), 158 Boulevard Haussmann, Mo: St. Philippe-du-Roule, bus #80 connects conveniently with Ecole Militaire; tel. 01 45 62 11 59, www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com.
Visiting the Museum: While you follow the audioguide, keep an eye out for these highlights.
The Antechamber introduces you to the museum’s winning formula: opulent decor (chandeliers, red velvet walls, gilded trim) + semi-famous paintings (two Boucher nudes and two Canaletto scenes of Venice) + the lifestyle of Edouard and Nélie (who received visitors here) = an immersive aesthetic experience. Next, you enter the Versailles-like Grand Salon, the central focus for their parties, with a guest list of up to 1,000.
After passing through several rooms of Edouard’s collection of beautiful things—furniture, tapestries, exotic curios, and Tiepolo paintings on the ceiling—you’ll reach the Library, displaying portraits by Rembrandt, Hals, and Van Dyck, and Rembrandt’s Supper at Emmaus.
Backtracking, you reach the spacious Music Room, used for candlelit parties and concerts. (The band was perched on the balconies above, so the music seemed to waft down from heaven.) Find the bronze bust of Edouard, age 57, done by his wife, Nélie. They’d met when he hired her to do his portrait. The Winter Room is fitted with skylights and exotic plants, to brighten a sunny day. It leads into the Smoking Room, the belle époque man cave.
Upstairs, you enter the world of Italian art. You pass a mural by Tiepolo and enter the Studio, which Edouard made for his artist wife to work in. Among the many (minor) sculptures displayed now, locate Luca della Robbia’s ceramic Madonna and Donatello’s small bronze torchbearer. The Florentine and Venetian Painting Rooms have Botticelli’s Virgin and Child, a Giovanni Bellini Madonna, Mantegna’s Ecce Homo, and works by Uccello, Guardi, and Carpaccio.
Downstairs is the couple’s Private Apartments. They kept separate bedrooms (one for “Madame,” one for “Monsieur”) but met in the room in between for breakfast. There you’ll see the portrait that Nélie painted of Edouard when they first met—the spark that brought about their marriage, their mutual passion for art, and eventually the Jacquemart-André Museum.
After Your Visit: Consider a break in the sumptuous museum tearoom, with delicious cakes and tea (daily 11:45-17:30). From here walk north on Rue de Courcelles to see Paris’ most beautiful park, Parc Monceau.
The Marais neighborhood extends along the Right Bank of the Seine, from the Bastille to the Pompidou Center. The main east-west axis is formed by Rue St. Antoine, Rue des Rosiers (the heart of Paris’ Jewish community), and Rue Ste. Croix de la Bretonnerie. The centerpiece of the neighborhood is the stately Place des Vosges. Helpful Métro stops are Bastille, St-Paul, and Hôtel de Ville.
Don’t waste time looking for the Bastille, the prison of Revolution fame. It’s Paris’ most famous non-sight. The building is long gone, and just the square remains, good only for its nightlife and as a jumping-off point for the Marais Walk or a stroll through Promenade Plantée Park.
The Marais Walk chapter connects the following sights with a fun, fact-filled stroll from Bastille to the Pompidou.
The tumultuous history of Paris—starring the Revolutionary years—is well portrayed in this converted Marais mansion (at 23 Rue de Sévigné, closed for renovation throughout 2017 and beyond). The museum contains models of medieval Paris, maps of the city over the centuries, paintings of Parisian scenes, French Revolution paraphernalia—including a small guillotine—and fully furnished rooms re-creating life in Paris in different eras.
Whatever you think about Picasso the man, as an artist he was unmatched in the 20th century for his daring and productivity. The Picasso Museum has the world’s largest collection of his work—some 400 paintings, sculptures, sketches, and ceramics—spread across five levels of this mansion in the Marais. A visit here walks you through the full range of this complex man’s life and art.
Cost and Hours: €11, covered by Museum Pass, free on first Sun of month and for those under age 18 with ID; open Tue–Fri 11:30–18:00 (until 21:00 on third Fri of month), Sat–Sun 9:30–18:00, closed Mon, last entry 45 minutes before closing; videoguide-€4, timed-entry tickets available on museum website but lines generally aren’t bad; 5 Rue de Thorigny, Mo: St. Sébastien-Froissart, St-Paul, or Chemin Vert, tel. 01 42 71 25 21, www.musee-picasso.fr.
See the Picasso Museum Tour chapter.
This is a fine museum of historical artifacts and rare ritual objects spanning the Jewish people’s long cultural heritage. It emphasizes the cultural unity maintained by this continually dispersed population. You’ll learn about Jewish traditions, and see exquisite costumes and objects central to daily life and religious practices. Be aware that the museum is not ideal for the novice. Some visitors may find the displays beautiful and thought-provoking but not especially meaningful. However, those with a background in Judaism or who take the time with the thoughtful audioguide and information (some but not all posted info is in English) will be rewarded.
Cost and Hours: €9, includes audioguide, covered by Museum Pass; Tue-Fri 11:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00, open later during special exhibits—Wed until 21:00 and Sat-Sun until 19:00, closed Mon year-round, last entry 45 minutes before closing; 71 Rue du Temple, Mo: Rambuteau or Hôtel de Ville a few blocks farther away, RER: Châtelet-Les Halles; tel. 01 53 01 86 60, www.mahj.org.
Visiting the Museum: Before entering, visitors undergo a thorough security check. Once inside, a centuries-old Torah scroll introduces the exhibit. Then (in Room 2) it’s the early Middle Ages (A.D. 500-1000), and Judaism is flourishing in France. A row of excavated gravestones attests to Jews living peacefully on the Ile de la Cité. Then came the Crusade of 1096 and several centuries of persecution, pogroms, and expulsions under Christian kings like “Saint” Louis IX. Continuing on, you’ll see displays on Jewish rituals—getting married under a canopy, menorahs lit during Hanukkah, and gift-giving during Purim. There’s a full-size sukkah (tabernacle), a structure for celebrating the harvest festival.
Upstairs, you’ll find many exquisite silver-and-jeweled ritual objects: Torah scrolls and their rich cloth coverings, pointers for reading the Torah, and rams’ horns blown at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. You’ll see a few paintings by famous Jewish artists, including Marc Chagall, Amedeo Modigliani, and Chaim Soutine. The museum brings the Jewish story up to modern times. French Jews were “Emancipated” during the Enlightenment of the 1700s. But anti-Semitism lingered, as illustrated by the final exhibit: the Dreyfus Affair (c. 1900). A French officer was accused of treason. Was he guilty, or merely guilty of being Jewish?
This sight, commemorating the lives of the more than 76,000 Jews deported from France in World War II, has several facets: a WWII deportation memorial, a museum on the Holocaust, and a Jewish resource center. Displaying original deportation records, the museum takes you through the history of Jews in Europe and France, from medieval pogroms to the Nazi era. But its focal point is underground, where victims’ ashes are buried.
Cost and Hours: Free, Sun-Fri 10:00-18:00, Thu until 22:00, closed Sat and certain Jewish holidays, 17 Rue Geoffroy l’Asnier, tel. 01 42 77 44 72, www.memorialdelashoah.org.
Visiting the Memorial: To the right of the entrance, on the Allée des Justes, notice the large bronze wall plaque honoring those who risked their lives for Jewish people. The entry courtyard contains a cylinder evoking concentration camp smokestacks. Down three steps, large stone walls are engraved with the names of French Jews deported during the war.
Enter the building (with an information desk, bookstore, café, and exhibits), and pick up the Mémorial de la Shoah brochure. Go downstairs one floor to the crypt, which has a large Star of David in black marble. Ashes from some of the six million victims of Nazi brutality are buried underneath the star, in soil brought from Israel. Behind you is a small corridor containing the original French police files from the arrest, internment, and deportation of Paris’ Jews. (Since 1995, the French have acknowledged the Vichy government’s complicity in the Nazis’ local ethnic cleansing.)
Go downstairs another floor to the permanent exhibition. Photos and videos (most with English explanations) present an introduction to Judaism and the history of Jews in Europe (including pogroms) and in France (including the notorious Dreyfus affair, concerning a Jewish officer unjustly imprisoned for treason). The displays trace the rise of Nazism, the deportations (12,884 Parisians were once rounded up in a single day), the death camps, and the liberation at the end of the war. The moving finale is a brightly lit collage of children lost to the Holocaust.
One of Europe’s greatest collections of far-out modern art is housed in the Musée National d’Art Moderne, on the fourth and fifth floors of this colorful exoskeletal building. Created ahead of its time, the modern and contemporary art in this collection is still waiting for the world to catch up. After so many Madonnas-and-children, a piano smashed to bits and glued to the wall is refreshing.
The Pompidou Center and the square that fronts it are lively, with lots of people, street theater, and activity inside and out—a perpetual street fair. Kids of any age enjoy the fun, colorful fountain (an homage to composer Igor Stravinsky) next to the Pompidou Center. Ride the escalator for a great city view from the top (ticket or Museum Pass required), and consider eating at the good café.
Cost and Hours: €14, free on first Sun of month, Museum Pass covers permanent collection and escalators to sixth-floor panoramic views (plus occasional special exhibits), €3 View of Paris ticket lets you ride to sixth floor for view but doesn’t cover museum entry; permanent collection open Wed-Mon 11:00-21:00, closed Tue, ticket counters close at 20:00; rest of the building open until 22:00 (Thu until 23:00); arrive after 17:00 to avoid crowds (mainly for special exhibits); free “Pompidou Centre” app, café on mezzanine, pricey view restaurant on level 6, Mo: Rambuteau or Hôtel de Ville, tel. 01 44 78 12 33, www.centrepompidou.fr.
See the Pompidou Center Tour chapter.
This elevated viaduct was once used for train tracks and is now a two-mile-long, narrow garden walk and a pleasing place for a refreshing stroll or run. Botanists appreciate the well-maintained and varying vegetation. From west (near Opéra Bastille) to east, the first half of the path is elevated until the midway point, the pleasant Jardin de Reuilly (a good stopping point for most, near Mo: Dugommier), then it continues at street level—with separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists—out to Paris’ ring road, the périphérique.
Cost and Hours: Free, opens Mon-Fri at 8:00, Sat-Sun at 9:00, closes at sunset (17:30 in winter, 20:30 in summer). It runs from Place de la Bastille (Mo: Bastille) along Avenue Daumesnil to St. Mandé (Mo: Michel Bizot) or Porte Dorée, passing within a block of Gare de Lyon.
Getting There: To get to the park from Place de la Bastille (exit the Métro following Sortie Rue de Lyon signs), walk a looooong block down Rue de Lyon, hugging the Opéra on your left. Find the low-key entry and steps up the red-brick wall a block after the Opéra.
Littered with the tombstones of many of the city’s most illustrious dead, this is your best one-stop look at Paris’ fascinating, romantic past residents. More like a small city, the cemetery is big and confusing, but my self-guided tour directs you to the graves of Frédéric Chopin, Molière, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Jim Morrison, Héloïse and Abélard, and many more.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat 8:30-18:00, Sun 9:00-18:00, until 17:30 in winter; two blocks from Mo: Gambetta (do not go to Mo: Père Lachaise) and two blocks from bus #69’s last stop (see the Bus #69 Sightseeing Tour chapter); tel. 01 55 25 82 10, searchable map available at unofficial website: www.pere-lachaise.com.
See the Père Lachaise Cemetery Tour chapter.
France’s literary giant lived in this house on Place des Vosges from 1832 to 1848. (Hugo stayed in many places during his life, but he was here the longest.) He moved to this apartment after the phenomenal success of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, and it was while living here that he wrote much of Les Misérables (when he wasn’t entertaining Paris’ elite). You’ll see well-decorated rooms recreating different phases of his life, from his celebrity years, to his 19-year exile during the repressive reign of Napoleon III (Hugo said “When freedom returns, I will return”), to his final years as a national treasure. Rooms are littered with paintings of Hugo and his family and of some of his most famous character creations. The display cases show personal objects. Posted explanations in English provide sufficient context to grasp the importance of Hugo to France. The €5 audioguide adds greater depth.
Cost and Hours: Free, fee for optional special exhibits, Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon, audioguide-€5, 6 Place des Vosges; Mo: Bastille, St-Paul, or Chemin Vert; tel. 01 42 72 10 16, http://maisonsvictorhugo.paris.fr.
Paris’ highest hill, topped by Sacré-Cœur Basilica, is best known as the home of cabaret nightlife and bohemian artists. Struggling painters, poets, dreamers, and drunkards came here for cheap rent, untaxed booze, rustic landscapes, and views of the underwear of high-kicking cancan girls at the Moulin Rouge. These days, the hill is equal parts charm and kitsch—still vaguely village-like but mobbed with tourists and pickpockets on sunny weekends. Come for a bit of history, a getaway from Paris’ noisy boulevards, and the view.
Connect the following sights with the Montmartre Walk chapter (to locate the sights, see the map on here).
You’ll spot Sacré-Cœur, the Byzantine-looking white basilica atop Montmartre, from most viewpoints in Paris. Though only 130 years old, it’s impressive and iconic, with a climbable dome.
Cost and Hours: Church—free, daily 6:00-22:30; dome—€6, not covered by Museum Pass, daily May-Sept 8:30-20:00, Oct-April 9:00-17:00; tel. 01 53 41 89 00, www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com.
Getting There: You have several options. You can take the Métro to the Anvers stop (to avoid the stairs up to Sacré-Cœur, use one more Métro ticket and ride up on the funicular). Alternatively, from Place Pigalle, you can take the “Montmartrobus,” a city bus that drops you right by Sacré-Cœur (Funiculaire stop, costs one Métro ticket, 4/hour). A taxi from the Seine or the Bastille saves time and avoids sweat (about €15, €20 at night).
See the Montmartre Walk chapter for details.
Nearby: To lose the crowd and feel Montmartre’s pulse, explore a few blocks behind Place du Tertre. Go down Rue du Mont Cenis and turn left on Rue Cortot (past the Montmartre Museum). At Rue des Saules take a few steps downhill to see the vineyards that still supply cheap wine. Backtrack up Rue des Saules to the hilltop.
This 17th-century home recreates the traditional cancan-and-cabaret Montmartre scene, with paintings, posters, photos, music, and memorabilia. It offers the best look at the history of Montmartre and the amazing period from 1870 to 1910 when so much artistic action was percolating in this neighborhood, plus a chance to see the studio of Maurice Utrillo.
Cost and Hours: €9.50, includes good 45-minute audioguide, not covered by Museum Pass, daily 10:00-18:00, Aug-Sept until 19:00, last entry 45 minutes before closing, 12 Rue Cortot, tel. 01 49 25 89 39, www.museedemontmartre.fr.
See the Montmartre Walk chapter for details.
Paris’ red light district, the infamous “Pig Alley,” is at the foot of Butte Montmartre. Ooh la la. It’s more racy than dangerous. Walk from Place Pigalle to Place Blanche, teasing desperate barkers and fast-talking temptresses. In bars, a €150 bottle of (what would otherwise be) cheap champagne comes with a friend. Stick to the bigger streets, hang on to your wallet, and exercise good judgment. Cancan can cost a fortune, as can con artists in topless bars. After dark, countless tour buses line the streets, reminding us that tour guides make big bucks by bringing their groups to touristy nightclubs like the famous Moulin Rouge (Mo: Pigalle or Abbesses).