surroundings

Tour Eiffel

The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of Paris and France. It was named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, and was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair. The tower stands about 1,063 feet tall (324 meters), about the same height as an 81-story building, in the 7th arrondissement.
It is the tallest building in Paris and is the most-visited paid monument in the world. Millions of people ascend the Eiffel Tower every year. It has three levels for visitors which can be reached by elevator or stairs after paying for tickets. The first two levels feature restaurants and souvenir shops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L’île de la Cité
L’île de la Cité is an island situated on the Seine River, in the heart of Paris. It is the birthplace of the city of Paris, long ago named Lutèce.
L’île de la Cité is surrounded by two branches of the Seine: the big branch to the north and the small branch to the south which we cross with any of its nine bridges.
The island has four squares (places): Place du Pont-Neuf, Place Dauphine (behind the Palace of Justice), Place du Parvis Notre-Dame, and Place Louis-Lépine where the market of flowers is.
The island can be reached by metro stations Cité and Saint-Michel.

L’île Saint-Louis
L’île Saint-Louis is one of the two natural islands left of the Seine River in Paris.
The island is part of the 4th arrondissement (district) for which it forms the south-east limit of.
L’île Saint-Louis gets its name from King Louis IX, nicknamed "Saint Louis", patron saint and ancestor of Louis XIII.
Five bridges permit access to this island, from the right and left banks of the Seine or from L’île de la Cité.
There are no metro stations directly on L’île Saint-Louis. The closest ones are Pont Marie and Sully-Morland, on line 7, on the right bank of the Seine.

Châtelet - Les Halles
The Forum des Halles makes up a massive shopping center, which is the largest subterranean shopping center of Europe. It is very popular because of its easy access by metro and RER (the French rapid transit system). The Forum des Halles has 26 movie theater screens -- the largest theater around Paris and the most easily reached by public transport in Europe. It also has a indoor pool that measures 50m x 20m (164 ft x 65.5 ft), a tropical-plant greenhouse, and many stores selling things from clothes to sporting goods, video games, fast food, books, etc....

Hôtel de Ville de Paris (City Hall)
Etienne Marcel acquired the "house of pillars" on behalf of the municipality in July 1357. There, since then, lies the center of municipal institutions in Paris. A place of power where the council headquarters in Paris meet or place of prestige where guests are received by the mayor, the city hall has also become a place for exhibitions.
Paris, having undergone various uprisings, the Hôtel de Ville was often the focal point of rioters, rebels, and revolutionaries. From Etienne Marcel to the French Revolution, from the Commune of Paris to the Liberation, the Hôtel de Ville is a place steeped in history.
La Place de Grève, renamed Place de l'Hôtel de Ville on March 19, 1803, has become a place reserved for pedestrians since 1982.

Palais du Louvre
The Palais du Louvre is an ancient royal palace in Paris on the right bank of the Seine, between the Jardin des Tuileries and the church Saint-German-l'Auxerrois. Covering a surface of more than 135,000 m² (161,458 yd2), the Palais du Louvre is the largest European palace and the second largest building on the continent of Europe. Today it houses one of the richest art museums of the world: The Louvre.
The construction of the Palais du Louvre is inseparable from the history of the city of Paris. It stretches over 800 years.
This site can be reached by the metro station Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre.

Musée du Louvre
The Louvre Museum is one of the world's largest and most visited museum, measuring 652,300 square feet. It is located on the right bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement.
The building that houses the Louvre is the ancient royal palace, le Palais du Louvre. It was originally built as a fortress in the 1100s, but in the late 1600s, it started to be used by Louis XIV for the exhibition of his royal collection.
The Louvre opened as a museum on August 10, 1793 with an exhibition of 537 objects. It now displays almost 35,000. This museum is a must-see for anyone coming to Paris.
You can get to the Louvre by going to the metro station Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre.

Le Palais Royal
The Palais Royal, originally called the Palais Cardinal, is a palace and garden in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. It was originally built for Cardinal Richelieu and later used as a palace by several kings.
The first theater in the palace hosted plays by Moliere from 1660 to his death in 1673.
In the courtyard of the Palais Royal lie the famous "Colonnes de Buren". The black-and-white columns are set in parallel lines in various sizes.
Today the Palais Royal houses several offices of the French government: the Conseil d'Etat, the Constitutional Council, and the Ministry of Culture.

Opéra national de Paris
The Opéra national de Paris consists of two buildings, the "Opera Bastille" where operas are performed, and the "Palais Garnier" where ballets from the famous Paris Opera Ballet company are performed.
The Opera's mission is to make accessible to as many as possible the works of opera and dance heritage and to promote the creation and performance of contemporary works.

Rue Saint-Honoré
The Rue Saint-Honoré is a very ancient road in Paris in the 1st and 8th arrondissement. Situated close to the Jardin des Tuileries and the Saint-Honoré market, this street offers a mutitude of museums. An extension of Rue Saint-Honoré is Rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré, a street lined with all the high-end fashion stores, like Gucci, Hermes, and Lancome.

Place Vendôme
The Place Vendôme is a 17th century square in the 1st arrondissement, north of Jardin des Tuileries and east of the Madeleine church. This square boasts the Vendôme Column, a monument erected by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Place Vendôme is also the showcase for world-top jewellers like Cartier, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Boucheron. It also has the Ritz Paris, one of the most famous and luxurious hotels in the world.
You can get to this site by going to the metro station Opéra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris, is located at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement.
During the French Revolution, the mighty statue of King Louis XV on horseback which stood in this square was torn down. It was replaced with the guillotine that executed King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette and many others.
A year later the guillotine was removed, and today, in this oxagon-shaped square stands the Obelisk of Luxor, an obelisk with Egyptian hieroglyphics given to France by the viceroy of Egypt. Here are also the two Fontaines de la Concorde, beautiful and intricate fountains that commemorate navigation and commerce on the rivers of France and the nearby seas.
This site can be reached by metro station Concorde.

 

 

 

 

Avenue des Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is probably one of the most famous avenues in the world. It is known in France as "the most beautiful avenue in the world". It runs for 2 miles in the 8th arrondissement from the Place de la Concorde where the Obelisk of Luxor stands to the Place de Charles de Gaulle, location of the Arc de Triomphe.
This avenue offers everything from cafes to restaurants, from stores like Gap and Adidas to upscale boutiques like Cartier and Louis Vuitton, to movie theaters and nightclubs, etc... The Avenue des Champs-Élysées holds an appeal for every tourist visiting Paris.
Metro stations which will get you to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées are: Concorde, Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George V,and Charles de Gaulle-Étoile.

Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, usually just called "the Arc de Triomphe", is an arch commissioned by Napoleon I to commemorate victories of his armies. It is one of the most famous French monuments and stands in the 8th arrondissement in the center of Place de l'Etoile. Place de l'Etoile translates to "Square of the Star" and is a roundabout with twelve straight avenues that radiate from this square, giving it the look of a star. One of the avenues is the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The Place de l'Etoile was officially renamed "Place Charles de Gaulle" after the death of the General and President Charles de Gaulle in 1970, but it is still usually referred to by its original name.
Beneath the Arc is the Tombe du Soldat Inconnu (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), a memorial with an eternal flame that burns in memory of the unidentified soldiers of World Wars I & II.

Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill (the butte Montmartre) that is 130 meters high (426.5 feet), and that gives its name to the surrounding area of Paris in the 18th arrondissement. It is one of the main tourist spots of Paris. It is here that in the 1800s -1900s many artists lived and painted. These painters included Vincent van Gogh, Picasso, Salvador Dali, & Steinlen. Nowadays, you can go there and have your portrait painted by the local artists at the Place du Tertre.
Also at the top of the hill Montmartre is the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, the white-domed church, and the older smaller church called Saint-Pierre de Montmartre. You can get to the top of Montmartre by taking the funicular railway or you can climb the 222 steps up to the top.
You can get to this area by taking the metro to the stations Anvers, Pigalle or Blanche.

Gare de Paris Est
The Gare de l'Est (East station in English) is one of the six large SNCF terminus in Paris. It is in the 10th arrondissement and is one of the largest and oldest railway stations in Paris.
At the top of the west facade of the building is a statue representing the city of Strasbourg, while at the top of the east one, another statue represents Verdun.
On the 4th of October, 1883, the Gare de Paris Est saw the first departure of the Orient Express for Istanbul.
The station, because of its facades and roofs and the halls of arrival and departure, has been registered as a historic monument since 1984.
You can get to this site by going to the metro stations Gare de l'Est or Château-Landon.

Gare de Paris-Nord
The Gare de Paris-Nord, or Gare du Nord (north station in English), is one of the six large SNCF terminus in Paris. With about 180 million travelers a year, it is the busiest railway station in Europe.
The station handles trains that go to northern France as well as other countries such as Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. On top of the building are 8 statues representing international cities that the trains go to. The ninth statue in the center represents Paris. Twelve more statues of northern French cities are placed lower along the facade. The Gare du Nord was registered as a historic monument on January 15, 1975.
Both the exterior and interior of the Gare du Nord are shown in the Bourne Identity and Bourne Ultimatum with Matt Damon.

La Bastille
The Bastille prison originally served as a fortress, but was later used as a prison for common criminals as well as for people imprisoned for religious reasons and those who were printing and writing forbidden pamphlets. The Bastille also held high class prisoners like nobles and rich merchants and was more comfortable than most other Parisian prisons. The prison is well known today because of the storming of the Bastille, which marked the start of the French Revolution in 1789. Later that year, the Bastille was largely demolished, but remains are still displayed a few hundred yards away from where the Bastille once stood, now called the Place de la Bastille. There are colored paving stones on the streets and sidewalks to show the outline of where the prison was.
You can get to this site by getting to the metro station Bastille.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Le Marais
The marais is a neighborhood that spreads across parts of the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris. It was once the aristocratic district of Paris. Several nobles and kings built mansions there. Now, the mansions have been turned into museums and it is a very trendy district, where there are a multitude of fashion stores and unique boutiques. There is also a large Jewish community in the Marais, resulting in lots of Jewish bakeries and restaurants making the freshest falafel and other Jewish specialties around.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Saint-Germain-des-Prés is an area in the 6th arrondissement in Paris located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés is home to a number of famous cafes, including Les Deux Magots and Cafe de Flore. This section of Paris was the center of the existentialist movement (associated to Ernest Hemingway, Jean-Paul Sartre, & Simone de Bouvoir).

You will also find lots of high-fashion stores here. You can get to this section by getting to the metro stations Saint-Sulpice or Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Faubourg Saint-Germain
The Faubourg Saint-Germain is an area in Paris in the 7th arrondissement. In the 18th century it was an aristocratic district where several nobles had their mansions built. Today it is home to the Prime Minister as well as other ministries and foreign embassies and the upper-class of Parisian society. In the eastern part of this area, there are high-class antique shops and art galleries.

Quartier de l'Odéon
The Odéon Quarter is an area of Paris in the 6th arrondissement, north of the Luxembourg Gardens. It is so named because of its close proximity of the Odéon Theater.
It is a very lively quarter, welcoming many students and foreigners. There are many places to eat, or get some drinks here, and several movie theaters.
This site is served by the metro station Odéon.

Boulevard Saint-Michel
The Boulevard Saint-Michel is a tree-lined boulevard that serves as a boundary between the 5th and 6th arrondissement in Paris.
Today, the northern part of this boulevard is the most animated thanks to the many bookstores, cafes, and clothes shops.
The main buildings on this boulevard are the Musée de Cluny, the Lycée Saint-Louis, and the Ecole des Mines.
Fontaine Saint Michel

Quartier des Invalides
The quartier des Invalides is a section of Paris in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is named after the famous Hotel des Invalides, a large complex of buildings that was erected for invalids of the war, and now as well as still housing war veterans, also houses the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte and sevearl museums on the military history of France. This quarter of Paris also has the Palais Bourbon, the seat of the French National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French government.

Hôtel des Invalides

The Hotel national des Invalides (usually shortened to Les Invalides) is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris which contain museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, and a hospital and retirement home for aged and unwell soldiers, which was the building's original purpose. In one of the buildings rests Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb, made of red quartzite with a green granite base. The buildings also house the Musée de l'Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine.

L'église Saint Louis des Invalides
The Saint Louis des Invalides Church was built for the war veterans that lived in the Hôtel national des Invalides (The National Residence of the Invalids). After the soldier's church was built, King Louis XIV decided to have a beautiful chapel built for the royal family. It was separated from the other church by a glass wall and this one has the famous gold-plated dome, earning it the name Dome's Church (Eglise du Dôme). It is under this dome that the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte rests.
This site can be reached by getting off at the métro stations Invalides, Varenne or La Tour-Maubourg.

Quai d'Orsay
The Quai d'Orsay is a wharf in the 7th arrondissement of Paris that forms part of the left bank of the Seine, and is also the name of the street running alongside it. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located on this wharf, and is often called the Quai d'Orsay by metonymy.
This wharf is close to the Musee d'Orsay, one of the Paris' most popular museums, best known for the largest collection of impressionism and post-impressionism masterpieces in the world, with painters like Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Seurat and Sisley.

Histoire de l’École militaire
The École Militaire (Military School) is a complex of buildings housing various military training facilities in the 7th arrondissement in Paris. It was founded by Louis XV in 1751 with the aim of creating an academic college for cadet officers from poor families. It accepted the young Napoleon Bonaparte in 1784, and he finished the school in a year rather than the usual two.
It now hosts the Joint Defence College (le College Interarmees de Defense), an institution for higher military education, and the Institute of Higher National Defence Studies (Institut des Hautes Etudes de Defense Nationale).

Quartier du Montparnasse
The Montparnasse Quartier is an area is in the 14th arrondissement in Paris, on the left bank of the Seine around the intersection of the Montparnasse Boulevard and the Raspail Boulevard.
Montparnasse was the heart of intellectual and artistic life in France in the early 20th century. It was home to painters, sculptors, writers and poets from all over the globe, some of which were Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Guillaume Apollinaire, Modigliani, Andre Breton, and Salvador Dali. The cafes that these artists sat at and mulled over ideas are still open -- Le Dome, La Rotonde, and La Coupole.
Towering over the district is the Tour Montparnasse (Montparnasse Tower), a skyscraper filled with offices in which you can climb up to the 59th floor for a grand view of Paris. The only skyscraper in Paris, it looks rather out of place among its fellow smaller, older buildings. Today Montparnasse is a business district by day and a leisury place at night, with many restaurants, cafes, and movie theaters.

 

 

 

 

Place Denfert-Rochereau
The Place Denfert-Rochereau, previously known as Place d'Enfer, is a square in the 17th arrondissement of Paris in the Montparnasse quartier. It is at the intersection of boulevards Raspail, Arago, and Saint-Jacques, as well as several other avenues and streets.
This square is dominated by the Lion of Belfort statue. It also still has the two structures built on either side of the old Barriere d'Enfer, that were used to collect taxes on goods entering Paris. This square is also the location of the Paris Catacombs Museum as well as the entrance to the catacombs themselves.
This site can be reached by getting to the metro station Denfert-Rochereau.