Famous Tourists Spots: Paris, France

Some cities call to mind lovers, others architecture, yet others an intellectual, cultural or appealing popular atmosphere. Paris has all these faces, plus lots more to discover depending on your particular interest. For Paris is a personal story. There is the official city of course, with its magnificent monuments reflecting its history, its river spanned by bridges as famous as its cathedral, its views and its 400 green spaces scattered through Paris' 20 arrondissements.


Below is a list of some famous tourist spots in Paris not to be missed:


  1. The Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars 
  2. The Champs Elysées 
  3. The Louvre Museum and the Tuileries Garden 
  4. Notre-Dame de Paris and the Ile de la Cité 
  5. The Latin quarter 
  6. The Opéra Garnier and the big department stores 
  7. The Musée d'Orsay, a former station now converted into a museum 
  8. Montmartre, Place du Tertre and the Sacré-Coeur 
  9. The Centre Georges Pompidou, housing the biggest collection of contemporary art in Europe 
  10. The Marais: Place des Vosges and the Musée Picasso 
  11. Parc de la Villette : the Cité des Sciences et de l'industrie, the Cité de la Musique


Note:

  • For chic shopping, the 8th, the 7th and the 1st towards Place des Victoires are the places to go.
  • Around Bastille and into Marais, trendy galleries, cafe's and restaurants are bringing the 11th, 4th and 3rd a new image
  • The 18th or 13th have fascination for visitors for its colorful population and markets from lands far away.
Getting around:
  • Railway stations: Nord, Est, Montparnasse, Lyon, Austerlitz, Saint-Lazare
  • Airports: Charles de Gaulle (north of Paris), Orly (south of Paris), Beauvais (an hour from Paris), Le Bourget (north east of Paris)
  • Coaches: daily services throught Europe
  • Motorways: A1 (north), A3 and A4 (east), A6 (south), A13 and A14 (west)
  • Public transport: RER (metropolitan and regional train network)
  • Cruises on the Seine: Viewing Paris from Seine is a popular trip for tourists, Parisians and provincials alike. Indeed, admiring the beauty of the capital on either side of the Seine is an unforgettable experience. Its riverbanks have now been listed as Unesco World Heritage Sites. This way, you can have a grand stand view, and those of you of a romantic turn of mind will accompany the trip with lunch or even better with dinner in the open air deck.

The epitome of an open minded place, Paris has a reputation for being a very diverse city. Where this quality is best expressed is probably in art, whether exhibited in the famous museums or celebrated in its theatres, cinemas or concert halls.