As big as it can be seen and other Paris, France Things to Do Tips

The Arc de Triomphe is as huge as one can imagine. Seeing it at the end of the Chaamps Ellysees is quite a view. Located at L'Etoile (because the round-about has 12 streets, resembling a star), the arch can be climbed to the top. If you go up to the roof, you can admire the Voie Royale that links the Louvre to the Grande Arche at La Défense.
The Arc de Triomphe was built in honour of Napoleon's victories. It has 50m high and 45m wide, being the largest construction of its type.

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Address: Place Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile
Directions: Metro Line 1, 2, RER A : Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile

This building, where the senate is located, on one side of the Seine, across the Louvre is simply astonishing.

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Address: 33, Quai d'Orsay 75007 Paris
Directions: Metro: Place de la Concorde

The Centre Pompidou, built in 1977, in the heart of Le Marais, provoked fierce controversy but after a while it was rapidly adopted by Parisians. It holds the National Museum of Modern Art, and it's the biggest one in Europe. It holds modern art (obviously), a huge library and an incredible restaurent: George. This restaurant was designed by Philip Stark and it holds and amazing view of Paris, as it is in the 6th floor of the building.
If you don't want to eat, or you're not interested in modern art, maybe the building will catch your eye. The different colors of the pipes show the different utilities they have: red for everything that involves motion, blue for air, red for heating, and green... mmm... I don't remember. But the building itself is worth a visit. So try it.

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Address: Place Georges-Pompidou (4th)
Directions: 2 blocks from Hotel de Ville and maybe 6 from Notre Dame, right in the heart of Le Marais district.
Metro: Hôtel-de-Ville

The Champs Elysées are worldwide known. It's THE street you've got to go once in Paris. From Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, this avenue is Paris's meadow.
It's considered the most beautiful avenue in the world, a mecca for business, luxury goods and nightlife. There are plenty of stores, plenty of people walking, plenty of cars, plenty of everything... Below the "rond point", the avenue becomes a huge garden with theatres, museums and fine restaurants.
I don't know what you can do there (well, you can do a lot of things, from shopping to taking a coffee), but being there is just a must. I do understand why the french celebrate all their major parades in this street, why Hitler passed his nazi guys when he invaded Paris, why the people like to walk through this street. It's just simply Paris. And Paris is, well, PARIS. So be there and enjoy the view.

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Address: I don't think you'll need it...

The Conciergerie, besides being a rather unsual building with medieval towers, has a unenviable reputation: during the French Revolution some 2,800 people, including Danton, Saint-Just and Marie-Antoinette, were dispatched from here to the guillotine...
Formerly a royal palace, the Conciergerie became Paris' first prison.

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Address: 2, Bld du Palais (1st)
Directions: Close to Musee D'Orsay, between Hotel De Ville and the Louvre, across the Seine.

It's there, ruling and watching over Paris. Nothing new can be said about her, just that she's simply amazing. And beautiful. And one thing you must see before you die. Once, twice and all the times you want.
When it was built, it aroused fierce opposition. It was called "hollow candlestick" or "pitful lampost". Inagurated in 1889 for the World Fair, the Tour Eiffel became one of the best-known monuments on the planet.
Key figures:
324m high
1,665 steps
2.5 million rivets
50 tonnes of paint needed to decorate it
20,000 light bulb that sparkle at the beginning of each hour.

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Address: Trocadero
Directions: You can't miss it!!!

Talk about a City Hall!!! This incredible building was formerly a hotel and is now Paris' City Hall. "Fluctuat nec mergitur" (she is buffeted, but does not sink) is the famous motto that is found on the Paris crest. The building was destroyed by fire in 1871, and rebuilt between 1874 and 1882.
The place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville host numerous celebrations both for Parisians and visitors. In summer it's transformed into an oasis, with beach volleyball courts, palm trees and changing booths for Paris Plage visitors. In winter, it serves as an ice rink. The rest of the year, it's a place for exhibitions and meetings. And major concerts and football matches are shown here on a giant screen as well. This place was the former Place de Grève, where many capital executions were carried out. Creepy...

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Phone: 01 42 76 50 49
Address: Mairie de Paris (4th)
Directions: In Le Marais, between Centre Pompidou and Notre Dame.
Metro: Hôtel-de-Vil.le

If you pass by La Madeleine, you won't believe it's a church. It looks more than a greek temple than a catholic church. The style of the church is in fact of a Greek temple, with its bronze doors and huge corinthian columns. But it is nevertheless a church and also a venue for classical musical concerts.
One unsual tip: outside, to the right of the entrance of the church, on the street, you'll probably find the most luxurious public bathrooms all over the world. They were built in 1905 and they're entirely inspired by Art Noveau, with ceramic walls and wooden doors with stained glass.

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Address: Place de la Madeleine and Rue Royale
Directions: Metro #12 stop Madeleine.

The Seine, that beautiful river that goes through Paris, showing you the best the city has to offer. Like many buildings, the Seine is one more thing that makes the city so beautiful. Walking along the border, taking a Baton Rouge, or seeing from the street is definately breathtaking. The many bridges that cross it are each one different, making every metre worth walking.
Simply astonishing and worth the walk!!!

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The Grand Palais, with its huge glass roof, metal girders and extravagant decorations, make this an impressive illustration of early 20th century Art Noveau. The palais hosts exhibitions and trade fairs, but it also hosts the Palais de la Découverte, a museum where you can carry out your own experiments to discover the basic laws of math, astronomy, computing, physics and chemistry. Oh, and it also has a planetarium.
The Petit Palais, just across the street from the Grand Palais, was also built for the World Fair of 1900. It houses the collections of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, around an elegant interior garden.
The Petit Palais is being renovated and it will open later this year (2005).

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Address: 3, Avenue du Général-Eisenhower, 75008, Paris
Directions: In Champs-Elysées, just a few block from Place de la Concorde.