Paris Things to Do Tips by mariev

No ? Try again !
Hint : it has been classified 'the most widely known european monument'

Like more than 6,000,000 visitors per year, you can't avoid going to see the Tour Eiffel if you want to tell your friends/family that you have been in Paris.

To get better aquainted with this his impressive lady's, lets see her official ID :
"Date of birth: March 31, 1889
Contractor: Gustave Eiffel & Cie
Engineers: Maurice Koechlin & Emile Nouguier
Architect: Stephen Sauvestre
Height: 324m (including flagpole)
Total weight: 10,100 tons
Coordinates :
Latitude : 48º 51' 32" North
Longitude : 002º 17' 45" East
Number of steps: 1665
Owner: City of Paris"

The Tour Eiffel can be visited every day of the year, you may access the first, the 2nd or the top floor and see Paris under your feet (for the 1st and 2nd floor you have the choice between stairs and lifts, for the 3rd, visitors' access is only by lift).

There are 2 restaurants in it : the luxuous Jules Verne and the more (expensive)cafeteria style Altitude 95.

The view from the top is impressive, but, if you are afraid by the (common)lenghty queues you can just stroll around and appreciate the sight (like, for instance, by night, from the parvis du Palais de Chaillot)

The tour Eiffel has also a vey usefull characteristic : wherever you are in Paris, you can see it - better than a compass !

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Phone: 33 (0) 1 44 11 23 23
Address: Champ de Mars (7th)
Directions: Between the Champ de Mars and the Trocadero
Can be seen from about everywhere in Paris
Website: http://www.tour-eiffel.fr

If you want to study tourists, sell tacky souvenirs or do some pickpocketing, the Sacre Coeur is one of the best spots in Paris (maybe even better than Tour Eiffel as they are more concentrated here).

More seriously :
This white neo byzantine basilica is perched atop a green part of Montmartre's hill (129 meters above sea-level) and visible from many parts of Paris is, in fact, rather recent.
After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, it was decided to build a church consecrated to the Heart of Christ in reparation (in penitence for sins commited) since for this time's government, the misery of France stemmed more from spiritual than from political causes.

In 1873, the chief architect was chosen : Abadie known for his restoration of the Cathedrale Saint Front in Perigueux.
The first stone was laid in 1876 and the basilica was finished in 1914, but it was not consecrated until 1919 after the WWI's end.
The church has been concieved for pilgrimage pupose and since 1885, there has been perpetual adoration and worship within.

To reach it, you can either work up your legs and climb the stairs or use the small lifts (Funiculaire) taking you up there for the price of a metro ticket.
The front facade and the steps of the church are often crowded by tourists and the same obnoxious souvenir-sellers than at Tour Eiffel or Notre-Dame, but whith some good planning you can get nice pictures and enter the building in decent conditions.

In front the facade are 2 equestrian statues : on the left Saint-Louis, on the right Jeanne d'Arc, in the middle is a statue of the Christ.
In the basilica, there is a large mosaic depicting the Christ with outstretched arms and the inside of the church is really beautifull.
The dome is 80m high and if you walk to the top, you are rewarded by a fantastic view of the city (reaching about 40km by clear weather).

The Sacre Coeur basilica is open 6am to 11pm; the dome is open 9am to 7pm, it is also possible to visit the crypt.

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Phone: 33 (0)1-53-41-89-00
Address: 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre 75018 Paris
Directions: Metro Anvers or Abbesses (you can see it when exiting the station)
Website: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/

Champ de Mars is the large open garden (appreciated by tourists for picnics), stretching towards Eiffel tower and closed by Ecole Militaire at the other end.

In the 18th century, the place was bought by the government to create a military academy large enough to receive the 10 000 men of the King's house.

The "Ecole Militaire" was inaugurated in July 1769 by Louis XV. The arena in front, well adapted for demonstrations saw, in August 1783, the first balloon flight (by the brothers Montgolfier).

The Ecole Militaire's most famous pupil is probably Napoleon Bonaparte(and he had, as theacher there, the agronomist Parmentier (who made the culture of potatoes known in France)).

In 1787,the academy was closed by the king's council due to growing political unrests (revolution had begun).
The Champ de Mars earned its place in french history on July 14 1790 (exactly 1 year after the Bastille's capture), when the "Fete de la Federation" was organized to mark the adhesion of the french people to the 1st national constitution.
The allegiance to this constitution was sworn by the representatives of the provinces, king Louis XVI and queen Marie Antoinette (the marquis de La Fayette, swore adhesion in the name of national guard).
The French National Day was born (July 14 comemorates the Fete de la Constitution, only English speakers call it 'Bastille day').

During the restauration, the returning royal family had too bad memories about it and all celebrations there were stopped.

At the end of the 19th century, various World Fairs (1878, 1889, 1900, 1937) occupied the ground, and the tour Eiffel was added to the parisian landscape.

For a nice stroll, you can :
Start from the Palais de Chaillot, continue through the Trocadero gardens, cross the pont d'Iena, reach the tour Eiffel and finnish in front the Ecole Militaire (wich you can visit, especially the chappel). Of course you can do it in the opposite direction (but that would be going uphill).

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Address: Metro: Ecole Militaire, R.E.R. Champ-de-Mars
Directions: In front of the tour Eiffel, opposite to the Trocadero gardens (across the Seine)
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%AAte_de_la_F%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration

With its 130 meters, the Butte Montmartre, crowned by the Sacre Coeur, is the highest Paris' "summit".

There are two different stories about the name "Montmatre" origin : the official one beeing 'Mont de Mercure', but, a 13th century legend states that it comes from 'Mont des Martyrs' and refers to those, who, with Saint Denis (the first Paris' bishop), were killed here for their faith in the 3th century.

From the 12th century to the Revoution (1789) Montmartre housed an important and powerfull benedictine Abbaye.

In 1790, Montmartre was divided in two (uphill and downhill). While the downhill part was quite imediately re-included in Paris, the uphill one grew as a prosperous village until the 19th century and kept some independance, even after being attached to Paris in 1860 (and took an important part in the 'Commune' revolution in 1871).

This independant status appealed to artists, especially painters (like Vernet, Géricault, Corot, Pissarro, Renoir, Van Gogh, Utrillo, Picasso, ....) who moved to the Butte Montmartre during all the 19th century and the begining of the 20th.

Since then, if the area has lost its favour among the artists (in the 50's to Saint Germain des Pres (wich has now become a strictly touristy place too)) it has earned a lot among the tourists, especially after the film 'Amelie' (french title : Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain) came out.

It's a working class, cosmopolitan, colourfull, ever crowded and lively area dominated by 'artists' (and souvenir shops) place du Tertre, cafes everywhere, and fabric and (cheap) clothes stores.

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Address: Butte Montmartre
Directions: It's the hill where the sacre Coeur stands
Metro Anvers or Abbesses
Website: http://montmartrenet.com/home_page.php

The Arc de Triomphe, commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon and finished in 1836 is among the most visited sites in Paris.

Climbing on its roof (you normally have to use the stairs to go up but there is a lift for disabled people), you can - not only have a nice view on Paris - but also get a very interesting lesson in local driving : the arch marks the center of, perhaps, the most impressive turnabouts in the world and, with no marking on the ground, the traffic jam can be absolutely crazy.

Under the Arch lays the tomb of an unknown soldier killed during WW1

There is a little museum beside the tomb, with sometimes very interesting photo exhibits

The flame beside commemorates the deads of the two world wars and, every evening, at 18h30, a short ceremony occurs, including the rekindling of this flame.

For important occasions, a huge French flag is hung from the ceiling inside the Arch.

On the main picture - taken a June 17 - you can see both the firemen's ladder used to set the flag and - under the arch, soldiers paying a tribute to their defunct forebearer.
(and, if you have a close look, you can see scaffoldings on the right : the Arch HAS BEEN CLEANED in 2005)

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Address: Place Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile
Directions: Metro Line 1, 2, RER A : Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile
Website: http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Monuments-Paris/Arc-CDG.shtml
Other Contact: http://www.monum.fr/m_arc/pratiq

Situated between the Carrousel du Louvre and the place de la Concorde, along the banks of the Seine , the Jardin des Tuileries offers, in 25 hectares of greenery, a large collection of sculptures from the 17th to the 21st century and is one of the favorites parisian children recreation places.

The gardens have replaced the former Tuileries palace, destroyed during the 1871 Paris Commune and whose only remnants are the musée du Jeu de Paume, the Musée de l'Orangerie and the surrounding walls.

The gardens have retained the basic elements of Le Nôtre's design after having undergone important renovations in 1996. It now combines plants, flowers, sculptures (i's a open air museum) and kids activities (pony rides, merry go round, gardening lessons, fishes to feed ...).
In July and August, there is a small fair on the Terrasse des Feuillants (merry go round, balls throwing, ...).

The Musee de l'Orangerie has been closed and under work since years and wiil reopen on May 5 2006.
During the renovation remnants of older walls (medieval) were discovered and had to be treated to become a part of the open air museum the gardens are.

A detail not often noticed by passers by : in the wall - rue de Rivoli, below the musee du jeu de paume, you can see a memorial, i would call it 'to human stupidity' : there are the funeral urns of several soldiers, look at the plates : they were all killed on August 14 1944 - between 10 and 12 am : When Paris liberation was signed !

More photos here

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Phone: 0142961933(kids activities)
Address: from Place de de la Concorde to Place du Louvre
Directions: Metro: Tuileries,Concorde
Website: http://www.paris.fr/portail/Parcs/Portal.lut?page_id=4974&document_type_id=5&document_id=8115&portlet_id=10670

Commisioned by Napoleon in order to celebrate his armies' victories in 1805, built in 1806/1808, largely inspired from the roman art (especially some Septime Severe statues), the Arc de triomphe of the Carrousel du Louvre has been designed by the architects Percier and Fontaine.

The eight pink marble columns were saved from the old castle of Meudon, burnt in 1804.
The statues at the first level represent soldiers wearing different uniforms of the napoleonian armies, while those armies victories are detailed on the bas reliefs at the sides and the bottom of the arch.
On the top stands a goddess leading a quadrige, due to the sculpter Bosio.

From the Carrousel du Louvre, you can start a little stroll along the Louvre

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Address: Place du Carrousel
Directions: Metro Louvre or Tuileries
(its exactly between the Louvre and the Tuileries)

It looks much older than it really is : built between 1874 and 1882 the present townhouse (Hotel de Ville) replaces the former one burnt in 1871 during the "Commune" unrests.

It is a copy (about four times bigger) from the old one wich was progressively formed first during the medieval period (around 1300-1350) and later rebuilt a first time during the Renaissance (under Francois 1er, circa 1500-1550) because it was too small (and, or so i heard, not very well maintained).

The place where the townhouse stands is now called 'place de l'hotel de Ville' but, until 1553 it was called 'Place de Greve' (Greve meaning here shore and not strike ; the place was used to disembark goods carried by boat along the Seine).

Visits of the private reception rooms and the reception halls are possible during the temporary exhibitions (generally about the city of Paris itself). Better check before coming if something is running at a given date (else, no visit is possible). It's a good example of the offical french official/administrative/diplomatic style (reds, golds, carvings and so on...).
NB : the queues are long for those (free) exhibits.

But, to get a taste, check this site for a marvelous virtual visit

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Phone: 01 42 76 50 49
Address: 5 rue Lobau - 75004 PARIS
Directions: Place de l'Hotel de Ville
Metro : Hotel de Ville
RER : Chatelet or Saint-Michel Notre Dame
Website: www.paris.fr

In 1860, french architect Charles Garnier won the contest organized by Napoleon III in order to provide a design for a new opera for Paris.
The outer parts were built from 1861 to 1870 and the opera inaugurated in 1875 (the gap was due to 'la Commune' revolution, during which the edifice was used as prison and storage rooms).

The overdecorated, mix of baroque, neo-classical and italian inspired style is typical of Napoleon III's era.

Since 1990 the Opera Garnier has a "baby brother" : the Opera Bastille where most of the lyric performances occur nowadays, while the ballets remain mainly in Garnier.

The Opera hosts a dance museum and can be visited between performances (the interior decoration is stunning (if somewhat pompous).

For performances, you can book on-line :
either directly from the Opera
http://resa.opera-de-paris.fr/pages/index.asp
or via FNAC
http://www.fnac.com/Spectacles/

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Phone: 33 (0)8 92 89 90 90
Address: Metro Opera or RER Auber
Directions: Place de l'Opera
Website: http://www.opera-de-paris.fr/

The musee Carnavalet comes as a nice first introduction to Parisian museums if you happen to visit the city for the first time and/or are staying in the Marais.

It features the story of Paris from its origins to the eighteenth century (including interesting models of the city).

The museum encompass a second hotel particulier : the adjacent Hotel le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau were you can see objects from the Revolution to the present day (etchings, paintings, drawings and models).

The hotel Carnavalet, where Madame de Sevigne used to live (you can see some of her furniture) is pretty, not overwhemingly huge (you can visit it in 1 or 2 hours) and – bonus – the museum entrance is free.

Open 10h-18h, Tuesday to sunday

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Phone: 01 42 72 21 13
Address: 23 rue de Sévigné - 75003 Paris
Directions: In the Marais
Metro Saint Paul or Chemin Vert
From metro Saint Paul, take the rue Pavee, turn right rue des Francs Bourgeois, then left rue de Sevigne
Website: http://www.paris.fr/portail/Culture/Portal.lut?page_id=6468