My favorite place in Paris and other Paris, France Things to Do Tips

New York has the Empire State, Kuala Lumpur the Petronas Towers, London the Big Ben and Paris the Eiffel Tower. Going up to the second floor can be done either by elevator or by stairs, going all the way to the top is only possible by elevator. Once you're there the wind blows like crazy (or at least it did when I visited in August 2006) but the view is worth it. Lit by night the Tower is absolutely stunning!

On the second floor there are TV screens with documentaries about the construction of the Tower, restaurants, a post office, and souvenir shops but in my opinion the souvenirs are rather expensive. I found the same things but cheaper at a stand at the metro station Concorde, but it's nice to send a postcard to your friends and/or family with a postal stamp saying something like "sent from the Eiffel Tower".

I'd recommend to visit it after 6pm because the queues are shorter than in the morning or early afternoon.

I fell so in love with the Tower that it not only became my favorite place on Earth (besides my 2 home countries) and in Paris, but I also took a picture of it from every single place I could see it from.

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Address: Trocadero
Directions: Métro stations: Bir-Hakeim or Trocadero are the closest, RER: Line C, station: Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel.
Website: www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/

Versailles is stunning. And BIG. So big you might wanna spend a whole day exploring it. Beware of the long queues to get in. My SO and I had to stand up in line for ONE hour and it was raining, so we kept ourselves to the Palace. In some areas of the Palace it's forbidden to film or take pictures.

Take into consideration that the Palace is closed on Mondays :)

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Address: Versailles
Directions: RER Line C to Versailles, station Rive Gauche. Then follow the crowd.
Website: www.chateauversailles.fr/en/

I read somewhere that there are about 200 steps from top to bottom and NO elevators. I can't say if this is true or not but I heard from an American lady that she counted 179....but don't let this ruin your chance of getting up because the view from above is gorgeous. 12 streets meet on the circle where the Arc is making a star, which gives the place its name "Place Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile".

Below the Arch is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And after taking in the view, take a stroll on Champs Elysées all the way to the Place de la Concorde.

Practical info: there's a tunnel on the north side where you can access the Arch safer and easier. Beware of beggars. We were almost harassed by a girl with a note asking for money (read my separate tip about it).

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

Champs Elysées is the most exclusive street in Paris and goes from the Triumph Arc to the Place de la Concorde.

The shops are open until late at night as the street is always full of life and people. Take a stroll and enjoy the place to see and be seen. If you get bored window shopping there's a movie theater that shows movies in the original language with French subtitles. If hunger attacks there are some restaurants, a French fast food place and the most exclusive McDonald's hehe.

Beware that the souvenir shops will charge you twice the price just because they're on this street.

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Address: Champs Elysées
Directions: There's 5 métro stops you can choose from: Concorde, Champs Elysées Clemenceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George V and Charles de Gaulle Etoile.

Home of the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, the Louvre is one of the Paris must sees together with the Eiffel Tower and the Triumph Arc. Even for someone who doesn't like art museums (like me), one cannot help but be amazed at the paintings and sculptures.

Minus points from me for not allowing taking pictures in some of the rooms, the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo (even without flash).

Practical info: the museum is closed on Tuesdays and the entrance fee is cheaper if you visit Wednesdays and Fridays between 6pm and 9:45pm. The tickets can be bought online too.

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Directions: Métro: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre.
Website: www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en

Seat of the Archibishop of Paris. Beautiful cathedral with Gothic architecture in the heart of Paris, on the Ile de la Cité. It's even more famous after the book by Victor Hugo and Disney movie "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".

If you're getting in the cathedral, take off your hat/cap.

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Address: Place du parvis de Notre Dame
Directions: Métro: Cité; RER: Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint Michel-Notre Dame.

Place de la Concorde is located between the Champs Elysées and the Tuileries Gardens. During the French Revolution of 1789 there was a guillotine installed here and this was the place where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI (among others) were executed. Where the guillotine was erected, there's an obelisk today - a gift from Egypt to the people of France. The obelisk, one of the Cleopatra's needles, is 23 meters tall and has inscriptions on how it was shipped to France.

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Address: Metro 1, 13 : Concorde

The entrance of the Tuileries Gardens faces Place de la Concorde and it's one of the places where you can just sit and take a break from all the walking in Paris and at the same time admire the beauty in green and other colors that this park has to offer. Inside you can visit the Musée de l'Orangérie and the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Palme.

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Address: Place du Louvre
Directions: Nearest métro station: Concorde-Tuileries. Walking distance from Champs Elysées.
Website: http://www.louvre.fr

The Bastille was to begin with a fortress erected to protect Eastern Paris and as time went by it lost its importance on the defense of the capital of France and became a prison. Taking over the Bastille is considered the first step on the French Revolution of 1789 and it was eventually demolished. Today Place de la Bastille is located where the prison was.

The July Column is a memorial to those who died on the Revolution of 1830, whose names are engraved in the Column. It stands in the center of the Square, is about 51 meters high and has a weight of over 160,000 pounds. At the top of the Column there's a golden figure representing the "Génie de la Liberté".

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Address: Place de la Bastille
Directions: Nearest métro station: Bastille.

Place de la République is located one métro stop before where our hotel was located, so we got off there and took pictures. It's a busy part of Paris with a lot of brasseries and cafés.

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Address: Place de la République
Directions: Nearest métro station: République.