There are so many places to go in Paris, France, including the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. Last winter we went on a three-country Europe trip that encompassed London, Berlin, and Paris. We recently posted about our Berlin trip in this blog post: 24 Hours in Berlin: A Complete One-Day Itinerary. We’d love for you to check it out! This blog post will be about the top 10 sights to see in Paris, featuring the best travel destinations and delicious food! We spent five days in Paris and had a wonderful trip! Enjoy 🙂
Here’s a video of our travels in France from our YouTube channel:
Notre Dame
Our first stop was the famous Notre Dame Cathedral! You may have heard about the fires that rampaged through the 857-year-old cathedral last year, but we were able to visit just a few months before. It’s being rebuilt and will be finished soon.
When you step into the cathedral, the first thing that you notice is the hundreds of candles lighting up the cathedral. You can even go and light some candles yourself! Looking up, you can see the amazing arched ceilings and beautiful tinted glass windows. We visited during the holidays, so there were some winter and holiday-themed decorations, which I think made the cathedral even more beautiful.
When you walk further in, there are places where you can read about the history of the Notre Dame cathedral, which I found to be very interesting. At the start of its construction, the cathedral was actually built upon the ruins of two other basilicas. From then on, several other additions were added to the cathedral to transform it into the iconic Gothic cathedral we know today. It’s one of the oldest cathedrals in the world as well as the best!
Louvre Museum
Our next destination was the Louvre! This was probably one of the most interesting places we visited simply because of the wide variety of exhibitions the museum has to offer. The 227-year-old Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the entire world. Interestingly, the Louvre wasn’t always a museum. It was home to Louis XIV for a short period of time and was built by King Francis I who also lived at the Louvre Palace.
Because over ten million people visit each year, tickets should be bought early. The Louvre holds the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Venus de Milo, and many more masterpieces of art. In addition, the Louvre is famous for its iconic pyramid shape and is known far and wide for its architecture and beauty.
Throne
While we were waiting to get into the museum, the line led us underneath the glass pyramid of the Louvre, and there was actually this large golden statue called Throne that was really cool to look at.
Mona Lisa
We managed to get through the crowd and take a picture of the Mona Lisa (down below). However, the Mona Lisa exhibition was super crowded, and there was a frantic rush to get a picture of the famous painting. Also, there were even security guards and a rope to stop the people from crowding the Mona Lisa.
Besides the Louvre’s famous paintings, some of our favorites statues were Athena, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and the “selfie” statue (all are pictured below).
Athena
If you don’t know much about Greek mythology, Athena was the goddess of wisdom and war. This particular statue was actually a Roman copy of the original Greek statue.
Apollo Slaying the Python
This is a statue of Apollo Slaying the Python, but many like to call it the “selfie” statue because, upon first glance, it looks like he’s taking an ancient selfie! Actually, what he’s holding used to be a sword, but it must have been destroyed over the years.
The Winged Victory of Samothrace
Winged Victory of Samothrace depicts the goddess of Victory–Nike–as she stands upon the prow of a ship.
Venus de Milo
This is a statue of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Venus de Milo is one of the Louvre’s most famous statues!
Those were four pieces from the Greek and Roman collection, but the Louvre has so much more! In their vast collection, they have Egyptian statues, paintings depicting France’s past such as the famous Liberty Leading the People, and jewelry among other things. All in all, the Louvre is definitely one of the sights you can’t miss on your trip to Paris!
Eiffel Tower
When you think of Paris, your mind probably goes immediately to the Eiffel Tower. Tall and magnificent, it has the most spectacular views of Paris. The Eiffel Tower lights up during the night, and it’s a great time to take pictures (make sure to bring your camera :). Although the line to go up to the top of the tower is long, it’s totally worth it. Don’t forget to buy your tickets before your visit!
The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel and, as you can see, was named after him. The Eiffel Tower was finished on March 31, 1889. It’s located on the Champ de Mars and is usually open from 9:00 AM to 12:45 AM.
As you can see, the view from the Eiffel Tower is fantastic! As a side note, being all the way at the top of the tower also means it’s very cold, especially in the winter, so don’t forget to bring a jacket and scarf with you!
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe is a humongous arch located in Paris in Charles de Gaulle that was built on July 29, 1836. The Arc de Triomphe is a monument for those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary War. On its stone, the names of army generals and victories are written. With 1.2 million visitors every year, the Arc de Triomphe is definitely one of the top sights to see in Paris!
When we visited, it was New Year’s Eve, so the whole street was lined with lights during the night, creating a beautiful scene. There was even a light show projected onto the Arc de Triomphe.
There was actually a group of protestors, remnants of the yellow vests movement, standing near the Arc de Triomphe at that time.
It was about time for dinner when we got to the Arc de Triomphe, so we decided on grabbing a quick bite at a cafe Brioche Dorée. We ended up getting two sandwiches and many pastries because what’s the point of going to Paris if you don’t try the french pâtisserie? Besides the two warm sandwiches, we got an eclair, tartlets, pain au chocolat, and more!
Luxor Obelisk (Cleopatra’s Needle)
This obelisk bears a resemblance to the obelisks in New York City and London; however, what makes this one special is that it was brought from Luxor, hence the name, while the other two were brought from Alexandria, Egypt. The Luxor Obelisk was only about half an hour walk from the Arc de Triomphe, and they are both on the same street of Champs Elysees.
Musee d’Orsay
This museum is one of Paris’s most famous museums along with the Louvre. The museum was originally built in 1898 to be a train station, which is why it has a huge clock and grand dome-like entrance. It holds Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portrait, as well as The Starry Night over the Rhône (shown below) and many more! It’s one of the top sights in all of Paris for anyone who loves art exhibits, especially Impressionist paintings!
These two paintings are probably two of the most famous paintings in the Musee d’Orsay. Coincidentally, they’re both by Van Gogh!
Petit Palais
The Petit Palais is a museum of fine arts and houses several unique art collections. They have collections from different time periods such as the Renaissance, the classical world, and even the middle ages! Their collections range from sculptures to artifacts to paintings. If you’re interested in art, I would definitely suggest stopping by the Petit Palais! The hours are from 10 am to 8 pm Monday through Sunday.
Just across the street from Petit Palais is the Grand Palais.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris (Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre)
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, better known as Sacre Coeur, is a Roman Catholic Church with a humongous dome-like structure. The building of the fortress began in 1875, after the Franco-Prussian War, and finished in 1919 at the end of World War I. After stepping inside the basilica, you can climb to the top of the dome. It takes three hundred steps, so be prepared! When you reach the top there is a phenomenal view. Don’t forget to bring your camera with you!
With its superb view and interesting architecture, the Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre definitely deserves a place on our Top 10 Sights in Paris list!
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles was built by Louis XII in 1631. After that, the Palace of Versailles was renovated in 1661 by Louis XIV, Louis XII’s son. Louis XIV lived in the palace for a long time and became one of the most well-known rulers of all time.
You can visit the surrounding courtyards and inside the palace as well. The rooms themselves are pieces of art with their intricate gold detailing and spectacular colors! Every room you visit has many beautiful paintings and artifacts from the French rulers’ time. Make sure to bring a camera with you!
How to Visit Versailles
Over ten million people visit the Palace of Versailles every year, so expectedly, the line was very long to get in and even extended outside! We had to wait a couple of hours just to get our tickets. We recommended that you purchase a ticket online before you visit to avoid getting sold out or having to wait through extremely long lines.
One of my favorite rooms was the Hall of Mirrors. This particular room was said to have been a symbol of France’s economic prosperity and political successes during Louis XIV’s reign. When you step into the room, the first thing you notice is its grandeur. Everything about that room was intricate–from the paintings along the walls and on the ceiling to the gold detailing covering almost every other inch of the room. To top it all off, there are gigantic chandeliers all across the ceilings and, of course, mirrors that reflect the importance of the hall.
By the time we left Versailles, it was already dark outside. The palace of Versailles looked magnificent during the day, but in the night, the gold theme of the palace is emphasized even more by the lights! We spent a good part of the day at Versailles because there was so much to look at, but you could definitely spend a whole day there and not have enough time to visit every room and appreciate all the artwork. The Palace of Versailles should definitely be one of your top sights to see in Paris!
Palais Garnier (Paris Opera House)
The Palais Garnier or the Paris Opera House is the 13th opera house in Paris. Above all, the Palais Garnier has an amazing auditorium that can hold over 2000 spectators. To visit, tickets must be purchased before you visit. All in all, the opera house is one of Paris’s top travel destinations!
Food
Creme brulee, croque-monsieur croissant, croque-madame–there are so many mouth-watering French dishes out there. In Paris, the restaurant we went to was the Aux Tours de Notre Dame. It had the most classic French foods on the menu and was most importantly, delicious!
Overall, we had a wonderful time in Paris and saw many of Paris’s top sights during our trip! Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world–there are just so many things to do!
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Also, if you want to read more about our Europe trip, check out our Berlin post! If you enjoyed our travel guide, we’d love for you to check out more of our travel posts.
