5 Most Beautiful Attractions To Visit In Paris

Around every corner in Paris, you’ll find something worth visiting: an ancient church, a gallery of modern art or an atmospheric jazz bar. Nevertheless, there are some Paris attractions that every visitor must see.

* Eiffel Tower

Gustave Eiffel’s wrought-iron tower is undoubtedly Paris’s most famous sight. Completed in 1889 as the centrepiece of that year’s Exposition Universelle, the landmark stands at 324 metres (1,063 feet) and is the tallest structure in the French capital. More than 7 million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year, and ongoing investments mean that it is continually undergoing renovations to modernise the site and improve its accessibility.

* Arc de Triomphe

Originally conceived by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 to commemorate his army’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, the Arc de Triomphe is the largest triumphal arch in the world and took 30 years to complete. The eternal flame, which is located beneath the Arc de Triomphe’s sculpted vault and above the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, has been re-lit every day at 6.30pm since November 11, 1923.

* Paris’s Tuileries Garden

Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden) is Paris’s oldest and largest public garden and has unparalleled views of the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe from its gravelled paths and perfectly manicured lawns. The park was designed by André Le Nôtre, the same architect who planned the gardens at Versailles, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.

* Louvre Museum

From the eastern end of the Tuileries Garden, walk through another of Napoleon Bonaparte’s arches, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and into the grounds of the biggest art museum in the world: the Louvre. Remnants of the building’s former life as a royal palace, dating back to the 12th century, are still visible, and every year more than 8 million people come to see its 38,000 objects, making it the most-visited museum in the world.

* Palais Garnier

The grand Palais Garnier opera house on the Boulevard des Capucines was built between 1861 and 1875. One of the most extravagant buildings in Paris, a team of 14 painters and mosaicists and 73 sculptors worked on the ornamentation of its south facade alone. Over the years, it has inspired great works of art, from the book and musical Phantom of the Opera to Marc Chagall’s painted ceiling, which was unveiled in the building itself in 1964.