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The Tower, which was built by the engineer Gustave Eiffel for the Universal Exhibition of 1889, comprises three floors and is 317 metres high. On top are radio and television transmitters serving Paris. The lift machinery located below ground level in the west and east pillars was installed in 1899, and is strangely reminiscent of the imaginary world of Jules Verne.
Symbol of the Napoleonic epic. A magnificent view over Paris, with the twelve famous avenues – including the Champs-Elysées – radiating out from the triumphal arch. A video detailing the Arc de Triomphe’s finest hours is shown every ten minutes.
Notre-Dame-de-Paris, which was built between 1163 and 1330, is a masterpiece of French Gothic art. It was restored during the 19th century by Viollet-Le-Duc, who performed similar work on many of France's finest historic buildings.
The 209-metre tower dominates the Paris landscape.
An air-conditioned space on the 56th floor affords magnificent views of more than 50 Parisian sights.
There is also a cinema showing surprising Paris scenes shot at roof level, as well as exhibitions, shops, a bar and a gastronomic restaurant.
This building, which was transformed by Soufflot (1712-1780), was formerly the church of Saint Genevieve. Since the French Revolution, it has been the final resting place of a select group of individuals who have served France in exceptional ways. Collectively referred to as the “grands hommes”, these include Mirabeau, Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Zola, Jean Moulin, Gaspard Monge, François Fénelon, Claude Louis Berthollet, the Marquis de Laplace, Louis David, Baron de Cuvier, La Fayette, Sadi Carnot, Marcelin Berthelot, Jean Jaurès, Louis Braille, Jean Monnet, Pierre & Marie Curie and André Malraux.
The French national library is the successor to the imperial library, which itself succeeded the royal library. One of its roles is to hold copies of everything that is published in France, on whatever medium. It also makes knowledge available to researchers and professional users. The library is the keeper of the nation’s memory, and, as such, is responsible for passing that memory on to the public at large and to future generations. The new building, which opened in 1998 on the Tolbiac site in the 13th arrondissement, has enabled the collection to be further developed and the scope of research to be broadened.
Built at the behest of Saint Louis in the mid-13th century, this pearl of Gothic art features radiant stained glass including a 15th-century rose window. The Sainte Chapelle is located within the walls of the present-day main Paris law courts (Palais de Justice).
The Conciergerie is an important vestige of the Palace of the Capetians, and a remarkable example of 14th-century civil architecture. At the time of the French Revolution, it was France's oldest prison, and it was there that Marie-Antoinette was incarcerated.
The building, which is located alongside the Seine, features four towers: Tour de l’Horloge, Tour Bombec, Tour d’Argent and Tour de César.
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This classical Second-Empire edifice, built in 1860 by Charles Garnier, houses one of the world’s largest theatres. The ceiling was painted by Chagall.
This opera house, which was inaugurated in 1989 to mark the bicentenary of the Storming of the Bastille (which sparked the French Revolution) is one of the most modern in Europe.
Building work commenced in 1764, and was completed after the French Revolution. At the behest of Napoleon, the building was given the form of a Graeco-Roman temple.
The Hôtel des Invalides, which was founded by Louis XIV to provide care for wounded soldiers, stands on a vast esplanade. It houses the tomb of the Emperor Napoleon, as well as a number of museums, including the military museum.
Paris's Neo-Renaissance city hall was built in 1873 on the site then known as "Place de Grève". The 136 statues represent famous historical figures, and the magnificent decor in the reception rooms is by 19th-century artists. The building houses the offices of the Mayor and city council of Paris.
Let yourself to be guided: discover the architecture and history of a historic building. And discover the unseen side of the organisation of the Conseil de Paris (Paris Council), the City’s services and the major events organised in front of the “Home of Parisians”. Visits are free throughout the year.
In 1613, after purchasing the hôtel particulier of François de Luxembourg, Marie de Médicis asked Salomon de Brosse to built her a residence that would remind her of the Pitti Palace in her native Florence. Major extension work commenced in 1835 under the architect Alphonse de Gisors, who erected a new facade overlooking the Luxembourg Gardens. Since 1852, the Palace – with its Neo-Gothic interiors, library ceiling by Delacroix, medallions by Van Thulden and ceiling paintings by Jean Monnier – has been home to the Senate, the upper house of the French Parliament. Prestigious exhibitions are regularly held in the Senate's galleries.
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