Paris Top Attractions And Things To Do

Paris has unique characteristics that make this city one of the most desirable and popular travel destinations globally; these characteristics are its stunning architecture, the wealth of art and culture, and its exquisite gastronomy. Whenever you want, you can get a ticket for traveling to Paris and enjoy its beautiful landscapes and world-class museums. You will experience an incredible cafe culture, pastries, and fashion in Paris. Paris is known for the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Moulin Rouge.

What is Paris famous for?

The French capital is known as the City of Light. However, most people think this name comes from the Eiffel Tower’s sparkling lights that grace the Seine banks at night, and the glistening boulevards around the city. However, this name comes from the mid-17th century when Louis XIV decided to revive the public’s faith in regulation and order by increasing the city’s police officers and installing lanterns on almost every major road in Paris. From that point on, the town became known as La Ville-Lumière (‘The City of Light’). The City of Light nickname has also been used to refer to the Age of Enlightenment in Paris, bringing to the fore poets, philosophers, scientists, and engineers who all played a part in the city’s development.

Where to visit in Paris?

In the following, some places in Paris will be introduced to you that are worth visiting during your travel to Paris. They are:

1- Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower is the symbol of Paris. This tower was made by Gustave Eiffel to commemorate the anniversary of the French Revolution in 1889. It has nearly 7 million visitors a year, and concerning this number, this 324 meters high tower is one of the most visited memorials in the world.

2- Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre-Dame de Paris, also named Notre Dame, is the other most enduring symbol of Paris. This Roman Catholic cathedral is the symbolic French Gothic architecture in France and Europe built from 1163 to 1345. Notre Dame on the eastern half of the Ile de la Cité is known for its many sculptures and gargoyles adorning the roof.

3- Louvre Museum

The majestic Louvre located in the heart of Paris is the most visited art museum in the world. It has been a royal palace in the past, and the 60600 square meters of 210,000 square meters is dedicated to the museum. The museum building as a fortress in the past was built in the late 12th century under Philip II. This museum has eight departments:

• Paintings
• Egyptian antiquities
• Oriental antiquities
• Objects of art
• Graphic arts
• Greek, Etruscan and Roman
• Islamic Art
• Carvings of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Modern Times

4- Champs Elysées / Arc of Triumph

Napoleon paid considerable attention to ancient Roman architecture, so he decided to show the imperials glory. He asked Jean Chalgrin to design Arc of Triumph in the 19th century. This Arc as the most significant monument of its kind in the world has terrific architecture: Impressive sculptures adorning its pillars; engraving the names of 558 generals and the great victories on the top of the Arc and The panoramic terrace above the door with a wonderful view of Paris; 45 meters wide, 50 meters high, and 22 meters deep are some aspects of this Arc.

5- Cruise on the Seine

For enjoying the beauty of “City of Light,” choose a cruise on the Seine, especially at night. During the sunsets, when the monuments will be dark, you can enjoy the beauty of Paris: Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Pont Alexandre III, and many more.

6- Montmartre

Montmartre in the north of Paris is the name of the hill. This hill with 130 meters high has a famous white-domed Basilica of the Sacred Heart, at the top. This hill was built in 1919 for honoring the French victims of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.
Montmartre was once named the hub of modern art in the early 20th century, and artists like Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh worked there. Moulin Rouge, the famous cabaret, is located in Montmartre.

7- Palace of Versailles

The Château de Versailles, the most famous castle in France, dates back to the 17th century. This palace has been the symbol of France’s military power and a demonstration of French supremacy in Europe. Political power in the Kingdom of France seated in this palace from 1682 to 1789.
Extraordinary accommodations, excessive details, furniture, and gilded works of Renaissance art will attract visitors’ attention.

8- The Latin Quarter – Luxembourg Park

The Latin Quarter of Paris on the left bank of the Seine around the Sorbonne is the home to many higher education institutions, such as the Ecole Normale Superieure, the Ecole des Mines de Paris, the Ecole Polytechnique.
The Latin Quarter is a Latin name, and it was named in the Middle Ages when Latin was the international language of learning.
Private Garden of Luxembourg Park created in 1612. Marie de Medicis requested to develop this park to accompany the Luxembourg Palace. Walking in this park is joyful. There are an orchard, several varieties of apples, an apiary and a greenhouse with the orchid collection, 106 statues, a bronze reduction of the Statue of Liberty, and three beautiful fountains in this park.

9- Moulin Rouge

The Moulin Rouge was founded in 1889 by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler at the foot of Montmartre hill in Pigalle’s heart. This cabaret is famous as the spiritual birthplace of the famous French Cancan. The cancan at first was introduced as a courtship dance; it paved the way for introducing the cabaret. Movies like Baz Luhrmann’s movie in 2001, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, spread the cabaret’s reputation.

10- Disneyland Paris

On 32 km from central Paris with a connection to the suburban rear, Disneyland Paris is a lovely place for the Fans of Mickey. Disneyland (with Sleeping Beauty’s castle) and Walt Disney Studios are two theme parks in Disneyland Paris. Some of the most enjoyable attractions of this place are Space Mountain, a Small World, and Big Thunder Mountain.

Best Experiences In Paris:

• Enjoy your drink while you are floating on a boat in the Seine
• You can have a drink at a popular sidewalk cafe or head to the Seine River to experience different views of Paris. You can have your drink on a famous barge on the Seine near Pont de l’Archevêché. You can also enjoy recorded music or live concerts.
• Relax At Place Dauphine
  Place Dauphine is a little park at the center of Paris. This park is just located a stone’s throw from the Seine near the western end of the Ile de la Cite and surrounded by different cafes.
• Fat Tire Bike Company Tour
  This nightly tour lasts 4-5 hours; during this tour, you’ll see different places such as Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre Museum.
• Renting a “Velib” (bicycle) in Paris
  Velib or the large-scale public bicycle sharing system in Paris has used new technologies, e-biking; you just need your ID number and PIN for setting to go.
• Indulge In A Hot Chocolate At Angelina
  Angelina was established 115 years ago, and this institution’s architecture dates back to the 1900s. You can try hot chocolate or “Chocolat Chaud in a pitcher with whipped cream in a separate container. Breakfast and lunch and pastries are served in this tea room. There is also a not too long line up to get into this tea room.
• Shakespeare and Co. Booktalk
  You can find lots of different English books in this old, and established a bookstore from different authors. There are lots of authors who have free book talks in this bookstore like David Lebovitz, the cookbook author, and Canadian Naomi Klein.
• Visit the Conciergerie
  This former palace on the west of Ile de la Cite, near Notre Dame, is where many people were imprisoned before execution during the Reign of Terror. Marie Antoinette was also imprisoned in this palace before being taken to the guillotine.
• Relax On Pont Neuf
  Try this experience: relax on Pont Neuf and the Square du Vert-Galant by bringing a picnic lunch and watching the boats go by.
• Listening To Chamber Music in Sainte-Chapelle
  Lots of different concerts are playing in churches in Paris. If you want to participate in the best one, try the shows in Sainte-Chapelle, located on the Ile de la Cité. Not only is the music beautiful, but also the architecture of this church is astonishing, especially at night.
• Having A Pleasant Walk On the Pont Des Arts
  The Pont Des Arts, a pedestrian bridge crossing the river Seine near the Louvre, will have a pleasant experience during the dusk. During this time, lots of people have their picnic dinners including baguettes, cheese and wine with themselves, and enjoy live music.

Top foods in Paris:

French cuisine is a combination of cooking traditions and practices from France. French national cuisine has lots of dishes. In the following, some of the most famous gastronomic foods are highlighted.
Don’t leave Paris without trying …

• • Steak Frites, the simple pairing of grilled steak with various optional sauces and chips while the flesh is well-chosen and thoroughly matured, and the potatoes are fresh, hand-cut, and double-fried.
  • Macarons, smooth meringues filled with ganache, coming in just four flavors: vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and raspberry.
  • Israeli food, Involve in a gastronomic revolution in Paris by trying fresh, vibrant vegetable, meat, and fish dishes lifted with perfectly pitched spices, tahini, and citrus.
  • Choucroute, the French word for sauerkraut, a massive serving of white cabbage cooked in Riesling, duck or pork fat, with herbs and garlic and topped with sausages and pork knuckle. Try this perfect dish.
  • Cédric Grolet’s Patisserie, mousse filled with mandarin and Timut pepper compote. It takes a week to prepare this dessert, from the outer shell made with cocoa butter, to the mousse, and compote inside.
  • A baguette, a long, thin loaf of French bread commonly made from basic lean dough. This bread has been called to be given UNESCO recognition.
  • Jacques Genin chocolates, try the tea or hot chocolate with a pastry or two in Jacques Genin, one of the top French chocolatiers in 2010.
  • Coffee (or tea), try it in one of Paris’ trendy coffee shops, many of which are located near the Canal Saint-Martin or The Marais.
  • Rhum baba, dense cake with rum and vanilla cream that dated back to the 18th century. It came to France by King Stanislaus of Poland, who was exiled in Lorraine.

Are Luxury Brands Cheaper in Paris?

There are many luxury fashion houses in Paris like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Hermes, Chloe, YSL, and Celine. In addition to these fashion houses, Paris has hundreds of smaller designers and brands. So it is wise that people from all over the world travel to this fashion city to buy these brands’ productions.
Generally, European brands are cheaper because there is no import tax, duty tax, or transportation cost associated with importing them in Europe. So the price of these brands is much lower in Europe, so it’s worth traveling to Europe and especially France to buy these brands.
So if you want to validate which brands and bags are cheaper in Europe, there is just one rule to follow: check which brand is made in Europe. The brand that belongs to Europe will be expensive, but the American brands will be more expensive in Europe because of import Tax.
Some of the cheaper brands in Paris are Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Balmain, Christian Louboutin, Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), Roger Vivier, Dior, Hermès, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Rochas, Lanvin, Chloé and Céline Thierry Mugler.
Parisian brands have two sales during a year, one in the summer starting from the last Wednesday of June, and the second in the winter starting the second from Wednesday in January.