Paris France Travel - The top 10 places to visit in Paris
Paris, France, with its awe-inspiring Eiffel Tower, romantic feel as the City on the Seine, and cultural history, should be visited at least once in everybody’s life despite what you might have heard about Parisians.
Stories have circulated about snobbish waiters or rude Parisians in general. That’s a stereotype that is not entirely true. Parisians, by most accounts of tourists who visit there, are no different than New Yorkers.
If you respect their ways, they will respect you.
When visiting Paris, France, the sights and cultural value of the city outweigh everything else. The city offers 10 must-see sights for first-time visitors. The following is a brief rundown on each of these destinations:
Louvre: The Louvre is the most visited art museum in the world (more than 8 million tourists visited there in 2006). Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Madonna and the Rocks and the Virgin and Child with St. Anne are among the works of art on display. Alexandros of Antioch’s Venus de Milo is also housed at the museum. The building was a royal palace during the medieval times.
Jardin des Tuileries: Also known as the Tuileries Garden, it occupies the large empty space between the northern and southern wings of the Louvre. The Seine is to the south. The Tuileries Garden covers about 63 acres. The spacious garden offers classic and modern sculptures, large basins, flowerbeds and wild birds. The space where it is located was once inside a palace adjoining the Louvre. That palace burned down in 1871, opening the space for the garden.
Centre Georges Pompidou: A uniquely designed art museum, library and music research building, is named after Georges Pompidou, who was the French president from 1969-1974. The building, which opened in 1977, includes large colored pipes on the outside of the rear. The colors of the pipes signify their contents: Yellow for electricity; red for heating; blue for air; and green for water.
Place des Vosges: It is Paris’ oldest square, built under King Henry IV from 1605-1612. The Place des Vosges – Paris’ first attempt at urban planning – consists of 39 houses each made of red brick with stone facings. Some of the houses are museums, showcasing its residents from 400 years ago.
Notre Dame de Paris: The gothic Roman Catholic cathedral took almost 200 years to build, with construction starting in 1163 and completed around 1345. The cathedral, with its distinct towers on the west façade, has been part of many historical events, including the placing of the Crown of Thorns by St. Louis during the building of Sainte Chapelle in 1239, and Henry VI crowned King of France in 1431.
Sainte Chappelle: A gothic chapel in the heart of Paris was quickly completed as it was consecrated in 1248 after plans for its construction started in 1241. Louis IX of France constructed it as a chapel for the royal palace. It was also built to house precious relics, such as the Christ’s Crown of Thorns, the Image of Edessa and 20 other relics of Christ.
Musee d'Orsay: Translated to the Orsay Museum in English, this building is on the left bank of the Seine and is housed in the former Orsay Railway Station. It holds French paintings from 1848 to 1914. Among the most famous paintings are those by Van Gogh, Monet and Renoir.
Eiffel Tower: The famous observation tower and radio broadcasting tower was constructed in 1889. It is the tallest structure in Paris (1,063 feet tall) and the most visited monument in the world (almost 7 million tourists visited the monument in 2006). The structure, designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel, was built over three years, was built as an entrance for the World’s Fair marking the centennial anniversary of the French Revolution.
Avenue des Champs-Elysees: One of the most famous streets in the world that includes affluent housing, cinemas, cafes and luxury specialty shops. It remains the second-most expensive strip of real estate in the world, behind New York’s Fifth Avenue. Rents are as high as $1.25 million a year for 1,000 square feet. The Champs-Elysees is also the traditional end of the last stage of the Tour de France.
Arc de Triomphe: Also one of the most famous monuments in the world, it stands at the western end of the Champs-Elysees. The arch honors those who fought for France during Napoleon Bonaparte’s imperial rule over France from 1804 to 1815. Today, it includes a tomb for the Unknown Soldier.
These are 10 of the most popular sights in Paris. The city offers so much more, including romantic walkways along the Seine, the Moulin Rouge cabaret, and some of the most beautiful gothic architecture in the world.
A trip to Paris requires at least two weeks, maybe more, to appreciate its place in the world’s culture history. All you have to consider: The finest works of Leonard da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet are in Paris. That’s reason enough to visit the City on the Seine.
With that kind of cultural value, who really cares if Parisians are perceived to be rude?
Thank you to Javier Morales for this "Travel Paris France" article.
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