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Paris France, the city of lights, is home to one of Europe’s most recognized monuments, perhaps the world’s most renowned museum, and a cultural smorgasbord of food, drink, nightlife, and sights. There’s plenty to see and do in Paris, and a walking, biking, or bus tour is a great way to see the city, as there are many options for Paris tours all over town. You can also conduct your own tour, and this guide to Paris will highlight the best architecture, museums, and sights.

Good Paris tours include plenty of monuments, famous museums, and world renowned dinning. The iconic Eiffel Tower tops out at over 1,000 feet, and contains 2 restaurants, a souvenir shop, a post office (for that one of a kind postmark), snack bar, and a viewing area, all within its iron structure. The Panthéon is a monument dedicated to historical personages of France, housing a crypt containing over 70 people, including Votaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Marie Curie, and Alexandre Dumas. A popular stop on many Paris tours is Notre Damecathedral, with its awe inspiring exterior and ornate interior. Pay homage to French author Victor Hugo, and ascend the bell tower for a look at the gargoyles from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Arc de Triomphe is a great stop on Paris vacations. Located on the famed avenue Champs Élysées and centered in the world largest traffic roundabout, the Arc is a simple, yet daunting monument commissioned by Napoleon. The gothic Saint Chapelle, built in the 13th century, has 15 impressive stained glass windows depicting an entire biblical history.

Of course Paris France museums are not to be missed. Many Paris vacations start at the world famous Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa, and 35,000 other pieces of art. Connoisseurs could spend several days covering the Louvre. Paris France has an extinsive modern art collection at the Pompidou National Center of Art & Culture. The building was designed with the pipes and duct work on the outside, and the glass escalator running up exterior of the building is an exciting ride. The Musée d’Orsay, in a former railway station, displays French art nouveau, impressionist, and postimpressionist works. The Musée de Cluny, contains works from the middle ages, and a former Roman bath house, dating back to around 200 AD. Those are only a sprinkling of the quality museums visited during Paris vacations.

Other Paris tourist attractions worth checking out are Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise and le Catacombes. The cemetery includes the remains of Chopin, Moliere, Gertrude Stein, Jim Morrison, and the much kissed tomb of Oscar Wilde. For a darker side of Paris, some Paris tours descend Le Catacombes, an underground corridor made up of the stacked bones of millions of Parisians exhumed from their graves to solve a hygiene problem in Paris France in the late 18th century.

For tours in Paris, try a walking tour, focusing on the history, monuments, and museums of Paris. Some are self guided, while others provide guides. The obvious advantage to self guided tours in Paris is that you can move at your own pace. There are several companies that offer this service including Paris Walking Tours, Classic Walks, and French Adventures. There’s also biking tours in Paris which peddle past famous monuments and icons of the city. One could book a tour through a travel agency, before leaving. With enough to see and do for weeks, the heart of France has delights for young and old.

High atop Montmarte Hill in northern Paris, you’ll find the Basilique de Sacre Coeur – or Basilica of the Sacred Heart.  Perched lovingly on the city’s highest point, the church is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Paris, due mainly to the panoramic view of the city from the Basilica’s forecourt and dome - the only spot further above sea level is the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower.  Here you’ll get a picturesque glimpse of Paris, a vast sea of bleached rooftops as far as the eye can see – it’s especially impressive at sunset, or when the sky is the deep blue of summer.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is relatively new, constructed in the late 1800s, but the architectural style was an intentional throwback to the ancient Romano-Byzantine designs that are still preserved all across Southern France.  Its construction was, in part, to honor the many French that died during the French Revolution and the Franco-Prussian War - and also to help restore the faith of a struggling people during such trying times.  Thus, plans for the Basilique de Sacre Couer were begun.  The top of Montmarte Hill had long been a place of worship, no matter who was ruling the land – from the Druids to the Gauls to the earliest Romans – it was just a matter of time before the site was updated with a Christian symbol. 

Though one of the most famous tourist attractions in Paris, the church is consciously scaled back, the cavernous interior meant to generate humility, not majesty.  It was also a statement against the excesses of the Baroque style that was still popular at the time when construction on the Basilique de Sacre Couer began.  Nevertheless, it still features one or two ornate touches – from the yawning stained glass installations (reconstructed after World War II) to one of the largest mosaics in the world.  Located in the apse, Christ’s magnanimous arms stretch from one side to the other.  Another standard was set by the church’s enormous bell tower - built to contain a 19 ton bell, it is one of the world’s largest.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is open every day until 11 pm (one of the more convenient tourist attractions in Paris), and still holds mass on Sundays.  Just get off the Metro at Pigalle station, walk the stone stairway up to the church, and take in the great view of one of the most beautiful cities imaginable.

Parisians refer to the Arc de Triomphe as L’Etoile, and revere it as a symbol of French national spirit. Located in the center of the worlds largest roundabout, the Arc de Triomphe towers 164 feet above the ground. Intricate carvings by Romantic sculpture Francois Rude adorn the exterior of the edifice, while beneath the L’Etoile lies the unknown solider. Visitors may climb 284 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for an outstanding view of Pairs, and the 12 streets radiating from the roundabout. There’s also a museum inside, detailing the history of Arc de Triomphe. Of all the monuments of Paris, L’Etoile is one of the most revered by Parisians themselves, and an important stop on a sightseeing tour.

The history of Arc de Triomphe is varied, and marred by the German occupation of Paris, which celebrated by marching through the arch. Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to honor the French military, the Arc de Triomphe is now a patriotic symbol of France’s history. It was finally completed in 1836, 15 years after Napoleon’s death. In 1920 an unknown solider was buried beneath the arc, to honor the soldiers who fought for France. The Arc de Triomphe has served as a symbol of victory for France, as well as for the Germans and the Allies, both of which have marched through the arch after victories as they enter Paris.

The Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris is located minutes away from the Arc de Triomphe and attempts to capture the prestige of ancient Paris. The Hilton Arc de Triomphe is perfect for executive travel, or luxurious vacationing with seven floors, 463 rooms (including 77 executive rooms), and 24 suites.. Modeled after luxurious ocean liners of the 30s, the hotel has balconies, steam baths, a full-service spa, a restaurant and bar, and executive meeting rooms. Definitely worth a look when staying in Paris, the Hilton Arc de Triomphe has a lot to offer guests.

Other monuments of Paris include the Panthéon, an edifice with a varied history, now a monument to the historical personages of France; Notre-Dame cathedral, with its dual towers and great bell; Sacré-Coeur, an domed edifice, offering an outstanding vantage of the city; and of course, the ultimate view—the Eiffel Tower. Ultimately, the monuments of Paris offer varied style, including architectural beauty, art work, and historical lessons.

Tourist flock to Notre-Dame, Sacré-Coeur, and the Eiffel Tower, but there are many other famous attractions. The Moulin Rouge is a popular Paris attraction. A cabaret, built in 1885 and made famous in Baz Luhrmann’s flim, Moulin Rouge, the real Moulin Rouge resides in Montmartre, and features cabaret reviews. The Louvre, a former fortress is perhaps the world’s most well know art museum, housing the Mona Lisa, and countless other works. The Centre Pompidou, with its giant exterior glass escalator entrance, houses modern art. Visit Napoleon’s tomb at the Hotel des Invalides, a stately hotel built for disabled veterans (invalides). Of course as mentioned, the Arc de Triomphe is an impressive and formidable monument, well worth a look during a Paris vacation.

The Eiffel Tower, an icon of Paris, is a wonder of design and structure, and an impressive sight worth getting close to. Lie in the grass at the Champs de mars and gaze up. Ascend the tower for spectacular views of Paris. Return at night with a bottle of Merlot to watch the spectacular light display. The Eiffel Tower tops out at over 1,000 feet, containing 2 restaurants, a souvenir shop, a post office (for that one of a kind postmark), snack bar, and a viewing area.

The world famous Paris tower is a mass of iron designed by Gustave Eiffel for the Universal Exposition of 1889 and was the tallest structure in the world until 1930, when New York’s Chrysler building surpassed it. The Paris tower faced criticism, especially from the artistic community of Paris, calling the structure a “truly tragic street lamp.” Allegedly, Guy de Maupassant ate lunch on the lower level of the Paris tower everyday because it was the only view of the city in which he couldn’t see it. The critics were slowly silenced as 2 million visitors ascended the tower in 1889. Today, the Eiffel Tower is an icon of Paris, and is embraced by the city.

Fifty tons of paint are used every 5 years to repaint the structure. A permanent light display goes off every hour in the evenings. Skate 187 feet above the Earth, during the winter, as the Eiffel Tower Paris turns the first floor into a rink. The tower has two restaurants, Altitude 95, located on the first floor 95 meters above sea level, and “reminiscent of an airship moored above Paris” according to the Eiffel Tower website. Also on the first deck are a souvenir shop, exhibit on the Paris tower, snack bar, and the post office. On the second floor, a specialty food shop, the restaurant Le Jules Verne, some historical panels, and another snack bar (in case you’re using the stairs instead of the elevator). At the top level, along with panoramic views, is a replica of Gustave Eiffel’s office, complete with wax figures of the man himself.

No Paris travel guide would be complete without mentioning famous Paris attractions including, the Panthéon, a monument dedicated to historical personages of France, housing a crypt containing over 70 people, including Votaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Marie Curie, and Alexandre Dumas. Notre Dame cathedral, with its ornate interior is an awe inspiring and popular destination. Pay homage to French author Victor Hugo, and ascend the bell tower for a look at the gargoyles from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Worth mentioning in any Paris travel guide is the Arc de Triomphe, located on the famed avenue Champs Élysées and centered in the world largest traffic roundabout. It is a simple, yet daunting monument commissioned by Napoleon. The gothic Saint Chapelle, built in the 13th century, has 15 stained glass windows depicting an entire biblical history.

Also important to mention in a Paris travel guide are some of the world famous museums Paris is home to including the gigantic Louve, which houses the Mona Lisa; the Musee d’Orsay, with artists such as Renoir, Monet, and van Gogh; and the National d’Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou, home to a modern art collection.

The Eiffel Tower Paris, still a marvel of structure and design, is a must see stop on any Paris itinerary. Constructed for the World’s Exhibition of 1889, the Eiffel Tower Paris was slow to be embraced, but is now a beloved symbol of Paris, and one of Europe, if not the world’s most recognizable.