Luxembourg Palace stands as a remarkable piece of Parisian history, open to visitors only with advance reservation and just one Saturday each month. Built in the early 1600s for Marie de Medici, this lavishly decorated palace now serves as the seat of the French Senate. Its grand halls and ornate details offer a rare glimpse into a world typically hidden from the public eye, making it a unique destination for those curious about French monuments or the workings of government in France.
While the palace itself is usually off-limits, the surrounding Luxembourg Garden welcomes visitors all year long. This vast green space offers much more than just beautiful scenery. The historic Medici Fountain provides a peaceful retreat, while families flock to the popular children's playground. One of the garden’s most charming traditions is the rental of vintage toy boats; children delight in pushing these little vessels across the Grand Bassin duck pond, a beloved activity that has continued for more than 90 years.
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxembourg_Palace
The sleaze of boulevard de Clichy between place Pigalle and place Blanche can provide a moment of distraction. Be warned if you are male it is better to do this in the company of a female fellow traveller, as the clubs often send the girls outside to attempt to physically drag passing men off of the street. These strip clubs are big ripoffs. They tempt you with a free drink for €10 entry; once in the girl who starts dancing orders a couple of drinks (Red Bull) and then before you realise you are presented with a bill ranging from €500-700. They have these big bouncers who threaten/manhandle you till you arrive at some settlement with them. The whole of Pigalle is a rip off, best avoided. The police know about these places but nothing is done.
Private collection of French, Italian, Dutch masterpieces in a typical XIXth century mansion.
Guimard's own home, built in 1909-12. It is less decorated than Castel Béranger, but still beautifully shaped. Privately owned and not open to the public.
The Pasteur Museum is housed in the apartment where the great scientist spent the last 7 years of his life. Hardly touched since that time, the museum is full of personal memorabilia and scientific instruments. Pasteur is buried on the grounds in a flamboyant mosaic-decorated mausoleum. The museum was closed to individual visitors for security reasons after the 13th November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks.
A museum dedicated to the life and work of the great sculptor. The house contains an extensive collection, which is unusually well presented in a spacious building with big windows that are open in nice weather, which makes this museum double pleasant.
Established in 1926, it was meant to show appreciation for Muslim help in fighting the Germans. The café serves excellent mint tea and North African food.
An industrial design museum in Paris that houses the collection of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (National Conservatory of Arts and Industry), which was founded in 1794 as a repository for the preservation of scientific instruments and inventions.
A symbol of Paris and one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Built by Gustave Eiffel in 1887-1889, the tower was almost torn down in 1909 and only saved due to its use as a telegraphy antenna. The queues can be very long. The tower allows online reservations at its website. You can select a date and time frame. If you miss the time on your ticket, you have lost your money. The north, west, and east pillars have elevators that go to the first and second floors; the south pillar has stairs that can be climbed to the second floor. To reach the top floor, an additional elevator ride is required, and the wait for this can be very long as well. Disabled visitors are not allowed beyond the second floor due to safety concerns. Taking the Métro as far as Ecole Militiare and then strolling up the Champ de Mars is a lovely way to arrive at the tower. Another phenomenal approach is to exit the Metro at Trocadero and see the Eiffel Tower from the other side of the Ecole Militaire.
St. Geneviève was responsible for saving Paris from the Huns in 451 and her shrine in the church has been a popular place of pilgrimage ever since. The church as it stands dates from between 1492 and 1626 and is a mix of Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles. A unique feature is the Renaissance rood screen, the sole survivor in the city.
Housed in a 15th-century abbey, alongside 1st century Gallo-Roman baths, the museum has an extensive collection of medieval art and artifacts. Highlights include the medieval "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries, a papal golden rose, and the original heads from the facade of Notre Dame.
The house in which the famous French novelist Victor Hugo once lived.
One of the largest collections outside Asia of Southeast Asian, Indian, Afghan, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean art.
A must for anyone interested in the history of the American Revolution. This small cemetery includes three mass graves from the French Revolution, plus a section that includes many of France's most noble families that lost members during the French Revolution and consequently have a continuing right to be buried there. In the farthest right hand corner is the tomb of General Lafayette, the friend and fellow soldier of George Washington. Beside him is his beloved wife plus other members of her family, the de Noailles, who were almost completely wiped out during the French Revolution because of their closeness to the Court. Since 1834 the American flag has apparently flown continuously over his grave, even during the German occupation of Paris during World War II. Well worthy of a visit.
This museum is in the historic Invalides complex and presents the history of the French Army. It is co-located with Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb (entry to which is included in the ticket price). Most of the exhibitions are very old fashioned, and the coverage of the First World War is surprisingly limited. A highlight is the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, which displays painstakingly accurate models of French fortresses and includes its own shop.
The C.I.U.P. is a student quarter established in 1925, providing homes for about 10,000 students, scientists, and artists from 120 countries. It has 40 houses attributed to individual nations. The individual houses organise top quality cultural and political events. Among the most remarkable buildings are the Fondation Deutsch de la Meurthe, the Heinrich Heine House (Maison Heinrich Heine - Fondation de l'Allemagne), the Swedish Student House (Maison des Etudiants Suédois), and the Swiss Pavilion (Pavillon Suisse) which was built in 1933 on plans of Le Corbusier.
The Palais de Tokyo is Paris's largest specialist contemporary art exhibition venue, owned and operated by the national government. The building dates to 1937 and also includes the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris.
The City of Architecture and Heritage, accommodated in the Palais du Chaillot, is a museum and gallery of French architecture. The centrepiece is the spectacular Hall of Casts, a collection of full-size plaster casts of facades, towers, doorways and windows of great buildings from all over France. Architecture of the late 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries is represented by additional galleries of models and images.