Luxembourg Palace

Contained within two historic houses (hotels), the museum explores the history of Paris through objects in over 140 separate rooms.

Between the River Seine and the rail yards attached to Gare de Lyon and Gare de Bercy is a green space which would seem pretty huge if the 12th weren't also the home of the Bois de Vincennes. The park is a good place to hang out waiting for the line to form for sporting events and concerts at AccorHotels Arena.

One of the largest collections outside Asia of Southeast Asian, Indian, Afghan, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean art.

17th century church.

The early Gothic Cathédrale de Notre Dame (Our Lady) has a 12th century design but wasn't completed until the 14th. Still it is a good example of the development of the style, though the west or main portal is a bit unusual in its rigidity. A April 2019 fire caused severe damage, but after extensive renovation the cathedral was reopened to the public in December 2024.

Ordered by Cardinal de Richelieu (1585-1642), King Louis XIII's prime Minister in 1629 (completed in 1636); originally called Palais Cardinal; it became Le Palais Royal when Anne d'Autriche, Louis XIII's wife, came to live here to get away from the Louvre palace. It eventually housed Louis XIV until the move to Versailles. It includes also a beautiful garden Les jardins du Palais Royal, enclosed by the buildings. It's been the theatre of one of the seminal events of the French Revolution (Camille Desmoulins made a famous declaration here in 1789). The Théatre Français nearby was built in 1716. There are numerous restaurants inside the garden , including famous Le Grand Véfour. There's also the controversial Colonnes de Buren, striped columns installed within the inside yard amid the 17th century architecture.

The magnificent setting of The Phantom of the Opera, the inside is as opulent as the outside. However, since the opening of the Opera Bastille (12th) in 1989, the Palais Garnier has been reserved mostly for dance performances, particularly ballet.

The Jewish quarter, with many small delis and shops. Lively on most days except for Saturdays.

Many feel that this, Paris' town hall, is one of the loveliest buildings in the city. You might not get that from the front view, but try watching the light change on its roofs and towers during sunset from one of the cafés on the Ile de St. Louis, the Lutece for instance. Alternatively, go to the top floor of the Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (BHV) department store opposite, on rue de Rivoli and walk up a flight of stairs to the roof terrace (terrasse), from which there is a dramatic view of both the roof of the Hôtel de Ville and the immediate surroundings and river. The present Hôtel de Ville replaced the 16th century original which was burned down during the Commune in 1871. A pastiche of its predecessor, but on a far larger scale, it was designed by the architects Ballu and Deperthes, chosen after a competition, and was mostly completed by 1882. The building is lavishly, and some would say heavy-handedly, decorated both inside and out, and finished in an arrestingly white stone, similar to that used for the even more eye-catching Sacre-Coeur basilica. The statue on the garden wall on the south side is of Etienne Marcel, the most famous holder of the post of "prevôt des marchands" (provost of merchants) which pre-dated the office of mayor. Marcel came to a sticky end, lynched in 1358 by an angry mob after trying to assert the city's powers a little too energetically. The Hôtel de Ville was for many years the private fiefdom of Jacques Chirac, France's president before Sarkozy, and was the site of a scandal centring on both illegal jobs given to Chirac's party members and an immense entertainment budget. General de Gaulle greeted the crowds from a front window in 1944 when Paris was liberated from the Germans and Robespierre was shot in the jaw and arrested in the original building in 1794. Admirers of Hôtel de Ville's architecture will want to know that Ballu also built the Church of La Trinité in the 9th arrondissement and the belfry of the town hall of the 1st arrondissement, opposite the Louvre's east façade. Ballu also restored the Tour St Jacques (see below), which was uncovered after restoration work lasting over a decade.

Part gallery - part restaurant - part nightclub, La Cite (Les Docks) is a modern building that is instantly recognisable due to being draped on one side with a large neon green shell covering the stairwells and roof the building. Roughly translated in English as The City of Fashion and Design, this is a trendy spot at the weekends and is used for event like Paris Design Week. The restaurant in the building is open all year round.

For a taste of the French countryside, a visit to Bercy Village brings to life the spirit of market shopping inside Paris.

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 museum is located in a 17th century house with a garden, and features the history and culture of Montmartre. Several famous artists had lived in the house including Renoir.

The oldest planned square in Paris, and what many tourists as well as locals consider the heart of the Marais area.

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.

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.

There are a number of famous occupants, but the real reason to visit this cemetery is to see the ornate tombstones, sculptures, and other sometimes macabre, sometimes touching memorials Parisians have left here for their dead.

19th-century bridge.