Meudon Observatory

The house of the symbolist painter has now become a museum to his life and work.

19th-century bridge.

Considered one of the most colourful Parisian parks, a local favourite, the Parc Montsouris was opened in 1878, having been designed by Alphand for Baron Haussmann. A large man-made lake and waterfalls are surrounded by long stretches of gently sloping lawns. Bronze statues are to be found studding the grounds, amongst the 1,400 trees, including such exotic varieties as the giant sequoia and the ginkgo. The park is featured in the film Cléo de 5 à 7. It is popular among families (there are two playground areas for children) and students.

Try to visit the cabinet des Médailles.

There are many beautiful footpaths, a Buddhist Temple, and a lake with rowboats available for rental (about €10 as of 2009). The lake has many different kinds of birds, and islands accessible by footbridge.

The east wing of the Palais de Tokyo holds the modern art collection of the city of Paris, dating roughly from World War I to date (the older part of the collection is at the Petit Palais in the 8th), including around 10,000 works.

If you were a city planner in one of the great cities of our Earth and you discovered that a railroad right-of-way had been abandoned and would never be used again what might you do? Perhaps if you knew your stuff you'd convert it into a 4 mile long park, about half of which is elevated above street level on the old rail viaduct. This long narrow park pretty much allows the visitor to walk in carfree bliss from Place de Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes.

This wedding cake-white church rises visibly above the north part of Paris. The striking building, with its towers and white onion dome (83 m high), was built between 1875-1914 on the birthplace of La Commune, officially as an act of penitence for the sins committed during the civil war in which thousands of Communards were executed, as well as for the previous bloodshed of the 1870 Franco-Prussian war. A number of prominent businessmen put up the money, and a dizzying combination of architects worked to put together the mock Romano-Byzantine extravaganza. Consecration followed in 1919. The view over Paris from the dome and from the square before it (200 m above sea level) is unsurpassed, apart from that enjoyed at the Eiffel Tower (50 km on a clear day). For the athletic traveller there are stairs from several directions to the top of the hill; otherwise there is also a funicular which runs every few minutes during the daytime from Place St. Pierre. Follow the signs that say "Funiculaire De Montmartre". Beware that the guards don't like it if they catch you taking pictures inside and will even yell "No photo!" and chase you down if they see you with a camera. Be warned: along the lower steps leading up to church, groups of mostly young African men gather and reach toward you with a small string, offering to loop it round your finger. In case it happens, pull back your hand, brush them off and move on. They might claim that "This is for the church." In case your feel that things go sideways, raise your voice to get people's attention and ask them call the police.

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

Tourists cross this park with the large fountain on the way to the Place du Trocadéro viewpoint to the Eiffel Tower.

Housed in an amazing Art Deco building, purpose-built for the 1931 Colonial Exhibition, featuring an elaborate frieze across the front facade that depicts the achievement of French overseas territories. It houses an Aquarium and an Immigration Museum. The aquarium can be seen in about an hour and is popular with families with small children.

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.

The building has a freely accessible rooftop which allows for a beautiful bird's-eye view of the northern half of Paris.

One of the most eye-popping sights of Paris, the catacombs represent a network of labyrinthine tunnels, first excavated in the Roman period, that now house the remains of over 6 million burials removed here from the various overcrowded cemeteries and charnel houses all over Paris in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Well worth a visit: the atmosphere is suitably morbid and gloomy (without being too scary), the dark tunnels containing neatly stacked piles of skulls and long bones. There is a limit to the number of visitors allowed within the Catacombs at one time (200 persons). So, if you arrive just after opening, you must wait until someone exits, approximately 45–60 minutes, before anyone is admitted. Steep stairwell on the exit of the catacombs. Can be challenging for the elderly or the unfit. Tickets can be purchased online at a small premium (€29, includes audioguide), allows you pick a date&time and to skip the long line

Probably the most visited graveyard in any Western city, the vast Père-Lachaise features literally thousands of often elaborately decorated graves separated by narrow lanes and avenues. The roll call of famous burials includes: Chopin, Champollion, Sarah Bernhardt, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Delacroix, Bizet, Proust, Balzac, Colette, Molière, and Jim Morrison of The Doors.

Opened in 2006, this is the newest and the most modern of Paris' great museums, housing an outstanding collection of tribal art, with a particular emphasis on France's former (and present) territories in Oceania and Africa. The museum is large and you can easily spend half a day browsing, especially if you pause to explore the multimedia presentations.

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

The Stade Charlety is a massive multi-sport arena, hosting football (soccer), tennis, rugby and squash matches.

Beautiful round "square" with an equestrian statue of King Louis XIV and matching 17th century buildings.