Villa Jeanneret sits quietly on a tree-lined street in Paris’s 16th arrondissement. This house, with its clean lines and white façade, is a classic example of early modern architecture. Designed by the famous architect Le Corbusier in 1924, Villa Jeanneret was originally built as a family home for his brother, Albert Jeanneret, and his sister, Suzanne Raaf. Today, it stands as a reminder of a new way of thinking about space, light, and comfort.
Le Corbusier wanted Villa Jeanneret to be more than just a house. He used simple shapes, open spaces, and large windows, letting in plenty of natural light. The building features the architect’s famous “five points of architecture”: supporting columns, a flat roof terrace, an open floor plan, ribbon windows, and a free façade design. These ideas were new at the time and set the stage for modern homes everywhere.
The inside of Villa Jeanneret feels open and bright. The rooms flow smoothly into one another, with sliding doors and minimal walls. Sunlight pours in through long horizontal windows, making the space feel larger than it is. Details like built-in furniture and clever storage solutions show Le Corbusier’s focus on both style and function.
Today, Villa Jeanneret is home to the Fondation Le Corbusier, an organization that preserves Le Corbusier’s work. Visitors can explore the home, see original furniture, and view exhibitions about the architect’s life and ideas. The villa attracts architecture enthusiasts, students, and tourists, all drawn by its history and beauty. Surrounded by a quiet garden, it offers a calm escape from the busy city outside.
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Jeanneret
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.
Opened in January 2005, the Holocaust Memorial comprises a major documentation centre and a wall bearing 76,000 names of Jews deported from France to the Nazi camps between 1942-1944. Includes an archive of a million artefacts, including 55,000 photographs. Excursions are run from the memorial to French internment camp sites such as Drancy.
For an interesting take on Paris, check out the underground sewers of Paris. See swords found in the sewers over the years and get an appreciation for what it takes to keep Paris running.
Numerous artists paint portraits of tourists and also sell their paintings.
Built adjoining the now-lost royal palace of the Tuileries, these gardens lying immediately west of the Louvre offer a central open space for Parisians and visitors with semi-formal gardens (an outdoor gallery for modern sculpture), various cafés, ice cream and crépe stalls, and a summer fun fair. The gardens are frequently home to a giant Ferris wheel and enclose the Musée de la Orangerie and the Jeu de Paume.
The Stade Charlety is a massive multi-sport arena, hosting football (soccer), tennis, rugby and squash matches.
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.
Enter Bastille station through any entrance or on any train and then make your way to the Bobigny/Pablo Picasso-bound platform. All that's left of the fortress whose front steps used to lead up from place de la Bastille are some foundation stones which you can see while waiting for a north bound train on this metro platform. There are maps and explanations showing where the fortress used to be relative the place and surroundings (basically the location of the old front steps are now occupied by Café des Phares).
The largest square in Paris with fantastic vistas in every direction. It was in this square (then called la Place de la Revolution) that the French King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and many others were guillotined during the Terror. The large Egyptian obelisk in the centre of the Place de la Concorde was brought from the Temple of Luxor.
The two pavilions were built in 1784 to 1787 by the French architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, who erected many similar toll houses at the entrances to the city.
An indoor sports arena that seats around 17,000 for sports and slightly over 20,000 for major concerts; formerly known as Palais des Omnisports de Paris-Bercy and Bercy Arena. Home to numerous concerts and major sporting events, most notably the Paris Masters tournament on the ATP World Tour in men's tennis.
The house in which the famous French novelist Victor Hugo once lived.
This charming scientific museum preserves the offices and laboratories of Pierre and Marie Curie, pioneers in the discovery of radioactivity. Their instruments, equipment, and furniture is arranged as it was during their critically important research. Guided tours in English available.
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.
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.
The house of the symbolist painter has now become a museum to his life and work.
The northwest corner of the Bois de Boulogne is occupied by the oldest operating amusement park in the world, the Jardin d'Acclimatation, which is mainly known for offering a wide range of amusements which are appropriate even for very small children. They have miniature roller-coasters for children as small as three years, and the usual range of pony rides etc.