What to see in Paris?
Paris is a mosaic of very different yet picturesque districts...
The Eiffel Tower & The Trocadero
The 1063ft high Iron Lady designed by Gustave Eiffel was erected for the 1889 Universal Exposition and was meant to be dismantled at the end of the event. Highly criticized at that time, it eventually became the symbol of a modern and elegant capital city as well as France's most iconic view. Next to the Tower, across the Seine River is the Trocadero Hill topped with the U-shaped Palais de Chaillot. From there be sure you will take the best pictures of the Tower and the city spreading at its feet!
The Arch of Triumph & The Champs Elysees
The 1.25 mile long avenue stretches from the Concorde Plaza where King Louis 16 was beheaded up to the Etoile Plaza where the majestic Arch of Triumph proudly stands honouring Napoleon's victories. In between, embassies, brand boutiques and fine restaurants line up, making the Champs-Elysees the most beautiful avenue in the world.
Notre-Dame & the Islands
Here you are at the beating-heart of The Old Paris. Elegant 18th century mansions and the best ice-creams in Paris await you on The Saint-Louis Island while the Ile de la Cité houses three exceptional sights:
The Notre-Dame Cathedral: initiated in the 12th century
and only completed in the 14th, this sanctuary is renowned throughout the
world as gothic art best achievement. Stone laces and
stained-glass roses made it an enduring masterpiece.
In the footsteps of Victor Hugo's most famous character, the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, get on top of the bell tower for a breathtaking view on Paris. There you will meet with the gargoyles standing guard to the spire soaring up towards the skies.
The Sainte-Chapelle was conceived as a shrine for the Holy Crown (among other relic of Christ) brought back to France by the crusader king Saint Louis. A masterpiece of rayonnant gothic architecture, the Chapel gives an impression of weightlessness and its unique set of stained-glass windows makes it a real temple of light.
The Conciergerie, a former prison, it was Marie-Antoinette's last dwelling place under the French Revolution&
Montmartre & The Sacre-Coeur
Hilly Montmartre has retained its small village atmosphere. Climb up steep stairways to the famous white Sacré-Coeur Basilica. With its narrow, cobblestoned-paved streets, charming gardens and secret pathways, Montmartre is a real change of scenery even for Parisians! A picturesque and arty neighbourhood that inspired so many major creators like Picasso or Dali
The Marais
One of the oldest areas in Paris, the Marais (literally "the swamp") has somehow kept its medieval flavour. Jewish district and gay district of Paris at once, it is a unique combination of Jewish delicatessen and young designers' boutiques that are to be found here. Do not miss the Place des Vosges, the oldest square in Paris: the perfect symmetry of its red-brick and stone façades and arcade galleries is worth a visit!
The Latin Quarter
Since France's first University was founded there in the 13th century, the area has been and still is a great centre for humanities and sciences. Many brilliant artists, thinkers and writers attended the prestigious schools and salons around. Yet, the district is also one of the best places to experience the Parisian way of life: hanging out at the terrace of a café, having a walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg or just getting lost in its charming backstreets.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Definitely the most prestigious and trendiest district in Paris! Since the 17th century onward, the area has been an intellectual hub. Today you can still have a drink at Café Flore or Les Deux Magots where philosophers and artists have been debating with passion. Strolling about the narrow streets, no doubt the art galleries and antique sellers gathered here will appeal to your artist’s soul!
The Opera House & The Galeries Lafayette
Paris landmark is the Opera House designed and
lavishly decorated by architect Charles Garnier in 1860. Gold and stuccos
remind the pump of the French Second Empire. Also known as Palais
Garnier, it hosts world-leading operas and concerts all year long.
Do not miss the ceilings by Chagall.
Don't know what souvenir to bring back home? No
worries, at nearby Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, Paris' two
biggest department stores, you will find everything from brand
clothing to quality food. Definitely the best place for shopping and
luxury à la française!
Paris houses among the most famous museums in
the world.
Let My Genie introduce you to the these cultural
treasures...
The Louvre Museum
A lifetime may not be enough to explore what is definitely the world's most-visited museum and Paris top attraction. Paintings, sculptures, decorative objects, the 35,000 work of arts showcased here, form a one-of-its-kind collection ranging from the antiquity to the early-modern period.
Only a magnificent renaissance palace such as the Louvre, the former royal residence, could serve as a shrine to the most revered jewels of art history. Enter this Temple of Art going down the famous glass pyramid and then lose yourself in a world of beauty, elegance and mystery.
Highlights: the Venus of Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Italian Renaissance Masters (Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Veronese, Raphael) Flemish Masters (Vermeer, Rubens) French 19th century Masters (Ingres, David, Géricault, Delacroix) and more...
The Orsay Museum
In the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area, the elegant building facing the Seine River used to be a railway station. Now, this prestigious venue displays on three floors the largest collection ever of paintings, sculptures, designs and photographs produced between 1848 and 1914. From romanticism to Art Nouveau, from impressionism to expressionism, the Orsay Museum features the most significant works in early modern art history.
Highlights: Delacroix, Ingres, Courbet, Corot, Manet, Degas, Cézanne, Manet, Monet, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Whistler, Rodin, Carpeaux&
The Georges Pompidou Centre - National Museum for Modern Art
Colossal and colourful, the Pompidou Centre looks like a manifesto for modernity. Standing 45m high, it unveils its functional elements, stairs, pipes, and electric wires to the amazed visitors. Here, with buskers performing on the plaza, Art and Culture are at hand. The huge facilities house a café, a public library and the National Museum for Modern & Contemporary Art.
On two levels, the museum invites to an inspiring journey through modern and contemporary art. It displays one of the world's most exciting collections of works spanning from 1905 to the present, including all the major movements of the 20th century from Fauvism to Surrealism and from Cubism to Pop Art.
Highlights: Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, Modigliani, Klee, Dali, Pollock, Brancusi, Warhol&
The Rodin Museum
Auguste Rodin, the father of modern sculpture
and the most prominent artist of his time bequeathed all his collections
to the State. Housed in an elegant 18th century mansion,
surrounded by a genuine sculpture garden, the Rodin Museum offers
you the unique opportunity to admire marble, bronze and terracotta the
artist brought to life.
Highlights: The Thinker, The Gates of Hell, The
Kiss ...
The Orangerie Museum
This small art gallery located at the western end of the Jardins des Tuileries, next to the Place de la Concorde, is dedicated to impressionism and post-impressionism with works by Cézanne, Sisley, Utrillo. Monet's Water Lilies cycle is displayed on an entire floor!
The Invalides: Army Museum & Napoleon's Tomb
A former hospital for war veterans, the complex was turned into a military necropolis and an Army Museum. Here rests Emperor Napoleon the First among other illustrious French generals. Its impressive golden dome is a landmark of Paris.
