Paris

The cathedral is situated on The ile de la Cite. Maurice de Sully was bishop of Paris from 1160 to 1196. He under took a rebuild the existing church to St Stepjen and dedicated it to the Virgin Mary (Notre-Dame).

The famous Gothic cathedral of Notre- Dame is situated right in the heart of Paris ,on the Ile de la Cité.

The cathedral ,begun in 1160 and completed in 1345, has been restored and added to during the 19th century.

The beautiful rose window, large flying buttresses and Day of Judgement carvings on the western facade are all very impressive.

387 steps lead to the south tower where the famous Emmanuel bell is housed. Here you will get great views across the cathedral spires and down the river Seine

Church ceremonies are regularly held in the cathedral, with free organ recitals from time to time. Guided tours are also available.

Nearest Métro :Cité

The Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis are two natural islands forming the centre of Paris. The eastern end of Île de la Cité has been a religious site since prior the 10th century when the original chapel de Notre Dame was built. The western end, houses a number of government buildings including Palais de Justice. The western end new Pont Neuf- Paris' oldest bridge is residential.

The River Seine is about 775 km long, rising in Langres plateau about 30 km north west of Dijon. The river flows through the centre of Paris - splitting at the Isle de Cite. The river flows into the English Channel at Le Harve. Ocean going vessels can navigate up river as far as Rouen, about 120 km from the sea.

Think of Paris and the river Seine immediately comes to mind. Famous in song and story the river is a vital part of the life of the city.

Most famous buildings in the city are along The rive gauche (left bank) or The rive droit (right bank ) or not very far away from the river banks.

There is lots of traffic on the river itself, both commercial and pleasure .

Take a trip on one of the Seine cruises which take sightseers up and down the river.

The views are great and the city is once again seen from a different perspective.

Travel by day and enjoy the sunshine or see the city come alive at night as the brightly lit buildings glide past.

The tree lined quais provide peaceful walk and cycle ways for tourists and locals alike.                                       

For many years during summertime a section of the quai has been filled with sand to create a city beach. Sunchairs and palm trees add to the seaside feeling, an oasis in the city centre.

A pleasant way to enjoy the river is to take one of the cruise or taxi boats. The cruise boats including the open top Bateau_Mouche generally travel as far west as the state of liberty, a replica of the NYC statue and as far east as the Pont Neuf. The water taxis stop at a number of points along both the left and right banks. Passengers can disembark and resume the trip at a later time. The normal ticket is valid for 24 hours. In the evenings and during the lunch period - drink and lunch cruises are popular.

While the canal may look quite short as it runs from the River Seine to the Bastille, it is about 4.5 km mostly underground, and connecting Canal de l'Ourcq to the Seine. The canal emerges from underground near Bastille and République metros. The banks of the canal can be a pleasant place to stroll on a sunny afternoon. The Canal de l'Ourcq is over 100km long with 10 locks. It's water is used to provide about half the city's daily requirement for cleaning the sewers and watering the parks.

The main entrance to the Louvre Museum is through the glass pyramid in the quadrangle (Cour Napoléon) between the Louvre and the Tuileries. The pyramid rises about 21 metres over the courtyard. The number of glass panes in the pyramid is not 666 as is often thought.On entering the pyramid and descending the stairs visitors enter a large lobby and waiting area. This lobby can also be reached from the metro station. In the courtyard there are a number of water features and other pyramids including the inverse pyramid La Pyramide Inversée which acts as a skylight for the shopping mall below.

The Louvre is one of the largest museums and most visited museums ( 8 million visitors )in the world. The museum is housed in the Palais du Louvre, which was built on the site of original 12th century fort. The remains of this fort can be seen in the museums basement. The Louvre Palace was the royal palace until Louis XIV moved to Palace of Versailles in 1682. The Palace opened as a museum in 1793 and has remained opened as a museum apart from short periods for restoration work.

The Jardin des Tuileries were opened to the public in 1667 and became a public park after the French Revolution in 1789. The gardens were originally created as part of the Tuileries Palace in 1564. During the period to the revolution they gardens when through phases of neglect and times when they flourished. During its time as a public park it has seen many refinements such as acrobats, puppet theatres, military parades and sections of the park requisitioned by Emperors. In recent years works of living sculptors have been placed in the park.

The Place de la Concorde lying between the Tuileries and Champs-Élysées is the largest square in Paris. The central feature of the square is the Egyptian obelisk. The hieroglyphics along it's height depict key events during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. This obelisk and a second one was given to the city by the Egyptian in the 19th century and not as often thought taken from Egypt. The second obelisk was nevertheless returned to the Egyptian people by President Mitterrand in 1990. The obelisk is over 3,400 years old and stood as a marker to the Pharoh's tomb in Luxor.

A visit to Paris wouldnt be complete without a walk through Monmartre and taking in Sacre Coeur

Montmartre has a lovely village like atmosphere.

The steep hill, called the butte has  long been associated with artists.

Today most of the artists hope to sell to the tourists who throng the area especially in summertime. Paintings of Paris famous sites are everywhere  to be seen and portrait sketchers are plentiful in the square close to the church of Sacré- Coeur.

There are lots of small restaurants with open air seating ,great to relax and watch the world go by.

Nearest Métro: Abbesses then funiculaire to the base of Sacré- Coeur

Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile stands on the western end of Champs-Élysées in the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle (Place de l'Étoile) often known as the busiest roundabout in the world. The Arc memorialises those who died in war for the glory of France. The names of generals and battles from the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars are inscribed in the walls, while below the Arc the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I is eternally lit. The tomb commemorates the unidentified dead from both WWI and WWII. There are great views of Paris from the walkway at the top of the Arc. Also at the top there is a small war time museum.

The cemetery, one of the most visited in the world, is named after Père François de la Chaise (1624–1709), who lived in the Jesuit House and was the confessor of Louis XIV, though the cemetery wasn't opened until almost a century after his death. As a marketing ploy, as business was slack after the cemetery opened in 1804, the remains of Jean de La Fontaine and Molière and later

Pierre Abélard and Héloïse d’Argenteuil were transferred amid much ceremony and pomp. While the graveyard is currently in use, space is restricted and the same grave is often reused, with the older remains boxed and tagged and moved to the Aux Morts ossuary. The graves of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison and the Piaf family are some of the most visited.

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica is a well known landmark, which due to its elevated height, located on the hill of Montmatre, the city's highest point, has commanding views across Paris. The Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie and took almost 40 years to construct - being consecrated in 1919. The church is built of white Travertine, a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. Calcite constantly is excreted from the stone, which helps to keep the Basilica looking white despite erosion and pollution. The dome is open to visitors and has some terrific views of Paris.

The Eiffel Tower was erected in 1889 as an entrance to the World Fair. It was designed by Gustav Eifel. The tower is over 320 metres high and has the highest observation deck in the EU. Until the completion of the Chrysler Building in NYC 1931 the tower was the World's tallest man-made building. Visitors can choose to enjoy the views at any of the three viewing platforms. Visitors can access the first and second levels by stairs or lift though the third and highest level is only accessible by lift. The first and second levels have some souvenir shops and restaurants.

Rodin donated his entire works and Van Gogh collection to the French People on the condition that they turn his workplace into a museum.

The work of famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin is displayed in a beautiful 18th century mansion and its gardens on rue de Varenne.

The house and gardens present a tranquil setting in the heart of the city and it's relaxing to spend some time here.  Many of Rodin's very well known works including The Thinker, The Burghers of Calais and The Gate of Hell are set in the lovely gardens.

Meanwhile inside the Musée there are many rooms containing Rodin's work, The Kiss, The Hand of God and Eve are some of the highlights.

This is a very popular location and again becomes very crowded during holiday times.

Nearest Métro: Varenne

The Musée d'Orsay is on the left bank of the River Seine, housed in the old railway station Gare d'Orsay. The museum is home to the world's largest collection of impressionist art by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gauguin and Van Gogh. After renovation and conversion the museum was opened in 1986.

The hill across the Seine and directly facing the Eiffel Tower was given its name in commemoration of the Battle of Trocadéro in Spain 1823 where France assisted the Spanish Monarchy and restored Ferdinand VII to the throne. In 1887 for the World Fair the Palais du Trocadéro was built on the hill (Trocadéro or Chaillot Hill). The palace comprised meeting rooms and convention centres.

This palace was demolished prior to the 1937 Exposition Internationale and replaced by Palais de Chaillot, which we have today. Its two wings stretching out in an arc shape and separated by a plaza, with open views of the Eifel Tower. The Jardins du Trocadéro run-down the hill from the Palais almost to the river.

The Sorbonne area in the Latin quarter is the university area of the city, with a number of universities still having faculties in the old Sorbonne building. The Pantheon is located with in the university district. While it was originally a church, it is now a mausoleum, containing the remains of notable French citizenry. It's façade is modelled on Rome's Pantheon though the domed ceiling is completed without the open hole as in Rome. The following are a few of those buried within Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Marie Curie.

The French Senate is housed in the Château in the Luxembourg Gardens. While being the garden of the Senate, it is open to the public and on sunny afternoons in April and May many students form the nearby Sorbonne universities spend time in the park studying or whiling away the hours.

The Palais Garnier in Place de l'Opéra at the head of Avenue de l'Opéra was designed by Charles Garnier and built during the period 1861 to 1875. This Palais was the home to Paris Opera until when a new Opera House Opéra Bastille with seating for more than 2,500 was opened near the Bastille. The Palais Garnier was the setting for the 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera. Today the Palais houses Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra de Paris. This library museum is opened to daily to the public, though an entrance fee is charged.

Madeleine Church, a Roman catholic church, was designed as a temple to the glory of Napoleon's army, though after the defeat of Napoleon, King Louis XVIII decided that the as yet unfinished memorial should become a Catholic Church. The church was formerly opened in 1842, long after the death of Napoleon. From the church there are commanding views south to Place de la Concorde and east to Place Vendôme.

Napoleon I erected the original Vendôme Column in the square center to commemorate the battle of Aussterlitz, when Napoleon's army crushed the alliance of the the Russian and Austrian empires. It was destroyed by decree of the Paris Commune in 1871. The Paris Commune was a working class council that ruled Paris for a short period in the spring of 1871. The commune was noted for it's hard line decrees and indiscriminate violence.

The column was subsequently re-erected. On the column there are 425 bronze plates depicting victory scenes. The spiralling bronze plates were said to be made from cannons recovered from the battle field at Austerlitz. Napoleon stands on the column top.

Galeries Lafayette is an upmarket department store on Boulevard Haussmann. The architect Georges Chedanne designed the store and theglass and steel dome and Art Nouveau staircases were finished in 1912.