Things To See and Do in Paris
By TDF. Filed in Travel & Living |
Paris; it’s considered to be one of the most romantic places in the
world and is ever-popular as a tourist destination. A great choice for
a short break or long-weekend, there’s a dizzying array of sights and
places to see and it may seem like there’s never enough time to take it
all in.
While it’s certainly impossible to take advantage of all the
attractions the city has to offer in a short space of time, this
article has come up with a selection of five of the attractions you
have to see if you’re in Paris.
It’s seems virtually impossible to escape the landmark with which
Paris is most commonly associated; every film with a scene in Paris has
it looming in the background, walk anywhere resembling a tourist
destination and there’s people with bunches of models on a key chain
trying to sell you a miniature version of it; I’m talking, of course,
about the Eiffel Tower.
Built for the World Exhibition in 1889, the Eiffel Tower rises 300
metres out of the ground and stands out in the Paris skyline, visible
from all over the city. Seeing the Tower up close reaffirms like no
other attraction that you are in the French capital and demonstrates
just what a feat of engineering it was.
A magnificent iron framework made up of around 12,000 pieces of
prefabricated iron fit together with something like 7 million nails.
For those that don’t suffer vertigo or get easily bored with queues you
can head to the top and get a view of Paris that’s unrivaled.
Another of Paris’ most famous attractions and one of the most
visited museums in the world is the Louvre. Nestled in the heart of
Paris in the 1st arrondissement on the banks of the Seine, the Louvre
displays around 35,000 works of art including some of the most famous
pieces in history with the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory
amongst its collection.
While you may well have seen the Louvre on television, postcards or
in magazines, until you’ve seen it in person there’s no way to
appreciate the size of the gallery. Occupying a staggering 60,000
square metres, the Louvre sees around 8.3 million visitors a year
through its equally iconic Pyramid entrance and underground lobby which
also serves as one of the strangest places to find a shopping centre.
Beware, though, if you plan on seeing the Mona Lisa, there’s a bit of a
queue and taking in the entirety of the collection is something that
could set you back a whole day at least.
If you’re still in the mood for art then it’s worth taking a stroll
to the Musee d’Orsay (that’s Orsay Museum) on the left banks of the
Seine and it’s collection of French art dating from 1848 to 1915. Built
in the Gare d’Orsay, the railway station architecture allows the museum
a unique layout with a long, high, ceilinged ground floor gallery
perfectly suited for the sculptures it contains. This author suggests a
bit of time should be spent taking in the model of the Opera House
interior and the miniature Paris through the glass floor in front of it.
The Orsay Museum is home to a breathtaking collection of
impressionist masterpieces including works by Vincent Van Gogh (Self
Portrait, Starry Night Over the Rhone, The Siesta), Manet (The Luncheon
on the Grass), Cezanne, Monet, Whistler (including the famous
Whistler’s Mother) and many more with sculptures by Paul Gauguin and
Degas’ famous studies of ballet dancers’ movement.
If you make it up the stairs to the collection of impressionist art,
be sure to take a look through the large clock and enjoy another great
view of the city, on a clear day you can see straight across to the
Sacre-Coeur Basilica - another of those sights you should see.
Set in the Montmarte district known for its many artists, the
Sacre-Coeur Basilica (which translates as Basilica of the Sacred Heart)
was completed in 1914 after a pledge to build a church if Paris emerged
unscathed from the Purssian war and as a moral condemnation of the sins
of Paris with a basilica true to Christian traditions. The architecture
stands as a contrast to the more Romanesque stylings of the city and
looks more like an Eastern temple.
The outside of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica is an example of excellence
in architecture and the, free to enter, interior is no exception. When
you emerge, though, be warned that on a summers day the sudden hit of
daylight may leave you squinting for while across yet another jaw
dropping view of the city below as the basilica sits atop a hill. The
highest point in the city, the butte Montmarte is no small climb even
for those in prime health. Give more than a thought to the lift service
and save your legs.
Another and perhaps more famous of Paris’ religious buildings is the
Notre-Dame Cathedral. The religious heart of the city, the Celts had a
sacred ground here, the Romans used the site to build a temple to
worship Jupiter and a Christian basilica was built in the 6th century
with work on the Cathedral beginning in 1163 and finally completed in
1345.
The first cathedral to be built to such a scale, the Notre Dame
Cathedral is a huge testament to faith at 128 metres long with two 69
metre tall towers and a 90 metre spire which was added in the 19th
century. While many of the cathedral’s famous sculptures and gargoyles
were destroyed during the French Revolution many remain and the
Cathedral was restored between 1991 and 2001.
As imposing as the Cathedral’s frontage is, there’s no way to
prepare for the size of the interior. Walking into the Notre Dame is
like walking into an aircraft hangar. The impact of which is something
you can’t experience from a postcard.
There’s plenty to see and do in Paris and, when your feet have tired
from walking the streets there’s plenty of coffee shops and cafes to
rest and take stock in over a crepe and coffee.
