A Former Local's Travel Guide to Paris, France

with it on a more intimate basis. I got to visit every section, visit a lot of museums, and eventually this place dug a hole in my heart. I've returned quite a few times since my term there. So I'd like to share with you my recommendations for Paris, from the obvious to the more obscure,Of course you can't go to Paris and miss out on the main sights. You should at least stop by the Eiffel Tower at the Champ de Mars to see what all the hullabaloo is about, and maybe while you're there, stand at the famous Place du Trocadero.
My personal favourite touristy place is Notre- Dame Cathedral, which will hopefully be reopening soon. It's an absolutely beautiful and tranquil place that has seen so much over the millennium it's been standing in the city. This part of the city is actually the oldest part. The Romans put their foundations here and the city continued on this island and expanded during the middle ages. So really, it's the heart of ParisNearby is another beautiful gem called Sainte- Chapelle, which is quite popular but still many people haven't heard of it, It's a chapel built in 1 248 for King Louis IX's relic collection, including the alleged Crown of Thorns. Complete with painted decoration and absolutely stunning stained glass, this place is absolutely not to be missed. Keep in mind that the lines are usually very long, so expect to wait about an hour. They do have online tickets available but 1 think even those require a long wait at the entry.
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Another icon of Paris 1 like is the Arc de Triomphe which dates to 1836. The nice thing about it is that if you go to the top (unfortunately youll have to take the stairs), you get beautiful views of the entire city - including the Eiffel Tower. I personally think it makes for better pictures since it's lower to the ground, so you're not just looking straight down at ant-sized rooftops. (As a side note, you can also go to Montparnasse Tower to get sweeping views of Paris, and they have an elevator.)There are quite a few more architectural staples to see. Sacre-Coeur Basilica, completed in 1875, is another iconic site and one of the most unique-looking basilicas there are - though it is quite beautiful and is in a lovely part of Paris called Montmartre. Then there is also the Opera Garnier which is an architectural masterpiece completed in 1875. lt's absolutely gorgeous inside so get tickets, whether it's just for a visit or to see one of the many shows they put on asSome other lovely places to visit outside are the Place de la Concorde and Pont Alexandre Ill. Though Place de la Concorde is a nice place with festooned fountains now, it's actually where people were executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. You can also stop by the Hotel de Ville, and maybe pop inside. There is also Place de la Bastille, which is where the Bastille stood that was stormed during the French Revolution. Unfortunately the prison building no longer exists but there is a commemorative monument,
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MOULIN ROUGE
Another famous place to visit is the Moulin Rouge. It's in a bit of a seedy area of Paris, but I'm not quite sure why I was expecting something different
Paris is full of architectural gems, but I have only two more to mention for fellow medieval lovers: the St Jacques Tower, which is a beautiful 1 6th century tower in what is now a small park; and 1 rue Clovis which is part of the city wall from the 12th century,Art Museums in Paris
...and there are a ton of art museums. I'm going to mention only the most famous and my personal recommendations.A Former Local'.. Q n itravelforthestars.com
A trip to the famous Louvre is a must. I don't mean simply you should cram yourself into see the Mona Lisa and leave, but the Louvre has a very extensive and excellent art collection. It's absolutely worth several hours of your time, if not a whole day. The building is also important since it housed the French royal family for centuries, till it was traded in for Versailles in 1 682. The architecture alone is absolutely magnificent.
If you want to go back in time a little bit, the Musee de Cluny is an absolute gem. It houses a great collection of medieval art but 1 personally love the building, which is a 15th century mansion. It's one of my favourites in the city
And if you want to go forward in time, the Musee d'Orsay is another one of my favourite museums. It's a terrific collection of impressionist art housed in an old train station, f you love impressionist art as I do, then you absolutely must visit.Buy a print of this photo from my store!
Here are four of the most recommended art museums.A Former Local' n itravelforthestars.co
Some more impressionist places to visit include the Orangerie which houses Monet's large waterlily painting. However 1 found the collection to be very small and unless you're a die-hard Monet fan, do not think it is worth the time for a first-time or short visit to Paris. There's also the Musee Marmatton Monet as well as the Musee de Montmartre, which both house impressionist art. The Musee Marmatton Monet is on the outskirts of town and has all kinds of art, but houses some of Monet's larger works. The Musee de Montmartre was, of course, closed for renovations but you could still visit the home that artist Suzanne Valadon worked in,
A museum I liked was the Musee Gustave Moreau, which is the home and art studio of a 19th century Symbolist painter. His house is beautifully decorated with both his and others works, and his two-story studio is where you can see a bunch of his own works