Paris Highlights

Île de la Cité: Where Paris Began

The Île de la Cité sits in the very heart of Paris, and it is where the city's story began. "Cité" itself means the cent…

Inside Notre-Dame: Rose Windows and Joan of Arc

Step inside and a solemn, reverent hush settles over you. Everything that defines Gothic architecture is here: soaring p…

Sainte-Chapelle: Paris's Most Dazzling Stained Glass

Part of the Conciergerie is still used as Paris's courthouse, and Sainte-Chapelle sits in the courthouse's inner courtya…

The Conciergerie: Marie Antoinette's Final Days

The Conciergerie is about a seven-minute walk from Notre-Dame. On a short trip to Paris it's easy to skip, but if you wa…

Pont Neuf: The Oldest Bridge in Paris

Once you've finished at Sainte-Chapelle, leave the Île de la Cité and head for the Louvre. Two bridges lie along the way…

Pont des Arts: The Bridge of the Arts over the Seine

Walk from the Pont Neuf toward the Louvre and the first iron bridge you reach is the Pont des Arts. It links the Louvre,…

The Louvre: From Fortress to the World's Great Museum

Cross the road from the Pont des Arts and you'll find the gate into the Louvre's courtyard. One of the world's three gre…

Tuileries Garden: Beauty and the Memory of Revolution

The Tuileries Garden is one of Paris's signature parks, stretching from the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde. It was d…

Place de la Concorde: From Square of Blood to Square of Harmony

Sitting between the Tuileries Garden and the Champs-Élysées, the Place de la Concorde is known as the largest square in…

The Champs-Élysées: The Avenue That Has It All

Even people who know little about Paris have heard of the Champs-Élysées, and for good reason: it is the city's signatur…

Arc de Triomphe: Paris Panoramas from Place de l'Étoile

Paris has three triumphal arches: the Arc du Carrousel at the edge of the Louvre and the Tuileries Garden, the Arc de Tr…

The Eiffel Tower: From Palais de Chaillot to the Summit

It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the Arc de Triomphe to the Palais de Chaillot, the best spot for viewing the Eiff…

The Four Faces of Paris

They say Paris has four faces, and you haven't really seen the city until you've met them all: Paris above ground, Paris…

The Eiffel Tower by Night and the Seine After Dark

They say a trip to Paris begins and ends at the Eiffel Tower, and it really is a place you'll want to visit more than on…

Palais de Tokyo and the Flame of Liberty

Before you reach the area around the Pont de l'Alma, where the Bateaux-Mouches dock is, you'll pass the Palais de Tokyo.…

Bateaux-Mouches: A Seine Cruise by Night

Past the Flame of Liberty, head down to the dock under the Pont de l'Alma, home of the Bateaux-Mouches, said to be the b…

Pont Alexandre III: Paris's Most Beautiful Bridge

Keep walking along the Seine from the Bateaux Mouches pier and you'll pass the Pont des Invalides before reaching the Po…

Grand Palais and Petit Palais

Near the Pont Alexandre III stand two beautiful buildings: the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. Both have domed roofs…

The Champs-Élysées: Even Better After Dark

The Grand Palais and Petit Palais sit right on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The avenue is lovely by day, but after dar…

The Arc de Triomphe at Night: Paris from Above

By day on the Champs-Élysées, the café terraces and shops tend to catch your eye before the Arc de Triomphe does. After…

Montmartre: The Hill of Artists

Whenever the conversation turns to Paris, people ask which part of the city is the favorite. The author's answer never c…

Abbesses Station: Where the Montmartre Walk Begins

Our Montmartre walk starts at Abbesses station, on Metro line 12, right in the heart of the neighborhood. Montmartre has…

The "I Love You" Wall: Declarations in 300 Languages

Step out of the Abbesses station exit and head into the small park right behind it, and you'll see a wall of blue tiles…

Bateau-Lavoir: Picasso and the Artists' Hideaway

Leave the Wall of "I Love You" and walk a little way up the alley, and you'll reach the Bateau-Lavoir, or "Laundry Boat.…

Place du Tertre: The Street Painters' Stage

A short climb further up brings you to Place du Tertre, the highest point in Montmartre. It is famous as a spot where ma…

Sacré-Cœur: The Highlight of Montmartre

Continue past Place du Tertre to the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, the highlight of any Montmartre visit. Even travelers s…

Musée de Montmartre: The Artists' Former Workspaces

From Sacré-Cœur, pass the area around Place du Tertre and walk a little further to reach the Musée de Montmartre. The mu…

Montmartre's Lone Vineyard and Au Lapin Agile

A bit further along from the Musée de Montmartre, you'll come to a vineyard. It is said to be the only vineyard in Paris…

Place Marcel Aymé: The Man Who Walked Through Walls

Follow Rue Saint-Vincent a little further from Au Lapin Agile and you'll arrive at Place Marcel Aymé. It looks like ther…

Le Moulin de la Galette: Paris's Two Surviving Windmills

Pass Place Marcel Aymé and continue a little way along Rue Girardon to find the two windmills that still stand in Paris.…

Café des Deux Moulins and the Traces of Amélie

Now follow Rue Lepic all the way down. Along the way you'll pass No. 54, a house with a blue door where Van Gogh once li…

Moulin Rouge: The Final Stop in Montmartre

The last stop on our Montmartre walk is the Moulin Rouge. Montmartre, like much of Paris, often appears in films, but th…