Paris Attractions

Paris offers visitors a diverse mix of daily attractions. A romantic boat cruise on the Seine, a day at Disneyland Paris, visiting the Mona Lisa at the Louvre or experiencing the magnificence of the Eiffel Tower add adventure, as well as entertainment to the visit. Riding the metro around the city is another treat and a trip from the Right Bank to the Left Bank by taxi is worth every franc, in terms of experiencing the local flavor of the city.

Odeon / Saint Michel was named after the theater that was built in the 18th century. The Theater stands between the Luxembourg Gardens and the Boulevard Saint-German. The area just south of the Seine and to the east of Boulevard Saint Michel around Sorbonne University is known for its commercial activity. This Left Bank neighborhood is filled with bookstores, shoe and clothing boutiques, as well as game stores and restaurants. The Left Bank continued to grow westward and Les Invalides a former military hospital became a tourist attraction in the mid 1840s when Napoleon’s ashes were permanently placed there. Just west of Les Invalides is the Ecole Militaire, which was built in 1751 as a military school. On the former parade grounds of the school is the world famous Eiffel Tower, which was built in 1889 by Gustave Alexandre to celebrate the Universal Exposition that year. Along the eastern bank of the Seine is the Musee d’Orsay which is the home of an exquisite 19th century art collection.

The Rive Droite better known worldwide as “The Right Bank” was an uninhabited marshland until the beginning of the 11th century. The Right Bank has several prominent landmarks. Centre Georges Pompidou built in 1976 is a modern art museum, as well as one of the largest libraries in the city. Street performers always drawn a crowd in the square in front of the museum and just east of the square is Hotel de Ville, which is the city hall. The Louvre is not only a world famous museum and garden, it is now a shopping mall and a center for fashion shows. It is located in the Palais Royal district, along with a collection of 17th and 18th century buildings which line the avenue de l’Opera.This section of the city is famous for its night clubs, boutiques and tourist shops, which are located along the rue de Rivoli. The Opera Garnier quarter is the home for the Galleries Lafayette and Printemps, two of the largest shopping centers in Paris. The streets in this section are filled with restaurants and duty-free shops. The finest fashion labels in the world can be found in the high-end boutiques on the rue Saint Honore. The famous Place de la Concorde sits at the end of the Champs-Elysees. Known as one of the world’s premiere shopping streets, the Champs-Elysees is also the home of the Arc de Triomphe. Other districts in the Right Bank include La Bastille, Le Marais, Montmartre/Bas-de-Montmartre and Gare de l’Est/Gare du Nord.

Famous Places & Landmarks

• Eiffel Tower
• Palais de Chaillot
• Notre Dame
• Musée du quai Branly
• Centre Pompidou
• Maison de Radio France
• Basilique du Sacre-Coeur
• Institut du Monde Arabe
• Tour Montparnasse