Prepare your stay

Parisian monuments and landmarks

The Eiffel Tower

The "Grande Dame" of Paris was built for the 1889 World Fair, commemorating one hundred years since the Revolution.

The Tower is some 350 metres tall! Entry (lift up to the 2nd level): 9 EUR for adults, 5.30 EUR for children under 12 years. Opening hours: 1 Jan-13 June: 9.30am-11pm every day. (For sporty people, the stairway access is open from 9.30am to 6pm); 14 June – 31 August: 9am to midnight every day.

Notre Dame de Paris

The construction work started in 1163, and was completed 200 years later, in around 1345. The cathedral can hold up to 6,000 worshipping. Entry is, of course, free, but if you want to climb the towers, you’ll have to pay around 6 Euros. Sorry, but the architects didn’t allow for a lift, so people with heart problems should refrain from climbing up to the heavens...
Opening hours: 8am-6.45pm every day. Guided tours: 9.30am-6.45pm every day. Mass: 8am, 9am, midday, 6.45pm.

www.notredamedeparis.fr

The Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe

Only the section of the Champs Elysées stretching from the Place de la Concorde to the Grand Palais is worthy of the title "the most beautiful avenue in the world". The rest of the avenue is lined with boutiques and restaurants which are often too expensive.
Try the side streets. Don’t forget to visit the Arc de Triomphe, at the top of the avenue, built in the mid 18th century to commemorate Napoleon’s victories.
Entry charge: around 6 Euros, free for children under 12 years. Opening hours: 9.30am-11pm every day from April to October, 10am-11pm every day from November to March.

http://arc-de-triomphe.monuments-nationaux.fr/

Montmartre et la Basilique du Sacré Coeur

Built in a Romano-Byzantine style, the basilica sits on the top of the hill of Montmartre. Started in 1875, its construction was completed in 1914.

Entry is free, but access to the crypt and dome cost money (around 5 Euros). To save you some energy, you can take the funicular, a funny little tram with one carriage. From the Anvers metro station, start climbing the hill up to rue Tardieu.
The funicular station is located there. Up until the 19th century, Montmartre was just a village situated outside the Paris city walls. The film Amelie shows you a glimpse of the area, which is definitely worth a visit, not least because it is home to 7 museums!

www.museedemontmartre.fr
www.daliparis.com
www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com

Eglise des Invalides

The construction of the Hospice des Invalides commenced in 1671 by order of Louis XIV, who wanted to use it to shelter soldiers who were destitute and severely injured from his many wars.
The work was finished quickly, but a church was then added on. Construction of this took some thirty years. You can visit the church, several museums and the tomb of Napoleon I, whose body was repatriated from St. Helena in 1830. Entry costs 6 Euros, but is free for children under 12 years. Opening hours: from October to 31 March 10am-4.45pm, from April to 30 September 10am-5.45pm.

www.invalides.org

Sainte Chapelle

Located on Ile de la Cité, within the Palais de Justice, this Gothic building was constructed under St Louis from 1240 to house the relics of Christ’s Crown of Thorns, and pieces of the Holy Cross. Remarkable in its construction, this church has astonishing and very large windows. Entry costs around 6 Euros. Opening hours: 10am-5pm.

Place des Vosges

Henry IV ordered the construction of this famous square, which was not completed until 1612, two years after the Gascon’s murder by Ravaillac. Initially baptised as “Place Royale”, it was renamed “Place des Vosges” by Napoleon I, who wanted to honour the residents of the Vosges region for their promptness in paying their taxes.
The square is remarkable both in terms of its style (it is surrounded by 36 buildings dating back to its construction), as well as its stalls and little park, at the centre of which stands a statue of Louis XIII.