The Eiffel Tower was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. However, it was not accepted by all at first, and a petition of 300 names - including those of Emile Zola and Charles Garnier (architect of the Opéra Garnier) - protested its construction. However, if its birth was difficult, it is now completely accepted as one of the symbols of Paris itself. The tower has three platforms. Restaurant Jules Verne (extremely expensive; reservations absolutely necessary) is on the second level. The top level has a bar, souvenir shop and the office of Gustave Eiffel. There are two elevators in service, that means about one hundred round trips per day, approximately one in every 8 minutes. From its platforms - especially the topmost - the view upon Paris is superb. It is generally agreed that one hour before sunset, the panorama is at its best. You do not need to buy the tickets in advance, all tickets purchased are for immediate entry. The Tower is open every day of the year.

Napoleon commissioned it in 1806, shortly after his victory at Austerlitz, but it was not finished until 1836. There are four huge relief sculptures at the bases of the four pillars. Under the Arc, there is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and eternal flame commemorating the dead of the two world wars.

Notre-Dame is the Paris Catholic cathedral since the Middle Ages. The bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully started its construction in 1163. The building went on for two centuries. Most of the work (architects, sculptors) is anonymous. The best time for visiting: in the morning, from Tuesday to Friday.

The Sacré Cœur Catholic basilica was built at the end of the 19th century at the top of the Montmartre. Its famous white pastry like architecture is dominating the hill. It attracts many pilgrims from all over the world and has a large network of affiliated churches. The Sacré Cœur district offers many spectacular views on the French capital. Its cafés, restaurants and painters on the Place du Tertre attract many tourists.

Le Moulin Rouge is certainly the most famous cabaret of the World. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the era of Toulouse Lautrec, le Moulin Rouge is one of the legendary monuments of Paris. Edith Piaf, Yves Montand, Ginger Rogers, Lisa Minnelli, Frank Sinatra are just a few of the world famous stars who came to the Moulin Rouge. We can't neither forget the French Cancan's period with La Goulue or Josephine Baker, Mistinguett and Maurice Chevalier. The audience can first come to dinner and after see the cabaret dancing show at 9 or 11 p.m.

The world famous museum presents the main part of its treasures in the new Richelieu wing, but it is advisory to visit the islamic art collections, oriental antiques, French sculptures, objets d'art, French paintings and paintings from the Northern school (including Rubens) as well. Do not forget to look at the famous masterpieces: the Venus of Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Mona Lisa of Leonard da Vinci, and so many others.

The Gare d'Orsay was the 1st Parisian train station having electric power. In 1977, the station became a museum dedicated to the artistic creation of the 2nd half of the 19th century. The interior design was created by Gae Aulenti. The collections mostly come from the Louvre, Musée du Jeu de Paume and the National Museum of Modern Art. The collection contains paintings, sculptures, architecture, objets d'art, photography, film and graphic arts.

The Champs Elysées (Elysian fields) were originally fields until Marie de Medicis decided to put up a long tree-lined pathway in 1616. 51 years passed and Le Notre extended the vista of the Tuileries and the Champs-Elysees became a very fashionable place to walk. In 1724, the avenue was extended up to Chaillot hill. Today, the Champs Elysées is one of the most famous streets in the world with its cinemas, cafés, and luxury shops. This special status made it the site of growth and shopping. At the very heart of Paris, it is one of the most symbolic places in the city, representative of its spirit and glory.

At the end of World War I., plans were made to develop the axis from the Arc de Triomphe at the Etoile to La Defense. Several plans were presented to the Voie Triumphale, but none of them were realized, mainly due to the Great Depression in the 1930s. In 1931 the authorities organized a new competition because they wanted to limit the height of the buildings along the Triumphal Way. Most of the 35 entries in the competition were either classical or modernist style, but again none of the plans were actually realized due to lack of funding. The main focus now moved from the Triumphal way to La Défense. The name „défense” originates from the monument 'La Défense de Paris', which was erected at this site in 1883 to commemorate the war of 1870. In 1958, the development of the area was started. The first plan had 2 rows of skyscrapers of the same height, but in 1964, a plan was approved to have 20 office towers of 25 stories each. Little of the development was actually built according to this plan as most companies started to press for taller office towers. The result is a mix of mostly cheap towers of different heights. The tallest, the GAN tower, measured 200 meters. The height of several towers caused a public outcry as the 'forest of towers' disturbs the view on the Arc de Triomph as seen from the Etoile. Partly in response to this criticism a new monument was built at the entrance of the Défense as a counterweight for the Arc de Triomphe: The Tête Défense, also known as the Grande Arche de la Défense. The project to build the 'Grande Arche' was initiated by president Mitterand. He wanted a 20th century Arc de Triomphe. The designer was a Danish architect, Otto van Spreckelsen. The sides of the monument contain offices. You can take a lift to the top of the Arche, from where you have a nice view on the city center which is only 4 km far.

The 865 hectares Bois de Boulogne lies on the western edge of Paris and was created under Napoléon III. Its designer, the Baron Haussman, was an admirer of the large and central London parks so he decided to create two similar parks in Paris. (The other is the Bois de Vincennes in the east of Paris.) The Bois de Boulogne is a favourite destination of walkers, bicycle and horse riders. It also houses the two Parisian horse courses (Auteuil and Longchamp) and the pretty Bagatelle gardens.