Paris, France

Paris

Paris, the capital of France, and to many, the cultural capital of the world, has been a prominent tourist destination for decades. Yearly, over 45 million people visit Paris to see an experience its fascinating sights and rich culture. Most famous of the sights is the stunning Eiffel Tower which dominates the Paris skyline. Other popular attractions include the Louvre Museum, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame cathedral. Paris is also home to multiple opera houses, endless exquisite restaurants, and incredibly hotels. It’s a tourist friendly city that is easy to explore on foot, by bike, hop-on hop-off bus, or public transportation.

The Louvre Museum in Paris

As museums go, the Louvre in Paris is quite simply a mammoth. The word "museum" may even be unfitting when it comes to the Louvre: the collections are so vast, diverse, and breathtaking that visitors may have the impression of navigating a maze of distinct artistic and cultural worlds.

Housed in the Palais du Louvre (Louvre Palace), the former seat of French royalty, the Louvre emerged in the 12th century as a medieval fortress, slowly evolving toward its status as a public arts museum during the French Revolution in the late 18th century. Since then, it has become the globe's most-visited museum, and an enduring symbol of French excellence in the arts.

Spanning eight thematic departments and 35,000 pieces of artwork dating from the antiquity to the early modern period, the Louvre's permanent collection includes masterpieces by European masters such as Da Vinci, Delacroix, Vermeer, and Rubens, as well as unsurpassed Greco-Roman, Egyptian, or Islamic arts collections. Frequent temporary exhibits often highlight particular artists or movements, and are almost always worthwhile.

The most recent addition to the Louvre was the construction of the glass pyramid, which functions as the museum's main entrance. The pyramid was built in 1989 by the renowned American architect I.M. Pei. The glass pyramid allows the sunlight to come in on the underground floor.

The modern addition originally received mixed reviews, as it contrasts sharply with the classical design of the surrounding buildings, but today it is generally accepted as a clever solution which has given the museum a spacious central entrance without the need to touch the historic patrimony.

Eiffel Tower

You couldn't possibly visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. Even if you do not want to visit this world famous structure, you will see its top from all over Paris. The tower rises 300 meters tall (984 ft); when it was completed at the end of the 19th century it was twice as high as the Washington Monument, at the time the tallest structure in the world.

The man behind the Eiffel Tower was Gustave Eiffel, known from his revolutionary bridge building techniques, as employed in the great viaduct at Garabit in 1884. These techniques would form the basis for the construction of the Eiffel Tower. He was also known for the construction of the Statue of Liberty's iron framework.

The structure took more than two years to complete. Each one of the about 12,000 iron pieces were designed separately to give them exactly the shape needed. All pieces were prefabricated and fit together using approx. 7 million nails.

 The Tallest

Inaugurated March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower would be the tallest structure in the world until the completion of the Chrysler Building in 1930.

Eiffel Tower At Night

Opera House

Home to the Paris Opera, the beautifully ornate Palais Garnier in Paris, France was built as part of the great Parisian reconstruction project and was founded by Louis XIV in 1669.

Paris Opera Commentary

"Although described by a contemporary critic as 'looking like an overloaded sideboard', it (the Paris Opera House) is now regarded as one of the masterpieces of the period. Here Garnier triumphed over a cramped and difficult site, handling the carriage-ramps and approach steps, the foyers and staircases, both in section and plan, with confidence and skill. The style is monumental, classically based and opulently expressed, as the times demanded, in an elaborate language of multicoloured marbles and lavish statuary. Throughout his life, Garnier was criticized for his excessive use of ornament, as Napoleon and Haussman are still accused of being inspired by an out-of-date and imperialist showmanship expressed in a language already debased. Such critics forget that every city needs its occasional monuments and occasions of grandeur, and that thanks largely to these three men, Paris remains one of the most beautiful cities in the world."

— John Julius Norwich, ed. Great Architecture of the World.