Paris
La Tour Eiffel Built in 1889 for “l’Exposition Universelle” (the World’s Fair) by Gustave Eiffel. Size: 320 meters (1,050 ft) tall Weight: 10,000 tons Material: wrought iron
La cathédrale Notre-Dame Famous cathedral with Rose Window, flying buttresses and gargoyles. Construction began in 1163 and ended around the mid-1240s. Exterior structures supporting a wall A gargoyle serves as a “gutter” and is carved in stone.
Le Panthéon This monument is a temple whose crypt contains the remains of famous French citizens such as Victor Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, and Louis Braille.
Le Bois de Boulogne This large park has 2 racetracks, as well as a stadium, cafés, boating and cycling.
Le Palais de Chaillot The home of the national theater, a maritime museum, and a cinema museum along with a film library.
L’Arc de Triomphe Commemorates Napoléon’s victories. Twelve avenues radiate from its center.
La Conciergerie Monument located on the Ile de la Cité. This former royal palace and prison held the aristocratic “enemies” of France who were awaiting trial or the guillotine during the French Revolution.
La Madeleine This church is on one of the most luxurious streets of Paris. It resembles a Greek temple.
La Place de la Bastille This square has a commemorative column to mark the prison that was destroyed July 14, 1789, beginning the French Revolution.
La Place de la Concorde Marks the site of a revolutionary guillotine. A Egyptian obelisk is located there now. Dating from the 8th century B.C., it is the oldest momunent in Paris! The obelisk was a gift from Egypt to France in 1830, in honnor of Jean-François Champollion (French scholar and archeologist). Vue panoramique
Les Invalides Monument containing a military museum and Napoléon’s tomb.
Le Louvre This former fortress houses La Joconde (Mona Lisa), the Venus of Milo (Greek statue depicting Aphrodite), The Crown Jewels of France, and the Coronation of Napoléon (paintings).
Les Champs Elysées The most famous street in Paris. It is used as a gathering point for the people. It runs from the Place de la Concorde to the Place Charles de Gaulle (Arc de Triomphe).
La Sorbonne The principal center of higher education in France. The name is derived from the Collège de Sorbonne, founded it in 1257 by Robert de Sorbon.
L’Hôtel de Ville This monument houses the city government and official reception rooms.
Le Sacré-Coeur It is a basilica dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is located at the top of the butte Montmartre.
Le Jardin du Luxembourg These gardens have many statues, an Italian fountain, as well as a popular theater and game park.
Montmartre This area is well-known for its cafés, nightclubs (le Moulin Rouge) and artists. The name Montmartre comes from the derivative of “Mont Martyr”. Saint Denis was the first martyr in the history of Paris. Beheaded around 250 at the top of what is now Montmartre. According to the legend, Saint Denis collected his head under his arm and kept on walking up to the location where the Basilique Saint Denis (necropolis of French Kings) now stands.
Le Centre Pompidou This futuristic multi-purpose cultural center houses a famous modern art collection.
Les Tuileries This beautiful garden’s name comes from the French word for “tiles” which were once made from its clay soil. It was created by Catherine de Medicis en 1564.
L’Opéra The largest and most famous theater in the world, it was built from 1861 to 1875 by Charles Garnier. It has a false ceiling painted by Marc Chagall in 1964. It was the setting for Gaston Leroux’s novel Le fantôme de l’Opéra.
Le Palais de Justice L’île de la Cité La Conciergerie La Sainte-Chapelle It is a island located on the Seine river. This area is considered to be the birthplace of Paris as well as its heart and soul. Many famous places can be found here. Cathédrale Notre-Dame
La Seine It is the name of the famous river that runs through Paris. It rises as Source-Seine (near Dijon) and flows into the English Channel at Le Havre (Normandie). Les sources de la Seine In Paris, you can take a tour on one of the bâteaux-mouche and admire the beautiful Parisian bridges. There are 37 of them within the city.
Le Quartier Latin This area is the home of many students from all nationalities. It features book stores, publishing houses and cafés.
La Place Vendôme The 130 foot column is topped by a statue of Napoleon and covered by a bronze metal spiral, melted from 1200 cannon seized at Austerlitz (famous battle of 1805).
Le Procope Inaugurated in 1686, it might be the oldest restaurant in Paris. At the time, it was a café named after its owner, Francesco Procopio Dei Coltelli. Famous writers and philosophers , like Voltaire, Diderot or Rousseau, used to go there. During the French revolution, Danton, Marat and Robespierre used it as their HQ. Benjamin Franklin was a regular there during his time as minister to France. It is said that he finished writing the text of the Constitution there!