Paris museums and monuments
From:
Paris Travel Resources
ABOVE: Visitors sample wine at the
Musée du
Vin.
Paris Sewers Museum
parisforvisitors.com
The boat tours are gone, but the Musée des égouts de Paris gives an up-close
view of the sewers that Victor Hugo described in Les Misérables.
Choco-Story: Paris
Chocolate Museum
parisforvisitors.com
The
mouthwatering Musée Gourmand du Chocolat will take you
through 4,000 years of chocolate history, with a demonstration and tasting to
follow.
The Eiffel Tower at Night
parisforvisitors.com
To avoid the worst of the crowds, visit the tower after dusk. As a bonus,
you'll get a close-up view of the floodlit ironwork and the hourly strobe-light
show.
Medieval Louvre
parisforvisitors.com
Before it became a royal palace and museum, the Louvre was a fortress with 10
towers, walls, and a moat. You can visit the excavated ruins with your museum
ticket.
Nôtre-Dame
Cathedral Towers parisforvisitors.com
Emulate the Hunchback of Nôtre-Dame as you ascend corkscrew staircases,
encounter gargoyles, and enjoy aerial views of Paris.
Opéra
Garnier parisforvisitors.com
For over-the-top architecture, visit
The Phantom of the Opera's spectacular setting. (And yes, there's a pond
underneath; it's now a water reservoir for the Paris fire department.)
Paris Museum of Eroticism
parisforvisitors.com
The Musée d l'Erotisme isn't just a red-light tourist attraction--it's a
real museum where you could take an open-minded church group.
Paris Sewers Museum
parisforvisitors.com
The boat tours are gone, but the Musée des égouts de Paris gives an up-close
view of the sewers that Victor Hugo described in Les Misérables.
Sacré-Coeur parisforvisitors.com
You needn't worship the Sacred Heart to enjoy blood-stirring views from
Montmartre's hilltop basilica.
Sainte-Chapelle parisforvisitors.com
"Upstairs, Downstairs" is the theme at Louis IX's 13th Century church, where the
colorful medieval motifs in the lower chapel are nearly as stunning as the
IMAX-size stained glass in the royal chapel above.
Museums of Paris
In addition to general information about Parisian museums, this site has details
on the Museum Pass,
which lets you visit
70 museums and
monuments without buying individual tickets.
The Eiffel Tower
Check current schedules and ticket prices, read about the Eiffel Tower's
history, view photos and virtual tours, and more. Also see my
Eiffel Tower at Night
article, which includes video clips of the nightly strobe-light show.
Louvre Museum
This museum's official site has information not only for tourists, but also for visiting students
and scholars.
Musée d'Orsay
This museum of Impressionist and other modern paintings (see photo) now has Web
pages in French, English, and Spanish.
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
The BnF normally admits only teachers, graduate students, and other scholars, so you'll
probably want to content yourself with a visit to its Web site.
Musée de la Publicité
The Paris Advertising Museum is easy to overlook, but it's a relaxing place to spend an
hour or two after you've gorged yourself on real culture at the Louvre or the
Musée d'Orsay.
Musée Grévin
"All the famous Parisians are in the Grévin," claims this wax museum's Web site.
Underground
Paris
Between 1786 and 1860, the skeletons of 7 to 8 million people were transferred from
cemeteries to ossuaries in the ancient underground quarries beneath Place
Denfert-Rochereau. The catacombs are open to visitors.
Photo: Copyright © Paris Tourist Office.
Photographer: Marc Betrand.
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