Paris sightseeing
From:
Paris Travel Resources
ABOVE: High-tech tourists view the Louvre's
glass pyramid during a Paris Segway Tour.
Viator: Paris
our partner
Book city tours and regional day excursions online before you leave home.
(Prices are guaranteed in euros, British pounds, and U.S. or Australian dollars.)
Paris Sightseeing Buses
parisforvisitors.com
"Hop on, hop off" double-deckers make it easy to reach the major sights, and
the Batobus water bus extends the concept to the Seine.
Paris Sightseeing Boats
parisforvisitors.com
Cruise or dine on the Seine, explore the St-Martin Canal, or spend a day on the
Marne River. Our cruising guide has links to a dozen excursion-boat companies.
St. Martin Canal Cruises
parisforvisitors.com
In 2½ hours, you'll traverse a 19th Century canal
through Parisian neighborhoods, rise or fall 26 meters in a series of locks,
cruise in a barge tunnel underneath the Place de la Bastille, and join the
sightseeing boats on the Seine.
Arènes de Lutèce
parisforvisitors.com
Gladiator combat and other Gallo-Roman
entertainments once took place in this 1st Century amphitheatre, which is now a
public park in the 5th arrondissement.
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.
Ballon Air de Paris
parisforvisitors.com
In the 1800s, captive gas balloons lifted thousands of Parisians above the city.
Now you can relive that tradition with an inexpensive 10-minute ride to an altitude of 150 meters or nearly 500 feet.
La Conciergerie
parisforvisitors.com
Nearly 2,800 condemned prisoners spent their last days here after the French
Revolution--among them, the Empress Marie-Antoinette, whose prison cell has been
recreated within the medieval fortress.
Notre
Dame
Cathedral Towers parisforvisitors.com
Emulate the Hunchback of Nôtre-Dame as you ascend corkscrew staircases,
encounter gargoyles, and enjoy aerial views of Paris.
Dinner Cruises on the Seine
parisforvisitors.com
Half a dozen Parisian cruising fleets serve dinner (and, in some cases, lunch)
aboard restaurant boats or a vintage yacht. Prices range from moderate to
mind-boggling.
Paris Dog Cemetery
parisforvisitors.com
The world's oldest public pet cemetery is in the Parisian suburb of
Asnières-sur-Seine, which is easy to reach by Métro.
Its residents include 40,000 dead animals and a large number of living cats.
Père
Lachaise Cemetery parisforvisitors.com
The oldest of the great 19th Century Parisian cemeteries is a garden necropolis
with some 300,000 human inhabitants and an estimated 300 to 400 cats.
Meet the Parisians at Work
parisforvisitors.com
Inexpensive bilingual tours from Meeting the French and the Paris Convention &
Visitors Bureau take you to workshops, ateliers, and studios throughout the
city.
Boulangerie Patiserrie Au
Grand Richelieu parisforvisitors.com
The oldest bakery in Paris has been in business since the time of Napoleon. Its
jovial proprietor's breads and pastries are first-rate.
La Boulangerie par Véronique
Mauclerc parisforvisitors.com
Of the four wood-burning bakery ovens left in France, only two are in
Paris--including one near the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont where a female
boulanger creates artisan loaves from organic flour and wild yeasts.
Fragonard Perfume
Museum parisforvisitors.com
Learn about the history and manufacture of perfumes in a 19th Century mansion.
You can sample perfumes, and admission is free.
Paris
Story parisforvisitors.com
The price is steep and the slide-show technology seems a bit dated, but this
multmedia show offers a good introduction to Paris--especially if it's raining
or your feet need a break from sightseeing.
Paris Segway Tours
parisforvisitors.com
Be footloose without getting footsore as you zip through Paris on a high-tech
Segway Human Transporter.
Le
Viaduc des Arts parisforvisitors.com
A former railway viaduct east of the Bastille is now an elevated, landscaped
walkway with craftmen's workshops in the vaulted spaces behind its 64
brick-and-stone arches.
Sacré-Coeur
parisforvisitors.com
You needn't worship the Sacred Heart to enjoy blood-stirring views from
Montmartre's hilltop basilica. (But avoid the "string
men" at the base of the hill.)
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.
Paris Plage
parisforvisitors.com
For a month each summer, Parisians flock to manmade beaches along the Seine
and in the Bassin de la Villette.
Paris à Pied
Join a three-hour walking tour of the Latin Quarter, the Marais,
Montmartre, the heart of Paris, or the renovated glass-roofed passages that date
back to the early 1800s. Groups are limited to 6 or fewer, and the price is
moderate.
Paris at the time of
Philippe-Auguste
Learn about the king, the city, the wall, and everyday life in
Paris 800 years ago.
"Paris a Vélo c'est
Sympa"
Rent a bicycle for your own explorations, or book a multilingual guided tour
with Michel Noë and his colleagues.
Paris Air Show
The world's largest air show takes place at Le Bourget Airport in June of
odd-numbered years.
Photo copyright © City Segway
Tours. Used by permission.
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