Are you vacationing in France any time soon? No doubt if it’s your first time you will be visiting Paris. So to make you planning a bit easier, here are the 15 best things to do in Paris, France.
Notre-Dame Cathedral
The iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral is simply a “must-see.” Found along the beautiful River Seine, this historic cathedral is a Gothic architectural masterpiece. In fact, many architectural experts consider it to be one of the world’s best examples of a Gothic cathedral.
Construction of this well-known place of worship began back in the late 10th century. It would not be completed for almost another 200 years. Some sources say that once you are actually there, you begin to truly understand just exactly why it took such a long time to complete the building. Admission is free.
Musée du Louvre
If you can only explore one museum here, the Louvre Museum is one of the best museums in the world.
Opened in 1793, it presently houses at least 35,000 works of art. It has everything from ancient Grecian sculptures to the tombs of Egyptian mummies. Lose your head over the Venus de Milo and see the Winged Victory of Samothrace. See thousands of paintings including Théodore Géricault’s “The Raft of Medusa,” Eugene Delacroix’s “Liberty of Leading the People” and “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci. Take the Half-Day Tour and skip any line.
8Palais Garnier – Opéra National de Paris
Commissioned by Napoleon III, the Palais Garnier is an architectural masterpiece. It reportedly continues to exude the enigmatic atmosphere it has since the 1800s. The mysterious air is inspired in part by the Old World decor that even inspired author Gaston Leroux to write “Phantom of the Opera.”
Leroux claimed his character was more than fiction, his use of actual events (such as an audience member being killed beneath a falling chandelier), the lack of any detailed records, and the presence of a real underground lake all lend credence to his claim.
