first visit to Paris, France

January 15, 2008

First visits to Paris can be daunting: nearly every square inch of the city seems to be seeping with history and beauty. All of it is worth seeing and exploring, but there are some Paris tourist attractions that simply shouldn’t be missed. Here are ten of the best Paris sights and attractions, chosen for their mass popularity, historical importance, or sheer aesthetic appeal. If you want to experience Paris’ most essential attractions, this guide will help you pinpoint what to see and do first.

The Top Five Tourist Attractions of Paris

December 26, 2007

With Paris’s wealth of art galleries and museums and its reputation for wine and fine dining, there is no question why it is one of the top choice destinations for European tourists who are taking a city trip or short weekend get away. If you need a break and are planning a trip to the city of light, this is my favorite five tourist attractions that you should think about going to see during your visit to Paris. Don’t forget, to pre order a means of transportation, so you will be able to enjoy this magnificent city without any hassle! It’s always good to use a trusted Paris shuttle service, and this is a lot cheaper than a taxi service, since you pay in advance for your ride.

The Eiffel Tower
First the Eiffel tower has just got to be one of the planets most recognized monuments and is almost certainly the first attraction many tourists will pay a visit to once they arrive in Paris. The three hundred and twenty four meter high Eiffel tower was built in the year 1889 to be the entry arch for the worlds fair called, Exposition Universelle, and still the tower has over six million visitors call on it per year. The tower was created by a man named Gustave Eiffel witch gives the tower its namesake. Visitors can ride an elevator to the very top level and enjoy the panoramic views of Paris and attend a range of exhibitions about the tower and Gustave Eiffel himself. This station is your first stop, so I recommend that you ask the private shuttle not to wait for you, and make arrangements to meet him later on. This will save you money, and you will be able to start your day early in the morning!

Notre Dame Cathedral
The famous Notre Dame Cathedral was finished in 1345. It was built on the same site as Paris’ first Christian Church. Considered by many to be one of the best examples of gothic architecture Notre Dame Features highly detailed and ornate flourishes. Places of interest for visitors to Notre Dame include the West Rose Window; which is a stunning stained glass window that measures ten meters across, the Kings Gallery that houses a line of twenty eight statues of all the kings of Israel and statues of Judah, and Galerie des Chimères. Also do not forget to look for Notre Dame Cathedral’s legendary stone gargoyles.

The Louvre
The Louvre museum and gallery is definitely a must see for art lovers because of the approximately 35,000 pieces of fine art, As the most visited tourist attraction in Paris the Louvre is home to many of man kinds most famous pieces of art witch includes the paintings Madonna of the rocks and the Mona Lisa by the famous master Leonardo da Vinci’s. Also the popular statue the Venus de Milo chiseled from solid stone by the hands of Alexandros of Antioch’s. More recently the Louvre has also turned out to be a trendy destination for the legions of readers of Dan Browns novel ‘The Da Vinci code’ because a sizeable portion of the story is set there.

And don’t forget to take my advice regarding paris shuttles! parisshuttle.net is the best source for shuttle service and you will be glad you took my advice! Have a great trip!