Paris Named One of the Top Ten Cities in the World to Visit by The Traveling American
Over the past twenty-five years, The Traveling American has visited over one hundred cities around the world. This article focuses on one of the best cities we have visited outside of the United States and Canada. The task of naming the Top Ten World Cities was a difficult one and we considered an initial list of twenty-five places. We then selected twelve cities (there were a few ties) that we believe are the most interesting to see for our Top Ten list.
HERE IS PARIS, FRANCE WHICH WE NAMED AS THE WORLD'S NUMBER 3 CITY
Paris is an epic destination for visitors from around the world. The impressive mix of art, culture, food, history, and entertainment has made it a model for cities everywhere. While there are dozens of sites worth exploring during a trip there, it is also important to take time to experience the ambience of the city. In addition to seeing key landmarks, spend a little time each day just walking through one of the many parks, relaxing on a Seine riverboat, or sitting in a cafe.
For well-rounded visit to Paris, the following activities are recommended:
MUSEUMS
There is no shortage of excellent museums to explore in Paris whether your tastes run to the fine arts, history, or nature. Two of the must-see museums in the city are:
Musee d'Orsay- The Orsay Museum, located on the Left Bank of the Seine in a wonderfully restored railway station is one of Paris’s real treasures. The Orsay is a digestible and inspiring cultural experience for both art enthusiasts and the general audience. This museum focuses on the works of artists from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century including Renoir, Van Gogh and Monet. Thousands of paintings from classicist, impressionist, French realists, and other styles are displayed on two levels of the Orsay. You can walk down one side of the museum and back along the other, moving quickly through the displays or studying ones of particular interest or beauty to the beholder. For most people, a two-to-four-hour visit focusing on the impressionist rooms on the upper level provides a pleasant experience. One hidden gem not to be missed is the museum restaurant located upstairs. This elegant restaurant has a 1900 era decor with Fresco's adorning the ceiling. It offers tasty cafe items, lunch entrees and a variety of wines, teas, and beverages.
The Louvre- The Louvre is regarded as the greatest museum in the world because of its size, the antiquities on display from ancient civilizations around the world, and the masterpieces of art, painting, and sculpture there. The museum is located above ground on the right bank of the Seine within connected buildings originally used as a royal palace from the 1300s to the late 1700s. In 1988, a glass pyramid was placed in the center of the complex. Today over 550,000 square feet of building space is dedicated to the museum. It contains by some estimates up to one million objects and over 35,000 works of art. The museum is divided into eight curatorial departments: Egyptian antiquities, Middle East antiquities, Roman and Greek displays, Islamic art, sculptures, decorative arts, paintings, and prints and drawings. Despite the crowds, some visitors enjoy viewing the Greek statue of Venus de Milo, Michelangelo's Mona Lisa, and other precious works. For other people, the grand gallery which is 42 ft wide and runs the length of five football fields is the most enjoyable section. It contains hundreds of paintings including ones on huge canvasses. The museum’s special display rooms, staircases, corridors, and floors can make it a confusing place. It is best enjoyed if you decide what you really want to see in advance and limit your visit to four or five hours.
LANDMARKS
Eiffel Tower- Ever since Gustave Eiffel’s unique tower was selected to be the “Piece de Resistance” at the 1889 World’s Fair and Exposition in Paris, the Tower has been the symbol of Paris. The tower also made a statement for France that the nation was determined to be a world leader in the gilded age and beyond. The Eiffel Tower is a reminder to the world of the enduring culture and potential of the French people. Rising more than a thousand feet above the city the four-sided black metal structure is France's leading tourist attraction and one of the most recognized structures in the entire world. The tower provides a commanding view of the entire metropolitan area. There are three ways to enjoy this view. First, you can take an elevator to the top of the tower and look out in all four directions. Second, you can take an elevator to the first or second observation platforms which provide excellent views and amenities including cafes, shops, restrooms, and entertainment that changes from time to time. The second observation deck also contains the fine dining Jules Verne restaurant accessible by a special elevator. Third, you can walk up to the first or second observation platforms without having to wait in line for the elevator if you can manage the strenuous 360 stairs leading to each platform. Notwithstanding the impressive experience of mounting this landmark, another possibility is to simply view the tower from the ground during the daytime or when it is lit up at night.
OUTDOORS EXPERIENCES
There are beautiful parks, gardens, and waterways in Paris which enhance the sites of the city. Approaching the Eiffel Tower by walking towards the Seine across the grounds of the Parc du Camps-de-Mars is an unforgettable experience. Similarly, the formal Tuileries Gardens which connect the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde provides a tree lined route to contemplate the beauty of nature and the beauty of humanity. Two of the most popular places to experience the outdoors in the city are the following:
Luxembourg Gardens- For pure relaxation, the Luxembourg Gardens close to the Latin Quarter have a lot to offer for passive and active recreation. The French Queen Marie de Medici arranged for a palace with Italian architectural features to be built for her during the early part of the 17th century. In the years that followed, the property was expanded to include French and English style gardens, a forest, orchards, statues, and fountains. As with some other places in Paris, the property saw dark days during the French Revolution and the German occupation but retained its uplifting and inspiring character through the years. Visitors to the park today can enjoy a wide variety of activities. For children, there is a playground, pony rides, puppet shows and a small pond for sailing wooden boats. For adults, there are walking and jogging paths, tennis courts, benches, chess tables, concerts, and periodic exhibitions. A restaurant and several stalls provide food and drink service for visitors and picnickers. The Luxembourg Gardens can provide a respite from sightseeing for travelers or a wonderful place to plan the day’s activities during morning coffee.
River Cruise or Riverside Promenade- The Seine River has long been associated with romance, history, and adventure. For these reasons one popular experience is to explore the City by walking or cycling along the Riverside promenade called the Park River des Seine which runs for 1.5 miles on the Left Bank from the Pont des Arts pedestrian bridge to the Eiffel Tower, and on the right bank from the Louvre footbridge to the Place de la Bastille. Along the way, you not only pass by major attractions but also can enjoy sports facilities, play areas for kids, benches, and watching the water traffic. A second way to experience the same river is to take a river cruise on one of the motorized barges there. Some boats provide hard bench seating outdoors while others offer enclosed comfortable seating with guide narration or feature nighttime dinner cruises. Most daytime cruises last about an hour and anchor near the Eiffel tower. Finally, you can enjoy the river by using the Batobus water bus system to get around the center of the city and to view the waterfront sites. The Batobus has eight stops on a round trip that goes from the Eiffel Tower on the Left Bank to Jardin des Plantes before circling back to the Champs-Elysees. Along the way there are other convenience stops at the Orsay Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Invalides, and two other locations. The boats run every 17 to 35 minutes depending on the time of the year and costs approximately $20 per adult.
SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT
Paris has an excellent reputation for providing food, entertainment, and shopping activities that everyone can enjoy. Three of the best places to experience these features of the city are:
Champs-Elysees and Its Attractions- There are few streets in the world which can compare to the Champs-Elysees. This entrance to the city brings together the unique majesty, history, and elegance of Paris in one location. The 1.17-mile-long avenue stretches 230 feet across six lanes of traffic with plenty of room for pedestrians and window shoppers on both sides. The Arch de Triumph serves as a useful starting point for exploring the area. Just as the Romans commemorated military triumphs and the achievements of their emperors with a column or arches, French emperor Napoleon build a 164-foot-high engraved arch near the entrance to the street in 1806 to celebrate the conquest of the French military under his command in Europe and elsewhere. Today, energetic visitors can climb to the top of the arch on over two hundred steps to join enjoy excellent sites along the boulevard to the south. The street itself contains important landmarks for the city. First, while no longer limited to haute couture, it remains one of the premier shopping destinations in Paris. Luxury stores like Galleries Lafayette, Dior Paris, Prada, and Tiffany have been joined by Abercrombie & Fitch, Disney, and other international brands. There are also fine dining restaurants, nightclubs, and leading cafes along the route. Second, the street has served as the venue for famous parades and events such as the liberation of Paris from the Nazis, the finale of the Tour de France, and the annual Bastille Day celebrations. The Place de la Concord located at the eastern end of the street is an excellent place to experience the scenery of the area. This square contains a small park with benches along with a large Egyptian obelisk requisitioned from Luxor in the early 1800s and erected there.
Moulin Rouge- The Montmartre section of Paris is located on a hilltop on the north side of the city. People visit there to see the impressive Sacre-Coeur Basilica or to take in the bohemian atmosphere of its residents. But more than 600,000 people come there annually to enjoy the cabaret performances at the 133-year-old Moulin Rouge nightclub. While the performances on display are always changing, the “can can” dancers, singers, comedians, and other performers can be counted on to deliver a high energy and risqué program in unique costumes to a full house of 850 guests. The entertainment provided consists of a served dinner with orchestra music at 7:00 p.m. and/or a show at 9:00 p.m. or 11:00 p.m. Sometimes the high culture of Paris’ museums and respected landmarks needs to be balanced with the low culture of brightly clad dancers wearing feathers or a lampshade.
HISTORIC LOCATIONS
For two millennia, many historic events have occurred on an island in the middle of the river known as the Isle de la Cite. The island has served as a key location for bridges over the river, a Roman fortress, a palace, the conciergerie judicial office and prison, a royal garden, and execution spot. Whether you look to medieval times, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic era, or the 20th century, there is history all around you. Two of the most significant locations are:
Cathedral of Notre Dame- The most significant and spectacular structure on the island is the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris constructed over a period of two hundred years beginning in 1163. At that time, the struggling residents of medieval Paris set out to build a cathedral that would outshine every church in Europe and serve as a symbol for Christian worship for generations to come. The building was famous for its 400-foot height, the capacity to hold up to 10,000 parishioners, and its French Gothic architecture. The cathedral featured flying buttresses, a church spire with two Bell towers, stained glass windows and gargoyles. Over the centuries, important religious artifacts were collected there and sculptures honoring heroes like Joan of Arc and other patron saints were added to the grand building. Notwithstanding the indignities visited on the cathedral by secular fanatics during the French Revolution, Notre Dame was used primarily as a place of worship for close to seven hundred years. Hundreds of thousands of people visited it every year until the Great Fire of April 2019 destroyed the roof, collapsed the steeple, and caused structural damage to the interior of the building. The French government and private benefactors have vowed to rebuild Notre Dame and like their medieval predecessors this project could take decades.
Invalides Military Museum and Napoleon's Tomb- King Louis XIV took the unusual step of building a hospital and retirement place for the veterans of the French military in 1670. Over the centuries, this hospital building known as Les Invalides grew into a large complex housing a collection of French military equipment and weapons, and a church containing the final resting place of modern Europe's greatest conqueror - Napoleon Bonaparte. The museum provides unique insights into the glory days of France and its special place in the ongoing history of Europe. Items displayed at the museum include everything from medieval instruments of war such as swords, armor, and crossbows, to the cannons and rifles used by Napoleon's armies, and the destructive weaponry of the Great War and World War II. The star of the show is still Napoleon's tomb which takes up the center of the complex. You enter a large domed building which has a circular passageway around the outside. Beneath you is a huge mahogany coffin in which Napoleon has been entombed within several containers like the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt whose tombs he visited during his conquest of North Africa. French reverence for this past emperor is apparent from the solemnity of the tomb.