This article was first published in our third issue, which will be re-released soon as a special edition.
Written by Yusif Babayev
Travel lovers, the day has finally arrived. Please fasten your seatbelts — the plane is about to land in one of the most famous cities in the world. This city is visited by around 50 million tourists every year. Let’s say this year you are one of those 50 million tourists. Where should you go in the city of mice — pardon me, the city of lights? Where to take pictures for your photo album? This article is about historical buildings and museums in Paris. There is one exception to this list. The Palace of Versailles is not located in Paris. It is located in Versailles, 18 km away from Paris.
1. Eiffel Tower
First, I want to start with an underrated tower that many people don’t even know exists. The construction of this iron tower began 138 years ago, on 28 January 1887. The tower is named after the French engineer Gustave Eiffel, who built it. The engineer himself called this tower the “300-meter tower”. The tower was constructed as the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair, and to crown the centennial anniversary of the French Revolution. The Eiffel Tower, which is 330 meters high, is located near the Seine River.
Fun facts:
- The tower was almost destroyed during World War II.
- There was once a post office and a theater in the Eiffel.
- The height of the tower varies depending on the season you visit, if you visit it in the hot summer months, the iron structure expands up to 18 cm, and if you visit it in the freezing winter months, the tower shrinks up to 15 cm.
2. Arc de Triomphe
Napoleon Bonaparte promised the French soldiers who won the Battle of Austerlitz that they would return home under the Arc de Triomphe. The cornerstone of this historic monument in the Neoclassical style was laid on 15 August 1806, by order of Napoleon. In 1811, the architect of the construction, Jean-François Chalguirre, died, and three years later, there was a change of power in the country, and thus the construction of the monument was completely stopped. In 1832, the construction of the Arc de Triomphe was resumed by order of King Louis-Philippe. It was completed 4 years later, in 1836. Napoleon was not destined to walk under the Arc de Triomphe during his lifetime. On 15 December 1840, brought back from Saint Helena, Napoleon’s remains passed under it on their way to his final resting place at Les Invalides.
Fun facts
- Victor Hugo and Ferdinand Foch were briefly laid in the state in the Arc before being buried elsewhere.
- Twice a year, the sun sets in the center of the Arc.
- The Arc de Triomphe is made of limestone.
3. Notre-Dame de Paris
One of the most famous Gothic cathedrals in the world, Notre-Dame de Paris was built between 1163 and 1345. Standing on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris, it has witnessed centuries of French history — from royal ceremonies to revolutions. Although the devastating fire in April 2019 damaged parts of the building, restoration work is ongoing, and Notre-Dame remains a powerful symbol of France.
Fun facts:
- The cathedral’s world-famous bell Emmanuel weighs 13 tons and has been ringing since 1681.
- The spire destroyed in the 2019 fire was not part of the original design — it was added in the 19th century by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.
- The grand organ, with more than 8,000 pipes, dates to the 18th century and has been restored many times. It was carefully preserved after the 2019 fire.
📖 Notre-Dame was also the main subject of the third issue of our magazine. That issue is not currently available, but don’t worry — we are preparing a special re-release of our first three issues, and once it’s published, you’ll be able to read it again in full detail.
4. Louvre Museum
The Louvre Museum is the largest art museum in the world. The construction of the building was started in the late 12th century under King Philippe II to protect the city from attacks from the West. In 1546, Francis I began the rebuilding of the Louvre in the French Renaissance style. In 1682, when Louis XIV chose Versailles as his residence, the Louvre began to be used as a residence for artists under the Royal patronage. The collections of the museum began to be formed with the purchase of paintings and other works of art collected by the monarchs of the House of France. The collections that Francis I and Louis XIV collected during their lives were given to the museum. The banker Everhard Jabach, one of the greatest collectors of the period, donated more than 200 antiques to the museum’s collection. During the French Revolution, the Louvre finally became a public museum. In 1791, the National Constituent Assembly declared that the Louvre would be “a place for bringing together monuments of all sciences and arts”. The Louvre opened on August 10, 1793, with an exhibition of 537 paintings and 184 objects of art.
Fun facts:
- The Louvre and its interior are worth at least $45.5 billion.
- 66% of the paintings in the museum were created by French artists.
- It would take 100 days to see all the works of art in the Louvre.
5. Musée d’Orsay
The Orsay Museum was built in the Orsay train station building, which was built between 1898 and 1900. The suggestion to turn the station into a museum came from the Directorate of the Museum of France. The construction of the museum began between 1983 and 1986 by French architects Renaud Bardon, Pierre Colboc, and Jean-Paul Philippon. Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti was chosen to design the interior of the museum. It was inaugurated on 1 December 1986, by former French president François Mitterrand. Orsay museum houses the largest collection of Impressionist and post Impressionist masterpieces in the world.
Fun facts:
- When the station was converted into a museum, the original design of the building was retained. The massive clock in the museum has been there since the time the building was a station and has been working since 1900.
- The original train station used 12,000 tons of metal during its construction, more than the amount of metal used in the construction of the Eiffel Tower (7,000 tons). The train station was built in 2 years by three architects (Victor Laloux, Lucien Magne, Émile Bénard).
6. Sainte-Chapelle
A royal chapel in the Rayonnant Gothic style, Sainte-Chapelle was built in the mid-13th century under King Louis IX. The chapel was built to house King Louis IX’s valuable collection of relics. Among these relics is the Crown of Thorns, which was removed from Notre-Dame unscathed in the 2019 fire.
Fun Facts:
- Sainte-Chapelle once housed 22 relics.
- The chapel has survived two fires and one flood. In addition, it was almost destroyed during the French Revolution.
- You can solve the mysteries of the windows in the chapel with the “Sainte-Chapelle Windows” application that you can download.
7. Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles, whose construction began 364 years ago in 1661, is in the Classical and Baroque styles. Three people played an important role in the creation of the Palace of Versailles, they are the French architect Louis Le Vau, the French landscape architect André Le Nôtre, and the French painter Charles Le Brun. Louis Le Vau was the chief architect, André Le Nôtre was responsible for the gardens and grounds of Versailles, and Charles Le Brun was the decorator and painter responsible for the artwork inside the Palace and the interior aesthetics of the palace. About 15,000,000 people visit the palace, park or gardens of Versailles every year.
Fun facts:
- The palace had a hidden library with more than 4,000 books.
- The Queen’s House, a secluded building in the gardens, was believed to be haunted by the ghost of Marie Antoinette.
- The palace is so huge that Louis XIV’s meals were frequently served cold.
8. Rodin Museum
Don’t confuse it with the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia, I’m writing about the Rodin Museum in Paris, or Musèe Rodin in French. Opened in 1919, the museum is mainly dedicated to the works of the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. The museum’s collection includes 6,600 sculptures, 8,000 drawings, 8,000 old photographs and 7,000 works of art (objets d’art).
Fun facts:
- Auguste Rodin tried several different things before becoming an artist, almost becoming a Catholic priest.
- Auguste Rodin only married the love of his life Rose Beuret a year before their deaths.
- The Thinker has been copied many times across the world.