A Rough Guide to Paris

19 things not to miss

Activities, Consume, Events, Nature, Sights

01. Notre-Dame

The mighty Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame, with its exquisite rose windows and soaring nave, is an awe-inspiring sight.

02. Brasseries

Exquisite belle époque interiors, enormous platters of seafood, perfects steaks and bustling white-aproned waiters: the city's traditional brassieres offer an authentic slice of Parisian slice.

03. The Eiffel Tower

The closer you get to its radical structure, the more exhilarating and less familiar the Eiffel Tower feels.

04. Puces de St-Ouen 

It's easy to lose track of an entire weekend morning browsing the acres of fine antiques, covetable curios and general bric-a-brac at St-Ouen, the most of Paris's flea markets.

05. Sundays in the Marais

The twin attractions of "le brunch" and the chance to do some designer shopping make a relaxed Sunday visit to the Marais a must in every trendy Parisian's week.

06. Vaux-le-Vicomte 

Paris is ringed by splendid chateaux, all easily reachable on a day-trip. Versailles may be the grandest, but Vaux-le-Vicomte is built on a more charming, inviting and human scale - and is far less crowded.

07. Art-house cinemas

With everything from old Hollywood to avant-garde international cinema, Paris is one of the world's best cities to catch a film on the big screen.

08. Passages

Paris's nineteenth-century arcades are gradually being restored to their former glory and are a fertile hunting ground for curios and one-off buys.

09. Pere-Lachaise

Pay homage to Chopin, Oscar Wild or Jim Morrison - just some of the countless notables buried in what is arguably the world's most famous cemetery.

10. Site de Creation Contemporaine

If you're tired of galleries that feel like mausoleums for the dead art of the past, make for this chic, Bohemian gallery, which showcases the exciting work of contemporary artists.

11. Jardin du Luxembourg

The oasis of the Left BankL students hang out on the lawns, old men play chess under the trees and children sail toy yachts around the pond.

12. Pompidou Centre

The Pompidou's radical "inside-out" architecture still draws the crowds, but don't miss its fine modern art museum inside, with significant works by Matisse, Kandinsky and Picasso.

13. Place des Vosges

A superb architectural ensemble, the elegant place des Vosges is lined with arcaded seventeenth-century buildings and has an attractive and popular garden at it's centre.

14. Musee Jacquemart-Andre

This sumptuous Second Empire residence, built for the art-loving Jacquemart-Andre couple, is preserved more or less intact, complete with its fabulous collection of Italian, Dutch and French masters.

15. Left Bank cafes

The cafes of St-Germain and Montparnasse may have swapped writers artists and existentialists for fashionistas and glitterati, but they remain gloriously Parisian institutions. 

16. Musee Rodin

Elegance matched with passion: Rodin's powerful works are shown off to their best advantage in sculptor's beautiful eighteenth-century mansion.

17. Sainte-Chapelle

The glorious interior of the Sainte-Chapelle, with its almost entirely stained-glass walls, ranks among the finest achievements of French High Gothic.

18. Hammam at the Paris Mosque

Steam-baths or hammams, are among the city's better-kept secrets. At the Paris mosque, you can bathe, have a massage, then drink mint tea in the tiled courtyard.

19. The Louvre

If the brilliance of the Louvre's art collection doesn't bring you to your knees, the sheer scale of the place will.

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