Arc de Triomphe
Commissioned by Napoleon to commemorate the victorious French Army, the Arc de Triomphe has been a defining symbol of Paris ever since its completion in 1836. Engraved on the arch are numerous names of important and not-so-important victories and beneath it lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Visitors can reach the 50m-tall (164ft) top of the arch for stunning views of Paris, including the Louvre and the Champs-Elysées, or tour the museum inside which charts the history and construction of the arch, , including some chilling photographs of the Nazi occupation.

Arc de Triomphe, Place Charles-de-Gaulle
Paris
France
Tel: 01 5537 7377.
Web: www.arcdetriompheparis.com
Opening hours: Daily 1000-2300 (Apr-Sep); daily 1000-2230 (Oct-Mar).
Admission Fee: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO site: Yes


Basilique du Sacré-Coeur (Sacred-Heart Basilica)
A long, wide series of steps lead to the snowy-white domed Basilique du Sacré-Coeur that dominates the arty district of Montmartre. A mishmash of styles, the Catholic church was built between 1870 and 1919, to fulfil a vow made during the Franco-Prussian war. The interior is splendid with neo-Byzantine mosaics and the domed tower offers a spectacular view over Paris. The crypt contains an interesting collection of religious relics and a slide show on the construction of the Basilica. Below the church, a park tumbles down the hillside in a flurry of benches that make an ideal spot for surveying the Paris skyline.

18th
Parvis du Sacré-Coeur
Paris
France
Tel: 01 5341 8900.
Web: www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com
Opening hours: Daily 0600-2230 (Basilica); Crypt and dome times vary.
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO site: Yes


Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
There’s just no missing this mighty building that sits smack in the centre of the Seine. Begun in 1163 by the architect Maurice de Sully and completed in about 1345, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris ranks as one of France's finest examples of Gothic architecture. As you might expect, it’s seen plenty of things in its time, including a marriage that sparked a massacre in 1572 and, oddly enough, the coronation of Henry VI of England.
Today, visitors flock here to admire its massive rose windows and impressive flying buttresses. But also, let’s face it, to look for Esmerelda and a hunchback.

4th
6 Parvis Notre-Dame, Place Jean-Paul II
Paris
France
Tel: 01 4234 5610.
Web: www.cathedraledeparis.com
Opening hours: Daily 0800 – 1845.
Admission Fee: No (charge for towers and treasury)
UNESCO site: Yes


Centre Georges Pompidou (Georges Pompidou Centre)
Considered outrageous in 1977, the Pompidou Centre, designed by Piano and Rogers, now forms part of the established Parisian landscape. Designed according to the idea of a building turned inside out, tubes, pipes, stairs and fittings race around the outside of the building in an unapologetic display of primary colours. The art on the inside makes the outside look tame. The building was revamped and extended a few years ago to cope with the huge numbers of people visiting its expanding collection of contemporary art and multimedia library. Not a place to visit if you’re easily shocked.


4th
Place Georges Pompidou
Paris
France
Tel: 01 4478 1233.
Web: www.centrepompidou.fr
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1100-2100.
Admission Fee: Yes (free first Sun of the month)
Disabled Access: Yes


Cimetière du Père Lachaise (Père Lachaise Cemetery)
A cemetery may seem like a strange attraction but there’s something eerily fascinating about visiting the burial site of celebrities like Molière, Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde, or even Chopin and Pissarro. And once you find out that Jim Morrison’s grave lives on here as well, you’ll know that this is no ordinary graveyard. The Cimetière du Père Lachaise occupies 44 hectares (109 acres) on the eastern edge of Paris and takes its name from the Jesuit priest Père François de la Chaise, confessor to Louis XIV.


16 rue du Repos, Paris
France
Tel: 01 5525 8210.
Web: www.pere-lachaise.com
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1730, Sun 0900-1730 (Nov-Mar); Mon-Fri 0800-1800, Sat: 0830-1800, Sun 0900-1800 (Mar-Nov).
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes


Grande Mosquée de Paris (Paris Grand Mosque)
Built between 1922 and 1926, this fascinating Hispano-Moorish mosque serves as an introduction to the Parisian Muslim community. Although the prayer room remains closed to the non-Muslim public, everyone can access the authentic hammam (Turkish bath) for a soak and a scrub down, provided you leave your sense of modesty at the door. Luckily, the sexes are segregated. There’s also a wonderful mosaic courtyard complete with fig trees and a fountain - the perfect setting for enjoying a sweet mint tea served in tiny gilded glasses with some honeyed baklava.


5th
2 place du Puits-de-l'Ermite (access via 39 rue Géoffroy-St-Hillaire)
Paris
France
Tel: 01 4535 9733.
Web: www.mosquee-de-paris.org
Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Thurs and Sat 1000-2100, Fri 1400-2100 (women); Tues 1400-2100, Sun 1000-2100 (men); tours Sat-Thurs 0900-1200 and 1400-1800 (winter), Sat-Thurs 0900-1200 and 1400-2200 (summer); closed Muslim holidays.
Admission Fee: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes


Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Garden)
The Jardin du Luxembourg are probably the most popular gardens in Paris, not to mention one of the few things in life that give prominence to the long word Luxembourg. It’s a mixture of rigid French style and a little jardin à l'anglaise, and was created for Marie de Médicis (Henri IV's widow), along with the Palais du Luxembourg, which now houses the French Senate. It is a favoured spot for a Sunday stroll, game of tennis, chess or boules, pony ride or yacht trip on the lake. Alternatively, it makes a great spot to brush up on all that luscious French literature.


Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris
France
Tel: 01 4046 0888.
Web: www.senat.fr/visite/jardin/horaires.html
Opening hours: Times vary every two weeks - check website for latest openings.
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes


Musée Picasso (Picasso Museum)
Paris-based Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) owned most of this collection, one of the largest worldwide, housed in a stunning 17th-century mansion in the Marais. All phases of his art are represented, with preparatory sketches and paintings covering the Blue Period, Rose Period, cubism, classicism and surrealism, and sculptures ranging from a huge plaster head to a small cat. Memorable works include the Blue Period self-portrait Paolo as Harlequin, the surreal Nude in an Armchair and poignant paintings of Marie-Thérèse, his lover and muse. There is also a glimpse of the artist's personal taste in paintings, with his Matisse and Cézanne paintings displayed alongside his own.

3rd
Hôtel Salé, 5 rue de Thorigny
Paris
France
Tel: 01 4271 2521.
Web: www.musee-picasso.fr
Opening hours: Currently closed for renovation. Reopens in 2013. Opening times when it reopens: Wed-Mon 0930-1800 (Apr-Sep); Wed-Mon 0930-1730 (Oct-Mar).
Admission Fee: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes


Musée Rodin (Rodin Museum)
The Musée Rodin is probably the most romantic museum in the world. Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) lived and worked in this 18th-century mansion and today his sculptures populate the interior and landscaped gardens. Indoors, The Kiss portrays eternal passion frozen in white marble, while The Hand of God gives life to creamy white, half-formed figures. Works of Rodin's mistress and pupil, Camille Claudel, and paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and Rodin himself are also on display.
Outside, you’ll find the monumental bronze The Thinker, whose godly physique contrasts sharply with the decrepitude of the writhing figures of The Gates of Hell.

7th
79 rue de Varenne
Paris
France
Tel: 01 4418 6110.
Web: www.musee-rodin.fr
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1745.
Admission Fee: Yes (free first Sun of the month)
Disabled Access: Yes