The Place de la Bastille is anchored by the forty-seven-meter-tall Colonne de Juillet, a bronze column topped with a gilded statue known as the Génie de la Liberté. This square sits at the crossroads of the fourth, eleventh, and twelfth…
Paris History Walk
Trace the history of Paris from its ancient Roman roots to the 20th century on this east-to-west sweep through the city's most legendary landmarks.
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1. Place de la Bastille
2. Place des Vosges
The Place des Vosges is defined by its perfect symmetry, a square measuring one hundred forty meters on each side and enclosed by thirty-six identical buildings of red brick and cream-colored stone. Beneath the steep, blue slate roofs,…
3. Arènes de Lutèce
The Arènes de Lutèce is a sunken, elliptical amphitheater built of stone, partially enclosed by terraced seating that sits tucked away from the surrounding city streets. Constructed during the first or second century, this site once…
4. Thermes de Cluny
The Thermes de Cluny consist of a monumental complex of stone and brick bands, representing some of the most substantial Roman-era ruins in Paris. Built around the beginning of the third century for the ancient city of Lutetia, these…
5. Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation
The Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation sits at the eastern tip of the Île de la Cité, shaped like the prow of a ship jutting toward the Seine. Inaugurated in nineteen sixty-two by General Charles de Gaulle, this site honors the two…
6. Conciergerie
The Conciergerie is defined by four massive medieval towers—the Bonbec, Silver, Caesar, and Clock towers—that rise along the Seine riverbank on the Île de la Cité. Originally constructed as part of the Palais de la Cité, the primary…
7. Palais Garnier
The Palais Garnier is distinguished by its massive copper roof and the gold-colored figures that adorn its dome, rising high above the street level. Commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III during the Second Empire, this building was designed…
8. Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde is dominated by the Luxor Obelisk, a twenty-three-metre-tall granite monolith covered in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. This stone pillar, which once stood at the entrance to the Luxor Temple, was gifted to France…
9. Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe dominates the skyline with its massive limestone pillars and vaulted arches at the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle. Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned the monument in eighteen oh six to celebrate the military…