Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars & Musée d'Orsay

The Eiffel Tower (1889, Gustave Eiffel) is the most visited paid monument in the world — 7 million visitors per year. 330 meters tall, 10,100 tons of iron, 2.5 million rivets, and a silhouette that has become a symbol not only of Paris but of all of France. Built for the World's Fair on the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, it was the tallest structure in the world — and was originally supposed to be dismantled after 20 years.

The Three Levels

• 1st Floor (57m): Glass floor (thrill!), restaurant "Madame Brasserie", history exhibition. Redesigned in 2014. Accessible by elevator or stairs (328 steps).
• 2nd Floor (115m): The best photo spot — close enough for details, high enough for a panorama. Restaurant "Le Jules Verne" (1 Michelin star, menu from 105€). Accessible by elevator or stairs (another 340 steps).
• Top (276m): The highest accessible floor — only by elevator from the 2nd floor. Eiffel's restored office (with wax figures of Eiffel and Edison), Champagne bar, and a panorama that reaches up to 80 km in clear weather.

Practical Information

The Best Views of the Eiffel Tower

• Trocadéro: The classic photo spot — the tower reflects in the fountain. Especially at sunset.
• Champ de Mars: Picnic on the lawn with the tower in the background. Magical in the evening when it sparkles.
• Pont d'Iéna: The bridge right at the foot — for dramatic perspectives from below.
• Pont Alexandre III: The most beautiful bridge in Paris with the tower in the background.

The Musée d'Orsay is the most beautiful art museum in the world — and that's no exaggeration. Housed in a former train station (Gare d'Orsay, 1900), it holds the world's largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, and many more.

The Highlights

• Impressionism (5th Floor): Monet's Cathedral of Rouen (in different lights), Renoir's Bal du Moulin de la Galette, Degas' ballet dancers, Manet's Olympia and Luncheon on the Grass.
• Post-Impressionism: Van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhône and Self-Portrait, Cézanne's still lifes, Gauguin's Tahiti paintings, Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (Pointillism).
• Sculptures: Rodin, Degas (the little dancer), Camille Claudel.
• The Great Clock: The famous glass station clock offers an iconic view of the Seine and the Louvre — one of the most popular photo spots in Paris.

Practical Information

Musée de l'Orangerie — Monet's Water Lilies

The Musée de l'Orangerie in the Jardin des Tuileries offers one of the most intimate and overwhelming art experiences in the world: Claude Monet's Nymphéas (Water Lilies) — eight huge paintings in two oval rooms, presented exactly as Monet wished. Natural light from above, no distractions, no frames — just you and the water lilies. The paintings surround you like a panorama: water, light, reflections, nature. It is impossible to enter this room and not be moved.

In the basement: the Walter-Guillaume collection — an excellent cross-section of early 20th-century art: Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, Rousseau.

Entry: 12.50€, free for EU citizens under 26. Opening hours: Wed–Mon 9 AM–6 PM, closed on Tuesdays. Much less visited than the Louvre and Orsay — rarely more than a 15-minute wait.

Musée Rodin — Sculptures in the Garden

The Musée Rodin is one of the most charming museums in Paris: The works of sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) are displayed in the Hôtel Biron (an elegant 18th-century mansion) and its accompanying garden. The Thinker, the Kiss, and the Gates of Hell stand in the garden among rose bushes — art and nature merge into a harmonious whole.

• The Garden: The visit is worth it for the garden alone — rose garden, sculptures in the open air, a café with a view of the Invalides Dome. Garden visit: 4€, Museum + Garden: 13€.
• In the Museum: Rodin's works in chronological order, along with paintings by Renoir, Van Gogh, and Monet from Rodin's personal collection.

Metro: Varenne (Line 13) or Invalides (Line 8, 13). Opening hours: Tue–Sun 10 AM–6:30 PM.

Hôtel des Invalides & Napoleon's Tomb

The Hôtel des Invalides (1670, Louis XIV) was originally a veterans' home for wounded soldiers — today it houses the Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum, one of the largest in the world) and Napoleon's Tomb. The small emperor lies in a monumental sarcophagus of red porphyry under the gilded dome of the Dôme des Invalides — six nested coffins, the final resting place of a man who reordered Europe.

Entry: 15€ (Museum + Tomb). Opening hours: Daily 10 AM–6 PM (summer until 7 PM). Metro: Invalides or La Tour-Maubourg.

Rue Cler — Parisian Market Life

The Rue Cler in the 7th Arrondissement is the quintessential Parisian market street: bakeries, cheese shops (fromageries), charcuteries, fish shops, and flower shops on a traffic-calmed street. Here, the locals of the neighborhood shop — not a tourist market, but everyday life. Perfect for a picnic shopping spree before heading to Champ de Mars.

Seine Banks — UNESCO World Heritage

The Seine Banks have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991 — and they are the heart of Parisian life. A walk along the Quai is free, unforgettable, and beautiful at any time of day:

• Bouquinistes: The green book boxes of the Seine booksellers (since the 16th century) are UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Browse through old books, postcards, and prints.
• Picnic: On the stone steps at Quai de la Tournelle (5th Arr.) with a view of Notre-Dame, or at Quai d'Orsay with a view of the Louvre — pure Parisian tradition.
• Seine Boat Tour (Bateaux Mouches): Touristy but worthwhile — especially in the evening when the monuments are illuminated. From 15€, duration: 1 hour. Departure: Pont de l'Alma.