What else is there to say about Paris that hasn’t already been said? There are those who consider it splendid and others a city like any other. There are those who believe that it is the capital of lovers and those who think that there is also something else interesting to do, as well as kissing against a low wall on the Seine. Of course, there are places in Paris that are hopelessly romantic: Montmartre seen from an attic; the soft lights of the cafes in the Latin Quarter, among students and professors in free exit; the squares and corners of the Marais district.
1-The D’Orsay Museum
The very place where the Orsay Museum stands can be defined as the first “work” of its collections, because it was built in the old Orsay station on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900. Located in the heart of Paris, along the Seine, the Orsay Museum has an ancient and precious charm: the structure and architecture of the Museum are absolutely modern, but observing the complex from certain points, you will be surprised to see the skeleton just hinted at the old station. The works of art follow one another, enchanting the eyes, rivaling in beauty and quantity with the nearby and more famous Louvre. Manet’s meadows and Monet’s poppies, van Gogh’s self-portrait and Gauguin’s beautiful Tahitian girls: if you’ve ever heard of one of these paintings, you’ll find it here, along with thousands of other works of art.
2-The Louvre in Paris
A tip: if you are lucky enough to enter the Louvre once in your life, do not waste your strength fighting with the Japanese to take a picture of the Mona Lisa. It might be a good idea to start your visit right from the Mona Lisa, because once you get rid of this obsessive thought, you will be more open to all the other works, which deserve your attention, and how they deserve it. There is everything in the Louvre and it is not possible to admire hundreds of masterpieces in a single day: if you are unable to plan a multi-day visit, our suggestion is to choose in advance which works to see.
3-Eiffel Tower
The story can only begin with the Eiffel Tower, the most famous symbol of Paris. Inaugurated in 1889, on the occasion of the X Universal Exposition (and on the centenary of the French Revolution), this gigantic tower, in the original design, should have been dismantled twenty years after its construction. And instead, not only did it go through the whole of the 1900s, but in the 21st century, thanks above all to the enormous potential of the network, it was definitively consecrated as a planetary icon, capable of attracting millions of visitors every year. And to think that at the beginning the project was strongly opposed by the Parisian public opinion. There were even those who called it “a threat to French history”. Today, on the contrary, those wishing to climb to the top, without settling for the classic photo on the Champs de Mars esplanade, must book well in advance.
4-Arch of Triumph
After the Eiffel Tower it is the turn of the Arc de Triomphe, another undisputed symbol of the Parisian identity. It is located in situ Charles de Gaulle, once the Place d’Étoile, at the western end of the legendary Champs Elysees, which we will discuss more fully in the next point. The Arch was strongly desired by Napoleon Bonaparte who entrusted its construction to the architect Jean Chalgrin. The latter, however, died in 1811, five years after the beginning of the work, which was thus inaugurated only in 1836, thirty years after the first stone was laid. Inspiration is the Arch of Titus in Rome, even if the Arch of Triumph, emblem of the grandeur of the Napoleonic Empire, exceeds by almost three times the monument of the Flavian era. In 1921 the Unknown Soldier was buried at the base of the Parisian Arch in memory of the dead from beyond the Alps of the First World War. Since then, the Arc de Triomphe has become the starting point for all the most important state parades. Above all that of 14 July, commemoration of the Storming of the Bastille. The Arc de Triomphe is located at the confluence of 12 boulevards. We are therefore talking about one of the busiest areas of the capital by far. Therefore, thinking of getting there simply by crossing the street is very dangerous. An underground passage near the Place Charles de Gaulle Metro Station leads to the entrance of the monument from which, in turn, you go up to the panoramic terrace with one of the most spectacular views of Paris.
