City of Light

Paris architecture

The Eiffel Tower was originally built as a temporary exhibit for the 1889 World's Fair and was almost torn down for scrap metal shortly after. Today, Paris remains the 'City of Light,' a name earned both for its historical role in the Enlightenment and its early adoption of gas street lighting.

10Landmarks
1248Oldest · Sainte-Chapelle
330 mTallest · Eiffel Tower
10Architects

Eiffel Tower
Louvre Museum (Pyramid)
Arc de Triomphe

Before you go

Fly intoCDG (CDG)
Charles de Gaulle's circular Terminal 1 is a 1970s futuristic masterpiece featuring glass skywalks that criss-cross over a central atrium. The airport is a massive, self-contained city that even includes its own internal rail system to move passengers between its sprawling complexes.
CurrencyEuro (€)
LanguageFrench
French is the cherished language of the city, and social etiquette requires a polite 'Bonjour' before starting any conversation. English is widely understood in hotels and restaurants, but making an effort with basic French phrases is highly appreciated.
Getting aroundThe Métro
The Paris Métro is iconic for its Art Nouveau station entrances designed by the architect Hector Guimard. RER express trains provide faster, deeper connections between the city center and the outer suburbs like Versailles. The Batobus is a hop-on-hop-off water bus service that stops at major landmarks along the Seine.

Recorded in the app

Fly the Paris tour

Press play on the guided tour and Stamped! flies you over Paris in photoreal 3D, past Palais Garnier, the Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle, the Centre Pompidou, the Panthéon and the Eiffel Tower, with a card and a Look Around preview at every stop.

10 landmarks in Paris

Photo: Benh LIEU SONG, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Eiffel Tower

Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France

Originally built as a temporary entrance arch for the 1889 World's Fair, it was almost demolished in 1909 before its value as a radiotelegraph station was realized. Constructed from 18,000 puddled iron parts and held together by 2.5 million rivets, it remains the ultimate global icon of France. The tower's height actually fluctuates by several centimeters throughout the year due to the thermal expansion of the iron in the sun. Visitors can ascend to three different levels, with the highest deck providing a breathtaking view of the Seine and the city's Haussmann architecture. It is repainted every seven years with 60 tons of bronze-toned paint to protect the structure from the elements.

Built
1889
Architect
Gustave Eiffel
Style
Early Modern / Iron Lattice
Height
330 m (1,083 ft)
Stories
3
Today
Observation / Telecom
Photo: Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Louvre Museum (Pyramid)

Musée du Louvre, Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France

The controversial glass and metal pyramid, commissioned by President François Mitterrand, serves as the main entrance to the world's largest art museum. It was designed to alleviate the pressure of the museum's massive visitor flow while modernizing the historic courtyard of the former royal palace. The structure consists of 603 rhombus-shaped and 70 triangular glass segments, creating a stark but beautiful contrast with the surrounding Renaissance facades. Beneath the pyramid lies the vast 'Carrousel du Louvre,' an underground complex that connects the museum's three main wings. Despite early criticism, the pyramid has become a beloved landmark that symbolizes the fusion of historical tradition and modern innovation.

Built
1989
Architect
I.M. Pei
Style
Renaissance / Modernist (Pyramid)
Height
22 m (72 ft)
Stories
4
Today
Art Museum
Sacré-Cœur Basilica

35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris, France

Located at the highest point in the city on Montmartre hill, this Romano-Byzantine basilica offers one of the most famous panoramic views of Paris. The building is constructed from Château-Landon stones, a unique travertine that secretes calcite, allowing it to self-bleach and remain stark white even against city pollution. Its interior features one of the world's largest mosaics, depicting Christ in Majesty with a flaming heart. The basilica was built as a national penance following the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War and the social turmoil of the Paris Commune. For over a century, a continuous prayer for peace has been maintained within its walls, day and night.

Built
1914
Architect
Paul Abadie
Style
Romano-Byzantine
Height
83 m (272 ft)
Stories
1
Today
Church
Photo: ZeusUpsistos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Arc de Triomphe

Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, France

Commissioned by Napoleon after his victory at Austerlitz, this massive Neoclassical monument honors those who fought and died for France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The names of all French victories and generals are inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its central vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I, where an eternal flame is rekindled every evening. The monument stands at the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle, the nexus of twelve radiating avenues that form a spectacular star pattern. Visitors can climb to the attic level to view a small museum and enjoy a unique perspective looking straight down the Champs-Élysées.

Built
1836
Architect
Jean Chalgrin
Style
Neoclassical
Height
50 m (164 ft)
Stories
1
Today
National Monument
Centre Pompidou

Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004 Paris, France

This high-tech architectural landmark is famously described as an 'inside-out' building due to its exposed structural and mechanical systems. The functional elements are color-coded: blue for air conditioning, green for plumbing, yellow for electricity, and red for circulation like elevators. This radical design was intended to maximize the interior space for the Musée National d'Art Moderne, the largest of its kind in Europe. The building's massive exterior 'caterpillar' escalator provides visitors with a rising view of the surrounding Marais district. It remains a center for multidisciplinary culture, housing a vast public library and a renowned center for music and acoustic research.

Built
1977
Architect
Renzo Piano & Richard Rogers
Style
High-Tech
Height
42 m (138 ft)
Stories
6
Today
Modern Art Museum
Photo: Peter Rivera, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Palais Garnier

Place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris, France

The Palais Garnier is a masterpiece of Neo-Baroque architecture and served as the primary setting for Gaston Leroux's 'The Phantom of the Opera.' The building is renowned for its Grand Staircase made of white marble and its auditorium featuring a 7-ton bronze and crystal chandelier. In 1964, the ceiling was famously repainted by Marc Chagall, depicting scenes from operas by famous composers. The exterior is adorned with intricate friezes, columns, and gilded statues that reflect the opulence of the Second Empire. It continues to host world-class ballet performances while its museum exhibits centuries of operatic history.

Built
1875
Architect
Charles Garnier
Style
Beaux-Arts / Second Empire
Height
56 m (184 ft)
Stories
5
Today
Opera House / Museum
Photo: Moonik, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Panthéon

Place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris, France

Originally built as a church dedicated to Saint Genevieve, the Panthéon was transformed during the French Revolution into a secular mausoleum. It contains the remains of distinguished French citizens including Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie. The building's dome is a significant engineering feat of the 18th century, blending the lightness of Gothic architecture with classical Greek forms. It is also the site where Léon Foucault first demonstrated the Earth's rotation in 1851 using a heavy brass pendulum suspended from the ceiling. Its massive Corinthian columns and pediment sculptures make it the dominant landmark of the Latin Quarter.

Built
1790
Architect
Jacques-Germain Soufflot
Style
Neoclassical
Height
83 m (272 ft)
Stories
1
Today
Mausoleum
Fondation Louis Vuitton

8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris, France

Designed by Frank Gehry, this art museum features 12 massive curved glass 'sails' that mimic the movement of a ship in the wind. The building is a hallmark of 21st-century deconstructivist architecture, utilizing complex 3D modeling to achieve its irregular, flowing shapes. It is situated within the Jardin d'Acclimatation, and its many terraces offer unique views of the Bois de Boulogne and the La Défense skyline. The structure is supported by an intricate skeleton of wood and steel beams that are visible through the transparent glass skin. Inside, the galleries host high-profile contemporary art exhibitions and musical performances in a state-of-the-art auditorium.

Built
2014
Architect
Frank Gehry
Style
Deconstructivism
Height
46 m (151 ft)
Stories
4
Today
Art Museum
Photo: Didier B (Sam67fr), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Sainte-Chapelle

10 Boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris, France

Built by King Louis IX to house the Crown of Thorns, this royal Gothic chapel is considered one of the greatest architectural gems of the Middle Ages. The upper chapel is famous for its 15 massive stained-glass windows, which depict over 1,100 scenes from the Bible. These windows are so expansive that they nearly replace the walls, creating a 'jewel box' effect where light floods the space in deep reds and blues. The lower chapel served as the parish for the palace staff and features beautifully painted vaulted ceilings and fleur-de-lis motifs. Today, the chapel is a popular venue for evening classical music concerts due to its incredible acoustics and atmospheric lighting.

Built
1248
Architect
Pierre de Montreuil
Style
Gothic (Rayonnant)
Height
42 m (138 ft)
Stories
2
Today
Historic Monument
La Grande Arche

1 Parvis de la Défense, 92800 Puteaux, France

La Grande Arche is a modern interpretation of the Arc de Triomphe, designed as a massive hollow cube clad in white Carrara marble and glass. The structure is so large that it could theoretically fit the entirety of Notre-Dame Cathedral within its central opening. It serves as the terminal point of the 'Historical Axis,' a straight line of monuments that stretches from the Louvre through the Tuileries and the Arc de Triomphe. The building functions primarily as government offices, but its roof level houses a large exhibition space and an observation deck. It stands as a symbol of the La Défense business district, marking Paris's expansion into the 20th-century corporate world.

Built
1989
Architect
Johan Otto von Spreckelsen
Style
Modernist / Brutalist
Height
110 m (361 ft)
Stories
35
Today
Office / Observation