Beyond the Eiffel tower: 5 iconic Paris landmarks you can't miss

Paris is a city known for its perfect blend of history, architecture, and art. This place is also known as the romantic city all over the world. Even though we’ve all wondered how iconic the Eiffel Tower is, it steals the attention away from other iconic places too. Paris has much more to offer than just the Eiffel Tower.

Let’s look at some places one can visit:

Musée du Louvre / Louvre Museum
This museum earlier served as a royal residence and was turned into a national museum in 1793. A national art museum in Paris, it is also one of the most famous museums in the world. One can look at some of the most beautiful artwork here such as the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. The museum, when opened, had 537 paintings, the majority of which were royal and confiscated Church property. The Musée du Louvre contains approximately 500,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments. One can buy a ticket to the museum through their online ticketing service and just has to select a time suitable to them or use the Paris Museum Pass. The tickets are free for people under the age of 18, but the general admission costs around 22 euros.

Arc de Triomphe
Located at Place Charles de Gaulle, this monument was built to honor those who had fought and died for France during the French Revolution and also the Napoleonic wars. The Arc de Triomphe took over 30 years to get constructed, from 1806 to 1836. This monument is inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus and also features relief sculptures, engraved names of generals and battles, and France’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath it, with an eternal flame renewed daily. People can buy the tickets to the monument through the official site of the monument, and the individual ticket costs around 16–22 euros depending on the time one is visiting, and it is free for people under 18 years of age.

Musée d'Orsay
Located on the banks of the river Seine, this museum is located in the Beaux-Arts railway station. Here, one can find French art dated from 1848 to 1914, which includes paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. This is also the second most visited art museum in France. There are around 3,000 art pieces at any time of the year. This museum has beautiful Beaux-Arts architecture and also offers the most breathtaking view of the river Seine. People need to book a ticket through their official site to visit the museum, and the entry ticket costs around 16 euros.

Notre-Dame Cathedral
One of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, it has beautiful rose windows, ribbed vaults, and iconic towers. This monument has been a center of both religious and civic life in France. This cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and has many decorations and artworks such as Gothic, Baroque, and 19th-century sculptures, 17th- and early 18th-century altarpieces, and some of the most important relics in Christendom, including the crown of thorns, and a sliver and nail from the True Cross. Visiting the Notre-Dame is free of cost and one can go directly to the cathedral, but booking a ticket through their official site is a better option to avoid the queues.

Sainte-Chapelle
A royal chapel with beautiful Gothic architecture is just majestic! This is also one of the earliest surviving buildings of the Capetian royal palace on the Île de la Cité. This place has now been turned into a museum but has the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections. Buying tickets through the site is a must to visit this beautiful monument, and it costs around €13 to €19 depending on the date of visit.