Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [114]
La Défense.
First conceived in 1958, this modernist suburb across the Seine from Neuilly was inspired by Le Corbusier’s dream of high-rise buildings, pedestrian walkways, and sunken vehicle circulation. An experiment to keep high-rises out of the historic downtown, this Parisian business hub has survived economic uncertainty to become a surprising success, dotted with modern art, public sculptures, hundreds of corporate offices, and even 20,000 residents. Crowning the main plaza is the iconic Grande Arche de La Défense, an enormous open cube of a building where tubular glass elevators whisk you 360 feet to the top. | Parvis de La Défense, La Défense | 92040 | 01–49–07–27–27 | www.grandearche.com | www.grandearche.com | Grande Arche €10 | Apr.–Aug., daily 10–8; Sept.–Mar. daily 10–7 | Station: Métro; RER: Grande Arche de LaDéfense.
Pont Neuf (New Bridge).
Crossing the Ile de la Cité, just behind Square du Vert-Galant, is the oldest bridge in Paris, confusingly called the New Bridge—the name was given when it was completed in 1607, and it stuck. It was the first bridge in the city to be built without houses lining either side, allegedly because Henri IV wanted a clear view of Notre-Dame from his windows at the Louvre. | Ile de la Cité | Station: Pont-Neuf.
FROM THE EIFFEL TOWER TO THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE
The Eiffel Tower (or Tour Eiffel, to use the French) lords over southwest Paris, and from nearly wherever you are on this walk you can see its jutting needle. For years many Parisians felt it was an iron eyesore and called it the Giant Asparagus, a vegetable that weighed 15 million pounds and grew 1,000 feet high. But gradually the tower became part of the Parisian landscape, entering the hearts and souls of Parisians and visitors alike. Thanks to its stunning nighttime illumination, topped by four 6,000-watt projectors creating a lighthouse beacon visible for 80 km (50 mi) around, it continues to make Paris live up to its moniker La Ville Lumière—the City of Light. Water is the second highlight here: fountains playing beneath Place du Trocadéro and boat tours along the Seine on a Bateau Mouche. Museums are the third; the area around Trocadéro is full of them. Style is the fourth, and not just because the buildings here are overwhelmingly elegant—but because this is also the center of haute couture, with the top names in fashion all congregated around Avenue Montaigne, only a brief walk from the Champs-Élysées, to the north.
TOP ATTRACTIONS FROM THE EIFFEL TOWER TO THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE
Arc de Triomphe.
Set on Place Charles-de-Gaulle—known to Parisians as L’Étoile, or the Star (a reference to the streets that fan out from it)—the colossal, 164-foot Arc de Triomphe arch was planned by Napoléon but not finished until 1836, 20 years after the end of his rule. It’s decorated with some magnificent sculptures by François Rude, such as the Departure of the Volunteers, better known as La Marseillaise, to the right of the arch when viewed from the Champs-Élysées. A small museum halfway up the arch is devoted to its history. France’s Unknown Soldier is buried beneath the archway; the flame is rekindled every evening at 6:30. | Pl. Charles-de-Gaulle, Champs-Élysées | 75016 | 01–55–37–73–77 | www.arc-de-triomphe.monuments-nationaux.fr | €9, under 18 free | Apr.–Sept., daily 10 AM–11 PM; Oct.–Mar., daily 10 AM–10:30 PM | Station: Métro; RER: Étoile.
Bateaux Mouches.
If you want to view Paris in slow motion, hop on one of these