10 Must-See Monuments in Paris

Paris is a living art gallery. The City of Light is adorned with magnificent monuments across its twenty arrondissements. From Gothic and Renaissance statues and Beaux-Arts and Neoclassicism buildings, you can move through Paris as you would a museum, appreciating and interpreting how these creations have shaped the city over the years. Call them landmarks, attractions, or sites of heritage, these monuments in Paris are the mascots representing the history, identity, and culture of the French capital. Here are 10 of the best monuments in Paris that will undoubtedly catch your eye. 

Even better – you can visit most, if not all, of these monuments in Paris with Insight Vacations. Discover our Premium France tours here.

1. Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is the pièce de résistance, at least as far as visitors to Paris are concerned. Built in 1887 and completed in 1889, the Iron Lady was a marvel of engineering that debuted during the Exposition Universelle marking the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. You can take an elevator to the top of the tower where you’ll find a small museum or book reservations in the Eiffel Tower’s restaurants Le Jules Verne and Madame Brasserie.

The Eiffel Tower is at the top of most people’s must-visit list in Paris

2. Arc de Triomphe

Second only to the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe is one of the most well-known monuments in Paris. It predates the iron structure, though its 19th century construction spanned 30 years from 1806 through 1836. Napoleon commissioned it on his birthday but died before its completion. More than a beautiful monument on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, you can visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for free or purchase a ticket for the interior museum. 

3. Notre-Dame Cathedral

There are multiple Notre-Dame Cathedrals around France, but there is nothing like the Notre-Dame de Paris. Over 850 years old, it faced a devastating fire in 2019 but reopened in 2024. The famous cathedral is located on the Île de la Cité and is one of the most recognizable cathedrals in the world. 

4. Sainte-Chapelle

Another Gothic place of worship proudly standing as a must-see Paris monument, the Sainte-Chapelle was built in the 13th century. It features 1,113 stained glass windows, lending the feeling of stepping inside a kaleidoscope. Beyond the aesthetic beauty of the Sainte-Chapelle, it houses nearly two dozen religious relics including a fragment of the True Cross and the Crown of Thorns, two of the most important relics of the Passion of the Christ.  

The stained-glass windows of Sainte-Chapelle are a thing of beauty

5. Musée du Louvre

The Right Bank of the Seine River sees more visitors per year than some French towns, all thanks to the Louvre Museum. This monument in Paris is regularly the world’s most visited museum. You’re already familiar with its legendary works like de Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo by Alexandros of Antioch. The Louvre’s Pyramid entrance is a monument in itself: placed in the center of Cour Napoleon, the Pyramid’s construction was an impressive feat of engineering that is artfully detailed with lines and shapes reflecting the Cour’s palace, layout, and even courtyard paving.  

6. Musée d’Orsay

If the Louvre Museum is the star of the Seine’s Right Bank, then the Musée d’Orsay is the monument drawing crowds to the Left Bank. Its Beaux-Arts aesthetic is left over from its time as the former Gare d’Orsay railway station. Today, it’s beloved for its impressionist paintings inside, though gazing at the monument from the Tuileries Gardens on the opposite side of the Seine is pleasing enough. 

Experience it: Wander the sides of the River Seine with a stop in Paris on our Romantic European tour.

7. Panthéon

Paris isn’t the first city to erect a Pantheon, and the original in Rome is arguably the most notable, but the Paris monument of a similar design is just as memorable. Found in the Latin Quarter on Sainte-Geneviève mountain, the Paris Panthéon was built in honor of Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris. King Louis XV prayed to the saint during a serious illness, and when he recovered, he honored her with its construction in 1764.

Paris’s Panthéon, modelled after the Pantheon in Rome

8. Tuileries Gardens

Tuileries Gardens, or Jardin des Tuileries, is one monument in Paris with enviable neighbors: the Louvre Museum sits to the east and the Grand Palais to the west. The 17th century garden has dozens of statues laid amongst the gorgeous flowers, plants, and manicured lawns. What initially was planted as a private royal garden blossomed into an open-air museum for the public to enjoy. Although this Paris landmark is free to visit year-round, its operating hours do change by season. 

9. Basilica of Sacré-Cœur

For one of the best views of the sprawling city of Paris, head to the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur on Montmartre hill. It’s a popular monument that receives close to the same amount of attention as Notre-Dame; however, Sacré-Cœur is far younger at just over a century old. It was officially finished in 1914 and consecrated in 1919 after the project first began in 1873. Instead of the typical guided tours, visitors are encouraged to quietly attend audio-only tours so as to not disturb the thousands of parishioners who gather each week.

10. Paris Catacombs

Some monuments in Paris command attention in the center of a street; others, like the Paris Catacombs, are hidden in plain sight. Beneath the city’s roadways, you’ll find a labyrinth of tunnels housing the remains of over six million deceased. The ossuary opened in the 1780s to relocate those laid to rest in the city’s cemeteries that were causing public health problems. Burials stopped by the 1860s, though it was opened to the public for limited visitation as far back as 1809. Visitors are welcome to descend into the Paris Catacombs and see this subterranean cemetery for themselves.   

The Paris Catacombs house the bones of over 6 million people

6 More Must-See Monuments in Paris 

Now that you’ve seen the iconic monuments of Paris, take the time to stroll the streets in search of these unique, can’t-miss fixtures of the city. Believe it or not, statues of Winston Churchill, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Simón Bolívar stand tall in the French capital. 

11. The Triumph of the Republic & The Monument to the Republic

In the Place de la Nation and Place de la République you’ll find two similar-looking statues: one called the Triumph of the Republic, the other The Monument to the Republic. The former was created by Jules Dalou while the latter was a joint effort between Leopold and Charles Morice. Both commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the French Revolution. 

12. The Lion of Belfort (Le Lion de Belfort)

To the untrained eye, The Lion of Belfort near the Paris Catacombes seems like just another beautiful piece of artwork. Those with an affinity for French-created monuments should look closer and discover that the artist who sculpted this symbol of the French Resistance was none other than Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the creator of the Statue of Liberty. 

See monuments in Paris during a Champs Élysées drive on our Country Roads of France tour.

13. Tor Saint-Jacques

While many monuments in Paris commemorate the French Revolution, the Tor Saint-Jacques is one of the few that endured the time period. The 16th century tower is all that remains of the eponymous church that met its end during the Revolution. 

14. Napoleon’s Angels

Les Invalides is the final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte, and although his sarcophagus is the centerpiece, you’d do well to admire the angelic statues surrounding it. Napoleon’s Angels are a dozen life-sized stone statues watching over the former emperor. 

15. Flame of Liberty

The Flame of Liberty is a replica of the flame atop the Statue of Liberty in the United States. This monument in Paris took on a new significance in 1997 when Princess Diana died in the road tunnel beneath and became a shrine to the beloved Princess of Wales.