Paris’ must-see architecture

There couldn’t be a more appropriate setting for Paris’ official museum of the Middle Ages than the Gothic townhouse – known as Hotel de Cluny. It was originally built by the Abbot of Cluny in 1330, and now stands as one of the oldest (former) private residences, and arguably the finest example of medieval civil architecture, in Paris.

Weapons, objets d’art, furnishings, stained-glass windows and manuscripts abound, but the star of the show is the celebrated late 15th-century La Dame a la Licorne (Lady and the Unicorn) tapestry cycle.

Interestingly, there are almost two museums here in one. The Hotel de Cluny is housed in the remains of a Roman thermal bathing complex. The baths, with 15m-high vaulted ceilings, have been restored and also now house the Pillar of the Nauti (Pillar of the Boatmen), the city’s oldest sculpture, dating back to 1349 AD.

A fine example of a Marais mansion, built in the 1620s, with sculpted allegorical figures of the seasons and the elements. 

When French civil engineer Gustave Eiffel won a competition to design a building that would be unveiled at the 1889 World Fair in Paris, no-one could have foreseen that it would become one of the most iconic structures on the planet. Eiffel’s design won out against 106 other entries, with digging begun in January 1887, and the tower completed in time for the Exposition Universale two years later, held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Much derided at the time – in spite of being the tallest building in the world – it was only meant to stand for twenty years. More than a century later it remains a much-loved and iconic symbol of Paris; if you can stomach the crowds and the ride up in the vintage lift, the view from the top remains an enchanting treat.

The world’s most visited museum, the Louvre dates back to the 13th century, and was the primary residence of the French Royal family until Louis XVI moved the household to the Palais of Versailles in 1682. It opened as a museum in 1793 with 537 paintings – mainly from the Royal collection; today it houses 35,000 works of art and 380,000 objects.

The building is almost as much of an attraction as the exhibits; explore the grand galleries with ornately painted ceilings, opulent stairways and remnants of a medieval Parisian palace. Let yourself wander – and wonder – your way through the museum’s beautifully laid out, labyrinthine halls and discover world-class Italian Renaissance and French Neoclassical and Romantic painting, antique sculpture, treasures from Ancient Egypt and Assyria, or medieval gold and silverwares.

The sheer wealth of exhibits in the Louvre can be intimidating on the one hand; on the other, it means there’s always something fascinating to discover.

Designed by Jean Nouvel in the 1980s, this eye-catching cultural centre pays homage to Arab architecture with a facade inspired by carved wooden screens.

Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano’s iconic inside-out building has a glass- and steel-frame, colour-coded exposed pipes, ducts and escalators.

The beautiful arcaded Place des Vosges was Paris’s first planned square, laid out by Henri IV in 1605.

Charles Garnier’s opera house oozes Second Empire style, with its green copper dome, florid marble, bronze sculptures, chandeliers and painted ceilings. A lavish blend of Baroque, Renaissance, and Classical styles.

Four L-shaped glass towers symbolise open books, while two levels of reading rooms overlook a central courtyard beneath a stepped wooden deck.

A brilliant example of glass and steel architecture, the Grand Palais mixes Classicism and Art Nouveau, colonnades and bravura sculptural groups.