Stories behind the famous Paris attractions

Since it was Valentine's Day it seems reasonable to continue with the romantic theme in the travel destination presentation. Therefore this blog post will be all about Paris, one of the top destinations in the world.

Open Travel presents the top 10 places of Paris which one should definitely visit while staying in the city. However, since Paris is one of the top travel destinations in the world, the famous sights are already familiar to most of us. Places like Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and Arc de Triomphe are familiar to us from movies, post cards and travel stories. But how many people actually know the history behind these world known touristical attractions?

Instead of listing (again) the same list of Paris's top attractions, we will provide some background information about some of the top sights. This way you will already have some basic knowledge about the places you will visit before your trip to Paris.

1. Louvre

Louvre is one of the world's largest museums and the most visited art museum in the world. The Louvre Palace, where the museum is housed, began as a fortress. Later on in the 17th Century it was turned into a place to display the royal collection by Louis XIV. Louvre was officially turned into a museum during the French Revolution to display the nation's masterpieces. From these times the museum's collection has grown under different leaders of France, and nowadays nearly 35 000 objects are exhibited over an area of 60 600 square metres. This huge collection attracts millions of visitors every year to view the famous pieces of art, such as the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci.

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If you want to stay close to Louvre to easily visit the museum during several days, take a look at our hotel offerings near Louvre.

2. Eiffer Tower

The Eiffel Tower is perceived as the symbol of Paris by many people. It was originally build  for the Paris's 1889 World Fair as the entrance arch and was the tallest building of the world at that time. The Tower received some criticism in its early years and was accused as being ugly and a sore for the eye by artists and inhabitants of Paris. Nowadays the Eiffel Tower is considered as a striking piece of structural art. It is one of the most visited places in Paris and in the world, and has become famous as being the stage for proposals and other romantic events.

If you want to admire the view of Eiffel Tower during the night from the window of your hotel room, check out our hotel offerings near the Eiffel Tower.

3. Notre Dame Cathedral

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The Notre Dame Cathedral, which name in French stands for Our Lady of Paris, is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris. It is widely considered as one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in Europe. During the French Revolution the Cathedral suffered desecration and much of its religious imageniry was damaged or destroyed. The Second World War also caused severe damange for the Notre Dame. In 1991 a major program of maintenance was initiated and planned to last for 10 years. However, the cleaning and restoration of delicate old sculptures has lasted now for 20 years.

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Check out hotels near the Notre Dame Cathedral from GalaHotels.

4. Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge is best know as the spiritual birthplace of the modern from of the can-can dance. It was originally introduced as a seductive dance, but evolved to a form of enternainment of its own. This lead to the introduction of cabarets acorss Europe. Nowadays Moulin Rouge, the Red Windmill, is known as a touristic attraction offering musical dance enterntainment for tourists. The old cabaret has been an inspiration to several movies and books which have introduced Moulin Rouge to the whole world.

The Moulin Rouge is situated in the Montmartre district of Paris. Check out hotels from the same area from GalaHotels.

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5. Catacombs of Paris

The Catacombs of Paris are an 18th Century burial place. The former mines of Paris were turned to burial places when all the grave yards of Paris became full. Bones from the graves above the ground were moved to the underground mines and the underground burial place consists of the remains of estimated 6 million people. Nowadays the catacombs are a creepy but famous touristical attraction. Only small part of the tunnels are available to public, but this over 300 km long pathway attracts people who seek for a place to hide.

This post introduced brief stories of just five Paris's famous attractions. What important place do you think is missing? If you have a story to tell about a place which is not mentioned, or wish to add something to the stories of the five places above, tell your story in the comments section!

If you still didn't plan a trip to Paris now is the right time! Our database has over 2000 hotels in Paris where you can stay while visiting the top attractions. Go to GalaHotels and find the best hotel for you with great prices!