Paris Top 10 : Historic Buildings

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  1. Hôtel des Invalides




  2. Versailles

    Louis
    XIV turned his father’s old hunting lodge into the largest palace in
    Europe and moved his court here in 1678. It was the royal residence for
    more than a century until Louis XVI and his queen Marie-Antoinette fled
    during the Revolution .




  3. Conciergerie

    Originally
    home to the caretaker and guards of the Palais de Justice, the
    Conciergerie was turned into a jail at the end of the 14th century. It
    took its place in history during the Revolution, when more than 4,000
    citizens (including Marie-Antoinette) were held prisoner here, half of
    whom were guillotined. It remained a prison until 1914 .




    Conciergerie

  4. Palais de Justice

    The
    enormous building that now houses the French law courts and judiciary
    dates back to Roman times and was the royal palace until the 14th
    century, when Charles V moved the court to the Marais. During the
    Revolution, thousands were sentenced to death in the Première Chambre
    Civile, allegedly the former bedroom of Louis IX .




    Palais de Justice



  5. Hôtel Dieu

    The
    Hôtel Dieu, now the hospital for central Paris, was built on the site
    of a foundling home in 1866–78; the original 12th-century building on
    the Ile de la Cité was demolished during the urban renewal schemes of
    the 19th century. A monument in the courtyard commemorates a courageous
    battle here in 1944 when Paris police held out against the Nazis.

    • 1 pl du Parvis Notre-Dame, 75001




  6. Palais de l’Elysée

    This
    imposing palace has been the official residence of the President of the
    French Republic since 1873. It was built as a private mansion in 1718
    and subsequently owned by Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV, who
    extended the English-style gardens to the Champs-Elysées. Napoleon signed his abdication here in 1815.

  7. Hôtel de Ville

    Paris’s
    city hall sports an elaborate façade, with ornate stonework, statues
    and a turreted roof. It is a 19th-century reconstruction of the original
    town hall, which was burned down in the Paris Commune
    of 1871. Though the pedestrianized square in front is pleasant now, it
    was once the site of gruesome executions: Ravaillac, assassin of Henri
    IV, was quartered alive here in 1610.

    • 4 pl de l’Hôtel de Ville, 75001

    • 01 42 76 40 40

    • Open for tours only (booking essential: 01 42 76 54 04)

    • Free




    Hôtel de Ville

  8. Palais-Royal

    This
    former royal palace now houses State offices. Built by Cardinal
    Richelieu in 1632, it passed to the Crown on his death 10 years later
    and was the childhood home of Louis XIV. The dukes of Orléans acquired
    it in the 18th century.

    • Pl du Palais Royal, 75005

    • Closed to the public




  9. La Sorbonne

    The
    city’s great university had humble beginnings in 1253 as a college for
    16 poor students to study theology. France’s first printing house was
    also established here in 1469. After suppression during the Revolution
    it became the University of Paris .




  10. Palais du Luxembourg

    Marie
    de Médicis had architect Salomon de Brosse model this palace after her
    childhood home, the Pitti Palace in Florence. Shortly after its
    completion she was exiled by her son, Louis XIII. It was seized from the
    Crown during the Revolution to become a prison. The building now houses
    the French Senate. Nearby is the Musée du Luxembourg.

    • 15 rue de Vaugirard, 75006

    • 01 44 54 19 49

    • Open for reserved tours only; gardens open dawn-dusk

    • Admission charge




    Palais du Luxembourg