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1. Hôtel des Invalides
The "invalides" for whom this imposing Hôtel was built were wounded soldiers of the late 17th century. Louis XIV had the building constructed between 1671 - 8, and there are still old soldiers housed here, although only a dozen or so compared to the 6,000 who first moved in. They share their home with the greatest French soldier of them all, Napoleon Bonaparte, whose body rests in a crypt directly below the golden dome of the Dôme Church. Other buildings accommodate military offices, the Musée de l'Armée and smaller military museums.
- 129 rue de Grenelle, 75007
- 01 44 42 37 72
- Open Apr - Sep: 10am - 6pm daily (Oct - Mar: until 5pm); closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 1 Nov, 25 Dec
- Admission € 6.00 adults; € 4.00 concessions; free under 12s
- Limited disabled access
- www.invalides.org
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.
- Versailles 78000
- RER line C to Versailles-Rive Gauche
- Open May - Sep: 9am - 6:30pm Tue - Sun; Oct - Apr: 9am - 5:30pm Tue - Sun
- Admission charge
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 notorious place in history during the Revolution, when more than 4,000 citizens were held prisoner here, half of whom were led to the guillotine. It remained a prison until 1914.
- 1 quai de l'Horloge, 75001
- Open Apr - Sep: 9:30am - 6:30pm daily; Oct - Mar: 10am - 5pm daily
- Admission charge
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.
- 4 blvd du Palais, 75001
- Open 8:30am - 6:30pm Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 6:30pm Sat
- Free
5. Hôtel Dieu 10
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 German 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 second abdication here in 1815.
- 5 rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré 75008
- Closed to the public
7. Hôtel de Ville
Paris's town 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
- Open for tours only (booking essential)
- Free
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, but France's first printing house was also established here in 1469. After suppression during the Revolution it became the University of Paris.
- 47 rue des Ecoles, 75005
- 01 40 46 21 11
- Group tours only, 9:30am & 2:30pm Mon - Fri (advance booking)
- Admission charge
10. Palais du Luxembourg
Marie de Médicis, widow of Henri IV, had architect Salomon de Brosse model this striking palace after her childhood home, the Pitti Palace in Florence. Shortly after its completion in 1621, however, she was exiled by her son, Louis XIII. It was seized from the crown during the Revolution to become a prison, but the building is now home to the French Senate.
- 5 rue de Vaugirard, 75006
- 01 42 34 20 00
- Open 1st Sun of month for reserved tours
- Admission charge
