Paris à Pied – Part 3

You can’t walk around Paris without noticing the monuments, but how is the best way to make sure you definitely don’t miss anything? This is part three of a three part series, guiding you on a walk around Paris. If you wish to start with Part one, please click here. If you wish to then read Part two, please click here.

Starting by the Eiffel Tower, cross the Seine over the Pont d’Iena and walk towards the Palais de Chaillot, originally an exhibition centre and now a Naval Museum. Walk past the fountains and climb the stairs. Once at the top, you are at a magnificent spot for taking photos of the Eiffel Tower. You can also buy it on a keyring off one of the street sellers if you are so inclined.

Once you have enough photos, cross Avenue President Wilson and turn North East (right) onto Avenue Kleber. Walk the length of this road until you come to the Charles de Gaulle Etoile and the Arc du Triomphe. It stands on an island where twelve roads meet. Crossing here is suicide, so if you want to take a closer look, use the underpass. It is possible to climb to the top of the Arc and take in another view of Paris.

From here, walk East along the Champs Elysees. This is probably the most famous street in Paris and is a very long one. It is long enough to have a different atmosphere in different areas. Initially it is a wide boulevard of high-end shops and department stores. Once you pass the Franklin D Roosevelt Metro though, it becomes more like a walk through a park, as the shops give way to surrounding greenery. Make sure you look South (right) along Avenue Winston Churchill for a splendid view of Invalides. A little later, le Grand Palais is on the right. It hosts a variety of exhibits and may be worth a visit depending on whether their current exhibit takes your fancy.

At the end of Avenue Champs Elysees, you come to Place de la Concorde, which is Paris’ largest square but in the 18^th century was the location of thousands of executions by guillotine, including those of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Happily, the guillotine was removed and now a large 3,300 year old obelisk stands in it’s place. The obelisk was given to France by Egypt in 1829 and the hieroglyphs represent the reigns of Kings Ramses II and Ramses III.

When you have had a good look at the obelisk, cross Concorde and enter the Jardin des Tuileries. You can grab a seat near the magnificent pond and drinks and snacks are available nearby.

If you continue South East (straight ahead) the Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa, amongst others, presents itself, along with it’s futuristic glass pyramids out front.

Of course if you want to get out of the city centre another way to see a different side to Paris is to buy Disneyland Paris tickets. It certainly offers an alternate walk!