Three of the most famous Parisian Landmarks are the twelfth century Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris on the Ile’ de la Cite’ the nineteenth century Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe.

The Eiffel Tower was a "temporary" construction by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Universal Exposition but the tower was never dismantled and is now an enduring symbol of Paris. It is visible from many parts of the city as are the Montparnasse skyscraper and the Basilique du Sacre Coeur on the Montmartre hill.

The Historical axis is a line of monuments, buildings and thoroughfares that run in a roughly straight line from the city centre westwards: the line of monuments begins with the Louvre and continues through the Tuleries Gardens, the Champ Elisees and the Arc de Triomphe centred in the Place de l’Etoile circus. From the 1960s the line was prolonged even further west to the La Defense business district dominated by square-shaped triumphal Grand Arche of its own; this district hosts most of the tallest skyscrapers in the Paris urban area.

The Invalides museum is the burial place for many great French soldiers, including Napoleon, and the Pantheon church is where many of France's illustrious men and women are buried. The former Conciergerie prison held some prominent Ancien regime members before their deaths during the French Revolution Another symbol of the Revolution are the two Staturs of Liberty located on the Ile des Cygnes on the Seine and in the Luxembourg Garden. A larger version of the statues was sent as a gift from France to America in 1886 and now stands in New York City’s harbour.

The Palais Garnier built in the later Second Empire period, houses the Paris Opera and the Paris Opera Ballet, while the former palace of the Louvre now houses one of the most famous museums in the world. The Sorbonne is the most famous part of the University of Paris and is based in the centre of the Latin Quarter. Apart from Notre Dame de Paris, there are several other ecclesiastical masterpieces including the Gothic thirteenth century Saint-Chapelle palace chapel and the Eglise de la Madeleine.