Paris

Introduction & Top Questions
Character of the city
Landscape
- City site
- Climate
- City layout
  - Île de la Cité
  - Notre-Dame de Paris
  - Île Saint-Louis
  - The Louvre
  - The “Triumphal Way”
  - Around the Eiffel Tower
  - The Invalides
  - The ministry quarter
  - The Institute of France
  - Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter
  - The Rue de Rivoli and Right Bank environs
  - The Hôtel de Ville
  - The Bastille
  - The Marais
  - The Halles
  - The Buttes
  - Modern business quarters
People
Economy
- Manufacturing
- Finance and other services
- Transportation
Administration and society
- Government
- Municipal services
- Health
- Education
Cultural life
History
- Foundation and early growth (c. 7600 bce to 12th century ce)
- Medieval development and discord (12th century to 16th century)
- From Renaissance architecture to beautification schemes (15th century to 18th century)
- Paris during and after the French Revolution (1789 to mid-19th century)
- Haussmann’s Paris (mid-19th century to 1968)
- The city of grands projets (1968 to 21st century)

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Paris; Eiffel Tower

View of the Seine River along the Ile Saint-Louis in Paris, with bare tree branches in the foreground and historic buildings lining the riverbank.

Antique map of Paris and its surrounding areas from around 1900, with the city center shaded in pink and major roads, railways, and neighboring towns labeled. The map details the layout of Paris and nearby suburbs, showing rivers, parks, and key transportation routes.

Paris Street; Rainy Day and a vision of the modern city

Paris: Sainte-Chapelle

Notre-Dame de Paris

Two stone gargoyles, one birdlike and one horned and crouching, perch on the edge of Notre-Dame Cathedral overlooking the rooftops of Paris.

At a Glance

default image

Paris: Media

national capital, France

Videos

Paris Street; Rainy Day and a vision of the modern city

Paris Street; Rainy Day and a vision of the modern city

Painted in 1877, Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street; Rainy Day exemplifies...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

History of Élysée Palace in France

History of Élysée Palace in France

Overview of the Élysée Palace, Paris.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Tour the city of Paris and explore the Eiffel Tower, the Sacre-Coeur cathedral, and the Louvre

Tour the city of Paris and explore the Eiffel Tower, the Sacre-Coeur cathedral, and the Louvre

This video gives an overview of the city of Paris in the late 20th century. It is...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Walk along Paris's Seine River and take in the cafes, monuments, and museums of the City of Light

Walk along Paris's Seine River and take in the cafes, monuments, and museums of the City of Light

Scenes of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Champs-Élysées

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Explore the breathtaking architecture of Eiffel Tower, Louvre Pyramid, Arc de Triomphe and the bustling city life of Paris

Explore the breathtaking architecture of Eiffel Tower, Louvre Pyramid, Arc de Triomphe and the bustling city life of Paris

Timelapse video of Paris, France, produced by independent filmmaker Mayeul Akpovi.

Video: © Mayeul Akpovi (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

Images

Paris; Eiffel Tower

Paris; Eiffel Tower

View of the Paris skyline from Montparnasse.

© Natthawat—Moment/Getty Images

Paris

Paris

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

View of the Seine River along the Ile Saint-Louis in Paris, with bare tree branches in the foreground and historic buildings lining the riverbank.

Paris, France

The Seine River flows past the Île Saint-Louis in Paris, France.

Dana Hyde/Photo Researchers

Antique map of Paris and its surrounding areas from around 1900, with the city center shaded in pink and major roads, railways, and neighboring towns labeled. The map details the layout of Paris and nearby suburbs, showing rivers, parks, and key transportation routes.

map of Paris c. 1900

Map of Paris, c. 1900, from the 10th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Paris

Paris

Paris and its metropolitan area.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Pont Neuf

Pont Neuf

Pont Neuf over the Seine River, Paris.

David Monniaux

Paris: Sainte-Chapelle

Paris: Sainte-Chapelle

Interior of the Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, consecrated in 1248 as the palace chapel...

© javarman/Fotolia

Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris

West facade of Notre-Dame de Paris, France.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Two stone gargoyles, one birdlike and one horned and crouching, perch on the edge of Notre-Dame Cathedral overlooking the rooftops of Paris.

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Gargoyles on the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, added by restoration architect...

© Michalakis Ppalis/Dreamstime.com

Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris at night.

Geoff Tompkinson/GTImage.com (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

Crowds of visitors walk in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris, with the modern glass pyramid entrance designed by I.M. Pei beside the historic building.

Louvre Museum

Louvre Museum, Paris, with pyramid designed by I.M. Pei.

© irisphoto1/Shutterstock.com

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, oil painting showing a woman with a slight smile and folded hands, seated before a distant, hazy landscape.

Leonardo da Vinci: Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, 1503–19; in the Louvre,...

© Everett-Art/Shutterstock.com

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris, designed by Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine,...

© TAOLMOR/Shutterstock.com

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Paris

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (detail), Paris.

© TAOLMOR/Shutterstock.com

Paris: Place de la Concorde

Paris: Place de la Concorde

Hôtel de Crillon (left) and Hôtel de la Marine, facing the Place de la Concorde,...

A. Boisuerd/Shostal Associates

Paris: Luxor Obelisk

Paris: Luxor Obelisk

The Luxor Obelisk on the Place de la Concorde, Paris.

© ArTo/Fotolia

Arc de Triomphe, Paris

Arc de Triomphe, Paris

Arc de Triomphe, Paris, designed by Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin, 1806–36.

© Corbis

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Eiffel Tower, Paris, designed by Gustave Eiffel, 1887–89.

AbleStock.com/Jupiterimages

Paris: Military Academy

Paris: Military Academy

The Military Academy (École Militaire), built by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, on the Champ-de-Mars...

© Tupungato/Fotolia

Dome des Invalides in Paris, France, features a grand baroque facade and a prominent gold-domed roof, with people walking in the courtyard below.

Dôme des Invalides

Dôme des Invalides, Paris, designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, c. 1675.

© Sergey Kelin/Dreamstime.com

Les Invalides, Paris

Les Invalides, Paris

Les Invalides, Paris. Most of the complex was designed and built by Libéral Bruant...

© lornet/Fotolia

Musée d'Orsay: atrium

Musée d'Orsay: atrium

Atrium in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

© Index Open

La Dame à la licorne

La Dame à la licorne

La Dame à la licorne (“The Lady and the Unicorn”), one of the six pieces...

© Leemage—Corbis/Getty Images

Palais-Royal, Paris

Palais-Royal, Paris

Palais-Royal, home of France's Conseil d'État and other government offices, Paris.

Jastrow

Comédie-Française

Comédie-Française

Comédie-Française, Paris, designed by Victor Louis, 1786–90.

Giraudon/Art Resource, New York

La Madeleine

La Madeleine

Front façade of La Madeleine (Church of St. Mary Magdalen), Paris.

© Goodshoot/Jupiterimages

Colored engraving showing a crowd of revolutionaries storming the Bastille fortress, with smoke and flames rising from a building, during the French Revolution on July 14, 1789.

Storming of the Bastille

The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, undated colored engraving.

© Photos.com/Getty Images

Hôtel de Soubise, Paris

Hôtel de Soubise, Paris

Salon de la Princesse in the Hôtel de Soubise, Paris, by Germain Boffrand, begun...

J.E. Bulloz

Montmartre district, Paris

Montmartre district, Paris

Shops and cafés in the Montmartre district, Paris.

© AlexKozlov/iStock.com

Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The Palais de la Bourse in Paris, France, features a grand neoclassical facade with tall columns and a French flag on the roof.

Paris: Stock Exchange

Stock Exchange (Palais de la Bourse), Paris.

© Petr Kovalenkov/Shutterstock.com

Paris: Gare de Lyon

Paris: Gare de Lyon

Trains at Gare de Lyon in Paris.

Geoff Tompkinson/GTImage.com (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

Paris

Paris

Baron Haussmann's modernization plan transformed many areas of Paris through the...

francois-roux—iStock/Thinkstock

German soldiers and officers stand atop the Arc de Triomphe overlooking Paris, with a large Nazi flag flying in the wind during the German occupation in World War II.

German occupation of Paris

The German flag flying from the Arc de Triomphe during the German occupation of Paris,...

© Ann Ronan Pictures—Print Collector/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Agence France-Presse

Agence France-Presse

The headquarters of Agence France-Presse, Paris.

David Monniaux

Frank Gehry: American Center

Frank Gehry: American Center

The American Center, Paris, designed by Frank Gehry, 1994.

© Scott Frances/ Esto

Paris: Arc de Triomphe

Paris: Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe, Paris.

© Digital Vision/Getty Images

Labrouste, Henri: Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève

Labrouste, Henri: Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève

Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris; designed by Henri Labrouste.

Pol

BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas headquarters, Paris.

Fred.th

Paris: Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont

Paris: Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont

The Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, Paris.

© Stefan Ataman/Shutterstock.com

Church of the Val-de-Grâce

Church of the Val-de-Grâce

Church of the Val-de-Grâce, Paris; designed by François Mansart and Jacques Lemercier.

David.Monniaux

Olivier de Clisson's residence

Olivier de Clisson's residence

Entrance gate to the former residence of Olivier de Clisson, 14th century, rue des...

PHGCOM

Modern condominium building in Paris with a penthouse area featuring multiple terraces and rooftop gardens with trees and shrubs.

penthouse

Penthouse area on a condominium building in Paris.

© Knud Nielsen/Shutterstock.com

Beaux-Arts, École des

Beaux-Arts, École des

École des Beaux-Arts, Paris.

KoS

Place des Abbesses metro station, Paris

Place des Abbesses metro station, Paris

Entrance to the Place des Abbesses metro station, Paris, France; designed by Hector...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

French Academy

French Academy

French Academy building, Paris.

© Jan Kranendonk/Fotolia

Grand Palais

Grand Palais

Exterior of the Grand Palais taken from the Pont Alexandre III, Paris.

© Adam Molata

Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint-Louis, on the Seine River at the heart of Paris.

Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint-Louis, on the Seine River at the heart of Paris.

Courtesy of the French Government Tourist Office

Bois de Boulogne

Bois de Boulogne

Jardin d'Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris.

David.Monniaux

Jardin des Plantes

Jardin des Plantes

Grande Galerie de l'Évolution (Grand Gallery of Evolution), Jardin des Plantes, Paris.

Pinpin

Ledru-Rollin, Alexandre-Auguste

Ledru-Rollin, Alexandre-Auguste

Alexandre-Auguste Ledru-Rollin, statue at the city hall building, Paris.

Harmonia Amanda

Fountain and the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, Paris.

Fountain and the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, Paris.

Josef Muench

Figure 86: The Church of the Madeleine, Paris, begun in 1806 by Pierre-Alexandre Vignon, completed 1842.

Figure 86: The Church of the Madeleine, Paris, begun in 1806 by Pierre-Alexandre...

Giraudon/Art Resource, New York

Bronze equestrian statue of Etienne Marcel in Paris, showing Marcel in medieval attire riding a horse, with a historic building in the background.

Étienne Marcel

Étienne Marcel, statue in Paris.

© homeros/Shutterstock.com

Nerval, Gérard de

Nerval, Gérard de

Gérard de Nerval, plaque in Paris.

Tangopaso

Shoppers browse fruit and vegetable stands at a busy outdoor market in Chaillot, Paris. A family with a child in a stroller walks past displays of cherries, melons, and other produce.

Outdoor market in Paris

Shopping for produce at an outdoor market in Paris.

© Meinzahn—iStock/Getty Images

Cour de Cassation

Cour de Cassation

Palace of Justice, which houses the Cour de Cassation, Paris.

Nitot

Brosse, Salomon de: Palais du Luxembourg

Brosse, Salomon de: Palais du Luxembourg

Palais du Luxembourg, Paris; designed by Salomon de Brosse.

© Valentin M Armianu/Dreamstime.com

The Pantheon in Paris, a neoclassical building with a large dome, tall columns, and detailed pediment, stands in the Quartier Latin with people and cars in front.

Panthéon

The Panthéon, Paris.

© Alexandre Fagundes De Fagundes/Dreamstime.com

Rows of soldiers in uniform march with flags near the Arc de Triomphe during the Great Victory Parade in Paris, France, celebrating the end of World War I.

Great Victory Parade

Parade celebrating Bastille Day and the end of World War I, Paris, July 14, 1919.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Paris skyline

Paris skyline

Paris skyline at dusk.

© Digital Vision/Getty Images

Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Picasso Museum

Picasso Museum

The Picasso Museum, which is housed in the Hôtel Salé, Paris.

Beckstet

Plate 1: Place de Vosges, Paris, built by the French king, Henry IV, 1605-12: group housing with a residential square and an arcaded walking area.

Plate 1: Place de Vosges, Paris, built by the French king, Henry IV, 1605-12: group...

Interphototheque Documentation Française Sodel

Place des Vosges

Place des Vosges

Place des Vosges, Paris.

Gryffindor

Aerial view of Paris, illustrating the work of city planner Baron Haussmann, prefect of the Seine département from 1853 to 1870.

Aerial view of Paris, illustrating the work of city planner Baron Haussmann, prefect...

© Pavel L Photo and Video/Shutterstock.com

Jean Perronet: Pont de la Concorde

Jean Perronet: Pont de la Concorde

The Pont de la Concorde, a stone arch bridge designed by Jean Perronet, spanning...

MBZT

Préfecture de Police headquarters

Préfecture de Police headquarters

Headquarters of the Préfecture de Police, Paris.

Thbz

Promenade Plantée, Paris

Promenade Plantée, Paris

A portion of the Promenade Plantée, Paris.

© Twice25

Promenade Plantée, Paris

Promenade Plantée, Paris

A portion of the Promenade Plantée, Paris.

© LPLT

Hôtel Ritz

Hôtel Ritz

Hôtel Ritz, Paris.

Jaume Meneses

Rodin Museum

Rodin Museum

Rodin Museum, Philadelphia.

Bobak Ha'Eri

The Rodin Museum in Paris, a grand classical building with symmetrical windows and a mansard roof, seen from its formal gardens with a sculpture and reflecting pool in the foreground.

Musée Rodin

Musée Rodin (Rodin Museum), formerly the Hôtel Biron, Paris.

© Zoran Karapancev/Shutterstock.com

The Seine River flowing through Paris.

The Seine River flowing through Paris.

© Tupungato/Shutterstock.com

Société Générale

Société Générale

The Société Générale headquarters, Paris.

Olivier Passalacqua

pedestal

pedestal

Statue of Henri IV on a pedestal, Paris.

Pol

UNESCO

UNESCO

UNESCO headquarters, Paris.

© UNESCO/Michel Ravassard

Vêndome Column

Vêndome Column

Vêndome Column in the Place Vêndome, Paris.

Benh LIEU SONG

Viaduc des Arts, Paris

Viaduc des Arts, Paris

A section of the Viaduc des Arts, Paris.

© Kiev.Victor/Shutterstock.com

Parisians celebrating their liberation take cover as German holdouts and French collaborators fire from surrounding rooftops, August 25, 1944.

Parisians celebrating their liberation take cover as German holdouts and French collaborators...

National Archives, Washington, D.C.

A scatter plot graph shows that as population density increases, annual per capita petroleum use decreases. Cities in the United States have low density and high petroleum use, while cities in Europe and Asia, such as Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, have higher density and lower petroleum use. The graph is divided into colored regions representing the United States, Australia and Canada, Europe, and the Far East and Russia.

petroleum use and population density

Graph showing the relationship between per capita petroleum use and urban population...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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