In 1670, Louis XIV - the Sun King - founded Les Invalides near what was then called the Grenelle Plain. An old soldiers home, it was funded by a five year levy on the salaries of soldiers currently serving in the army at that time. The first stones were laid in 1671, for what was to become a complex providing quarters for 4,000. Construction followed plans drawn up by Libéral Bruant, and was completed in 1676. The Esplandade was layed out by Robert de Cotte. A masterpiece of seventeenth century architecture, the hotel occupies a large quadrilateral. Built by Libéral Bruant from 1671 to 1676, then by Mansart, it is one of the most prestigious buildings in Paris. It houses 4 museums: the Musée de l'Armée, the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine, the Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération, the Musée des Plans et Reliefs.

Subway: Louvre

The Louvre may be the world's greatest art museum - but it's also the one most avoided by visitors to Paris. Daunted by its size and overwhelming richness, many people head to smaller galleries. But if you have even the merest interest in the fruits of human civilisation from antiquity to the 19th century, then visit you must. To make your visit more enjoyable, pick up one of the useful map-guides and check out the works you really want to see, concentrating on only a couple of sections of the museum. The most famous works from antiquity include the Seated Scribe, the Jewels of Rameses II and the armless duo - the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo. From the Renaissance, don't miss Michelangelo's Slaves, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and works by Raphael, Botticelli and Titian. French masterpieces of the 19th century include Ingres' La Grande Odalisque, Géricault's The Raft of the Medusa and the work of David and Delacroix.

In 1871 the railway company of Orleans bought the site. Victor Lalous had the duty to integrate the station in the urban middle class setting.
Only two years were necessary to finish the construction which was inaugurated during the Universal Exhibiton of 1900. The railway passed by Nantes, Bordeaux, and Toulouse. In 1939, the lines were abandoned and the station took little by little the appearance of a sales room, of a theatre, or was used as a movie setting…

The building was saved from destruction thanks to a new interest in the architecture of the middle of the 19th Century. It has been a Historical Monument since the 8th March, 1978.The museum opened on the 1stDecember, 1986. This museum of arts is devoted to paintings and sculptures. However, photography, architecture, arts and decoration and the whole artistic production from 1848 to 1914 arre also present.

The Bois de Boulogne, the lungs of the capital, has a very dense vegetation dominated in particular by oak trees, and also locust and cherry trees.Hornbeams, beeches, limes, cedars, redwoods, chestnuts and elm trees are also be found here. Rustic lawns and clumps of forests are intertwined by thirty-five kilometres of footpaths, eight kilometres of cycle paths and twenty-nine kilometres of riding tracks. Ideal for strolling and rich in history, the Bois de Boulogne also offers visitors many sporting amenities, tracks, swimming pool, riding clubs, stadiums; multiple and varied leisure pursuits - race track, cafes and restaurants, playgrounds and picnic areas, concessions, boat and bicycle hire; relaxation - Auteuil, Bagatelle and Pré-Catalan glasshouses and open-air theatre, not forgetting the Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires or the Jardin d'Acclimatation amusement park

The Grand Palais was originally built for the World Expo in 1900 and displays modern art. Work on it began in 1897, following the plans of architects Deglane, Louvet, and Thomas. The building measures 240 meters wide and 40 meters tall, and the façade, with its enormous porch and ionic columns, shows off Recipon's quadrigae. Ultimately, the Grand Palais is a harmonious blend of iron, stone, and glass. The central glass dome lets in light and offers a splendid view when the lights reflect off it at night.

Here in this historic place the stones now forming the Pont de la Concorde were laid one upon another to construct the castle called "The Bastille St. Antoine" (bas-teel' san on-twon'). The orginal structure was an old fortified city gateway erected in 1369-83 by Kings Charles V. and VI. The fortress was turned into a state prison, and as such became intolerably odious during the-years of French history preceding the Revolution. In July, I789, the populace, disturbed by the rumor that royal regiments were marching on the city, gathered arms, and in a hysterical insurrection swept down upon the Bastille and assaulted it desperately. On the I4th of July Governor Delaunay, who had only a small garrison to hold out with against the mob, surrendered, and both he and his soldiers were massacred. If you would know what this terrible scene was like and would feel the grip and thrill of it, turn to Carlyle's "French Revolution" and read the chapter on the fall of the Bastille. The old fortress was razed to the ground, and many and awful records were found within its grim walls. There is nothing now to define the location of the Bastille except a line of white stones running along the ground between the Rue St. Antoine and the Boulevard Henry IV. On one of the houses there is an inscription, together with a plan of the Bastille.

Built between 1508 and 1522, the 52 meter tall Gothic tower is the only surviving part of a whole church built here in the 16th century. It was located along the route taken by pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. The statue of the philosopher Pascal is because of his experiments on atmospheric pressure. Le Marais is the oldest corner of central Paris and is one of the best-loved districts. Crumbling and neglected Andre Malraux began regeneration in the early sixties. Its tiny streets still maintain their old-world charm but have been invaded by smart boutiques, restaurants and art galleries. Very centrally located, this area is full of smaller and charming neighbourhoods with many museums and places of interest including views of the spiritual and architectural centrepiece of Paris Notre-Dame.