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Paris Sightseeing: See The Best Views Of Paris

Paris is a vast, sprawling city full of wonders and delight, so big that when you’re in amongst it, it is easy to forget its scale and possibility. There will be times when you’d like simply to gaze across this metropolis.

Although many of the wide boulevards were designed to provide sight-lines and occasional elevated points deliver fine, often unexpected vantage points, it pays to know where to go for the truly magnificent views.

Paris is located on, and cut in half, by the river Seine which is the easiest point from which to orientate oneself. Within the Seine sit two inhabited islands, the Île Saint-Louis and the larger Île de la Cité, which is the heart and origin of the city.

Here you can visit Notre Dame, widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Climb the Notre-Dame towers (Tours de Notre-Dame) for a fantastic view 422 steps (226 feet) above ground level.

At 51 metres (165 feet) from ground level, the Arc de Triomphe provides a similarly spectacular view of Paris from a central point. The arch features an observatory from where you have great views of La Defence, the Champs-Elysées and the Sacré-Coeur. There is no elevator in the arch, so be prepared to walk up 234 steps.

Le Toit de la Grande Arche offers a fresh perspective away from the centre of Paris, looking in. The Grande Arche is a fine modern building in a newly redeveloped district of Paris. There is an amazing panorama from the rooftop here which stretches all the way to the Arc de Triomphe, of which Le Toit de la Grande Arche may be seen as some kind of futuristic echo.

Also further afield, but on the opposing side of Paris, sits the Tour Montparnasse from which the views are simply breathtaking. A 210m (689 foot) office tower, this was at one time the tallest building in Europe and remains the tallest skyscraper in France.

Why not take a relaxing cruise up the majestic Seine on board with Bateaux Parisiens River CruisesDo not miss this wonderful opportunity for any Paris visitor to better understand the geography of the city, to learn more of the history, and to see this city from a new perspective. You can see it all with the Paris Pass!