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Archaeology Travel City Guide Paris

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Along the banks of the river are architectural masterpieces from the Cathedral of Notre-Dame and the Sainte Chapelle, to the Eiffel Tower and the Palais de Chaillot, representing an extraordinary history from the Medieval to the 20th century. On the same river bank in the 1990s archaeologists recovered 6,000 year old canoes during excavations of an early Neolithic settlement. This collection of culturally significant landmarks is why that part of the French capital along the banks of the Seine is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Not surprisingly then Paris is one of the most visited destinations in the world. Unfortunately it is also one of the most expensive. Our Paris Travel Guide, produced specifically for History Buffs, is not only packed with suggestions for what are the must see attractions and museums, but also money saving tips for what to see and do in Paris.

Reasons to Visit Paris

Museums & Art Galleries,

Emperors, Kings & Queens,

Historic Landmarks,

… and the Café Culture.

What's On in Paris 2023

Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs
7 April – 6 September 2023

Picasso and Prehistory
8 February – 12 June 2023

Picasso Celebration
7 March – 27 August 2023

Find Places to Visit in Paris

Five Popular Attractions in Paris

Louvre Glass Pyramid Sunrise

Louvre Museum

La Sainte Chapelle

Sainte-Chapelle

VERSAILLES, FRANCE - AUGUST 12, 2021 : Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces), Versailles, Paris, France

Palace of Versailles

Musee Cluny Paris

Cluny Museum

Paris Catacombs

Paris Catacombs

Inspiration & Itineraries

Roman Bath House Paris

Prehistoric & Ancient Paris

Eiffel Tower Sunset

3 Days in Paris

Luxor Obelisk Place De La Concorde

Ancient Egypt in Paris

Explore Paris More Deeply

What to See in Paris

With the following thematic guides to sites and museums in Paris, you can find further visitor information, as well as plan a personal itinerary for your visit to Paris. You can also create travel lists (such as places you have been to, places you would like to visit). Your itinerary and lists can also be shared with your friends and to your social media accounts. To see the further details and make use of our itinerary builder, you will need to login or register as a new user. Registering and using these features is free of charge.

Roman Paris - Lutece

The Roman settlement, originally named Lutetia and later Lutèce, was located on the Left Bank at Sainte Geneviève Hill and the Île de la Cité. Until the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, Lutèce became a prosperous city with substantial palaces, baths, temples and theatres, as well as a forum and an amphitheatre (Arènes de Lutèce). Few of these buildings survive today, but the most impressive is the public baths – one of the largest surviving Roman buildings in north western Europe (Thermes de Cluny). Remains of the later Roman period of Paris have been uncovered in and can be seen at the La crypte archéologique de l’île de la Cité in front of Notre Dame Cathedral.

See Roman Sites & Museums In Paris

Palaces & Castles

For anyone visiting Paris with a penchant for castles, there are many to choose from that are within easy reach of the city. A number of these are only an hour or so by car, train, or metro and can be easily visited in a single day trip from Paris. As they are further out and many little-known, visiting these chateaux is often a great way to escape the crowds of Paris for a while. Once private or official residences, some now are home to world-class collections of all sorts of objects and artefacts. Whatever your interests, spectacular architecture with sumptuous interiors, gorgeous gardens or wild forests, culture and history, you are sure to find it at one
Visit Palaces & Castles In & Near Paris

Holocaust, WWII & the Third Reich

Paris is not widely thought of as a destination where visitors can explore the stories of World War II. For a start, the city itself was not as visibly marked and dramatically scarred by the war as many other European cities were. More significantly, and for understandable reasons, the French capital tends to be overlooked for the D-Day Beaches. Perhaps most visitors know that Paris was occupied by the German Third Reich from 14 June 1940 to 25 August 1944. Few are aware, however, that beyond a few memorials and museums Paris has a number of poignant landmarks that tell the many, varied stories of a city under siege and an occupied nation’s complicity in the Holocaust.

Visit World War II Sites & Memorials In Paris
The D'Orsay Museum and the banks of the Seine River lit up at night.night,

Museums & Art Galleries

With over 130 museums in the greater Paris region, choosing which ones to visit takes a bit of planning. Generic lists of ‘must see museums’, or X’s top 30 recommendations often only have a limited value as they are created for broad appeal. Our list of museums and art galleries in Paris attempts to order and rank the various institutions thematically. Any attempt to group disparate museums is going to be problematic, but thematic groupings do have some value in showing what is there for you to visit.

Visit Museums & Art Galleries In Paris

Plan Your Trip to Paris

Create Your Own Paris Sightseeing Itinerary

Using the thematic guides linked to above you can create your own travel lists (such as places you have been to, places you would like to visit) and itinerary for your Paris visit. These lists and itinerary can also be shared with your friends, privately and on social media. To make use of this feature, you will need to login or register as a new user. Registering to use these our itinerary builder is free of charge. For your convenience we have also produced an A – Z list of Art, Archaeology & History Sites & Museums in Paris, France.