Traveling to Paris? 3 things to do aside from watching the Olympics
Paris, the home of the 2024 Summer Olympics, offers visitors a multitude of options. From tourist favorites like the Eiffel Tower to the underground catacombs, there is something for everyone.
The opening ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Olympics are imminent and the two-week-long event — from July 26 through Aug. 11 — plus the 11 days of the Paralympic Games afterward, are sure to bring millions of people to the City of Love.
Paris is already one of the most-visited places in the world, so it can seem overwhelming when trying to figure out what to see and do.
With that in mind, here are three things visitors to Paris can do in between cheering for their favorite athletes as they go for the gold.
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While the Eiffel Tower is a functioning radio and television transmitter, it is more than just that.
The Eiffel Tower has four "floors," including the ground floor, that are available for the public to visit.
The tower is home to four restaurants, including a champagne bar located on the tower's third floor – more than 900 feet above the ground.
For those who are not afraid of heights, a ticket option that includes a glass of champagne (or soft drinks) and caviar served at the very top of the Eiffel Tower is available for purchase on the Eiffel Tower's website.
Alternatively, for those who prefer dining at a slightly lower elevation, Le Jules Verne is a two-Michelin-starred restaurant located on the Eiffel Tower's second floor.
That's still 377 feet up in the air.
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"The magic of this location 125m up from ground level instantly bewitches diners, who are further captivated by the high-flying cuisine," the Michelin Guide's website said.
The guide continues, "When booking, ask for one of the tables near the windows, as the view over Paris through the tower's iron fretwork is nothing short of spectacular."
The tower's "first floor," which rises 187 feet in the air, is home to Madame Brasserie, a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, its website said.
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And for anyone looking to work off a meal, the first and second floors of the Eiffel Tower can be reached by stairs or elevator.
The Eiffel Tower's website recommends purchasing tickets in advance.
The largest cemetery in Paris, Père Lachaise Cemetery, is the final resting place for about 70,000 people – including some very well-known individuals.
French novelist Honoré de Balzac, "The Doors" lead singer Jim Morrison, Irish poet Oscar Wilde, Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, and French singer Edith Piaf are among those who are buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery.
Guided tours are available as well, its website said.
Another option is to visit the catacombs, an underground ossuary of millions of bones.
The catacombs were first built in the late 18th century, its website states, in response to "major public health problems tied to the city's cemeteries."
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The catacombs themselves were former limestone quarries.
The bones of the deceased were then moved to the catacombs, under cover of night, to "avoid hostile reactions from the Parisian population and the Church," the catacombs' website said. Bones were added periodically until 1860, the website noted.
Eventually, the bones were arranged in a somewhat organized pattern, and the site was first opened to the public in 1809, according to the website.
"A register was placed at the end of the circuit, where visitors could write their impressions. It was filled very rapidly because these visits had quickly become a success with both the French and foreigners," the website said.
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More than two centuries after its creation, about 500,000 people each year take the trip down to see the catacombs, it said.
Tickets for the one-hour tour, which covers 1.5 kilometers of the catacombs, are available on the catacombs' website.
Paris is the home of some of the most storied works of art and architecture in the world.
At the Louvre, you can catch a glimpse of the enigmatic smile of "Mona Lisa," or the "Winged Victory" or "Venus de Milo," along with thousands of other priceless works of art.
While Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris remains closed following the devastating 2019 fire, those looking for their stained-glass fix are not out of luck.
A short walk away from Notre Dame is Sainte-Chapelle, commissioned in the 13th century by King Louis IX – the future St. Louis – as a private chapel in his apartments, said the website for Sainte-Chapelle.
The upper chapel features 1,113 stained-glass scenes, "illustrated like a giant comic book of the Middle Ages" telling the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, the website said.
About two-thirds of the stained-glass windows are from the Middle Ages, according to the website.
There are works of art to be found outside as well.
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The Jardin des Tuileries, or Tuileries Gardens, is a public park featuring artwork by some of France's master sculptors, including Auguste Rodin — whose marble sculpture "The Kiss" has been around since 1882.
The Tuileries Gardens also have a special place in Olympic history as well, its website said.
The park was host to the épée tournament at the 1900 Olympic Games, and "for the first time three medals of different colors were awarded, thus inspiring the principle of three medals for the top three finishers in an event," its website said.