Paris: C'est la vie!
- Elle Bee
- Nov 13
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Sharing insights for visits to these iconic destinations:
Fondation Louis Vuitton
Notre-Dame de Paris
Louvre
Panthéon
Fondation Louis Vuitton: There and back again
The iconic building was designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. It is located next to the Jardin d'Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne, the famous park on the west side of Paris.
Nearest Métro station: Les Sablons (M1). It involves a 15 minute walk initially through urban streets and then down a pleasant pathway through the Jardin d'Acclimatation. This route will pass by the restaurant within the park called La Terrasse du Jardin. As there are very few food outlets near the Fondation, this is a passable option.
Nearest RER station: Avenue Foch (RER C). It involves an 18 minute walk through the trees within the Bois de Boulogne. The path could be deserted and lonely depending on the day of the week and the time of day.
Opening times differ on weekdays. It opens at 10am on Saturday and Sunday but 11am on weekdays. The Fondation is closed on Tuesdays. doors do not open before the stated opening times. During popular exhibitions, there will be queues (due to security checks) even when holding a timed entry ticket. There is no shelter when queuing and limited seating.
There is only 1 restaurant within the Fondation - Le Frank - and there is limited seating. Reservations (see website for details) are possible at certain times and certain days and making one is advisable.
Notre-Dame de Paris: To Q or not to Q
After the devastating fire in April 2019, the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris (popularly known as Notre Dame) took 5 years. It reopened in December 2024 and has become the “must-see” and the “must-revisit” destination in the French capital. For some, the queues can be challenging. Long queue lines can form, snaking along the gravel frontage. There is little shelter from the elements and few seating options. Moreover, there are no publicly accessible restrooms within the cathedral.
The best solution: it is possible to reserve a free timed entry ticket via the Notre-Dame de Paris website. These slots are only available a few hours before the allotted visit time. If it indicates there are no available tickets. It is advisable to keep “refreshing” the website. Slots are released throughout the day.
Bonne chance! The visit is worth the effort.
Snapshots of selected nooks within the refurbished Cathedral
Don’t miss visiting The Treasury within the Cathedral. Entry is ticketed. To buy a ticket, visit the desk at entrance to The Treasury which is located through the south ambulatory inside the cathedral.
The Virgin and Child is an exceptional work of art that is a testimony to the reconstitution of the Treasury after its destruction during the French Revolution. In 1814, King Louis XVII re-established the "Vow of Louis XI" procession (Louis XIII's consecration of France to the Virgin in 1638).
In 1817, a statue of the Virgin made of silver was designed with financial support from the King. It was completed during the reign of Charles X who gifted it to the Cathedral in 1826, a jubilee year. Damaged during the sacking of the archbishopric in 1831, it was not until 1856 that the canons had it restored for the baptism of the Imperial Prince, son of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie.
Since 1929, the statue has worn a crown made by the metalsmith Boucheron (see below).
This Virgin and Child is still carried in procession through the streets of Paris every year on Assumption Day, the annual renewal of the vow of Marian Consecration of which Notre-Dame is the eternal memorial.
(Text by Notre-Dams de Paris)
The Rose windows: One photo is taken in 2007 and the other in 2025. Are you able to tell which is which? To find out more about them, visit the Notre-Dame de Paris website on these stained glass wonders.
Metro:
Cité (Line 4.)
RER.
Saint-Michel Notre-Dame (B, C, D)
Louvre: there is more to it than the Mona Lisa
Most visitors are drawn to the Denon Wing. Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory of Samothrace are found in this wing. It is one of three in the Louvre and named after the Louvre's first director, Dominique Vivant Denon. Routes to and areas around these two artworks can be very busy. Oftentimes, it is almost impossible to pause awhile to appreciate the beauty of an artistic creation and allow the colours to speak directly to the soul.
If time is not of the essence, then the rest of the Wing is worth exploring. Some of the galleries feature large-format works and are surprisingly uncrowded, providing ample space for quiet reflection. You will find 19th Century French paintings by by Jacques-Louis David and Eugène Delacroix.
Besides da Vinci, you will also find masterpieces from Italian painters such as Raphael, and Caravaggio. There are magnificent Italian Renaissance sculptures including works by Michelangelo.
Do not miss the Napoleon III Apartments in the Richelieu Wing. This Wing is named for French clergyman and statesman, Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu. He is better remembered as Cardinal Richelieu.
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas features Cardinal Richelieu as the primary antagonist, a scheming and ruthless figure who is loyal to King Louis XIII but often clashes with the Musketeers. This is a purely fictitious depiction!
Napoleon III Apartments: a glimpse of the splendour of the Second Empire
Useful tip: the Louvre is well-visited, and refreshments within will require patient queuing. As for available seating at it's eateries, let’s just say it’s like trying to find a long lost da Vinci in a bric and brac shop! And the wait for the Ladies (aka les toilettes pour femmes) can be a long, long one. So plan ahead for the first and don’t leave it too late for the second.
Metro:
Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre (Lines 1 and 7)
Louvre–Rivoli (Line 1)
The Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre station is closest to the main Pyramid entrance, and there is an underground entrance that leads to the Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall and museum entrance.
The Panthéon & Anselm Kiefer
The Panthéon, located in the Latin Quarter (5th arrondissement), was originally a church that now serves as a mausoleum for France’s most illustrious citizens, such as Victor Hugo, Voltaire, and Marie Curie.
There is a permanent installation of works by German artist Anselm Keifer at the Panthéon in Paris. Commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron, it is the first such commission for the Panthéon since 1924 and coincides with the 'Panthéonisation' of the French writer, poet, and WWI veteran Maurice Genevoix (1890-1980) on Armistice Day, 11 November 2020.
Murals and mosaics throughout the building celebrate key moments and figures from French history.
Fun fact: for scientific wizards, come and witness Foucault’s Pendulum experiment at the Panthéon.
Who can resist an invitation to come and see the Earth turn? Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, fond of science and history, authorised the physicist Léon Foucault and the engineer Gustave Froment, to use the dome of the Panthéon to conduct the experiment in 1851.
Fifty years later, Camille Flammarion, founder of the Astronomical Society of France, repeated the experiment at the Pantheon.
The pendulum was permanently reinstalled in 1995.
Metro:
Cardinal Lemoine (Line 10)
Place Monge (Line 7)
Maubert Mutualité (Line 4)
RER:
Luxembourg station (Line B)
(Updated November 2025)
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