DK Travel : Paris

From Notre-Dame to the Eiffel Tower, Paris holds some of the world's most famous sights and these highlights should be top of the list for any first-time visitor. With the exception of the overtly modern Pompidou Centre, they have been landmarks of this elegant and romantic capital for centuries and remain awe-inspiring sights, no matter how often you visit the city.

More on guided tours in Paris

Diana Mitford

Controversial fascist sympathiser and authoress, Mitford (1910-2003) spent her dotage in Paris.
Dinosaur Model

Outside the Palaeontology Gallery, which is crammed with precious dinosaur skeletons, is a huge dinosaur model, specifically designed for children to climb on (see Grande Galerie de l’volution).
Dinosaur Tree

One of the trees in the Botanical Gardens is the Ginkgo biloba , which is 150 years old but the species is known to have existed in exactly the same form in the days of the dinosaurs, 125 million years ago.
Disneyland Resort Paris

Formerly known as EuroDisneyland, the French offspring of America’s favourite theme park is a clone of its parent, and has now been joined by the Walt Disney Studios complex. Both have big queues, so arrive early. There are rides for children of all ages and most adults are equally enchanted.
Disneyland Resort Paris

Visitors with children will probably have no choice about whether they visit the Paris branch of Disneyland or not. However, any parents who are sceptical might be pleasantly surprised, as the hi-tech workings and imagination behind such attractions as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Haunted House” are extremely impressive. The new Walt Disney Studios involve visitors interactively through film, with a professional stunt show at the end.
Django Reinhardt

Belgian gypsy guitarist Reinhardt (1910–53) first found fame in Paris in collaboration with Stephane Grappelli.
Dôme Church

An impressive view of the Eglise de Dôme in the Hôtel des Invalides complex can be had from the Pont Alexandre III. The golden dome beckons visitors down the long parkway lined with streetlamps and statues (see Hôtel des Invalides).
Duthilleul et Minart

For more than 100 years this shop has sold French work clothes and uniforms such as chef’s hats and watchmaker’s smocks. Good for unique gifts.
Ecole Militaire

At the urging of his mistress Madame Pompadour, Louis XV approved the building of the Royal Military Academy in 1751. Although its purpose was to educate the sons of impoverished officers, a grand edifice was designed by Jacques-Ange Gabriel, architect of the place de la Concorde and the Petit Trianon at Versailles, and completed in 1773. The central pavilion with its quadrangular dome and Corinthian pillars is a splendid example of the French Classical style.
Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas was born in Paris in 1834 and lived in the city for the whole of his life, most of the time in Montmartre. He died here in 1917 and is buried in the Montmartre cemetery (see Cimetière de Montmartre).