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This historic octagonal square, covering more than 8 ha (20 acres), is bounded by the Tuileries Gardens on one side and marks the starting point of the Champs-Elysées on the other. It was built between 1755–75 to designs by architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel as the grand setting for a statue of Louis XV, but by 1792 it had become the place de la Révolution and its central monument was the guillotine. Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and more than 1,000 others were executed here (see Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis). In 1795, in the spirit of reconciliation, it received its present name. The central obelisk, 23 m (75 ft) tall and covered in hieroglyphics, is from a 3,300-year-old Luxor temple, and was a gift from Egypt, erected in 1833. Two fountains and eight statues representing French cities were also added. On the north side of the square are the mansions Hôtel de la Marine and Hôtel Crillon, also by Gabriel.

This bustling square has a village community feel, with busy cafés and restaurants and groups of students from the nearby university hanging out here after dark. In medieval times it lay outside the city walls, a remnant of which still stands. Notice the memorial plaque above the butcher’s at No. 1, which marks the site of the old Pine Cone Club, a café where François Rabelais and other writers gathered in the 16th century.

Surrounded by 52 Corinthian columns, the huge Classical-style La Madeleine church (see La Madeleine) commands this elegant square. On the east side a colourful flower market is held Tuesday to Saturday. The square is surrounded by some of the most up-market épiceries (food stores) and speciality shops in the city (see Fauchon).

This pretty square lies at the base of the Butte, between Pigalle and the place du Tertre. Reach it via the metro station of the same name to appreciate one of the few original Art Nouveau stations left in the city. Designed by the architect Hector Guimard, it features ornate green wrought-iron arches, amber lanterns and a ship shield, the symbol of Paris, on the roof. Along with Porte Dauphine, it is the only station to retain its original glass roof. A mural painted by local artists winds around the spiral staircase at the entrance. But don’t walk to the platform, take the elevator – it’s the deepest station in Paris, with 285 steps.

Paris’s oldest square also has the honour of being one of the most beautiful in the world. Once the site of jousting tournaments, the square was commissioned by Henri IV. Its 36 houses with red-gold brick and stone façades, slate roofs and dormer windows were laid out with striking symmetry in 1612. Although they were originally built for silk workers, the likes of Cardinal Richelieu (1585–1642) and the playwright Molière (1622–73) quickly moved in and it remains an upper-class residential address. But everyone can enjoy a stroll around the area and the art galleries under the arcades.

At 130 m (430 ft), Montmartre’s old village square, whose name means “hillock”, is the highest point in the city. Any picturesque charm it might once have had is now sadly hidden under the tourist-trap veneer of over-priced restaurants and portrait artists hawking their services, although the fairy lights at night are still atmospheric. No. 21 houses the Old Montmartre information office, with details about the area. Nearby is the church of St-Pierre de Montmartre, all that remains of the Benedictine abbey which stood here from 1133 until the Revolution.

Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the architect of Versailles, designed the façades of this elegant royal square for Louis XIV in 1698. The square was intended to house foreign embassies but bankers soon moved in and built lavish dwellings. It remains home to jewellers and financiers today. The world-famous Ritz hotel was established here at the turn of the 20th century (see Ritz Hotel). The central column, topped by a statue of Napoleon, is a replica of the one destroyed by the Commune in 1871.

The view of the Hôtel des Invalides, seen from the banks of the Seine, is stunning.