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The top day-trip from Paris has to be Versailles. This stunning chateau, begun by Louis XIV in 1664, is overwhelming in its opulence and scale. Plan carefully what you want to see as even a full day may not be long enough to take it all in. Much of the palace is only accessible on a guided tour, so arrive early as on sunny days the queues can be incredibly long.

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.

The flair of French artistic vision and Parisian style are both clearly shown by this modern urban development. This new business and government centre was purposely built to the west of the city to allow the centre to remain unmarred by skyscrapers. More than just offices, however, the area is also an attraction in its own right, with stunning modern architecture including the Grande Arche, a cube-like structure with a centre large enough to contain Notre-Dame, and surrounded by artworks, a fountain, cafés and restaurants.

To the southeast of the city centre lies the vast parkland of the Bois de Vincennes. Amid its greenery are three lakes, including a boating lake, along with the “Parc Floral” and its Four-Seasons Garden, a zoo, Buddhist Centre, and a summer amusement park. The beautiful Château de Vincennes, surrounded by a wall and a moat, was the French royal residence prior to the building of Versailles. After the Revolution Napoleon converted it into an arsenal.

This enormous park is the Parisians’ favourite green retreat, especially on summer weekends when its 865 ha (2,135 acres) can become crowded. There is plenty to do, apart from simply walking and picnicking, such as cycling, riding, boating or visiting the various attractions. These include parks within the park, two race courses and an art and folk museum. The park is open 24 hours a day, but it should be avoided after dark.

More than just a park, this landscape to the northeast of the city was created in 1993 to a futuristic design. It provides the usual park features of paths and gardens, but modern sculptures, zany park benches and several major hi-tech attractions offer a different edge. These include the interactive science museum, the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, a 60-seater mobile hydraulic cinema, an Omnimax cinema, play areas for younger children and a music museum.

Though many visitors never venture as far south as Montparnasse, its location is highly visible due to the 209-m (685-ft) Tour du Montparnasse which dominates the southern skyline and naturally affords spectacular views. Five minutes’ walk away is the area’s main draw for visitors, the Cimetière du Montparnasse, where the great writers Maupassant, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Baudelaire and Samuel Beckett are buried (see Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, Montparnasse Cemetery).

This is the most visited cemetery in the world, largely due to rock fans who come from around the world to see the grave of the legendary singer Jim Morrison of The Doors. There are about one million other graves here, in some 70,000 different tombs, including those of Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Balzac, Edith Piaf, Colette, Molière and Delacroix (see Oscar Wilde, Père Lachaise Cemetery). There are maps posted around the cemetery to enable you to find these notable resting places, or a more detailed plan can be bought at the kiosks around the grounds.

This civilized little park is no further from the city centre than Montmartre, yet it goes unnoticed by many visitors. It was created in 1778 by the Duc de Chartres and is still frequented by well-heeled residents. Its flowerbeds are colourful, while the grounds are full of statues and an air of well-being.

Paul Marmottan was an art historian and his 19th-century mansion now houses the world’s largest collection of works by Claude Monet (see Blue Waterlilies), including his Impression Soleil Levant which gave the Impressionist movement its name. The collection was donated by the artist’s son in 1971, and includes the artist’s collection of works by Renoir and Gauguin.