The French capital with around 12 million inhabitants, has been among the main centers of finance, diplomacy, commerce, fashion, science and arts in Europe since the 17th century.

The importance of Paris for France dates back to the 10th century, benefiting from royal palaces, rich abbeys and a cathedral, the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Gothic style, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and built from 1163 on the Île de la Cité, surrounded by the waters of the River Seine.
Its construction lasted until 1260 and was frequently modified in the following centuries, until 2019 when its roof caught fire during renovation, burning in flames for 15 hours.
The cathedral is one of the main symbols of the city and the country, it is intrinsically linked to its history, with the coronation of Napoleon, funerals of presidents and inspiring Vitor Hugo in his novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

Still on the Île de la Cité is the Saint-Chapel, inside the Palais de la Cité, which was the residence of the kings of France until the 14th century.
The chapel was consecrated in 1248, damaged during the French Revolution and restored in the 19th century, and its upper level has one of the most extensive collections of 13th-century stained glass.
The lower chapel, just 6.6 m high, was used by non-royal neighbors, bears the image of Louis IX and the columns are decorated with the king's Fleur-de-Lys and a stylized castle: the coat of arms of Blanche of Castile, his mother.

The Panthéon, with its majestic interior and dome, was built between 1758 and 1790 at the request of Louis XV, who died earlier. It was designed as a church dedicated to Saint Genevieve but was transformed into a mausoleum for the remains of illustrious French citizens, like the Pantheon in Rome.

In the sequence of interiors to be contemplated, the Musée d'Orsey installed in the Gare d'Orsey, a former Beaux-Arts railway station from 1900, is a beautiful combination between architecture and a rich collection of works of art, including the largest collection of works impressionist and post-impressionist cousins by artists such as Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cézane, Gauguin, Van Gogh, among others.

The Eiffel Tower is the biggest symbol of tourism in the city, named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, who designed and built this wrought iron lattice tower, which was the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair.
It is 324 m tall, equivalent to an 81-story building and is the tallest structure in Paris.
At night, since 1985, it has boasted artistic lighting by Pierre Bideau, who holds the copyright on this work of art.