what to see in paris | A French Collection

The Grand Mosque of Paris

Courtyard between the street and the entrance to the café and hammam

The Grand Mosque of Paris

After years of visits to Paris and wanting to visit the Grande Mosquée de Paris (Grand Mosque of Paris), I was delighted to make my way there last summer. It was a particularly hot day and after wandering around the Jardin des Plantes (opposite the Grand Mosque) and exploring the large garden maze, I found it a refreshing place to escape the heat. Found in the 5th arrondissement, this significant landmark built in 1926 to honour Muslim soldiers from French colonies who fought in WWI, also served a vital role during World War II as a refuge for Jews, with its rector providing certificates of Muslim identity to help them escape Nazi persecution.

Designed in Moorish style, it features intricate tile work, a beautiful courtyard with sculpted arcades, and a 33 metre minaret, mostly all hidden behind its high walls. The Grand Mosque expands into prayer rooms, gardens, hammam, library, a North African restaurant and other facilities behind its tall walls.

Pont des Arts, Paris

Pont des Arts

Pont des Arts is a beautiful pedestrian bridge in Paris that spans the Seine River and joins the 1st and 6th arrondissements.

Linking the Institut de France and the Louvre

Pont des Arts (Bridge of Arts) links the Institut de France with the Cour Carrée (central square) of the Palais du Louvre. Did you know the whole area has been associated with art and culture since the First French Empire when the Palais du Lourve was also known as the Palais des Arts?

Pont des Arts commissioned by Napoléon I

Inaugurated in 1804 under the reign of Napoléon I, the Pont des Arts was the first steel structure crossing the Seine. Built as a pedestrian bridge with nine arches it was an engineering feat in its time.

Grand Palais, Paris

In 1892 the President of the French Republic, Sadi Carnot, decided to organise the 1900 Universal Exhibition (or World Fair) in Paris, so he put into action the building of both the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. The two palaces were designed together with the intention of extending the perspective of the Invalides on the Right Bank. With work beginning on the Grand Palais in 1897, it was an immense project to complete by the 1900 World Fair.

Institut de France

Sitting elegantly opposite the Pont des Arts (or Bridge of Arts), is the Institut de France. The Institut is the headquarters of five French intellectual academies, of which the most famous is l'Académie Française.

The grand cupola-topped building in baroque style is a stunning sight when seen from le Pont des Arts, also known as Passerelle des Arts. This bridge is a pedestrian bridge which links the Institut de France with the Cour Carrée (central square) of the Palais du Louvre. The whole area has been associated with art and culture since the First French Empire when the Palais du Lourve was also known as the Palais des Arts.

Arènes de Lutèce – Roman ruins in Paris

Arènes de Lutèce - Roman ruins in Paris

Have you visited the Roman ruins in Paris, Arènes de Lutèce? The Lutece Arena is listed as a historical monument and is tucked away in Square Capitan, a small garden in the iconic Latin Quarter. The Roman ruins are a reminder of the age-old history of the City of Paris. The story of Paris starts even before Roman settlement with the Parisii tribe. The Parisiis were a Celtic tribe that settled on the banks of the Seine in the 3rd century BC.

The Parisii settlement was strategically located at a crossing point of the Seine, which made it an important trade centre and easier to defend. However, not totally defensible, because it was in 52 BC that the invading Romans were able to overtake the settlement and claim the town as their own.

Pont au Change – The Old Money Lenders Bridge

The Pont au Change is a significant Parisian bridge as it links the Île de la Cité and the Right Bank (Rive Droite ) and is centrally located spanning across the Seine River.

Pont au Change - the Old Money Lenders Bridge

It borders the 4^th and 1^st arrondissements and connects Quai de la Mégiserie, Quai de l'Hôtel de Ville, Quai de l'Horloge and Quai de la Corse. With lots of major attractions and things to do nearby, you’ll probably find yourself using Pont au Change regularly as a means of crossing the Seine. Now a vehicle and pedestrian only bridge, the bridge was much more than this in time past. It has an interesting history, covering its construction, its name and also its use.

Parc Monceau, Paris

Parc Monceau is an exotic escape in central Paris. Located in the 8th arrondissement the park is the remnants of a much larger property once owned by the Duc de Chartres.

Parc Monceau - An exotic park in Paris

It was converted into a "Chinese" garden with winding pathways and "follies" including a pagoda, grottos, a labyrinth and mills - all of which transported the visitor to an exotic land.

If you visit this lesser known Parisian park today, you'll only find the modest sized pyramid and the Naumachie, an oval pool surrounded by a colonnade. Still standing is the rotunda at the entrance on Boulevard de Courcelles, which is one of four pavilions that still remain from the forty-seven that once graced this majestic park.

Square René Viviani – The Little Park in the Middle of Paris

Nestled in the middle of downtown Paris amongst ancient monuments, the Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre Church, stunning Haussmann buildings and the flowing waters of the Seine, is a little park named Square René Viviani. It's bordered by the Quai de Montebello, rue Saint-Julien le Pauvre and rue Lagrange in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, the heart of the Latin Quarter,

Square René Viviani - The Little Park in the Middle of Paris

Square René Viviani is right opposite Notre Dame de Paris, but is often missed by the general throng of tourists. For that I'm rather glad too, because it's a lovely little park that is mostly quiet, except for its Christmas markets which are well-loved since relocating from Parvis de Notre Dame de Paris since the 2019 fire. We'll see if the markets return to Notre Dame Square later this year.

Why is René Viviani Honoured with a Park Named After Him?

The Square is a tribute to René Viviani who was a French lawyer and politician that lived between 1863 to 1925. Viviani is remembered as France's first Minister of Labour. He also importantly became President of the Council in August 1914, and it was in that capacity that he signed the "General Mobilisation Order" on Sunday, 2 August 1914.