Architecture Tour of Paris
Paris for Architecture Nerds: It's like the for dummies guide, but for cultured people.
Of course you know of the main tourist spots - the eiffel tower, l'arc du triomphe, notre dame, etc - but here are a few more architecturally significant destinations to add to your list. I got an A in an architecture class, so I'm essentially a certified architect now who's ready to inform you!
1. Sainte Chapelle
Sainte Chapelle is my favorite building in the world, so it's hands down at the top of the bucket list. Instead of the typical gothic stained glass windows, this rayonnant gothic style features stained glass walls!! To get the full effect of the lighting, make sure to to when it's bright outside.
2. Opera Garnier
Opera Garnier is great because, as you can see in the picture below, the baroque architecture is really similar to Versailles, but the opera house saves you the time, expenses, and selfie stick bruises of Versailles. Mildly fun architecture fact: the opera is visually deceiving in that it's metal frame is hidden by a stone facade, because that's what the population was more comfy with at the time.
3. The Pantheon
Despite the name, the Paris pantheon is not similar to the famous classical Roman pantheon, but the soaring domes and corinthian columns are in the Roman style. You can walk to the balconies at the top for a cool aerial view of the rotundas.
4. Notre Dame
Notre Dame is important mainly because of the incorporation of flying buttresses, which characterized the high gothic style. The intricate detailing is impressive, and would have been even more so at the time of construction (some pieces were damaged during the French Revolution).
5. L'Hotel de Ville
For Americans whose parents thought that Spanish was the "language of the future" and never took French, let me save you the confusion of thinking this is a hotel - it's actually city hall. The inside isn't very exciting, but the outside is done in a neo gothic style that's worth taking a look at if you're a big enough architecture nerd to still be reading this post. (For some reason I've lost all my pictures of the hotel de ville, but ya know, google exists, so check it out there).
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