Domaine de Trianon

garden structure with pruned trees

This is where the royal family came to get away from it all. The buildings are smaller and more on a modern scale, though still formal.

Versailles Gardens

fountain with pond in the distance

The gardens at Versailles are formal and imposing. They’re almost too large to really take in. There’s also little shade so it can be hot.

Palace of Versailles

Hall of Mirrors

The Palace of Versailles was a minor disappointment but the Hall of Mirrors and queen’s bedchamber made up for any lack.

Cluny Museum

Lady and Unicorn tapestry

We went to the Cluny museum for the lady and the unicorn tapestries. But we found some other interesting gems there too.

Orsay Museum

hallway with person looking at art

The Musée d’Orsay has the largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art in the world. Plus some other stuff.

Montparnasse Tower

view of Eiffel Tower from Montparnasse Tower

We couldn’t get tickets for the Eiffel Tower so we went to the Montparnasse Tower instead. We could see the Eiffel Tower from there.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame interior

Notre Dame is of course one of the main attractions in Paris. It was worth postponing our trip for year in order to see it.

Sainte-Chapelle

Sainte-Chapelle entrance wall

We were more excited to see Sainte-Chapelle than Notre Dame. It was as pretty as we hoped. And smaller than expected.

Museum of Decorative Arts

round bed and dresser

The Musée Des Arts Décoratifs is right next to the Louvre. It’s a great example of one of our favorite kinds of museums. Everyday things, but special.

The Louvre

Liberty leading the people painting

We knew the Louvre was enormous so we had a short list of priorities to hit and then explored.