Tourist Attractions in Paris

Tourist Attractions in Paris - Here in the 4th Arrondissement you will find one of the most important Paris attractions, the Renaissance-era Hôtel de Ville (Paris City Hall).

Here many important festivities and celebrations are held, both inside and outside of the building.

The 4th arrondissement is very centrally located, right between the Châtelet and Bastille areas on the Right Bank of the Seine River, bordered to the west by the 1st arrondissement; to the north by the 3rd, to the east by the 11th and the 12th, and to the south by the River Seine and the 5th arrondissement.

Tourist Attractions in Paris - Notre Dame Cathedral

The eastern part of the 4th district contains Île de la Cité, the island with Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, as well as the Île Saint-Louis residential neighbourhood.

In the photograph below you can see the flying buttresses used to transmit the horizontal force of a vaulted ceiling through the walls and across an intervening space to a counterweight outside the building

Generally considered a hallmark of Gothic architecture, they were employed by the Byzantines, and in early Romanesque work, but were masked by other constructions or hidden under a roof. By 1150 flying buttresses were intentionally left exposed by architects and became decorative features in their own right,

Tourist Attractions in Paris - The Island in the Seine River

Ile de la Cite is a charming island with romantic winding cobblestone walkways and hidden nooks and crannies to discover.

In the photo below, I was celebrating my birthday, having dinner on a boat on the left bank of the Seine River and totally in awe of the beautiful view of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

The 4th arrondissement also has great shopping.

Walk along the Rue de Rivoli and you will find an abundance of unique stores.

Tourist Attractions in Paris - Paris Shopping at BHV

If you are visiting the Paris City Hall - Hôtel de Ville, make sure to stop in across the street at the Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (BHV) department store in the photo above for a shopping adventure.

To the north is the modern Pompidou Centre as well as the southern lively part of the medieval district of Le Marais.

Here you can also find the Renaissance square of Place des Vosges.

A great deal of the 4th arrondissement is what used to be medieval Paris and a lot of evidence from the era, such as the little streets, cafés, and boutique shops can be found on both islands in the Seine River and in the narrow streets of the lower Marais.

At Place des Vosges, you can enjoy the beauty of antiquity and the conveniences of modernism at the same time.

The 4th district is desirable for its old buildings and multi-cultural exposure.

The Hôtel de Sens is a rare medieval building built between 1475 and 1507 with elegant formal gardens and an arched entryway which leads into a courtyard.

Since 1961, Hôtel de Sens serves as one of Paris museums and is a new home to the "Bibliothèque Forney" library, devoted to the decorative arts, to the art professions, and to the fine arts.

This a great place to take a journey into history.

Paris Facts - Top Picks of the 4th Arrondissement

• Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville department store
• Berthillon
• Centre Georges Pompidou
• Hôtel de Sens and the Bibliothèque Forney
• Hôtel de Sully, on the site of a former orangery
• Hôtel de Ville
• Le Marais
• Marché aux Fleurs et Oiseaux (The Market of Flowers and Birds),
• Memorial of the Shoah
• Notre-Dame de Paris (Notre Dame Cathedral)
• Place de la Bastille (shared with the 11th and 12th arrondissements), including the July Column (Colonne de juillet)
• Place des Vosges
• Maison de Victor Hugo  House of Victor Hugo

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