City of Lights: it’s called this because Paris was one of the first cities to become fully electrified. It’s called City of Amour because, well, simply put, the French know something about amour. Any visitor leaves forever remembering the sites – and the sites in the night lights. The Place de Concorde is the gateway to Les Tuileries and, nestled at the very front, are huge Rodins and the Musee de l’Orangerie [home of Monet’s “Water Lilies], which houses hundreds of works by Impressionist masters.
Lighting enhances the stunning beauty of the world’s most famous/visited museums, the Louvre, the former palace where art lovers view such objets d’art as the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo. You might also call Paris the City of Museums. In addition to l’Orangerie and the Louvre, there’s the huge post-Modern high-tech steel and concrete Centre George Pompidou, with the largest collection of modern art in Europe; the d’Orsay; the Picasso; and prized private collections at the Jacquemart-André, Marmottan-Monet, Nissim de Camondo, and Louis Vuitton Foundation Musees to name but a few.
Passing the palatial Grand Palais and its Palais de la Découvérte science museum, and adjoining Petit Palais is a marvelous sight by night, but leaving Paris without a visit would be a huge mistake. You might even consider lunch at the reasonably-priced bistro overlooking the Palais gardens.
You will feel the majesty of Napoleon and the history of France at L’Arc de Triomphe. From there sail the well-heeled shopper’s paradise along the Champs Elysees, with a detour to the famed George V Hotel [soon to unveil its multi-billion Euro renovation]; then, pass tributes to Presidents Washington, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower, and statue of Churchill.