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I don’t know why, but I never had Paris on my top 10 cities to visit. Maybe because everyone is always talking about Paris and how great it is, and I usually prefer going to places that are.. well.. less popular. Nonetheless, I have been to Paris 3 times already, and each time I learned and saw something new in the city. I have to say that the first time I went (just 2 days) I was a bit disappointed. I guess I was hoping to find a Paris where people we all dressed in haute couture and sat down at cafes all day. Ok, I realized after how unrealistic I was being, so the second time I went I took a week to really explore the city and enjoy its people and sights. Here are a few places I highly recommend to see in Paris:

1. Notre-Dame

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame (Our Lady) stands majestic on the Ile de la Cité. After Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone in 1163, an army of craftsmen toiled for 170 years to realize Bishop Maurice de Sully’s magnificent design. Almost destroyed during the Revolution, the Gothic masterpiece was restored in 1841-64 by architect Viollet-le-Duc. Valid for any other tourist place you visit, make sure to keep your valuables safe – there are many people around and pickpocketing is fairly common. Just near the cathedral are a few places where you can have crepes – try a sweet or savoury one and you will not be disappointed!

2. Musée du Louvre

One of the world’s most impressive museums, the Louvre contains some 35,000 priceless objects. Built as a fortress by King Philippe-Auguste in 1190, Charles V (1364-80) was the first king to make it his home. Revolutionaries opened the collection to the public in 1793. Shortly after, Napoleon renovated the Louvre as a museum. One of the most famous paintings held at the museum is the Mona Lisa – do not miss it!

3. Eiffel Tower

The most distinctive symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) was much maligned by critics when it rose on the city’s skyline in 1889 as part of the Universal Exhibition, but its graceful symmetry soon made it the star attraction. At 312 metres high, it was the world’s tallest building until it was surpassed by New York’s Empire State Building in 1931. Despite its delicate appearance, it weighs 10,100 metric tons and engineer Gustave Eiffel’s construction was so sound that it never ways more than 9 cm in strong winds.

4. Arc de Triomphe

The best day to visit the world’s most familiar arch is 2 December, the date that marks Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, when the sun, sitting behind the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe, creates a spectacular halo around the building. Work began on the 50 metre arch in 1806 but was never completed until 1836, due, in part, to Napoleon’s fall from power. Four years later, Napoleon’s funeral procession passed beneath it, on its way to his burial in Les Invalides. Today the arch is a focal point for numerous public events.

5. Sacré-Coeur

One of my favourite places in the city is the spectacular Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Hearth). The basilica was built as a memorial to the 58,000 French soldiers killed during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) and took 46 years to build, finally completed in 1923 at a cost of 40 million francs (6 million euros). Priests still pray for the souls of the dead here 24 hours a day. Although the interior is less impressive than many other churches in the city, people flock here for panoramic views – at sunset, in particular, there are few sights in Paris more memorable.

6. Centre Georges Pompidou

Today one of the world’s most famous pieces of modern architecture, the Pompidou Centre opened in 1977, when architects Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano startled everyone by turning the building “inside out”, with brightly coloured pipes displayed on the façade. Designed as a cross-cultural arts complex, it houses the excellent Musee National d’Art Moderne (Modern Art Museum) as well as a cinema, library, shops and performance space. The outside forecourt is a popular gathering-spot for tourists and locals alike.

7. The Pantheon

Today the city’s beautiful Pantheon building is a fitting final resting place for the nation’s great figures. However, it was originally built as a church, on the instigation of Louis XV to celebrate his recovery from a serious bout of gout in 1744. Dedicated to Sainte Genevieve, the structure was finished in 1790 and was intended to look like the Pantheon in Rome, hence the name; in fact it more closely resembles St.Paul’s Cathedral in London. During the Revolution it was turned into a mausoleum, but Napoleon gave it back to the church in 1806. It was later deconsecrated, handed back to the church once more, before finally becoming a public building in 1885.

8. Hotel des Invalides

The “invalides” for whom this imposing Hotel was built were wounded soldiers of the late 17th century. Louis XIV had the building constructed between 1671 and 1678, and veterans are still housed here, although only a dozen or so compared to the original 6,000. They share their home with the greatest French soldier of them all, Napoleon Bonaparte, whose body rests in a crypt directly below the golden dome of the Dome Church. Other buildings accommodate military offices, the Musee de l’Armee and smaller military museums.

 9. Château de Versailles

Château de Versailles is the palace where Sun King Louis XIV lived a sumptuous, clockwork existence before the eyes of hundreds of courtiers. Every room is draped in gold, every nook is sculpted and every cranny conceals a treasure. When you’ve had enough of the superlative interior design, loose yourself in Le Nôtre’s landscaped gardens, where fountains, alleys and waterways provide ample diversions. Roughly twice a week, Château de Versailles’ Opéra Royal holds wonderful ballet and classical music performances: make sure to check the dates before your visit.

10. Jardin du Luxembourg

Marie de Médici’s Jardin du Luxembourg is a looker: parterres of lawn, tree-shaded alleys, statuary, water fountains and even an apple orchard make a postcard-perfect backdrop for an afternoon’s stroll. Kids are entertained too thanks to miniature sailing ships, pony rides and puppet shows. On your way round, look out for Bartholdi’s original Statue of Liberty (before he made the one for NYC); and spare a thought for Hemingway: when he was down and out in Paris, the Jardin du Luxembourg was his hunting ground for plump pigeons.