Rouen Shore Excursion: Private Day Trip to Paris

Your driver will bring you to the best viewpoint — the Trocadéro esplanade — where the Tower rises across the Seine in full, exactly as you have seen it in photographs. From here you can walk down to the Champ de Mars, get closer to the base, or simply take your time with the view. If you want to go up, allow two hours and book your tickets in advance — the summit offers one of the finest panoramas in Europe.

Even if you don't go inside, the glass pyramid in the Cour Napoléon is one of the great architectural statements of the 20th century and a natural centrepiece for photographs. If you want to visit the collection — the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, Winged Victory — allow at least two hours and book tickets in advance.

— and it is more extraordinary than ever. The medieval façade, the flying buttresses, the gargoyles watching over the Seine: the exterior alone is worth the visit. Your driver will bring you to the Île de la Cité, where Notre-Dame sits at the heart of Paris. Interior visits are possible and free of charge; allow at least an hour if you want to go inside.

Your driver can drop you at one end and let you walk its length — past the grand cafés, the flagship boutiques, and the cinemas that have lined this boulevard for over a century.

The names of 660 battles and 558 generals are engraved on its inner walls. Climb to the top for a 360° view across Paris — tickets required, bookable in advance.