Paris: Top 5 must-see sites of the amazing 'City of Light'

Situated on the Seine River, in the northern part of France, Paris is considered as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Paris is the capital and most populous city of France.Paris is often referred to as ‘La Ville-Lumière' (The City of Light). It is said that the city earned this title because of its reputation as a centre of education and ideas during the Age of Enlightenment. The name took on a more literal sense when Paris became one of the first European cities to adopt gas street lighting. In 1860s, streets of Paris were illuminated by fifty-six thousand gas lamps.The city is known to be one of the most romantic cities in the world making it a perfect break for couples.Paris has one of the largest GDPs in the world USS 845 billion in 2011. Today, it is one of the world's leading tourist destinations.Here goes Top 5 must-see sites in Paris:Eiffel TowerEiffel Tower is the most distinctive symbol of Paris. Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.The tower was erected in 1889. It is 324 metres tall.The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world.The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second.A 200,000-watt lighting system makes the Eiffel Tower the most spectacular night-time sight in Paris. It sparkles like a giant Christmas tree for 5 minutes every hour from dusk until 1 am.More than 250 million people have visited the tower since its construction in 1889. As one of the most iconic structures in the world, the Eiffel Tower has been the inspiration for the creation of over 30 duplicates and similar towers across the world.Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart of Paris)The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.It is a popular landmark and located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city.Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.It was designed by Paul Abadie.People flock here for panoramic views during sunset.The basilica complex includes a garden for meditation with a fountain. The top of the dome is open to tourists and affords a spectacular panoramic view of Paris.Construction costs estimated at 7 million French francs and were drawn entirely from private donations.Catacombs of ParisThe Paris catacombs are a 200-mile network of old caves, tunnels and quarries. Much of it is filled with the skulls and bones of the dead.Located south of the former city gate, it hold the remains of about six million people and fill a renovated section of caverns and tunnels that are the remains of historical stone mines, giving it its reputation as ‘The World's Largest Grave'.It was opened in the late 18th century. The underground cemetery became a tourist attraction on a small scale from the early 19th century.It is open to the public on a regular basis from 1874.In 2009, it was closed for the Public following an incident of vandalism. It was reopened on 19 December of the same year.Notre Dame de ParisNotre Dame de Paris is a gothic cathedral in Paris's fourth arrondissement. The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world.Notre Dame's Treasury houses some of the relics of the Passion of Christ including the famous Crown of Thorns.In the 1790s, the cathedral suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed.It is still an operating church but visitors are also welcome to tour the building and appreciate both its beauty and sheer size.Musee du LouvreLouvre is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument. Located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the first arrondissement, it is one of the central landmark of Paris.The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace.It contains more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments over an area of 60,600 square metres.The museum was opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801.Louvre is the world's most visited museum. The museum is owned by the French government.