From the outside, the elaborate French Renaissance architecture of the Paris City Hall is an…read moreimpressive sight to behold. If you were able to book a tour several months in advance, kudos to you for your foresight because there was next to no chance Jamie W and I could see what we heard was quite an opulent 19th-century decor, including a reception area that apparently replicates Versailles' Hall of Mirrors. That was too bad because we visited the real Versailles just the day before. However, when we were circling the building, we discovered there was an exhibition that allowed public access to one area. It celebrated ten years of the Paris Agreement and highlighted each participating country listing the strides made in addressing climate change (Photo 5). The U.S. was conspicuous by its absence. We also noticed the best view of the exterior was across the street at Terraza Mikuna, the rooftop bar at the BHV Marais department store (review: https://yelp.to/w2yP08aK-z). RELATED - Exploring Paris? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/zgkvOwnB6r

This is the city hall of Paris. It's in the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville in the Esplanade de la…read moreLibération in the 4th arrondissement. The mayor's house used to be the city hall, but in 1357, the mayor moved the town hall to this place. In 1533, they built the king built the town hall here.

From the owner: Mairie Pour accomplir les différentes formalités administratives, les bureaux sont ouverts du lundi…read moreau vendredi. Le samedi, seuls les services de déclarations de naissance et de décès sont ouverts ainsi que ceux délivrant les fiches d'état-civil. Les locaux hébergent également des services publics dépendants du département ou de l'Etat, comme les services sociaux, une antenne de police et le tribunal d'instance. Certaines associations et organismes sociaux y organisent leur propre permanence, ainsi tous les lundis de 17h à 19h45, des avocats vous apportent des conseils juridiques gratuitement.

From the owner: Mairie En 1852 débutèrent les travaux d'édification du bâtiment principal, sur une parcelle de…read moreterrain appartenant à "la ferme de l'Hôtel Dieu". Acquisition de la ville de Montrouge, ce n'est qu'en 1859 que Paris récupère le bâtiment municipal avec la division en 20 arrondissements et les modifications des limites de la ville.Pour accomplir les différentes formalités administratives, les bureaux sont ouverts du lundi au vendredi. Le samedi, seuls les services de déclarations de naissance et de décès sont ouverts ainsi que ceux délivrant les fiches d'état-civil. Les locaux hébergent également des services publics dépendants du département ou de l'Etat, comme les services sociaux, une antenne de police et le tribunal d'instance. Certaines associations et organismes sociaux y organisent leur propre permanence.

From the owner: Mairie Pour accomplir les différentes formalités administratives, les bureaux sont ouverts du lundi…read moreau vendredi. Le samedi, seuls les services de déclarations de naissance et de décès sont ouverts ainsi que ceux délivrant les fiches d'état-civil. Les locaux hébergent également des services publics dépendants du département ou de l'Etat, comme les services sociaux, une antenne de police et le tribunal d'instance. Certaines associations et organismes sociaux y organisent leur propre permanence.

I went up the Eiffel Tower a few weeks ago for the first time in years. I was with my husband and…read moreour two kids, plus my brothers, my sisters-in-law, and my niece, just for good measure. Getting the tickets was a genuine headache, but the on-the-ground experience was not just magical but surprisingly easy. The online ticketing system leaves much to be desired. I wanted to buy eleven elevator tickets, for eight adults and three children, but was only able to check out with nine. I tried to get the last two in a second transaction but got locked out. Apparently, you can't book that many tickets under a single account, something I wish I'd known before I spent all that money on the nine. I emailed the customer service address and while they responded, they were spectacularly unhelpful. I then tasked my husband, my mother, and my brother with buying the last two tickets from different devices, and I don't understand why, but none of them were able to get through. The site was also annoying in that we had to make all of our selections and input credit card information before getting frozen out without explanation. My parents decided they didn't need to go up the tower anyway, as they'd been pretty recently, and that's how the issue resolved. I guess we could've gotten them tickets day of, but no one had the will for it, so the rest of us just went up while they hung out in the park at the base of the tower. My branch of the family was running late for our 4:00 entry and had a fairly stressful time making that long jaunt from the Trocadero to the tower. There was some security to get into the park, but it went quickly, and once we were in, we found the entrance for ticket holders right away. To my amazement, there was no line, and we were riding a diagonal elevator up the tower about as soon as we arrived. I love the Eiffel Tower and loved visiting with my children, who were awed by both the iconic structure and the marvelous views. It's great to admire from afar, but well worth a dedicated excursion. I look forward to going back whenever I'm back in Paris.

Overview: a classic, must-see landmark in Paris…read more ---- Very beautiful landmark and prettier if you see it light up at night. The tower only sparkles when it's dark enough outside to see it. When it's the spring/summer the sun sets very late at night so when I was there, the Eiffel Tower first sparkled at 10pm! We didn't know that, so we arrived around 8pm and waited 2 hours. It then started to rain and we shared one umbrella between 4 people. There are lots of people walking around trying to sell you stuff can be very annoying especially if you came there early and they keep asking you. They walk around with small trinkets, some with drinks like wine, blankets, and even umbrellas when it started to rain. There are lots of people on the grassy field in front of the tower having picnics and waiting for the tower to light up as well. The walk from the metro wasn't too long, but also wasn't that short, but it's Paris so be prepared to walk for everything! It beautiful and was worth the walking, waiting, and being rained on. ---- Overall: beautifully lit up at the beginning of the hour after the sun goes down, for us it was at 10pm! Be prepared to walk and wait, enjoy the views and atmosphere with others waiting to see the pretty lights