Place de la Concorde (photo: photoserge.com)

Extending from the Seine all the way to the Rue de Rivoli is the Place de la Concorde, the largest and the most famous single square in Paris. It probably would be possible to come to Paris and miss this square if (a) your hotel was located somewhere in the Latin Quarter and you never ventured beyond it; (b) your only reason for coming to Paris was to go night-clubbing, in which case you would probably want to sleep all day; and (c) you just naturally don’t take any interest in anything, in which case there really was no reason for you to come to Paris in the first place.

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We are now in Place de la Concorde, not far from the Louvre museum The river Seine sits at our right. This is the largest square in Paris, and although it was constructed between 1757 and 1777, it has a long history. In this square the infamous guillotine was used to kill more than 1,300 heads of members of the ‘antique’ regime. After the revolution the square received its current name: ‘Place de la Concorde’ (=peace).

At the left you can see the Obelisk of Luxor, a present the viceroy of Egypt gave to Charles X in 1829.

Every year over the winter holiday season the square hosts the ferris wheel that rises approximately 50m high.

The square holds arguable one of the best views of Paris, with the peak of the Eiffel Tower, the expansive square itself and down the Champs Elysees.

Suggestions

When on the square, stand on the opposite side to the Champs Elysees and enjoy the view, you’ll be able to see some of Paris’ great history from a single spot.