Tickets for Louvre Museum: Skip The Line + Highlights Tour in English

This luxurious 17th-century French palace is a masterclass in excess. It has hundreds of acres of magnificently landscaped gardens, more than 700 rooms, a large collection of French Renaissance art, an opera house, and a 75-meter long hall of mirrors lined with priceless statues and busts. There are no half-measures in its conception or execution – it has more than 1,200 fireplaces! It's one of the most visited attractions in France, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Housed in the stunning Beaux-Arts style Gare d'Orsay railway station, The Musée d'Orsay is home to significant and stunning works by painters including Gauguin, Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, and Van Gogh. It's widely considered to be one of the most culturally important museums in the world. Its entire collection is from the period 1848-1914, including many of the most significant Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings ever created. Chronologically, the works come after those of the neighboring Louvre, and before the collection of the nearby Pompidou Centre.

Europe's largest collection of modern and contemporary art (oh yes, there is a difference!) is housed in a building that was deemed to be architecturally daring in the 20th century. The building features plumbing and piping on the outside and Picasso and Pollock on the inside. And to top it all off, from the rooftop you'll find gorgeous views of Paris and the Eiffel Tower. The Centre Pompidou is one of Paris's 'Big Three' museums – the other two being the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay. The Louvre holds art and artifacts from up until 1848. The Musée d'Orsay contains the world's greatest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, all produced between the years 1848-1914. The Centre Pompidou holds 20th and 21st-century works (created after 1914). Altogether, the three museums house a complete timeline of Western art history.

From just behind the Eiffel Tower (which you'll probably be seeing up close anyway), the Bateaux Parisiens river cruises depart for trips up and down the Seine. With a sightseeing option as well as a trés elegant dinner cruise, you'll be able to find the trip to suit your taste. Enjoy panoramic views of the Musée d'Orsay, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Pont Neuf, and many more UNESCO World Heritage Sites as you float down the Seine. It all starts here.

Disneyland® Paris has two theme parks, seven hotels, 40 plus restaurants, and more than 50 attractions – it's no wonder that it holds the number one spot as the most popular tourist attraction in France and Europe. The park spans 4,800 acres of fairy tale zones, cartoons, and movie-magic, all in larger-than-life scale. Even older kids will find lots to enjoy – Big Thunder Mountain, Aerosmith's Rock'n'Roller Coaster, and Space Mountain: Mission 2 – to name but a few. With themed attractions, parades, unreal meals, and adventures, every aspect of your experience is filled with Disney magic. The only question is: how long do you want to stay?

When the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889, it was the tallest building in the world. With 18,000 metallic parts and 2.5 million rivets, it was a true feat of engineering – and the perfect centerpiece for that year’s World’s Fair. But Alexandre Gustave Eiffel's tower had as many haters as it had fans. However, over time, the Eiffel Tower has become a universally beloved icon; it's now the most-visited paid tourist attraction in the world. The fact remains that no trip to Paris is complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower.

Up above the hustle and bustle of the French capital is quite literally rarefied air. Breathe it in with a visit to Tour Montparnasse. Built atop the Montparnasse – Bienvenüe Paris Métro station, the Tour Montparnasse features a restaurant, a terrace on the top floor, and Europe's fastest elevator. On a clear day you can see for 40 km or more.

This 19th-century architectural masterpiece was built by Charles Garnier at the wishes of Emperor Napoleon III. It's located at the Place de l'Opera, a square in Paris's 9th arrondissement. The insides of the Opéra Garnier boast some stunning Beaux-Arts architecture (the 30-meter high marble Grand Staircase for example). Its intricate interior inspired Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera (and thus Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash-hit musical), making this the perhaps the most famous opera house in the world.

In 1922 Claude Monet offered eight of his giant Water Lilies panels to the French state, as a way of commemorating the end of WWI. His only condition was that they be displayed in a suitable venue. The French government found the perfect spot: the Orangerie in the Tulieries Garden. The Orangerie was built in 1852 as a winter shelter for the orange trees that lined the garden of the Tuileries Palace. For a period of time it was also used as a storehouse for goods, a bunk for soldiers, and as a flexible exhibition space. Monet's generous gift transformed it into the Musée de l'Orangerie, a pre-eminent gallery of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings. The huge (and hugely impressive) Monet paintings are definitely the main event, but they are far from the only reason to visit. The museum also contains works by Cézanne, Matisse, Modigliani, Picasso, Renoir, and Rousseau, among others.