When heading off on an adventure to a new city, it is always wise to see what attractions and sights are most highly rated by previous visitors so that you can get an exciting itinerary together for your trip. There’s no better recommendation than that as provided by tourists who have been there, done it and got the t-shirt, too, and in today’s largely online world, we can put together a great picture of what places people are enjoying by looking at digital trends.
France’s fashionable capital city, Paris, is certainly one destination that any food, museum, fashion, history, art, and culture-lover will have on their list with the city’s landmarks getting swarmed by tourists from all across the globe who are ready to step through history by touring Paris’ iconic buildings.
But which landmarks should be on your shortlist? To help guide you, travel experts Find a Cheap Flight found out which Parisian landmarks are most popular amongst Brits in their new study. Their research analysed Google search trends to show how often we look up some well-known sites in Paris, and the study revealed that the most famous tourist hotspots in the city are religious and historic buildings and structures. These landmarks are most popular amongst Brits because they reflect French history and culture.
What are Paris landmarks popular for?
All the landmarks you may visit in Paris have one thing in common; they relate to a long history of innovation and growth. You can explore the religious sides of Paris, its historical and artistic scene, or view its striking architecture. Regardless of what you choose, you are looking at old works of art left for safekeeping in the French capital.
The Eiffel Tower uniquely falls into its own category as a combination of architecture, art, and modern mechanical trends. So too do the Arc De Triomphe and Pont Alexandre III, amongst Paris’ many architectural designs that adorn the city with history-filled structures.
The Notre Dame de Paris and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris shed light on the city’s Catholic inheritance with majestic French Gothic and Byzantine Revival architectural styles.
Paris’ many museums complete the capital city’s full tour as they shelter some of the world’s most precious works of art. The Musee d’Orsay and the Louvre are just two of Paris’ countless museums. These Parisian landmarks are most popular for showing us French history and art with style and you can count on them trending in pop culture for years to come.
What are the most popular landmarks in Paris?
The Parisian landmark we look up most is the famous Eiffel Tower, and what is surprising is how much more we look up La Tour Eiffel compared to other landmarks. The Eiffel Tower receives 110,000 Google searches every month on average, which is over 7.5 more times than the average monthly searches for all ten landmarks.
Arc De Triomphe comes second in popularity as it gets looked up 18,100 times every month on average. Napoleon commissioned the ceremonial arch as a celebration of his victories in 1805 and 1806. It’s now looked up over six times less than Paris’ pride, the Eiffel Tower, but these two constructions have one thing in common, they both commemorate Parisian power and innovation.
Another marker of French history is Paris’ Musee d’Orsay. The museum ranks third in Paris’ most popular landmarks and receives 5,400 Google searches every month, which is a lot less than the top two attractions. Filled with French paintings, photography, sculpture and furniture from 1848 to 1914, Musee d’Orsay attracts many of us on a historical tour of French artefacts.
Not only does the Louvre host the famous Mona Lisa, but it also features over 380,000 valuable art pieces. The Louvre Museum is one of the most iconic historical monuments in Paris, which is reflected by its popularity, and we look it up as many times as Musee d’Orsay, an average of 5,400 times per month. Their equal popularity shows that French museums have a special place in our hearts.
If the top four most popular Parisian landmarks have taught us anything, it’s that we love French architecture and art. It then comes as no surprise that Notre Dame de Paris follows suit with 2,400 average monthly searches. The medieval cathedral features authentic Gothic styles that we can visit today despite the infamous fires that withered its top half in 2019. Notre Dame has impressively endured the test of time ever since it was first finished in 1250.
The French capital’s largest square, Place de la Concorde, is Paris’s sixth most popular landmark and though we only look it up 1,900 times on average every month, it remains a popular French destination. A tourist-filled place today, the square is a symbol of peace and harmony. Though it hosted many public executions previously, including King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s during the French Revolution. Established in 1772, the Place de la Concorde has seen a lot of history unravel.
Stretched across the Seine, Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that connects the Champs-Élysées quarter to the Invalides and Eiffel Tower quarters. Established in 1900 and declared a historic monument in 1970, the bridge has many ornaments that make it renowned, and it makes for a striking stop in tours of Paris. Its linking nature makes the bridge slightly less in demand online since it only receives 480 average Google searches every month.
Les Invalides is looked up 11,000 times less than the grand Eiffel Tower, so do the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris and the Champ De Mars, which receive as little as ten searches per month on average. The three Parisian landmarks have little in common except for their historical significance to the French capital.
The building complex Les Invalides reflects Paris’ bygone days, for it is full of museums and monuments commemorating French military history. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, or Sacré-Cœur Basilica, was established in 1875 and today it reflects the Catholic inheritance of the capital. Lastly, the Champ De Mars public greenspace echoes the steps of the French military, who used the grounds for drilling and marching.
The table below shows the full results of the study to see how much we search each Parisian landmark on Google.
Most popular landmarks in Paris
| Paris landmarks | Average monthly searches |
| Eiffel Tower | 110,000 |
| Arc De Triomphe | 18,100 |
| Musee d’Orsay | 5,400 |
| Louvre Museum | 5,400 |
| Notre Dame de Paris | 2,400 |
| Place de la Concorde | 1,900 |
| Pont Alexandre III | 480 |
| Les Invalides | 10 |
| The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris | 10 |
| The Champ De Mars | 10 |
Why is the Eiffel Tower more popular than all Parisian landmarks?
The Eiffel Tower is to Paris what Big Ben (or the Elizabeth Tower) is to London: a national symbol recognised worldwide. Tourists readily visit both to snap pictures, get small-scale versions of the constructions as souvenirs and then visit the rest of the capitals with a newfound understanding of the local culture.
Paris’ tourist hot spots often come up on social media, which adds to their popularity amongst Brits. The hashtag EiffelTower has been used over 6.7M times on Instagram and you can see the landmark in many pictures that feature #Paris.
Visitors have a great appreciation for the Eiffel Tower, which was constructed in 1887, and the French power it represents, but the Eiffel Tower also makes for a good picture. As mainstream media popularised the tower, we found ourselves more drawn to it. Be it The Devil Wears Prada (2006) or even Ratatouille (2007) that first drew your attention to the Eiffel Tower, the iconic landmark would have etched itself into your mind, and it will continue to do so for years to come.
