Among the most beautiful places to visit in Paris, one cathedral consistently tops the list for tourists.
The Office of Tourism and Congress of Paris revealed this week that more than 71 million tourists have visited 63 sites in the French capital – with the most popular landmark being Notre-Dame.
Notre-Dame de Paris and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre are by far the favorite and most visited sites, with respective estimates of 13.65 million and 10.5 million visitors in 2010. Behind them are the Louvre Museum (8.4 million visitors) and the Eiffel Tower (6.6 million).
Construction of Notre-Dame de Paris commenced in 1163 on the Ile de la Cité. The structure has long been revered as a veritable wonder of neo-Gothic art and is widely considered a stellar example of French Gothic architecture throughout Europe.
The cathedral’s ornate facade, flying buttresses and majestic galleries have been immortalized in countless works of art, fiction and film.