The remains of the medieval wall that once surrounded Paris with ties to the construction of the Louvre.

Remains of Roman amphitheater hidden in a sleepy quarter of Paris.

A gruesome combat between a hunter and a furious momma bear.

This recessed garden protects thousands of mountain plants by creating its own microclimates.

Known as the "Dodo Manège," this carousel features a herd of animals that have disappeared—or may be gone soon.

Pitié-Salpêtrière was the dumping grounds for women who received the dreaded diagnosis of "hysterical."

The historic Masonic Lodge in which the first-ever female Mason was initiated.

Two awe-inspiring globes from the reign of the Sun King hang from the ceiling of France's national library.

This Parisian fountain is a little bit fantasy and a little bit nightclub.

The approximate spot where the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar was put to death.

If you look closely at the oldest bridge in Paris, you might notice hundreds of ugly faces leering from its sides.

The site where two doves fell in love.

This modest marker near Notre Dame identifies the very center of Paris.

A surrealist timepiece by the artist of melting clocks.

An overlooked marble is the only surviving in-place 18th century example of the measurement that changed how we define distance.

A poem by Arthur Rimbaud is inscribed on the wall of a street that, while it is only one block long, plays a key role in multiple novels.

A glamorous hotel that once accommodated French resistance fighters and concentration camp survivors.

A popular shrine where the Blessed Virgin allegedly appeared in 1830, displaying a holy armchair and two incorruptible remains of Lady Saints.

Saintly bones pressed into a wax effigy of a Catholic superstar.

This mural painted by Keith Haring was done without payment as a gift to entertain the children at the Hôpital Necker.

The Sun King's military models, saved from the Louvre.

Twelve grave-faced marble angels guard the emperor's tomb at Les Invalides.

This bridge was constructed from the rubble of the infamous Bastille.

Paris' fabled purveyor of exotic taxidermy and natural history curios.