2 Best Sights in Paris, France

For centuries, this 170-foot bell tower guided pilgrims to a starting point of the Chemin de St-Jacques (Way of Saint James). Built in 1508 in the Flamboyant Gothic style, it's all that remains of the Église St-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, which was destroyed in the French Revolution. Purchased by the city in 1836, the tower languished until a three-year renovation, completed in 2009, restored 660 tons of stone and statues, including the gargoyles hanging from the upper reaches and the figure of Saint James gracing the top. Blaise Pascal was among the medieval scientists who conducted experiments here (his involved gravity), which is why his statue sits at the base. If you wish to enter the tower, guided tours are occasionally offered in summer and fall by reservation only.

Paris's least regarded architectural eyesore is currently undergoing a major overhaul and will have a sparkling new facade with planted terraces and a renovated, ground-level shopping center by 2024. When it reopens, a quick elevator ride will whisk visitors to the top of one of continental Europe's tallest skyscrapers, where you can take in panoramic vistas of Paris from the glass-enclosed observation deck on the 56th floor. On a clear day, you can see for 40 km (25 miles). Built in 1973, the 680-foot building will also sport a rooftop restaurant as well as hotel rooms on the 42nd to 45th floors, from which one can enjoy some of the best views of Paris and beyond.