The bus then moves to the central courtyard of the Louvre museum where you will admire (or loathe) architect Li Pei’s glass pyramid. There again, the contrast between such a modern structure and the classical proportions of the Louvre buildings is open to debate.

Then it’s off to Notre Dame Cathedral, and crossing the river Seine over the Pont Neuf, the medieval bridge built from 1578 to 1604. Notre Dame Cathedral can be toured, and the faithful can attend a Catholic mass. For the not-faint-of-hearts, the high towers offer a photo-opp view at the top of a steep flight of stairs. The large plaza which lies at the feet of the cathedral often becomes an improvised stage for street performers.

The Open Tour then takes you on a long ride along the left banks of the Seine, to the Orsay Museum. The 19th-century decommissioned train station was fully renovated in the 80’s and converted into a large museum dedicated to impressionist art. The facade of the building is an architectural delight.

A little detour will have you cross the Seine again, and land on Concorde Square, a plaza of awesome dimensions. There stands the Louqsor obelisk offered to King Charles X by Egyptian sovereign Mohammad Ali in 1831. Then it’s up the Champs Elysees Avenue.

The lower section of the famous thoroughfare has kept some of its 19th-century charm with its sidewalks shaded by many trees. It ends at ‘Petit Palais’ and ‘Grand Palais’, two major exhibition venues built toward the end of the 19th century, and recently renovated. From there starts the upper section of the Avenue, which has only become uglier and uglier ever since the 60’s.

Atop the Champs Elysees stands the Arch of Triumph, a monument commissioned by Napoleon I to celebrate his victory over the Austrian armies at Austerlitz. The four pillars of the large Roman-style structure bear the names of the killing fields where the French tyrant exacted his death toll on European populations.