Paris isn’t only known as the ‘City of Lights’, it’s the architecture in which makes Paris, well…Paris. When you arrive, the sheer granduer, designs, and the huge variety of styles will make you appreciate and come to understand all that this spectacular city has experience throughout the ages. Paris’ beginnings evolved out of a walled city, which gave it a particular logic that Boston or London lacks. Today’s walled Paris is a ring-road called the Peripherique highway .

You can see structures and buildings as early as the 1100s, the Gothic style. Notre Dame was the first to appear with its pointed arches, cross vaults, x-shaped ribbing rising up from columns inside the arches, and flying buttresses. In the 15th and 16th centuries, The Renaissance hit Paris and took off running; you’ll recognize buildings and structures built during this period because of their sense of human proportions, like a solid base representing the foot, an elegant middle representing the body and a peaked roof with gabled windows, is the hat on the head.

Moving into the 17th century, Baroque became the fad as Louis XIV, the Sun King, used architecture to reflect his political prowess. The Palace of Versailles is a stunning Baroque representation. Most of the 18th century developed the ‘Rococo’ style of architecture. Maybe the hotel you’re staying at is a Rococo style building; look for the very recognizable sinuous lines of grottoes and shells. Next, in the later 18th and early 19th century, comes the style of Neo-Classicism. A very severe style bringing back the Greek and Roman architectural theories. These structures are the complete opposite of the Rococo’s moodiness; they’re more intelligent; no emotions are provoked when you look upon one of these Neo-Classic buildings.

Luckily, Paris recovered from the severity of Neo-Classical and in the early 20th century, they moved into Art Nouveau. A very innovative, fresh look that used new materials such as steel, iron and concrete. Young architects realized just how these new materials could be used and how they could replace the heavy facades used to conceal the inner architectural structure. Art Nouveau was replaced by Art Deco in the mid-20th century and the Modern Age became the Modern Movement. Just like the new sleek lines of cruise ships and trains, architects also added to the movement with angular shapes and jazzy rhythms to match the new mobility. This brings us to the present day – the Contemporary look. If you visit the Louvre, then you’ll recognize the Glass Pyramid entrance as the new Paris. Contemporary architecture is still a struggle to accept for many Parisians, but that hasn’t stopped this new style from bursting through to the 21st century.