Paris is one of those cities I never tire of. Each visit feels familiar and new at the same time — the grand monuments are still there, but in between, the city keeps reinventing itself. This August, I spent several days walking from morning to night, camera in hand, tracing a path that wove together historic landmarks, contemporary architecture, and the unexpected encounters in between.
Saint-Denis–Pleyel & the Architecture of Tomorrow
Far from the center, the new Saint-Denis–Pleyel metro hub offers a glimpse of Paris’s future. Terraces of wood and glass cascade outward, while on the roof, an arched steel walkway frames the sky in repeating patterns. It feels like walking inside a cathedral of infrastructure — a new kind of monument for the 21st century.
Contemporary Layers: Bourse de Commerce
Paris doesn’t freeze itself in time. At the Bourse de Commerce, Tadao Ando’s raw concrete cylinder slices into a classical rotunda, creating a powerful dialogue between old and new. The exhibitions I encountered were as varied as the architecture: hyperrealistic sculptures that seemed to breathe, hundreds of porcelain bowls floating on turquoise water, even a tiny mouse peeking through a gallery wall. Parisian museums excel at this balance between the monumental and the whimsical, offering not just art but experiences that linger.
Fondation Louis Vuitton – Gehry’s Glass Sails
Frank Gehry’s Fondation Louis Vuitton rises from the Bois de Boulogne like a futuristic ship, all glass sails and sweeping curves. On a clear summer morning, the reflections dissolved into the sky, making the building seem both monumental and weightless. It’s a place that constantly shifts depending on the light and your vantage point — a photographer’s puzzle that never resolves.
Institut du Monde Arabe – Light and Geometry
Jean Nouvel’s Institut du Monde Arabe is one of Paris’s most striking cultural landmarks. Its south façade is made up of hundreds of metallic mashrabiya-inspired panels that adjust to the light, creating a constantly shifting play of shadow and reflection. Inside, glass and steel intersect with delicate geometric patterns, turning stairwells and corridors into architectural experiences in their own right. Standing at the windows, Paris appears reframed through circles and squares — a fusion of tradition and modern technology that makes the building itself as memorable as the exhibitions it houses.
Palais Royal – Columns and Playfulness
Paris hides some of its best surprises behind courtyards. At the Palais Royal, Daniel Buren’s striped columns transform a historic square into a playful installation. Tourists pose, children leap from column to column, while photographers chase the rhythm of shadow and stone. Against the backdrop of 17th-century architecture, the installation feels like a wink across centuries.
Grand Palais & Petit Palais – Belle Époque Twins
Built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais face each other like siblings with different temperaments. The Grand Palais stuns with its sheer scale and glass vault, while the Petit Palais feels more intimate, its gilded gates and sculptural program bordering on the delicate. Standing between them, you feel Paris at the turn of the century — a city both proud of its heritage and eager to step into modernity.
Just a short walk away, the Samaritaine department store is reborn with a rippling glass façade, distorting Haussmannian streets like water. Both projects show how Paris embraces reinvention without erasing its history.
La Canopée at Les Halles & Samaritaine
The Canopée des Halles stretches across the redeveloped central market area like a giant leaf of glass and steel. It’s a place where Parisians shop, commute, and gather, but architecturally it is also about light — how it filters through the layers, creating a golden, dappled effect even in the bustle of the city’s core.
Just a short walk away, the Samaritaine department store is reborn with a rippling glass façade, distorting Haussmannian streets like water. Both projects show how Paris embraces reinvention without erasing its history.
Evenings in the Tuileries & Louvre
As evening fell, the Tuileries Gardens turned into a stage of light. The Olympic cauldron/flame was reinstalled for the summer, the giant silver balloon hovered above the Jardin des Tuilleries, glows a beautiful orange at dusk, and rises wonderful against its surroundings such as the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel at night. Finally, the Louvre Pyramid lit up, its glass facets glowing warmly against the dark sky. It’s a reminder that Paris is just as much a nocturnal city as it is a daytime one — a place where architecture transforms with every hour.
Reflections
Walking through Paris this August, I was reminded why this city endures as a touchstone for architects, artists, and travelers alike. It isn’t just the landmarks — though they are plentiful — but the juxtapositions: Gehry against Haussmann, Ando against 19th-century domes, playful columns against royal courtyards.
For photographers, it’s a city of infinite compositions. For architects, it’s a lesson in layering history with innovation. For travelers, it’s a journey that feels at once timeless and freshly written.
Paris evolves, and with each visit, so do I.
