Paris | Day Three | Arc de Triomphe & Sacré-Cœu

After visiting the Musee De l'Orangerie we took a leisurely walk along the river heading towards the Champs Elyses. After grabbing lunch and shopping in the many boutique that line the road, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe.

The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault also lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

There's no lift inside so you have to walk 285 steps to reach the viewing platform at the top, which stands 50 meters tall.

It's well worth the trek as the views are magnificent. Whilst we were up there we could see the golden dome of Napoleon's Tomb and the Sacré-Cœu, a magnificent Catholic church based in Monmartre.

We decided to jump on the Metro after as a station is conveniently placed right next to the Arc and headed over to Monmartre to see the beautiful church up-close.

A word of warning, the neighbourhood isn't the safest when you exit the station, so make sure you keep an eye on your bag. The walk towards the church is through beautiful gardens to the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city.

The church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ. Inside the church was stunning - it contains a large pipe organ and exquisite murals on the ceiling.

The church requests silence inside and kindly asks that you do not take pictures of the interior - out of followed this, but if you're desperate to see the inside images can be found on Google.

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