WALK LIKE A PARISIENNE

KNOWN THE WORLD OVER AS THE CITY OF LOVE, PARIS IS ALSO A GREAT PLACE TO GET A SERIOUS PHYSICAL WORKOUT WHILE SIGHTSEEING

EVERY EUROPEAN city has its quirks. In Rome you'll quickly discover the long queues everywhere, from the public toilets and pizza shops to the Colosseum or Vatican City. But in Paris the focus is definitely on stairs, whether you're wandering the public parks, roaming the halls of the many museums and art galleries, or climbing to the top of iconic attractions.

There are numerous signs posted at these attractions boasting the precise number of stairs you'll have to climb to truly conquer them. Most stairwells are old, cramped and winding - tall visitors will need to duck - and are guaranteed to raise the heart rate of even the fittest traveller.

If you're prepared to put the work in, however, you’ll be rewarded bv fabulous views at each magnificent destination in this exceedingly popular world city: Paris attracts a whopping 45 million tourists annually -amazing when you consider the city has a local population of just 2.2 million.

SACRE COEUR

Perched on the highest hill in Paris, the Sacré Coeur, or Basilica of the Sacred Heart, is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. The five gleaming oriental domes of the Roman Catholic church (which was completed in 1914) and the lush green grass surrounding it provide a welcome contrast to the 235 drab, concrete steps of the Rue Foyatier that leads up Montmartre to the church entrance.

By the time you've climbed the stairs you'll probably be out of breath, but you'll be rewarded with performances by some of the many buskers who swarm to the area, from sprightly old men playing violins to young, colourfully dressed break dancers earning old-school boom boxes.

Once you catch your breath, venture inside the Sacré Coeur - but get ready for more stairs. There's a further 300 steps to the top of the building. But it's worth the climb - the main dome is the second-highest point in Paris (after the Eiffel Tower), and those who make it to the top enjoy some of the best views in the city.

THE LOUVRE

By the time you've walked around the many galleries that make up this famous art hub, you're guaranteed to have scaled hundreds - if not thousands - of stairs. This mighty museum, hailed as the most-visited in the world, houses 35,000 artworks displayed in over 60,000m- of exhibition space.

The most popular attraction is the Mona Lisa, but there's plenty more to see, even if you're not much of an art lover. The museum's exterior is an artwork in itself, with the contemporary nature of the giant glass pyramid at its entrance striking a dramatic contrast to the surrounding Louvre Palace complex, which has undergone many phases of building, modification, destruction and restoration over the decades.

EIFFEL TOWER

This famous landmark is die granddaddy of all stair-climbs, and a trip to Paris is not complete without ascending to its summit. Standing at 324m, the same height as an 81-storey building, the metal latticework tower looks particularly amazing at night when it's illuminated on the hour by 20,000 twinkling fairy lights.

Many people falsely believe that the tower is made of steel, but it's actually made from iron. Completed in 1889, designer Gustave Eiffel masterminded this radical feat of engineering that took two years, two months and five days to build. Not everyone was happy about the controversial tower - many believed it detracted from the beauty of Paris, while some nature lovers were concerned it would interfere with the flight of birds over the city. In fact, the tower was almost torn down in 1909 at the expiration of its 20-year lease, but w-as saved because of its antenna - used for telegraphy at the time.

Today the tower is one of the world's most recognized landmarks. More than 200 million people have visited since it was built, making it the most-visited paid monument in the world. Of course, standing at such a towering height, it's hardly surprising that the Eiffel Tower has a huge number of stairs. There's a grand total of 1665 steps to reach the top, but not all of these are open for general use. The public is only allowed to climb the steps of the first and second levels (347 and 674 stairs respectively); an elevator must be used to ride the rest of the way. Still, that's a lot of climbing. Which is why most tourists cheat and take the elevator all the w:ay from the ground level instead.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE

The commanding Arc de Triomphe rests like a giant ornate headstone at one end of the famously broad and elegant Champs Elysees. Construction began in 1806 on the Triumphal Arch (as it translates to in English), which today honors those who fought and died in the French Revolution and subsequent Napoleonic Wars, while beneath the imposing arch lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and its eternally flickering flame.

Take the 284 spiral steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for 360-degrec views of Paris. From here you can marvel as the huge surges of traffic manoeuvre around one of the world's largest and most famous roundabouts. In fact, half of all the world's traffic roundabouts are located in France — the country has around 30,000 of them.

NOTRE DAME

Climb the 387 winding stairs to the top of this historic cathedral, which look 182 years to complete, and you'll find yourself in a medieval world where ornate spires and glaring gargoyles preside. The eerie yet endearing stone creatures, which are half-man, half-beast, look like gatekeepers of the ancient church, but actually double as decorative drainpipes that help rainwater run off the building.

If you're not keen to climb the stairs, be sure to at least check out the inside of the cathedral, which was completed in 1345 and is widely considered one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in Europe. It's not the most private place to attend Mass - about 14 million visitors a year flock here -but the detailed design, intricate stained glass and abundance of flickering candles make it well worth a visit.