Pont Neuf, which (ironically) translates to “New Bridge,” has connected the left and right banks of Paris since the late 16th century. Napoleon III later rebuilt the bridge’s foundations and removed the shops that once lined the bridge’s roadway, allowing for a sturdier, wider road for increased traffic in the city. The bridge celebrated its 400 year anniversary in 2007.

The Père-Lachaise Cemetery, also called Cimetiere de l’Est (“Cemetery of the East”), is a 110-acre cemetery and park in northeastern Paris. The cemetery’s tree-lined avenues are often crowded with guests in search of famous gravesites, including those of Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Jim Morrison, and Abelard and Heloise (ill-fated lovers from the 12th century whose story is of local legend).

Paris is notoriously difficult to navigate by car. To add to tourists’ confusion, the city of Paris also contains no stop signs. One-way streets and roundabouts are commonplace in this capital city, but you won’t see any red octagons. There are some traffic lights, but at less busy intersections, instead of using a stop sign, cars on the right have the right of way.

Parisian fans of sparkling water don’t need to buy cans or bottles of it at the store — they can just get a drink at one of the eight public fountains dispensing sparkling water in Paris. These fountains opened in 2010, but have proved so popular that there is a plan to install one in every arrondissement.

With a name that translates to “Swan Island,” “L’île aux Cygnes” is the only human-made island on the Seine River, located between the 15th and 16th arrondissements. The two other islands on the Seine, “L’île Saint-Louis” and “L’île de la Cité” (home to Notre Dame Cathedral) are natural. “L’île aux Cygnes” is home to a replica of the Statue of Liberty.

Less than 20 feet long, Rue des Degrés in the Second Arrondissement holds the distinction of being Paris’ shortest street. It was built in 1634 and isn’t accessible to cars, the reasoning for which becomes clear when you set eyes on it: It’s actually a 14-step staircase that connects Rue Beauregard to Rue de Clery.

Many countries pay tribute to the remains of unidentifiable soldiers through monumental graves, often referred to as the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.” In Paris, this tomb is found at the base of the Arc de Triomphe. The tomb was consecrated in 1921, and the flame of remembrance has been relit every evening for the last 100 years.

For three weeks every July, the most prestigious and difficult bike race in the world covers about 2,235 miles, all the way to the finish line along Paris’ Champs-Élysées, where the race has ended every year since 1975. Home to the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées is often referred to as the most beautiful avenue in the world.

Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tuileries is a 70-acre public garden along the Seine River, located between Louvre and the Place de la Concorde. It was named after the old tile factories that used to line the river. The gardens were created in 1564 as part of Catherine de Medici’s Tuileries Palace (which no longer exists) and opened to the public in 1667.

When it was first built in 1190, the Louvre was a fortress meant to reinforce city walls surrounding Paris. In the 1500s, it was rebuilt as a palace and stayed that way until 1682, when Louis XIV moved the royal residence to Versailles. At that point, the Louvre began exhibiting artwork, and it officially became a museum in 1793.

In 1667, King Louis XIV wanted to give the residents a way to feel safer after a prolonged period of war. He had lanterns placed on nearly every street and asked Parisians to put candles or oil lamps in their windows at night, thus making Paris the first European city with street lighting and granting it the nickname “City of Light.”

A cabaret is a type of nightclub where food and drinks are served to the audience while they enjoy a performance. One of the most famous cabarets in the world is the Moulin Rouge, founded in 1889 in Montmartre, a Bohemian village in Paris. Here, the Doriss girls perform the French Cancan seven days a week for audiences from all over the world.

Boulangeries are French bakeries that specialize in bread. There are strict laws about French bread, including one stating that baguettes must be made on premise (where they are being sold) using only four ingredients: wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast. Since 1997, the annual “Grand Prix de la Baguette de Traditional Française de la Ville De Paris” has been held to find the best baguette in Paris.

Underneath the city of Paris is a vast graveyard called the Catacombs. The tunnels are part of a former quarry, and the bones artfully lining the walls were brought in from local cemeteries. In the late 1700s, a number of public health outbreaks were connected to the city cemeteries, so all the bones were transferred underground. The Catacombs opened for public tours in 1809.

Bastille Day (also called French National Day) celebrates the fall of the Bastille in Paris (a fortified prison) on July 14, 1789, which marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Akin to the Fourth of July in America, Bastille Day is celebrated with fireworks, speeches, and a large military parade through the heart of Paris.

Originally named Aéroport de Paris Nord (Paris North Airport), this international hub was renamed after French President Charles de Gaulle in 1974 after undergoing major renovations. De Gaulle became president of France after World War II, when he served as a brigadier general in the army. After helping free France from the Axis powers, he went on to establish the French Fifth Republic, the constitution that is still used today.

Paris was founded around 250 BCE, when the Parisii tribe, a group of Gallic people, settled on the island known today as the L’île de la Cité, in the Seine River. Julius Caesar and the Romans were in charge by 52 BCE, and named the settlement Lutetia. In 987 CE, the quickly growing city was re-named Paris and became the capital of France.

The Eiffel Tower’s signature evening light show, created by Pierre Bideau and introduced in 1985, takes place each evening from sundown until 1 am. Every hour on the hour, the Eiffel Tower glows with sparkling lights for five minutes. And you might want to think twice before snapping photos — the light show is technically covered by copyright law.

Neighborhoods in Paris are called “arrondissements.” The city has 20 of these administrative districts. The First Arrondissement is the historic heart of Paris and home to the Louvre Museum; from there, they extend outward in a clockwise spiral in numerical order. Colloquially, the neighborhood arrangement is known as the “Paris snail.”

The French government commissioned the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 World’s Fair, which took place on the centennial of the French Revolution. Bridge engineer Gustave Eiffel designed the structure, which was never meant to be a permanent landmark. It was almost torn down in 1909 but later saved because of its use as a radio tower. Over a century later, it is one of the world's most recognizable landmarks.