Last Updated: September 26, 2021
La Défense is Paris Metropolitan Area’s main business district. It is one of the largest business districts in Europe. Luckily, you don’t have to be a finance executive to enjoy what la Défense has to offer. The district is full of surprises with many buildings, skyscrapers, small parks, open air museums, malls, restaurants and modern hotels. Furthermore, many events take place there throughout the year. You can easily spend the whole day exploring la Défense district.
What to see and what to do in la Défense ?
The Grande Arche de la Défense
The 110-meter-high Grande Arche of la Défense is the most famous landmark of the district. You can get a lift to the rooftop of the arch and enjoy the amazing panoramic views. Many exhibitions and events are held on the rooftop of the Grande Arche throughout the year. Price to access the rooftop is 15 € per person (12€ for jobseekers, seniors and disabled persons, 10€ for students and 7€ for children from 3 to 18 years old). The rooftop is open from 10am to 7pm every day.
Yann Arthus-Bertrand : Legacy Exhibition
If you visit the rooftop of the Grande Arche, you will have access to the current exhibition or event. When we visited the Grande Arche, there was an exhibition of the work of photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand (June – December 2019). We really like the work of Yann Arthus-Bertrand, especially his documentary ‘Human’. The photographic exhibition “Legacy” was quite good.
The CNIT and Les 4 Temps
The CNIT and Westfield Les 4 Temps are both great places for shopping. The CNIT building itself is impressive. Westfield Les 4 Temps is a huge shopping center with many shops, restaurants and a cinema. Difficult to not find what you are looking for there!
Green spaces
Even though it is a business district, there are many green spaces to discover in La Défense: Cours Gambetta, Jardin des Reflets, Parc André Malraux, Parc Diderot, to name but a few.
Open-Air Museum
There are around 60 modern sculptures around La Défense for you to discover, including the ‘Red Spider’ by Alexander Calder, the “Public bench” by Lilian Bourgeat, the ‘Monumental fountain’ by Yaacov Agam, the ‘Thumb’ by Cesar Baldaccini, …
Events throughout the year
As mentioned above, many events take place in La Défense throughout the year. We visited the district during the event “Les Extatiques” where many art sculptures were displayed. Among our favorites, there were the ‘Fog sculpture’ by Fujiko Nakaya, la ‘voiture sur le lampadaire’ by Benedetto Bufalino, and ‘togetherness without borders’ by Pangrok Sulap.
Where to stay? Our review of CitizenM
A couple of weeks ago, Krishna and I experienced a night stay at CitizenM hotel, located in the heart of La Défense. We highly recommend this modern hotel.
The rooms design is unique, each with a large King size bed and a huge window overlooking the Grande Arche. Their concept is quite neat: a smart room with a tablet from where you can control everything. Their +: the international and friendly staff, and the amazing breakfast.
We will definitely stay at CitizenM again as they have other hotels in Amsterdam, Glasgow, London, Copenhagen, New York, Seattle, Boston, Tapei, Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur.
Did you visit la Defense? Did you like it? Share your pic on Instagram, mention @paris_kathmandu & tag #paris_kathmandu
La Défense
Where? Paris Metropolitan Area, Hauts de Seine department, in the Northwestern part of Paris.
Access? Esplanade de la Défense station or La Défense station (Metro Line 1 and RER A).
When? Every day.
Pin this article to read it later:
