Porte St-Denis

Montmartre & Northern Paris


Along with the Porte St-Martin, this triumphal arch was built in the late 17th century to commemorate a victory by Louis XIV’s armies. At the time of its construction, it replaced a medieval gate in the Paris city walls.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Montmartre & Northern Paris attractions

1. Porte St-Martin

0.14 MILES

Commemorating victories by Louis XIV’s armies, this triumphal arch was – like the Porte St-Denis – built in the late 17th century, replacing gates in the…

2. L'Oasis d'Aboukir

0.26 MILES

On the corner of rue des Petits Carreaux (the northern extension of foodie street rue Montorgueil‎), this extraordinary mur végétal ('vertical garden')…

3. Musée des Arts et Métiers

0.31 MILES

The Arts and Crafts Museum, dating to 1794 and Europe's oldest science and technology museum, is a must for families – or anyone with an interest in how…

4. Église St-Laurent

0.41 MILES

Built in the Flamboyant Gothic style from 1429, this church took two centuries to complete. As a result the nave was designed separately, in the classical…

5. Tour Jean sans Peur

0.43 MILES

This 29m-high Gothic tower was built during the Hundred Years' War by the Duke of Bourgogne so that he could take refuge from his enemies – such as the…

6. Musée Grévin

0.5 MILES

This large (and expensive) waxworks inside the passage Jouffroy has some 300 wax figures. They largely look more like caricatures than characters but,…

7. Église St-Eustache

0.56 MILES

Just north of the gardens adjoining the city’s old marketplace, now the Forum des Halles, is one of the most beautiful churches in Paris. Majestic,…

8. Canal St-Martin

0.57 MILES

The tranquil, 4.5km-long Canal St-Martin was inaugurated in 1825 to provide a shipping link between the Seine and Paris' northeastern suburbs. Emerging…