The Bastille Saint-Antoine in Paris was a prison fortress that is famously known as the flashpoint for the French Revolution in 1789, when the French people stormed the garrison and set the prisoners (all seven of them) free. Whether you're visiting Paris during the Bastille Day celebration on July 14, or just including a visit to the prison ruins as part of your personal tour of France, seeing what's left of the Bastille will be a truly memorable highlight.
Book your flight and hotel accommodations for Paris to see the Bastille ruins. If you're planning on seeing the Bastille during the July 14 celebration, you may want to book airfare and a room well in advance, since Paris receives hundreds of thousands of visitors during this time period. Remember to have your passport available as well.
Visit the Place de la Bastille, the city square in Paris that covers the remains of the Bastille prison, which was slowly dismembered during the French Revolution in 1789 and 1790. The Place de la Bastille, which contains the Bastille Opera House, the Bastille subway station and the July Column, is located along the Canal Saint Martin. Be sure to take the Metro from your hotel to the Place de la Bastille, since many of the ruins of the Bastille can be seen while on the platform of the Line 5 station.
See the July Column, known as the Colonne de Juillet, which commemorates both the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the later revolution in 1830, when the last vestiges of French royalty were removed from the throne. This bronze column is 154 feet high, and features the names of all the French men and women who died in the Revolution engraved in gold.
Visit the park on the edge of the Place de la Bastille, where you can see many of the ruins of the original Bastille on display. These remaining pieces of the Bastille were removed in 1899 when the Metro was built and are located just a few hundred yards from the location of the original fortress.
Note the original location of the Bastille, which is marked on the Place de la Bastille by special paving stones. You can eat lunch at one of the many cafes that now exist on the location of the original Bastille, and walk along the outlines of the foundation, which are now covered with sidewalks.
