It's hard to not feel as if you're actually climbing your way up to heaven -- either on foot or by funicular -- when you visit Sacré-Coeur, as this basilica is the city's white castle in the sky, perched atop butte Montmartre. In an attempt to symbolize the return of self-confidence to late 19th-century Paris after the Commune and Franco-Prussian War, the French government decided to build Sacré-Coeur in 1873. It was designed by architect Paul Abadie, using elements from Romanesque and Byzantine architectural styles. Construction lasted until WWI, and the church wasn't consecrated until 1919.

Many people come to Sacré-Coeur to admire the superlative view from the top of the 271-foot-high dome, the second highest point in Paris after the Eiffel Tower. If you opt to skip the climb up the spiral staircase, the view from the front steps is well worth the trip.

But don't miss spending some time inside the basilica gazing at the massive golden mosaic set high above the choir, created by Luc Olivier Merson, and entitled Christ in Majesty. Completed in 1922, it shows Christ, arms outstretched with a golden heart, surrounded by various figures including the Virgin Mary and Joan of Arc. It remains one of the largest mosaics of its kind and is meant to represent France's devotion to the Sacred Heart. There's also the seemingly endless vaulted arches in the basilica's crypt, the portico's bronze doors -- decorated with biblical scenes including the Last Supper -- as well as the stained-glass windows, which were installed in 1922, destroyed by bombing during WWII, and later rebuilt in 1946. The basilica's 262 ft.-high campanile hangs La Savoyarde, one of the world's heaviest bells weighing about 19 tons.

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