Paris Rooftops, Windows, and Doors

When we visited Paris last year, I became obsessed with the rooftops. Each building seemed to have a unique mix of windows, cast iron railings, balconies, and chimneys–so many chimneys!

I wasn’t sure what I loved most about these architectural details, but I took a ton of photos of them and planned to share them in a post.

Then I forgot.

Yesterday, my friend shared a link she found with several lovely photos of Paris rooftops. It turns out, I’m not the only traveler enchanted by those rooftops!

I think it maybe because these elements make the buildings feel so lived-in. Which makes sense, because from floor to ceiling, these buildings are very much lived-in!

Though there are few tall buildings in Paris, the city is actually twice as dense as New York City. For many years, the city enforced strict height restrictions which led to most buildings being no more than about 5 or 6 stories high. Parisians utilize into every square foot of space of that residential space and pack tiny residential units into the narrowest of spaces, including the attics.

Because we were constantly up and down, we had the opportunity to see the city from lots of different vantage points which allowed us to get up close and personal with these roofs, windows and doors. Many of the buildings had the historic styling that is so characteristic of the old city, but there were a lot of interesting, modernist construction sprinkled in. I loved the mix of old and new, well-maintained and nearly crumbling.

Here are some photos of pretty (gritty, and interesting!) Paris rooftops and buildings: