Visit the business district of La Defense

I can recommend exploring the skyscrapers of la Défense, a ten-minute train ride from Paris Saint-Lazare station. These are the emblem of the business district of La Défense and most of the time are inaccessible to the general public.

Among my favourites are:

• The Carpe Diem tower, commended in the International Architecture Awards 2014 with its "garden in the clouds" and its ecological and highly functional architecture.
• The T1 Tower, shaped like a sheet of paper folded in two, looks like a sail billowing in the wind. It’s the headquarters of the GDF SUEZ Group and has been awarded with the "High Environmental Quality in Business" award. At 231 meters high, the Tower First is the tallest tower in France and symbolises la Défense in its design. It’s the home of Euler Hermes and the EY headquarters.
• I love the open air terraces on each floor of the Majunga tower. It’s the latest to have been built in the business district. On this basis, it benefits from numerous ecological innovations, with high ceilings and bioclimatic facades in line with the tower’s aspect and maximizing the natural light that gets in; there’s natural ventilation and real gardens on each floor, playing a part in temperature control. In addition, its architecture aims to restore the connection between the esplanade de la Défense and the Puteaux district: that’s good, isn’t it?

To give me time to organise a visit, it’s best to book at least 15 days in advance. A discovery tour takes on average two hours.

If you want to do a little shopping before seeing the towers, I can take you through the Passage du Havre shopping centre in front of the Saint-Lazare station or even through the brand new "Only You" shopping centre, located within the station area itself.