Paris, Day 2

After Bastille Day and the incredible fervour that followed the Olympic flame, the torch will remain in the City of Light for another day to promote all the unique elements that makes Paris such a unique and famous city, both for its denizens and the many tourists who come to the French capital every day. After visiting the central districts, the torch will go through the peripheral districts of Paris on 15 July. This second day is an opportunity for a new route to highlight other monuments and historical sites of Paris. The Olympic torch will start this tour at the INSEP: a sport boarding school that has been training athletes since 1975. It will then head to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, an iconic building perched at the top of the butte of Montmartre. The next leg will take it to the Arc de Triomphe and Place du Trocadéro.

The torch will then head to Place Denfert-Rochereau before catching its breath in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. After this brief repose, it will be time to go to the last stop of the day: Place de la République.

Celebrations in Paris

The second day in the French capital will come to a close in Place la République, where the 3^rd, 10^th and 11^th arrondissements meet. Place de la République, famous within and outside of Paris, has emerged as a favourite meeting point over the years. Yet it was only in the 19^th century that it became an important transportation hub. The square was part of the grand renovation of Paris by Baron Haussmann, who shaped the city under the Second French Empire. Haussmann expanded the square and gave it its rectangular shape.

The 15.5-metre sculpture that towers over it is an allegory of the Republic by sculptor Léopold Morice. The square has received several makeovers in recent decades and has been a skateboarding paradise since the installation of dedicated facilities for the sport. The lighting of the cauldron and a massive concert will be held in the square in front of a huge crowd eager to watch the end of the Olympic torch's journey around Paris and celebrate Olympic values.