24 Best Things To Do in Paris

After several trips to the French capital, it’s common to feel as though you haven’t quite seen all the must-see sights; the great thing about Paris is that the city is always waiting for you. Here are 24 things in Paris you simply can’t miss.

Without a doubt, the symbol of Paris is the tower that many Parisians once rejected as an eyesore. Today, nobody can imagine a visit to the French capital without going up the Eiffel Tower. Getting to the Eiffel Tower is easy, but what do you need to know if you want to go up? Firstly, as with most tourist attractions in Paris, it’s best to book your Eiffel Tower tickets in advance to avoid the queue. When you buy them, you’ll need to decide:

• Whether you want to go up to the second floor or to the top.
• Whether you want to take the lift or the stairs.

The price of tickets for the Eiffel Tower varies depending on what you choose. In either case, you’ll have the option of taking a guided tour of the Eiffel Tower or buying a combined ticket with an Eiffel Tower and Seine river cruise package to save money.

You’ll love the views from the Eiffel Tower, both by day and when the city is lit up, but don’t forget to explore the surrounding area and admire the Eiffel Tower’s lights at night, or even have a meal at one of the restaurants near the Eiffel Tower after your visit. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your visit to the Eiffel Tower and make the experience even better.

Taking a stroll along the banks of the Seine, reaching the Tuileries Gardens which lie in front of the Louvre Museum, and sitting down to read a book on the benches surrounding its enormous fountains is one of the best experiences Paris has to offer. Whilst the Louvre’s art collection is one of the most extensive and renowned in the world, the walk to the Louvre and the surrounding area are just as impressive.

The time you’ll need to see the Louvre varies depending on how much you want to explore, but I wouldn’t recommend allowing less than three hours. Choose a day and a time slot for your visit (as for the Louvre’s opening hours, you should know that it is closed on Tuesdays and opens later on Wednesdays and Fridays) and, above all, buy your Louvre tickets in advance because the queue to get to the ticket office can take hours. Among the best works in the Louvre you will find:

• Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
• The Venus de Milo.
• The Winged Victory of Samothrace.
• Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People.
• The Code of Hammurabi.

Don’t rule out a guided tour of the Louvre to make the most of the collection (if you’re visiting the Louvre with children, you’ll also find special tours available) and avoid public holidays when visitor numbers are even higher. There may be discounts on Louvre admission tickets, but in my opinion it’s not worth it. Finally, don’t forget to visit the Louvre museum shop, as you can find some real gems there. I’ve also included some recommendations for places to eat near the Louvre Museum.

You’ve no doubt read stories about bohemian Paris and the painters and artists who flocked to the city at the dawn of the 20th century. All these stories took place in the Montmartre district, which, surprisingly, has not lost that special charm that makes it the most visited neighbourhood in Paris.

You’ll find this neighbourhood in the north of Paris, a bit away from the centre, but well connected by the Paris metro (Blanche, Pigalle or Anvers stations on line 2). The main attractions are the Sacré-Cœur, the Moulin Rouge and the Place des Artistes, but the real essence lies in wandering its streets and cafés, discovering their stories. I always recommend a guided tour of the area.

To get to the Moulin Rouge, you need to head into Paris’s bohemian quarter. In lower Montmartre, surrounded by adult shops and neon lights, lies Paris’s most famous cabaret, best known for Toulouse-Lautrec’s posters and the cancan dance.

Nowadays, some people think the Moulin Rouge is a museum, but it isn’t: it still operates as a nightclub that you can visit with your Moulin Rouge tickets. The price of the Moulin Rouge show isn’t cheap, but the experience is well worth it. Whether you have dinner there or decide to eat somewhere near the Moulin Rouge, don’t forget to visit it at night to see it lit up and get a feel for the true character of the area.

It is impossible to talk about one of Paris’s most iconic monuments without feeling a shiver down your spine and without mentioning the flames that engulfed the building on 15 April 2019.

Although you won’t be able to climb up to see the gargoyles that watch over Paris from its towers— Notre Dame Cathedral is currently undergoing restoration—you can head to the Île de la Cité to view it from the outside and take a stroll around the area. If you’re a book lover, don’t forget to visit the most wonderful bookshop in the world, located just a few metres from the cathedral: Shakespeare and Co.

It has always struck me how the Sainte Chapelle goes so unnoticed among tourists visiting Paris, when it is one of the city’s finest attractions. This church is just a few metres from Notre Dame and is renowned for its stunning stained-glass windows.

It’s well worth booking tickets for Sainte Chapelle in Paris to see the spectacle of light and glass; precisely because it’s less well-known, you can enjoy it with more peace and quiet than in busier churches such as Sacré-Cœur or Notre Dame.

Another iconic building is the Opéra Garnier. The performances held in this magnificent building (which you must see both by day and by night, when it is illuminated) attracted the cream of French society and politics, and you’ll hear all about these stories when you visit its sumptuous corridors and auditorium.

During the day, you can visit the building by buying tickets for a guided tour of the Opéra Garnier or by booking a private guided tour of the Opéra Garnier. And if you’re in Paris at night, bear in mind that concerts and shows are still held there.

North of the Seine and in the middle of Place Charles de Gaulle stands the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which you can visit from below or climb to admire the city from above. If you book tickets for the Arc de Triomphe and do the latter, you’ll see that the skyscrapers of La Défense (the business district), the Arc itself and the Louvre Pyramid form a perfect straight line.

You can also take a stroll along the Champs-Élysées (if you visit Paris at Christmas, you’ll find the tree decorations simply marvellous) and browse the numerous shop windows lining both sides of the avenue.

Another fascinating way to see the Arc de Triomphe, as well as some of Paris’s most iconic landmarks, is with one of the best Flyview experiences in Paris.

Paris is a city of large green spaces, and one of the best-maintained and most visited is the Luxembourg Gardens, south of the River Seine. A place that can be included in the best bike tours of Paris.

Its design, fountains and flowers are well worth a visit, but don’t just go there for the tourist experience: sit down to read, buy an ice cream and watch the daily life of Paris unfold in this park. The hustle and bustle of Paris comes to a halt in these immaculate gardens, within which you’ll also find the palace that gives them their name.

After the Louvre, this is the most visited museum in Paris and, for many people, their favourite. The Musée d’Orsay boasts works by Monet, Rodin, Cézanne and Gauguin among its collection; it is spread over several floors and its layout is perfect for a visit.

At the heart of the Musée d’Orsay is a main gallery filled with statues and sculptures, bathed in spectacular light; the various rooms branch off from either side of it.

The smaller crowds compared to the Louvre allow you to enjoy this visit at a leisurely pace. Even so, I recommend booking your tickets for the Musée d’Orsay in advance. Read more about this and other museums in the guide to the best museums in Paris.

In a city as cosmopolitan as Paris, contemporary art has a lot to offer, and a visit to the Georges Pompidou Centre is proof of that. At the Pompidou Centre in Paris: how to buy tickets and prices, you’ll see one of Europe’s largest collections of contemporary art, featuring works by Duchamp, Kandinsky, Picasso and Matisse, as well as original installations by other artists that will ensure you have a great time during your visit.

The Pompidou is a museum where you can have a good time, enjoy yourself and appreciate art whilst learning, which is why I always say that the Pompidou is an ideal museum to visit if you’re travelling to Paris with children. Read more in this article about the best museums in Paris and book tickets for the Pompidou Museum in advance.

Near the Champ de Mars lies the architectural complex of the Les Invalides Museum and Napoleon’s tomb in Paris. It certainly catches the eye with its large golden dome, but what is actually inside that building? The answer is a military museum and a church housing Napoleon’s remains.

If you’re interested in the French Revolution and the Second World War, here you’ll find a huge collection of weapons and artefacts from those periods.

Built in the neoclassical style and inspired by the Roman Pantheon, it is one of the main buildings in the Latin Quarter. Its underground galleries and soaring dome are the main highlights of the guided tour available inside, but seeing it from the outside and, whilst you’re at it, strolling through the streets of this area is well worth it. Discover everything there is to see in the surrounding area with one of the best tours of the Latin Quarter.

In the south of Paris, you’ll find one of the best viewing platforms in Paris, offering fantastic views of the city. The Montparnasse Tower isn’t on this list because it’s particularly attractive, far from it (in fact, it spoils the Parisian skyline), but the views from there are well worth it both because of the height (it isn’t as tall as the Eiffel Tower, so you can see the city in greater detail) and because you can’t see the tower itself.

When you’re short on time in a city or just passing through, my recommendations are always twofold: book an airport transfer to save time on the way there and back, and, if you can only choose one tourist activity, opt for a guided tour of the city centre. You can choose guided walking tours, but you could also consider a more original option such as:

• Segway tours of Paris.
• Electric bike tours of Paris.
• A bike tour of Paris.
• Night-time bike tour of Paris.
• A tour of Paris in a classic car with a driver.
• Private sidecar tour of Paris.
• Private tuk-tuk tour of Paris.

This article on the different guided tours available in Paris highlights the most interesting ones. For example, a night-time tour of Paris can be a great opportunity to see the city lit up, but don’t overlook any part of the city – every neighbourhood has its own unique charm! Given the city’s size, tours are usually organised to cover the best neighbourhoods in Paris, such as:

• TheLatin Quarter.
• Le Marais.
• Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris.
• Montmartre.

There are also themed tours such as:

• A tour of Paris’s most famous cemeteries.
• A tour of Paris’s patisseries.
• A tour of Paris’s covered passageways and galleries.
• A 20th-century film and television tour of the Left Bank of Paris.
• The Paris ghost tour.

A boat trip on the Seine is one of the most popular activities in the French capital. The layout of the city’s monuments means you can see many of them from the river, and this type of cruise is the perfect opportunity to do so in an original and relaxed way.

Due to high demand, there are various options available, such as a dinner cruise on the Seine or a night-time cruise on the Seine, to suit all budgets. We’ll tell you all about them in our practical guide to the best cruises you can take on the Seine.

It’s hard to be objective about this recommendation: we all have a child inside us and many of us love amusement parks, particularly theme parks and especially Disneyland. If you’re travelling with children, it’s almost a must-visit. If you’re not travelling with children but are spending several days in Paris, I recommend you make the most of a day trip. Both children and adults have a long list of things to see and do at Disneyland Paris.

It’s easily accessible from central Paris and the experience is well worth it. If you’re thinking of making this visit, I recommend you read the article on how to buy tickets for Disneyland and check both the Disney park opening times and how to get to Disneyland from Paris.

Good planning is key to saving time (you’ll already lose plenty of it queuing for many of the attractions at the Disney parks) and money (bear in mind that eating inside the Disney park is an extra expense) on this trip. As for time, depending on how many days you spend in the park, the tips for visiting Disneyland Paris will vary. Here’s a list that will be helpful, whichever option you choose:

• What to see and do at Disneyland Paris in one day.
• What to see and do at Disneyland Paris in two days.
• What to see and do at Disneyland Paris in three days.
• What to see and do at Disneyland Paris in four days.

Best time to visit Disneyland

If you want my opinion on the best time to visit Disneyland Paris, I’m in no doubt: visiting the Disney park at Christmas or experiencing the magic of Disneyland at Halloween are the best options.

We all know the story of the rise of absolutism and its fall with the French Revolution, but visiting the Palace and Gardens of Versailles is to relive it in every single room. History aside, a visit is a must, both for the sumptuousness of the palace and its stunning gardens. Any trip to the Palace of Versailles: it will take you almost a full day, and you can reach Versailles from central Paris by train or book private transport and a guided tour.

When planning your visit, check the opening times for the Palace of Versailles, but bear in mind that queues to buy tickets for the Palace of Versailles are at least two hours long; booking your tickets in advance will save you precious time that you can then spend on everything there is to see inside the Palace of Versailles.

If you’ve decided to go on what is one of the best day trips from Paris, you’ll find these tips for visiting Versailles useful (as well as these others for visiting Versailles with children) and this post on where to eat in Versailles.

It may surprise some that one of the items on this list is the recommendation to use a sightseeing bus. We’ll give two reasons, and both have to do with the kind of city Paris is. Firstly, when a city is as big as this one, it’s very difficult to explore it on foot, at least in a single day.

That’s why taking the sightseeing bus is the perfect way to cover a large area of the city in a short time, something I consider ideal for those who are short on time or want to get a general overview of the city. What’s more, if you buy the Paris Pass tourist card, the sightseeing bus is one of the attractions included.

Secondly, comfort is a factor to bear in mind. Paris is a beautiful city and sometimes you just want to look around without having to go on long walks at the end of a tiring day. The panoramic views from this type of bus are perfect. Here is more information about the Paris tourist bus.

If you’ve fallen in love with Paris above ground, there’s still the perfect finale to your trip: exploring underground Paris. The Paris Catacombs offer a fascinating journey into the city’s past and are undoubtedly a must-see if you want to learn more about its history. Watch out! Make sure you wrap up warm, as it gets quite chilly inside due to the damp.

Paris is a strategic base from which to visit wonderful cities that will equally dazzle you. This is the case with the following cities, which are within easy reach for a day trip:

• Giverny, where you can visit the home of the painter Claude Monet.
• Champagne, a region where you can enjoy numerous champagne tastings.
• Normandy, where you can learn all about the events of the Second World War.
• Mont St Michel, where you can visit the abbey and cloisters.
• The Loire Valley, where you can visit the famous Renaissance castles.
• Bruges, where you’ll be enchanted by the beauty of this town known as the Venice of the North.

If you want to delve into French culinary culture, you have a range of options. Below, I’ve listed several posts featuring the best wine and cheese tastings in Paris, the best cookery classes in Paris where you’ll learn to make bread, desserts, macarons and croissants, and the best food tours in Paris, so you can choose the options that suit you best according to your preferences.

As well as the most popular ones such as the Louvre, the Pompidou or the Rodin Museum, I’d like to highlight other museums that you simply can’t miss on your trip due to their high cultural value:

• The Orangerie Museum, featuring works by artists such as Monet, Matisse, Rousseau and Picasso.
• The Grévin Wax Museum in Paris, which features over 500 figures.
• The Conciergerie Museum in Paris, where you can see Marie Antoinette’s cell and Europe’s largest medieval hall, the Salle des Gens d’Armes.
• The Yves Saint Laurent Museum, which will immerse you in the world of haute couture.

And if you’re one of those people who are passionate about football, consider taking one of the best tours of the Stade de France in Paris. On this tour, you’ll discover France’s largest stadium.

Book a guided tour of the Stade de France in Paris, lasting approximately an hour and a half, and explore the main areas of the stadium where the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 UEFA European Championship, among other competitions, were held, accompanied by a tour guide.

There are plenty of tips I can give you for travelling to Paris, from the city’s best restaurants to the places serving the finest crêpes in Paris, as well as recommendations for getting around central Paris. However, experience tells me that the first thing you need to consider is when you’re going to visit the city to get the most out of your trip.

The best things about travelling to Paris in every season

One of the first questions you’ll probably ask yourself when planning your trip is what the best time of year is to visit Paris. Although it sounds like a cliché, every season has its own charms; something that’s hardly surprising in a city the size of the French capital.

• The best things about travelling to Paris in summer.
• The best things about travelling to Paris in winter.
• The best things about travelling to Paris in spring.
• The best things about visiting Paris in autumn.

What to do in Paris month by month

There’s no accounting for taste. My favourite time to visit the city is Christmas, both for the Christmas markets you can find in Paris and the festive lights you’ll see in the city centre and across Paris’s various neighbourhoods, and because you can make the most of the best shopping tours in Paris.

However, just as with the seasons, every month has its own charm in the City of Light:

• What to do in Paris in January.
• What to do in Paris in February.
• What to do in Paris in March.
• What to do in Paris in April.
• What to do in Paris in May.
• Things to do in Paris in June.
• Things to do in Paris in July.
• Things to do in Paris in August.
• Things to do in Paris in September.
• Things to do in Paris in October.
• Things to do in Paris in November.
• Things to do in Paris in December.

I won’t lie to you: spending less than four days in Paris means there are parts of the city you won’t get to see, and that’s a real shame. Does that mean you can’t get a feel for the city in less time? Not at all – you can always come back, and if you follow these guides, you’ll find things to do in Paris whether you’re there for a day or two weeks:

• Itinerary for visiting Paris in one day.
• Itinerary for visiting Paris in 2 days.
• Itinerary for visiting Paris in 3 days.
• Itinerary for visiting Paris in 4 days.
• Itinerary for visiting Paris in 5 days.
• Itinerary for visiting Paris in 7 days.
• Itinerary for visiting Paris in 15 days

The last point is surely one of the most tedious, but also one of the most important. Do you already know which airport you’re arriving at? Charles de Gaulle is the closest to the city centre and Beauvais the furthest, but from any of the three you can save time by booking your transfer (whether for the outward or return journey) in advance.

• How to get from Orly Airport to Paris.
• How to get from Beauvais Airport to Paris.
• How to get from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Paris.

If you’re the sort of person who likes to make the most of your holidays and not miss a thing, be sure to consider booking a Paris tourist card such as:

• Paris Passlib
• Paris Pass
• Paris Explorer Pass
• Paris Museum Pass

Even so, if you want to know whether you’ll really get your money’s worth, check out the post ‘Is the Paris tourist card worth it?’.