24 Best Things To Do in Paris

After several trips to the French capital it is common to have the feeling of not having finished seeing all the must-see places; the good thing about Paris is that the city is always waiting for you. Here are 20 things you will always remember about Paris.

Without a doubt, the emblem of Paris is the tower that many Parisians once rejected as an aesthetic aberration. Today no one can imagine a visit to the capital of France without climbing the Eiffel Tower. Getting to the Eiffel Tower is easy, but what should you know if you want to go up? First of all, as with most tourist attractions in Paris, tickets to the Eiffel Tower: it is best to book them in advance to avoid the queue. When buying them you have to decide:

• If you want to go up only to the second floor or to the top.
• If you want to do it with elevator or with stairs.

The price of tickets for the Eiffel Tower varies depending on what you decide. In either case you will have the option to take a guided tour of the Eiffel Tower or buy the combined ticket with a pack of the Eiffel Tower and a cruise on the Seine to save money.

You will love the views from the Eiffel Tower, both during the day and with the city illuminated, but do not forget to visit the surroundings and contemplate the lights of the Eiffel Tower at night and even eat in one of the restaurants near the Eiffel Tower after your visit. Here are some tips to make the most of your visit to the Eiffel Tower to make the experience even better.

Taking a stroll along the banks of the Seine, arriving at the Tuileries gardens that precede the Louvre Museum and sitting down to read a book in the chairs surrounding its huge fountains is one of the best Parisian experiences. If the Louvre's art collection is one of the most extensive and renowned in the world, the walk to the Louvre and the surroundings are second to none.

The time you need to see the Louvre is different depending on what you want to delve into, but I don't recommend less than about three hours. Select a day and a time slot for your visit (as for the Louvre museum hours you should know that on Tuesdays it is closed and on Wednesdays and Fridays it opens later) and, above all, buy Louvre tickets in advance because the queue to access the ticket office can last for hours. Among the best works of the Louvre you will find:

• Da Vinci's Gioconda.
• The Venus de Milo.
• The Victory of Samothrace.
• The Freedom Leading the People by Delacroix.
• The Code of Hammurabi.

Do not discard the guided tour of the Louvre to make the most of the collection (if you go to the Louvre with children you will also find special tours) and avoid holidays when the influx of people is even greater. There may be discounts on the Louvre ticket prices, but in my opinion it is not worth it. Finally, do not forget to visit the Louvre museum store as you can find real wonders. I leave you also some recommendations to eat near the Louvre Museum.

You've probably 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 neighborhood, which today, surprisingly, has not lost that special charm that makes it the most visited neighborhood in Paris.

You will find this neighborhood in the north of Paris, away from the center, but well served by the Paris metro (Blanche, Pigalle or Anvers stops on line 2). The main points of interest are the Sacre Coeur, the Moulin Rouge and the Place des Painters, but the real essence is to walk its streets and cafes knowing their stories. I always recommend a guided tour of the area.

To get to the Moulin Rouge, you must enter the bohemian quarter of Paris. In the lower Montmartre, surrounded by erotic stores and neon lights, you will find the most famous cabaret in Paris, known above all for the posters of Toulouse Lautrec or for the cancan dance.

Today some people think that the Moulin Rouge is a museum, but no: it still operates as a nightclub that you can attend with your Moulin Rouge tickets. The price of the Moulin Rouge show is not cheap, but the experience is worth it. Whether you attend the dinner or decide to grab a bite to eat near the Moulin Rouge, be sure to visit at night to see it lit up and feel the true character of the area.

It's inevitable to refer to one of Paris' most iconic monuments without shuddering a little and not mentioning the flames that devoured the structure on April 15, 2019.

Although you won't be able to go up to see the gargoyles guarding Paris from its towers, Notre Dame Cathedral is under restoration and you can walk over to the Île de la Cité to visit it from the outside and take a stroll around. If you are a book lover, don't forget to visit the most wonderful bookstore in the world, located a few meters 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 best entrances to Paris. This church is located just a few meters from Notre Dame and is notable for its stunning stained glass windows.

It is worth booking tickets for Sainte Chapelle in Paris and see the spectacle of light and crystals that, precisely because it is little known, can be enjoyed with more peace and quiet than in more crowded churches like the Sacre Coeur or Notre Dame.

Another emblematic building is the Opera Garnier. The shows that were held in this magnificent building (you must see it both day and night, illuminated) concentrated the elite of French society and politics and those stories will tell you when you visit its sumptuous corridors and its performance hall.

During the day, you can visit the building by purchasing tickets for a guided tour of the Opéra Garnier or by booking a private guided tour of the Opéra Garnier. And if you are in Paris at night, keep in mind that concerts and shows are still taking place.

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

You can also take a stroll down the Avenue des Champs Elysées (if you visit Paris at Christmas time you will see that the decoration of the trees is a marvel) browsing the many shop windows that line both sides of it.

Another very interesting way to see the Arc de Triomphe, as well as other of the most characteristic sites of Paris is with one of the best Flyview experiences in Paris.

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

Its design, fountains and flowers are worth a visit, but don't go just to do the tourist check: sit and read, buy an ice cream and watch the daily life of Paris move in this park. The hustle and bustle of Paris stops in these impeccable 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 favorite. The Musée D'Orsay has works by Monet, Rodin, Cézanne or Gauguin among its collection, it is distributed on several floors and its layout is perfect for a visit.

In the center of the Musée d'Orsay there is a main gallery with statues and sculptures and bathed in spectacular light; on the sides of it the different rooms are continuously distributed.

The smaller crowds compared to the Louvre allows you to enjoy this visit quietly. Even so, I recommend that you book tickets for the Musée d'Orsay. 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 say and a visit to the George Pompidou Museum is a good proof of that. At the Pompidou Museum in Paris: how to buy and prices you will see one of the largest collections of contemporary art in Europe with works by Duchamp, Kandinsky, Picasso or Matisse, but also original assemblies of other authors that will make you have a good time during the visit.

The Pompidou is a museum to have a good time, have fun and enjoy art while learning, that's why I always say that the Pompidou is an ideal museum to visit if you travel 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 is the architectural complex of the Invalides Museum and Napoleon's tomb in Paris. It certainly catches the eye with its large golden dome, but what is really in that building? The answer is a military museum and a church containing the mortal remains of Napoleon.

If you are interested in the eras of the French Revolution and World War II, here you will find a huge collection of weapons and objects related to those periods.

Neoclassical style and inspired by the Roman Pantheon, is one of the main buildings of the Latin Quarter. Its subway galleries or its high vault are the main attractions of the guided tour that can be done inside, but seeing it from the outside and, incidentally, walk the streets of this area is worth it. Get to know everything there is to see in the area with one of the best tours of the Latin Quarter.

South of Paris you will find one of the best viewpoints in Paris from which you will get fantastic views of the city. The Montparnasse Tower is not on this list because it is particularly beautiful, far from it (in fact, it breaks the Parisian skyline), but the views from there are worth it both because of the height (it is not as high as the Eiffel Tower, so you can see the city in more detail) and because you don't see the tower itself.

When you have little time in a city or you are passing through, my recommendations will always be two: hire a transfer from the airport to save time on the idea and on the way back and, if you can only choose a tourist activity, choose a guided tour of the city center. You can opt for guided walking tours, but you can also consider a more original option such as:

• Segway tours in Paris.
• Electric bike tour in Paris.
• Bike tour in Paris.
• Night bike tour of Paris.
• Tour of Paris in a classic car with driver.
• Private sidecar tour of Paris.
• Private tuk tuk tour of Paris.

This article about the different guided tours you can do in Paris summarizes the most interesting ones. For example, the night tour of Paris can be a very good opportunity to see the city illuminated, but do not rule out any area of the city, each neighborhood has a different charm! Due to the size of the city, the tours are usually organized covering the best neighborhoods of Paris such as:

• Latin Quarter.
• Le Marais.
• Saint-Germain-des-Prés de Paris.
• Montmartre.

In addition, there are thematic tours such as:

• The visit to the most famous cemeteries of Paris.
• The tour of the pastry shops of Paris.
• The tour of the covered passages and galleries of Paris.
• The 20th century cinema and television tour on the left bank of Paris.
• The night tour of ghosts in Paris.

Taking a boat ride on the Seine is one of the most popular activities in the French capital. The layout of the city's monuments allows you to see many of them from the river and this type of cruise is a perfect opportunity to do it in an original and relaxed way.

Due to its great demand, there are different options such as a dinner cruise on the Seine or a night cruise on the Seine, suitable for all budgets. We tell you all about them in the practical guide on the best cruises you can do on the Seine.

It is difficult to be objective in this recommendation: we all have a child inside and many of us love amusement parks, especially theme parks and especially Disneyland. If you go with children it is an almost obligatory visit. If you are not going with children, but you are going to spend several days in Paris, I recommend you to take advantage of a getaway. Both children and adults have a long list of things to see and do at Disneyland Paris.

It is easily accessible from the center of Paris and the experience is well worth it. If you are thinking of making this visit, I recommend you read the article on how to buy Disneyland tickets and check both Disney park hours and how to get to Disneyland from Paris.

A good planning is key to save time (you will lose enough in the queues for many of the attractions of the Disney parks) and money (keep in mind that eating inside the Disney park is already an extra expense) in this experience. As for time, depending on the number of days you spend in the park, the tips for visiting Disneyland Paris will be different. I leave you with this list that, regardless of the option you choose, will help you:

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

Best time to visit Disneyland

If you want my opinion about which is the best time to visit Disneyland Paris, I have it clear: visiting the Disney park at Christmas or living the magic of Disneyland at Halloween are the best options.

We all know the history of the rise of absolutism and its fall with the French Revolution, but to visit the Palace and gardens of Versailles is to relive it in each of its rooms. Leaving aside the history, the visit is a must both for the sumptuousness of the palace and its impressive gardens. Any excursion to the Palace of Versailles: it will take you almost a whole day and you can reach Versailles from the center of Paris by train or hire an independent transport and a guided tour.

When planning your visit check the opening hours of the Palace of Versailles, but keep in mind that the queues to buy tickets to the Palace of Versailles are about two hours minimum; booking your tickets in advance will save you precious time that you can then devote to everything there is to see inside the Palace of Versailles.

If you have decided to take what is one of the best tours from Paris, you will find useful these tips for visiting Versailles (also these others for visiting Versailles with children) and this post on where to eat in Versailles.

It may come as a surprise to some that one of the items on this list is the recommendation to use a sightseeing bus. We are going to give two reasons and both have to do with the type of city that Paris is. First, when the city is as large as this one is, it is very difficult to get around it on foot, at least in a single day.

Therefore, using the tourist bus is the perfect way to cover a large area of the city in a short amount of time, something I consider ideal for those who are short on time or want to take a general tour of the city. Also, if you buy the Paris Pass tourist card, the tourist bus is one of the included attractions.

Secondly, comfort is a factor to consider. Paris is a beautiful city and sometimes you just want to look around without taking long walks at the end of a tiring day. The panoramic conditions of this type of bus are perfect. Here is more information about the Paris sightseeing bus.

If you have fallen in love with Paris on the surface, you are missing the culmination of your trip: to know the subway Paris. The catacombs of Paris are an exciting journey through the past of this city and certainly a visit more than interesting if you want to learn more about its history. Be careful, because inside the humidity is quite cold.

Paris is a strategic point on the map to visit wonderful cities that will also dazzle you. This is the case of the following cities where the distance of the journey is manageable for one day:

• Giverny, locality where you will know the house of the painter Claude Monet.
• Champagne, a place where you will enjoy numerous champagne tastings and samplings.
• Normandy, a place where you will learn everything that happened during the Second World War.
• Mont St Michel, where you can visit the abbey and cloisters of this town.
• Loire, where you can visit the famous Renaissance castles.
• Bruges, where you will be amazed by the beauty of this town known as the Venice of the North.

If you want to delve into the French culinary culture you have several options. Below, I leave you several posts with the best wine and cheese tastings and tastings in Paris, the best cooking classes in Paris where you will learn to make bread, desserts, macarons and croissants and the best gastronomic tours of Paris so you can choose the options you like the most according to your preferences.

And finally, I would like to tell you some museums that you can not miss on your trip for their high cultural level:

• Orangerie Museum, with works by artists such as Monet, Matisse, Rousseau and Picasso.
• Grevin Wax Museum of Paris, which has more than 500 figures.
• Musée Conciergerie de Paris, where you will see Marie Antoinette's cell and the largest European medieval hall, Salle des Gens d'Armes.
• Yves Saint Laurent Museum, which will immerse you in haute couture fashion.

And if you are one of those people who are passionate about soccer, consider taking one of the best tours to the Stade de France in Paris. With this tour you will know the largest stadium in France.

Book a guided tour of the Stade de France in Paris, lasting about an hour and a half and with a tour guide tour the main areas of the field in which the FIFA World Cup 1998 or the UEFA Euro 2016, among other competitions were played.

There are many tips I can give you for traveling to Paris, from the best restaurants in the city to places to eat the best crepes in Paris to recommendations for getting around the center of Paris. However, experience tells me that the first thing you have to consider is when you are going to visit the city and for how many days.

The best of traveling to Paris in every season

Surely one of the first questions you ask yourself when planning your trip is what is the best time to visit Paris. Although it sounds cliché, every season of the year (for example) has its good things; something that is not uncommon in a city the size of the French capital.

• The best thing about traveling to Paris in summer.
• The best of traveling to Paris in winter.
• The best thing about traveling to Paris in spring.
• The best thing about traveling to Paris in autumn.

What to do in Paris month by month

For tastes, colors. My favorite time to visit the city is Christmas, both because of the Christmas markets you can find in Paris and the Christmas lights that you will find both in the center and in the different neighborhoods of Paris and because you can make the most of the best shopping tours in Paris.

However, just as it happens with the seasons of the year, every month has its 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.
• What to do in Paris in June.
• What to do in Paris in July.
• What to do in Paris in August.
• What to do in Paris in September.
• What to do in Paris in October.
• Things to do in Paris in November.
• What to do in Paris in December.

How long will you be in Paris?

I'm not going to kid you: being in Paris for less than four days means that there are things you won't 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 will find things to do in Paris from one day to two weeks:

• Itinerary to visit Paris in one day.
• Itinerary to visit Paris in 2 days.
• Itinerary to visit Paris in 3 days.
• Itinerary to visit Paris in 4 days.
• Itinerary to visit Paris in 5 days.
• Itinerary to visit Paris in 7 days.
• Itinerary to visit Paris in 15 days.

Transfers between Paris airports and the city

The last point is probably one of the most boring, but also one of the most important. Do you already know which airport to get to? Chares de Gaulle is the closest to the center and Beauvais the farthest, but from any of the three you can save time if you hire the transfer (either to go or to return) 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.

Paris Sightseeing Cards

If you are one of those people who like to live your vacations to the fullest and do not miss anything, do not miss the option of booking a Paris tourist card such as:

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

Even so, if you want to know if you are really going to take advantage of it, check out the post Is the Paris Tourist Card worth it?