Best Things to Do in Paris
Paris rewards curious travelers with layers of history, art, and architectural brilliance across its 20 arrondissements. The list mixes the big landmarks with neighborhood wandering, and it works whether you have three days or three weeks. First visit or tenth, these seven are the stops to build a trip around. For related French explorations, discover how Lyon's food halls complement Paris's culinary traditions.
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Ascend the Eiffel Tower for Panoramic City Views
The 1889 World's Fair centerpiece rises 330 meters above Champ de Mars, offering observation decks at three levels accessible by elevator or 674 stairs. Summit tickets grant access to 276-meter-high panoramas sweeping across Trocadéro Gardens to Montmartre's white dome and beyond to La Défense's modern towers.
Second-floor visits reveal Pierre Hermé's macaron bar and the Michelin-starred Le Jules Verne restaurant (booked separately), while the first floor's glass floor panels expose the iron lattice engineering below. Advance online booking through toureiffel.paris prevents two-hour queues, with early morning or evening slots reducing crowds while capturing sunrise glow or 20,000-bulb sparkle shows igniting hourly after dusk.
What's the best time to visit the Eiffel Tower? Early morning arrivals before 9:30am or evening ascents after 8pm minimize wait times, with night visits offering illuminated cityscape photography and hourly five-minute sparkle displays.
Do I need to book Eiffel Tower tickets in advance? Yes—summit tickets sell out 60 days ahead during peak season, and booking online guarantees timed entry while walk-up visitors face unpredictable availability and lengthy security lines.
Can I walk up the Eiffel Tower instead of taking the elevator? Yes—stair tickets to the second floor cost less and feature shorter queues, though summit access requires switching to elevators at level two.
Explore the Louvre's Masterpiece Galleries
The world's largest museum occupies the former royal palace with 652,300 square feet housing 35,000 artworks spanning civilizations from ancient Mesopotamia through 19th-century European paintings. The Mona Lisa draws queues in the Denon Wing's Salle des États, while the Venus de Milo presides over the Greek antiquities and the Winged Victory commands the Daru staircase.
Book a morning slot online, pick your top three, then wander the Egyptian tombs, the Napoleon III apartments or the Decorative Arts wing before your feet give out. First Friday evenings after 6pm offer free admission every month except July and August, and the Tuileries Gardens provide outdoor sculpture respite between gallery sessions.
What's the best strategy for seeing the Mona Lisa? Arrive right at 9am opening, head directly to Denon Wing room 711, view Da Vinci's masterpiece before tour groups arrive, then explore quieter Richelieu or Sully wings.
How long should I spend at the Louvre? Give a first visit at least three hours for the highlights. A focused visit to one collection fits in 90 minutes, and enthusiasts can easily fill a full day.
Is the Paris Museum Pass worth buying? The Paris Museum Pass covers more than 50 museums and monuments including the Louvre, Orsay and Versailles (you still reserve a time slot at sites that require one), and it pays off fastest when you pack three or four major visits into consecutive days.
The Louvre has a surprising number of cafes, and these museum cafes elsewhere are worth a detour too.
Discover Notre-Dame's Gothic Architecture
The 850-year-old cathedral reopened in December 2024, five years after the 2019 fire, and visitors now stand under soaring vaults and a newly restored oak roof frame. Free admission allows contemplation of rose windows, treasury relics including the Crown of Thorns, and architectural details from flying buttresses to gargoyle waterspouts.
Advance online reservations at notredamedeparis.fr guarantee entry during peak hours, while walk-up visitors queue along Île de la Cité's cobblestones. Tower climbs are back, too: 424 steps up the south bell tower to the gargoyles, with views over the Latin Quarter and the bends of the Seine.
How do I visit Notre-Dame after the reopening? Cathedral entry remains free with optional advance reservations speeding access, while tower climbs require separate paid tickets available online with limited daily capacity.
What are Notre-Dame's current opening hours? The cathedral opens 7:50am to 7pm Monday through Friday (until 10pm on Thursdays) and 8:15am to 7:30pm on weekends, with last entry 30 minutes before closing; hours can shift for major liturgical celebrations.
Can I attend Mass at Notre-Dame? Yes—daily Mass schedules continue with morning, midday, and evening services open to all, though arriving early secures seating during well-attended Sunday and holy day celebrations.
Wander Montmartre's Artistic Streets
The 18th arrondissement hilltop neighborhood preserves bohemian character despite tourist popularity, offering winding cobblestone passages, vineyard remnants, and cafe-lined squares where Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec once painted. Sacré-Cœur Basilica crowns the 130-meter butte with Romano-Byzantine domes housing France's largest mosaic—475 square meters depicting Christ in Majesty.
The funicular hauls visitors up the steep slope from near Anvers metro; the energetic take the 222 steps instead, with the city opening up behind them. Place du Tertre swarms with portrait artists and souvenir stands, but quieter rue Lepic and rue des Abbesses preserve authentic bakeries, wine shops, and the famous "I Love You" wall inscribed in 250 languages.
What's the best way to reach Montmartre? Take Metro line 12 to Abbesses for the heart of the neighborhood, or line 2 to Anvers for the funicular up to the basilica.
Is the Sacré-Cœur dome climb worth it? The 300-step spiral staircase rewards climbers with Paris's second-highest viewpoint after the Eiffel Tower, offering 40-kilometer visibility on clear days across all 20 arrondissements.
When is Montmartre least crowded? Before 9am or after 6pm, and on weekdays rather than weekends, when the neighborhood feels more like itself.
Stand Atop the Arc de Triomphe
Napoleon commissioned the 50-meter triumphal arch in 1806 to honor military victories, though completion waited until 1836, 15 years after his death. Place Charles de Gaulle radiates 12 avenues in star formation from the monument's base, where the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is rekindled every evening at 6:30pm.
Visitors reach the 284-step spiral staircase via underground passages from Champs-Élysées or Grande Armée avenue, emerging atop the arch's observation platform with unobstructed sightlines down the avenue toward Place de la Concorde and Tuileries Gardens. On the way, Rude's "Departure of Volunteers" and the carved names of battles give the view its backstory.
How do I safely access the Arc de Triomphe? Never cross the Place Charles de Gaulle roundabout traffic—use underground pedestrian tunnels from Champs-Élysées or Grande Armée avenue marked with "Access to Monument" signs.
What are Arc de Triomphe visiting hours? The monument opens daily 10am to 11pm April through September and 10am to 10:30pm October through March, with last admission 45 minutes before closing.
Is the Arc de Triomphe free for children? Yes—children under 18 get in free, as do EU residents under 26, teachers with education passes and disabled visitors with a companion.
Cruise the Seine at Twilight
Riverboat trips from Pont de l'Alma, Port de la Bourdonnais, or Pont Neuf docks trace UNESCO World Heritage riverbanks between Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame, passing Grand Palais, Musée d'Orsay, and Île de la Cité beneath 37 bridges illuminated after sunset. Hour-long cruises come with multilingual commentary naming each monument as it slides past.
Evening departures catch the city lit up: the sparkling Eiffel Tower, the glowing Louvre Pyramid and the floodlit Conciergerie. Dinner cruise upgrades add three-course meals and champagne toasts, though standard sightseeing routes provide equal monument perspectives at lower cost.
Do Seine river cruises operate year-round? Yes—boats run daily with heated glass enclosures during winter months and open-air upper decks available April through October weather permitting.
How long do Seine river cruises last? Standard sightseeing loops take 60 to 70 minutes, lunch cruises about 90 minutes and dinner cruises two to three hours with live music.
Can I buy Seine cruise tickets on arrival? Walk-up availability exists but online advance booking guarantees preferred departure times, especially for sunset and evening slots that sell out during peak season.
Visit Versailles' Opulent Palace
Louis XIV's 17th-century palace sits 18 kilometers west of Paris, an easy RER C ride from central stations. The estate holds the gilded state apartments, the Hall of Mirrors and its 357 mirrors, the Royal Opera's blue velvet boxes and 2,000 acres of gardens with the Apollo Fountain and rowboats for hire on the Grand Canal. Seeing everything, including the Trianon palaces and Marie-Antoinette's Hamlet, takes a full day.
Passport tickets grant complete estate access including seasonal Fountain Shows set to Baroque music, while specialized tours reveal Royal Chapel, King's Private Apartments, and Royal Opera backstage areas. The palace is closed Mondays. Arrive before the tour buses and you can photograph the Hall of Mirrors in peace.
What's the best way to reach Versailles from Paris? RER C trains to Versailles Château-Rive Gauche station run every 15 minutes from central Paris, a 10-minute walk from the palace gates; a round-trip ticket costs under 8 euros.
How much time should I budget for Versailles? Four hours covers the palace highlights and main gardens. Add the Trianon palaces and Marie-Antoinette's Hamlet and plan on six to eight hours.
Do I need to book Versailles tickets in advance? Yes—palace capacity limits and timed entry systems make advance online booking essential, particularly for weekend visits and Musical Fountain Show days April through October.
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