Top places to visit in Paris

• Palais Royal & Gardens

  Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 0.8 h

  Cardinal Richelieu's 1630s palace now housing the State Council — its arcaded gardens are Paris's most elegant inner courtyard, home to the Colonne de Buren striped columns and the best secret café terraces.

• Bois de Boulogne

  Nature · 4.5 rating · about 3 h

  The 846-hectare western forest park of Paris — with two racecourses, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, boating lakes, a Shakespeare garden and the Jardin de Bagatelle famous for its rose collection.

• Shakespeare and Company Bookshop

  Cultural · 4.6 rating · about 0.8 h

  The legendary English-language bookshop across from Notre-Dame — successor to Sylvia Beach's original, host to the 'Tumbleweed' writers-in-residence, and Paris's most literary pilgrimage stop.

• Fondation Louis Vuitton

  Museum · 4.6 rating · about 2.5 h · entry EUR 16

  Frank Gehry's 2014 'glass cloud' building in the Bois de Boulogne — the finest contemporary museum building in France, with 11 galleries, LVMH's art collection and an immersive Chtchoukine collection.

• Parc des Buttes-Chaumont

  Nature · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h

  Paris's most dramatic park — a former quarry and garbage dump transformed by Haussmann into a 25-hectare landscape with a 50m cliff, a lake, a suspension bridge and the finest picnic lawns in the city.

• Palais de Tokyo

  Museum · 4.4 rating · about 2 h · entry EUR 14

  Paris's largest contemporary art centre — a deliberately unfinished raw space with the most radical international programming in France, open until midnight and known for its experimental approach.

• Musée Jacquemart-André

  Museum · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h · entry EUR 18

  The most beautiful private mansion museum in Paris — the 1875 home of collector Édouard André and his wife, with Botticelli, Rembrandt, Mantegna and the finest staircase in Paris.

• Eiffel Tower

  Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 2 h · entry EUR 26

  Gustave Eiffel's 330-metre iron lattice masterpiece built for the 1889 World's Fair — the most visited paid monument in the world. Ascend to three platforms including the champagne bar on the second and the summit at 276 m. At nightfall…

• Louvre Museum

  Museum · 4.7 rating · about 3 h · entry EUR 22

  The world's largest art museum in a former royal palace. 35,000 on-display works span 9,000 years — the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory and Hammurabi's Code are the headline acts. I.M. Pei's glass pyramid entrance (1989) is now…

• Notre-Dame Cathedral

  Church · 4.8 rating · about 1 h

  The masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, begun 1163 on the Île de la Cité. Twin towers, rose windows, gargoyles and flying buttresses shaped Western architecture for five centuries. Restored after the 2019 fire and reopened December…

• Palace of Versailles

  Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 4 h · entry EUR 20

  The supreme monument to French royal absolutism — Louis XIV's palace of 2,300 rooms, the Hall of Mirrors, Royal Apartments and 800 hectares of formal gardens with 50 fountains and the Grand Canal. Located 17 km from Paris, 40 minutes by…

• Jardin du Luxembourg

  Nature · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h

  The most beloved park in Paris — the 23-hectare Senate garden with French-style parterres, the Luxembourg Palace, the Medici Fountain and Parisians playing pétanque under the plane trees.

Things to do

• Eiffel Tower Summit Access Sightseeing · 2.5 h · from EUR 50 per person
• Seine River Evening Cruise Cruise · 1 h · from EUR 26 per person
• Louvre Skip-the-Line Tour Museum · 3 h · from EUR 59 per person
• Eiffel Tower Summit by Lift — Priority Access Cultural · 1.5 h · from EUR 30 per person
• Versailles Day Trip Day Trip · 8 h · from EUR 87 per person
• Skip-the-Line Louvre Museum Guided Tour Cultural · 2 h · from EUR 37 per person
• Seine River Dinner Cruise Cultural · 2 h · from EUR 78 per person
• Moulin Rouge Cabaret Show Entertainment · 3 h · from EUR 130 per person

Day trips and tours

• Versailles Palace Full-Day Tour from Paris 8 h · from EUR 66
• Paris City Highlights Walking Tour 4 h · from EUR 29
• Loire Valley Chateaux Day Trip from Paris 12 h · from EUR 87

Where to stay in Paris

• Le Marais & Saint-Germain-des-Prés about EUR 220 per night

  The beating heart of historic Paris — the Marais blends medieval streets, Jewish quarter delis, gay-friendly bars and cutting-edge galleries, while Saint-Germain is the literary café district of Sartre and de Beauvoir.…

• Saint-Germain & Latin Quarter about EUR 190 per night

  Bohemian Left Bank Paris with legendary bookshops, jazz cellars, student brasseries and the Sorbonne. Great for solo travellers and culture lovers.

• Champs-Élysées & 8th Arrondissement about EUR 380 per night

  Prestige Paris — grand boulevards, flagship luxury boutiques, the Arc de Triomphe and proximity to the Eiffel Tower. Best for luxury travellers and first-time visitors.

Hotels

• Four Seasons George V 5-star · INR 150,000 to INR 600,000 per night
• Cheval Blanc Paris 5-star · INR 180,000 to INR 700,000 per night
• La Reserve Paris 5-star · INR 150,000 to INR 550,000 per night
• Le Meurice 5-star · EUR 850 to EUR 4,500 per night
• The Peninsula Paris 5-star · INR 110,000 to INR 400,000 per night
• Le Bristol Paris 5-star · INR 120,000 to INR 500,000 per night

Where to eat

• L'As du Fallafel middle_eastern, street_food, jewish · about EUR 8 per person
• Café de Flore french, cafe · about EUR 22 per person
• Au Pied de Cochon french, brasserie · about EUR 45 per person
• Bouillon Pigalle french, bouillon, bistro · about EUR 15 per person
• Angelina Paris french, pastry, tea · about EUR 22 per person
• Pink Mamma italian, trattoria, steakhouse · about EUR 45 per person
• Bouillon Chartier french, bouillon, bistro · about EUR 17 per person
• Pizzeria Popolare italian, pizza, neapolitan · about EUR 22 per person

Getting around

• Metro main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Transit Pass main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking

  Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.

Safety and scams to avoid

• Gold Ring Drop Scam

  Pont des Arts, Eiffel Tower esplanade, Champs-Elysées

  A stranger "finds" a gold ring on the ground and offers it to you, then demands money as a finder fee or gift exchange.

  How to avoid it: Walk away immediately without engaging. Never accept objects from strangers on the street.

• Petition Clipboard Gang

  Sacré-Coeur steps, Louvre entrance, Palais Royal

  Groups approach with clipboards asking you to sign a petition for a "good cause", then aggressively demand cash donations while distracting from pickpocketing.

  How to avoid it: Say "non merci" firmly and keep walking. Do not stop or make eye contact.

• Bracelet-Tying / Friendship Bracelet Scam

  Sacré-Coeur steps, Montmartre hilltop

  Men forcibly tie a friendship bracelet on your wrist before you can object, then demand €10–20 for it as a "gift".

  How to avoid it: Keep hands in pockets near the Sacré-Coeur steps. Firmly say "non" and do not let them touch your wrists.

• Shell Game / Three-Card Monte

  Near Eiffel Tower, major tourist spots

  Street gamblers set up folding tables; accomplices pretend to win large amounts to lure tourists. The game is rigged — it is impossible to win.

  How to avoid it: Never bet money on any street game. They are illegal in France and dealers always win.

• Unlicensed Airport Taxi Tout

  CDG and Orly airport exit halls

  Touts approach arrivals offering "fixed-price" rides, then charge 3–5× the legitimate metered fare.

  How to avoid it: Use only official taxis (white roof light, parked at official ranks) or pre-book via the Uber or G7 app.

More in France

• Nice
• Lyon
• Cannes
• Marseille
• Bordeaux
• Strasbourg