Paris travel guide

Eiffel Tower

Built as a temporary showpiece for the 1889 World’s Fair, Gustave Eiffel’s iron lattice still gives the best view of how Paris is laid out, from the Seine’s bends to Sacré-Cœur on its hill. After dark it sparkles for five minutes at the start of every hour. Lifts or stairs take you to two viewing floors, and a second lift climbs to the summit. Buy tickets on the official site, toureiffel.paris, rather than from resellers; from 29 September 2026 even stair tickets must be booked ahead.

Louvre

Before it was a museum it was the kings’ palace, and you walk through its courtyards past I. M. Pei’s glass pyramid to get in. Beyond the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, look for the Winged Victory of Samothrace at the top of the Daru staircase and the gilded apartments of Napoleon III. It is closed on Tuesdays and open until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, when the galleries are calmer. Book a time slot online, and choose one wing rather than trying to see everything.

Musée d’Orsay

A grand railway station built for the 1900 World’s Fair now holds the world’s great Impressionist collection: Monet, Renoir, Degas and Van Gogh under a vaulted glass roof. Upstairs, you can look out over the Seine to the Louvre through the back of a giant station clock. It is closed on Mondays and stays open until 9:45pm on Thursdays; book a timed ticket online.

Notre-Dame

Inside, the restored stone is pale and bright again, and the medieval rose windows that survived the 2019 fire glow over a rebuilt oak roof and a new spire. The cathedral reopened in December 2024, and entry is free. A free time slot on the official site or app cuts the wait; anyone selling paid entry is reselling free tickets. The towers are a separate paid climb, booked online.

Sainte-Chapelle

Louis IX built this chapel in the 1240s to hold what he believed was Christ’s crown of thorns, and its upper floor is walled almost entirely in stained glass. More than a thousand Bible scenes fill the windows, and on a bright day the whole room turns blue and red. Go on a sunny morning, book a slot, and allow time for the security check at the Palais de Justice gate.

Musée de l’Orangerie

Monet designed these two oval rooms for his eight Water Lilies panels, lit by daylight from the ceiling, so that the pond seems to wrap around you. Sit on the bench in the middle and the paintings change as clouds pass. It is at the end of the Tuileries garden, closed on Tuesdays, and easy to pair with the Louvre or Orsay.

Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur

From the steps of the white basilica the whole city spreads out below, and the village behind it still has a vineyard, windmills and the painters’ square, Place du Tertre. Steep lanes and stairs lead up; the basilica is free and open every day. The dome climb is paid and sold only at the door, and it closes for weather or maintenance now and then.

Canal Saint-Martin

Iron footbridges arch over tree-lined locks where you can watch boats rise and fall, the stretch where Amélie skims stones in the film. On fine evenings locals bring wine and food to the quays. It is in the 10th arrondissement, a gentle walk down from Montmartre.

Jardin du Luxembourg

Children push rented wooden sailboats across the big pond in front of the palace built for Marie de’ Medici, and the Medici Fountain hides in the shade to one side. This is the Senate’s formal garden on the Left Bank, with green metal chairs free for anyone. Pull two into the sun and stay a while.

Le Marais

Old mansions, the arcaded Place des Vosges and the falafel counters of the Rue des Rosiers make this the most rewarding part of Paris to wander and graze. The narrow medieval streets are full of bakeries and wine bars, and many shops open on Sundays, when much of Paris is shut. The Centre Pompidou on its western edge is closed for renovation until about 2030.

Rue Cler

Cheese shops, bakeries, butchers and fruit stalls line this pedestrian street, where you can taste your way through a picnic in half an hour. It is ten minutes’ walk from the Eiffel Tower. Take what you buy to the lawns of the Champ de Mars.

Berthillon on the Île Saint-Louis

Parisians cross to the little island behind Notre-Dame for these sorbets and ice creams, made in the same family shop since the 1950s and tasting sharply of the fruit itself. Eat a scoop walking along the quay. The shop is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and shuts for several weeks each summer, so check before you cross the bridge.

The bistro lunch menu

Lunch is when Paris eats its best value meals: many bistros offer a fixed-price formule of two or three courses for far less than the same food at dinner. Look for it chalked on a board outside around noon, and expect locals at the next table on their lunch break.

A neighbourhood boulangerie

A still-warm baguette with a crackling crust, or a croissant that shatters into flakes, is one of the cheapest good things in Paris. Every year the city judges its best baguette, and the winner supplies the Élysée Palace. Buy yours where Parisians queue in the morning; a line out the door is the best sign of a good one.

Best: April to May

Spring blossoms, mild weather and thinner crowds before the summer rush arrive.

Best: September to October

Cooler, clear days, autumn colours in the parks and a lively cultural calendar.

How do you get around Paris?

• Phone ticketsBuy tickets or a Paris Visite pass in the Île-de-France Mobilités or Bonjour RATP app and tap your phone or watch at the gates. iPhone users can also keep a Navigo card in Apple Wallet.
• Metro hoursThe Metro runs from about 5:30am to about 1:15am, and until about 2:15am on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Buses and tramsBuses run most of the day, and Noctilien night buses cover the late hours.
• No paper ticketsPaper Metro tickets are no longer sold. Buy a Navigo Easy card at any station and load single tickets or day passes onto it, or use the apps.
• Bank cardsYou can tap a bank card on buses, but most Metro and RER gates won’t take one until 2027 and later, starting with line 1.

Do you need cash in Paris, and do you tip?

• Cash for small buysCards are taken almost everywhere, but some small shops set a minimum for card payments, so carry a few euros.
• ATMsAlmost all ATMs take Visa and Mastercard. If a machine or card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, choose euros instead.
• ATM tipMany ATMs use number-only keypads, so convert any letters in your PIN to digits.
• Restaurant serviceMenus must show prices with service included (service compris), so a tip is optional. Leaving small change for good service is common.
• Taxis and hotelsTaxi drivers and hotel porters appreciate a small tip, but none is expected.

Useful phrases

• HelloBonjour
• PleaseS'il vous plaît
• Thank youMerci
• Thank you very muchMerci beaucoup
• Excuse meExcusez-moi
• Do you speak English?Parlez-vous anglais ?

Local manners

• GreetingsAlways say bonjour when entering a shop or café.
• DiningMeals are unhurried, and the waiter won’t bring the bill until you ask for it.
• VoicesSpeak quietly on trains, buses and in restaurants.
• DressSmart casual is the norm, even for a day out.
• QueuesWait your turn at counters, bakeries and museums.

Useful apps

• Uber: Rides, eats, and moreRide-hailing across Paris, no cash needed
• Bolt: Request a RideLower-cost rides around Paris
• Citymapper: Your Transport AppMetro, bus and RER route planning
• Google MapsWalking directions and transit times in Paris
• DeepL TranslateTranslating menus and signs in French
• Uber Eats: Food & GroceriesFood delivery to your Paris accommodation

Download links for these are in the Paris guide in the Journey app.

Before you book

Check your government’s travel advice before you book.