Paris
EN

City guide · 2026 edition

Paris,
your way.

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Montmartre and the Seine. Build your itinerary, see how far it is to walk, and add a late dinner and a night out.

Plan your perfect trip

How long are you staying?
Who are you travelling with?
First time here?
What do you want to do?
Your budget?
or start from our suggested plan below
01

Itinerary

Your schedule

Day 1

  1. 09:30 Notre-Dame de Paris – The restored Gothic cathedral, reopened in 2024; free entry, book a time slot online.
  2. 10:30 Sainte-Chapelle – A 13th-century royal chapel whose walls are almost entirely stained glass.
  3. 14:00 Musée du Louvre – The world's most visited museum: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and 33,000 more works.
  4. 16:40 Jardin des Tuileries – Formal garden between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, with ponds, statues and chairs.
  5. 17:20 Place de la Concorde – Paris’s largest square, with the Luxor obelisk, two fountains and a view up the Champs-Élysées.

Day 2

  1. 09:30 Trocadéro – Terrace and gardens facing the Eiffel Tower, the classic photo spot, with the Palais de Chaillot.
  2. 10:00 Eiffel Tower – The iron icon of Paris, 330 m tall, with viewing floors at 115 m, 276 m and the summit.
  3. 11:00 Musée Rodin – The Thinker and the Gates of Hell in a mansion and sculpture garden.
  4. 14:30 Musée d’Orsay – Impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh and Degas in a former Belle Époque railway station.

Did this plan help? 🧇 Treat me to a waffle

02

Eat & drink

Restaurants near your stops

Book your meals into your day. Every day has a breakfast slot (avg. 45m, or mark it as at your hotel), a lunch slot (avg. 1h 15m) and a dinner slot (avg. 1h 30m). Use “＋ Add to schedule” on any place below, or pick one straight from a slot in your schedule.

  • Café Marly (Brasserie · €€€ · Louvre & Opéra)
  • Le Fumoir (Brasserie · €€€ · Louvre & Opéra)
  • Juvéniles (Bistro · €€ · Louvre & Opéra)
  • Willi's Wine Bar (Wine bar · €€ · Louvre & Opéra)
  • Bouillon Chartier Grands Boulevards (Bouillon · € · Louvre & Opéra)
  • Higuma (Japanese · € · Louvre & Opéra)
  • Le Soufflé (Bistro · €€€ · Louvre & Opéra)
  • Café de la Paix (Brasserie · €€€ · Louvre & Opéra)
  • Kunitoraya (Japanese · €€ · Louvre & Opéra)
  • Bouillon Racine (Bouillon · €€ · Islands & Latin Quarter)
  • Brasserie Balzar (Brasserie · €€ · Islands & Latin Quarter)
  • Les Fous de l'Île (Bistro · €€ · Islands & Latin Quarter)
  • Berthillon (Café · € · Islands & Latin Quarter)
  • Les Papilles (Bistro · €€ · Islands & Latin Quarter)
  • Café de la Nouvelle Mairie (Wine bar · €€ · Islands & Latin Quarter)
  • Le Grenier de Notre-Dame (Vegetarian · €€ · Islands & Latin Quarter)
  • La Tour d'Argent (Fine dining · €€€ · Islands & Latin Quarter)
  • L'Écurie (Crêperie · € · Islands & Latin Quarter)
  • Les Deux Palais (Brasserie · €€ · Islands & Latin Quarter)
  • Les Deux Magots (Brasserie · €€€ · Saint-Germain)
03

After dark

Paris by night

04

Good to know

Practical info & fares

Pickpockets

  • Paris is safe in general, but pickpockets work the Louvre area, Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Cœur and Notre-Dame
  • Take care on metro line 1 (Louvre, Châtelet, Étoile), line 4, line 2 and in the RER B
  • Keep your phone in a front pocket, bag zipped and in front of you, and never leave a phone on a café table
  • Be wary of friendship-bracelet sellers and petition clipboards (Sacré-Cœur, Louvre), and of anyone who bumps into you at the metro doors

Book ahead

  • Louvre needs a timed slot for everyone (also free entries): book at louvre.fr up to 90 days ahead
  • Eiffel Tower tickets sell out weeks ahead (about €14.80 stairs to €36.70 summit lift): book on the official site as soon as your dates are fixed
  • Sainte-Chapelle, Musée d'Orsay, Palais Garnier and the Orangerie are far less crowded if you book a morning slot
  • A non-EU visitor pays €32 at the Louvre, an EEA visitor €22: have your ID ready

French meal times

  • Lunch is served about 12:00–14:00, dinner from about 19:30; many kitchens close between 14:30 and 19:00
  • Service compris: the bill already includes service, so a tip is optional: round up or leave a few euros for good service
  • Book dinner on Friday and Saturday, and most good places on Sunday or Monday are closed
  • A formule or menu du midi (two courses, about €15–25) is the best value on weekdays; ask for une carafe d'eau, tap water is free

Museum free days

  • First Sunday of the month: free at Orsay, Orangerie (booking needed) and Picasso; the Louvre is not part of it
  • Under 18: free almost everywhere. 18–25: free at national museums if you are an EEA resident or national
  • The Musées de la Ville de Paris (Carnavalet, Petit Palais, Musée d'Art Moderne) have free permanent collections all year
  • Many museums are closed on Monday (Orsay, Rodin) and the Louvre and Orangerie are closed on Tuesday: check before you go

Paying for transport

  • Since 1 Jan 2026 one €2.55 ticket covers any metro or RER trip in Île-de-France, bus and tram €2.05
  • Navigo Easy (€2 card) holds tickets or a Navigo Découverte pass, also on your phone; a bank card works on buses and at the Orly (line 14) and Montmartre funicular gates, not yet at ordinary metro gates
  • A weekly Navigo Découverte (€32.40, Monday–Sunday, plus €5 card and a photo) pays off if you stay a full week
  • The airport ticket is €14 (RER B or metro 14); Roissybus is gone since 1 March 2026 and a taxi is €56 or €65 from CDG

Sundays and Mondays

  • Many shops and small restaurants close on Sunday outside the tourist areas
  • Tourist zones (Marais, Champs-Élysées, Haussmann department stores, Montmartre) stay open on Sunday
  • A lot of bakeries, markets and small food shops close on Monday
  • On public holidays (1 May, 14 July, 15 August, 1 November …) expect closures and extra crowds

Water, toilets and small things

  • Tap water is safe: ask for une carafe d'eau in restaurants (free), and refill at Wallace fountains and public fountains in parks
  • Public toilets are scarce: use a café (buy a coffee) or the museum toilets
  • Cafés charge more sitting down (terrace) than standing at the bar: the bar price is posted on the menu
  • Greet with Bonjour when you walk into a shop or café: it is expected and gets you better service
05

Local life

Markets

Markets run on set days, so they are info only and not part of your schedule.

All markets, with a full guide →