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Things to do in Paris

Paris packs a lot into a compact centre. Here are all 46 sights in our planner, starting with the must-sees and then grouped by theme, each with opening hours, price and the time you need.

Don't miss

Musée du Louvre, ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Musée du Louvre

The world's most visited museum: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and 33,000 more works.

Notre-Dame de ParisIslands & Latin Quarter

Photo: Ali Sabbagh · CC0 · Wikimedia

Notre-Dame de Paris

The restored Gothic cathedral, reopened in 2024; free entry, book a time slot online.

Eiffel Tower, ParisEiffel Tower

Photo: Tristan Nitot · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Eiffel Tower

The iron icon of Paris, 330 m tall, with viewing floors at 115 m, 276 m and the summit.

Sacré-Cœur, ParisMontmartre

Photo: Tonchino · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Sacré-Cœur

The white basilica on the hill of Montmartre, with the best free view over Paris from its steps.

Sightseeing: squares, landmarks and viewpoints

Sainte-Chapelle, ParisIslands & Latin Quarter

Photo: Didier B (Sam67fr) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia

Sainte-Chapelle

A 13th-century royal chapel whose walls are almost entirely stained glass.

Panthéon, ParisIslands & Latin Quarter

Photo: Moonik · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Panthéon

A neoclassical temple where France honours its great figures; Foucault pendulum and crypt.

Jardin des Tuileries, ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Tokyo, Japan · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Jardin des Tuileries

Formal garden between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, with ponds, statues and chairs.

Place de la Concorde, ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: Cristian Bortes from Cluj-Napoca, Romania · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Place de la Concorde

Paris’s largest square, with the Luxor obelisk, two fountains and a view up the Champs-Élysées.

Palais Garnier, ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: Peter Rivera · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Palais Garnier

The ornate 19th-century opera house with its grand staircase, foyer and Chagall ceiling.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés, ParisSaint-Germain

Photo: DXR · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris’s oldest church and the heart of the literary café quarter, with Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots.

Jardin du Luxembourg, ParisSaint-Germain

Photo: Kirua · Public domain · Wikimedia

Jardin du Luxembourg

Parisians’ favourite garden: Medici fountain, green chairs, pond with toy sailboats and the Senate palace.

Place des Vosges, ParisLe Marais

Photo: Des Racines et des Ailes · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

Place des Vosges

Paris’s oldest planned square: red-brick arcades around a quiet garden, once home to Victor Hugo.

Trocadéro, ParisEiffel Tower

Photo: Fred Romero from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Trocadéro

Terrace and gardens facing the Eiffel Tower, the classic photo spot, with the Palais de Chaillot.

Hôtel des Invalides, ParisEiffel Tower

Photo: CaBLe27 · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Hôtel des Invalides

Army Museum and the Dôme church holding Napoleon’s tomb, in the former soldiers’ hospital.

Arc de Triomphe, ParisChamps-Élysées

Photo: ZeusUpsistos · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Arc de Triomphe

Napoleon’s triumphal arch above the Unknown Soldier’s flame, with a rooftop view down the avenues.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées, ParisChamps-Élysées

Photo: Josh Hallett · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

The 2 km tree-lined avenue from the Arc de Triomphe down to Place de la Concorde.

Place du Tertre, ParisMontmartre

Photo: Pierre Blaché from Paris, France · CC0 · Wikimedia

Place du Tertre

Montmartre’s small village square, full of portrait painters and café terraces.

Conciergerie, ParisIslands & Latin Quarter

Photo: xandru · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Conciergerie

Medieval royal palace turned prison where Marie-Antoinette was held, with a huge Gothic guards' hall.

Père Lachaise Cemetery, ParisLe Marais

Photo: Peter Poradisch · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia

Père Lachaise Cemetery

Leafy hillside cemetery with the graves of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf and Chopin.

Île Saint-Louis, ParisIslands & Latin Quarter

Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Île Saint-Louis

Quiet 17th-century island with stone quays, a village feel and the famous Berthillon ice cream.

Canal Saint-Martin, ParisLe Marais

Photo: Superbass · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Canal Saint-Martin

Tree-lined canal with iron footbridges, locks and cafés: a local-feeling stroll from République to Jaurès.

Pont Alexandre III, ParisChamps-Élysées

Photo: Jebulon · CC0 · Wikimedia

Pont Alexandre III

Paris's most ornate bridge: gilded statues, lamps and Seine views towards Invalides and the Eiffel Tower.

Palais-Royal Gardens, ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen · Public domain · Wikimedia

Palais-Royal Gardens

Calm arcaded garden behind the Louvre with Buren's striped columns, boutiques and old cafés.

Museums and galleries

Musée d’Orsay, ParisSaint-Germain

Photo: DXR · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Musée d’Orsay

Impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh and Degas in a former Belle Époque railway station.

Musée Carnavalet, ParisLe Marais

Photo: Miguel Hermoso Cuesta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Musée Carnavalet

The history of Paris from prehistory to today, in two Renaissance mansions in the Marais.

Musée Rodin, ParisEiffel Tower

Photo: Dalbera · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Musée Rodin

The Thinker and the Gates of Hell in a mansion and sculpture garden.

Grand Palais, ParisChamps-Élysées

Photo: Dennis G. Jarvis · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Grand Palais

A 1900 glass-and-iron palace for big exhibitions and events; the building itself is a sight.

Catacombs of ParisSaint-Germain

Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Catacombs of Paris

Underground ossuary tunnels holding the bones of six million Parisians, 20 m below Denfert-Rochereau.

Musée de l'Orangerie, ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: Homonihilis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Musée de l'Orangerie

Monet's eight huge Water Lilies panels in two oval rooms, plus Cézanne, Renoir and Picasso downstairs.

Musée Picasso, ParisLe Marais

Photo: LPLT · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Musée Picasso

The world's largest Picasso collection, in the Hôtel Salé, a 17th-century Marais mansion.

Musée de Cluny, ParisIslands & Latin Quarter

Photo: Pline · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Musée de Cluny

Medieval art in Roman baths and a 15th-century mansion, home of the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.

Petit Palais, ParisChamps-Élysées

Photo: Gunnar Klack · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Petit Palais

Fine-arts museum of the City of Paris in a Belle Époque palace with a lovely garden café.

Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, ParisIslands & Latin Quarter

Photo: Alvesgaspar · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Grande Galerie de l'Évolution

Natural history museum in a glass-and-iron hall: a parade of stuffed animals and giant whale skeletons.

Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, ParisLe Marais

Photo: Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie

Europe's biggest science museum in La Villette: hands-on exhibitions, a planetarium and the Argonaute submarine.

Food and markets

Rue Montorgueil, ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: Minato ku · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

Rue Montorgueil

Pedestrian market street lined with cheesemongers, bakeries, oyster stalls and terraces, near Les Halles.

Marché des Enfants Rouges, ParisLe Marais

Photo: Connie Ma from Chicago, United States of America · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Marché des Enfants Rouges

Paris's oldest covered food market (1628): fresh produce plus Moroccan, Japanese, Italian and French lunch stalls.

Beer

Paname Brewing Company, ParisLe Marais

Photo: DarkVador79-UA · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Paname Brewing Company

Craft brewpub with visible tanks and a terrace right on the Bassin de la Villette.

Brasserie de la Goutte d'Or, ParisMontmartre

Photo: Mini.fb · CC0 · Wikimedia

Brasserie de la Goutte d'Or

Pioneering Paris craft brewery (2012) with a taproom next to the vats and rotating food trucks.

Chocolate

Choco-Story ParisLe Marais

Photo: Eunostos · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Choco-Story Paris

Chocolate museum on three floors with tastings, a live demonstration and a hands-on workshop option.

Jacques Genin (chocolatier), ParisLe Marais

Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Jacques Genin (chocolatier)

Famed chocolatier and caramel maker with a tea room serving a legendary millefeuille and hot chocolate.

À la Mère de Famille, ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: JLPC · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

À la Mère de Famille

Paris's oldest chocolate and sweet shop (1761), with a listed Belle Époque interior and old-fashioned sweets.

Shopping

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: Moonik · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann

Belle Époque department store with a stained-glass dome and a free rooftop terrace.

Printemps Haussmann, ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Printemps Haussmann

Grand department store under a stained-glass dome, with a rooftop terrace and views of the Opéra.

Covered passages (Panoramas, Vivienne), ParisLouvre & Opéra

Photo: No machine-readable author provided. CaptainHaddock assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Covered passages (Panoramas, Vivienne)

Glass-roofed 19th-century arcades with antique shops, old bookshops, tea rooms and mosaic floors.

With kids

Ménagerie, Jardin des Plantes, ParisIslands & Latin Quarter

Photo: Spiridon MANOLIU · Public domain · Wikimedia

Ménagerie, Jardin des Plantes

One of the world's oldest zoos (1794), with red pandas, big cats and primates, inside the Jardin des Plantes.

Jardin d'Acclimatation, ParisChamps-Élysées

Photo: Moktarama · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

Jardin d'Acclimatation

Classic children's amusement park in the Bois de Boulogne: rides, playgrounds, a farm and a small zoo.

Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.

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Last updated: 5 October 2026