What to see in Paris

Paris highlights

The places you can’t miss. In the app we sort them by day and close to each other.

1. Eiffel Tower

   Book your ascent on the official website; for the photo, Trocadéro or the Champ de Mars is better.

2. Louvre

   Timed-entry tickets; besides the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Egyptian rooms.

3. Musée d’Orsay

   The Impressionists.

4. Montmartre

   The hill of the Sacré-Cœur and the painters’ square; walk down the back streets, which are quieter.

5. Le Marais

   Squares and falafel.

6. Notre-Dame

   Île de la Cité.

7. Arc de Triomphe

   You climb to the roof by a spiral staircase; from the top, twelve avenues fan out like a star.

8. Sainte-Chapelle

   Fifteen 13th-century stained-glass windows cover the walls of the upper chapel. Go when it’s sunny, first thing.

9. Père-Lachaise Cemetery

   A cobbled hill with the graves of Chopin, Wilde and Morrison among chestnut trees. Download the map: it’s easy to get lost.

10. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont

    An old quarry turned into a park: a lake, a cliff topped with a temple and a bridge by Eiffel. Parisians come here to lie in the grass.

11. Saint-Ouen Flea Market

    Eleven covered markets with about eleven hundred antique dealers. Open Friday to Monday; out on the street there’s a lot of filler.

12. Coulée verte René-Dumont

    A walk of almost five kilometres along a disused railway viaduct, level with the balconies of the 12th arrondissement.

13. Galerie Vivienne

    A covered passage from 1823 with a mosaic floor and skylights. You walk through it in five minutes and hardly anyone goes in.

Day trips from Paris

We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

• Versailles ★ 4.6 (47,985 reviews)
• Disneyland Paris ★ 4.6 (59,939 reviews)
• Seine cruise ★ 4.4 (91,930 reviews)
• Mont-Saint-Michel from Paris ★ 4.5 (6,146 reviews)

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Book ahead

Tickets that sell out or have long queues, and closing days.

• Sells out · 60 days ahead Eiffel Tower

  Lift tickets go on sale 60 days ahead and sell out at summer weekends. Taking the stairs gives you more leeway.

  Official ticket office
• Sells out · 21 days ahead Louvre

  A timed booking is compulsory: without it, entry isn’t guaranteed even if you’re entitled to free admission.

  Official ticket office
• Opening hours Louvre

  Closed on Tuesdays. Late opening on Wednesdays and Fridays until 9 pm.

• Opening hours Musée d’Orsay

  Closed on Mondays. Late opening on Thursdays until 9.45 pm.

Curious facts about Paris

• Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024, five and a half years after the fire.

Typical food of Paris

The dish you have to try there and how to make it at home, to whet your appetite before the trip (or to go back to Paris from your kitchen).

French onion soup

Soupe à l’oignon was the late-night dish of the old Les Halles market: a broth of caramelised onions with bread and melted cheese on top. Few things are as comforting in winter.

• Serves 4
• 1 h 15 min

Ingredients

• 1 kg onions
• 50 g butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 1.2 l beef stock
• 8 slices of baguette
• 150 g grated Gruyère or Emmental
• Salt and pepper

How to make it at home

1. Slice the onions thinly and cook them gently in the butter for about 40 minutes, stirring, until deep golden.
2. Add the flour, stir for a minute and pour in the wine.
3. Add the hot stock, season and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Toast the slices of bread.
5. Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls, put the bread on top, cover with cheese and grill until golden.

The trick: Don’t rush the onions: the dark colour is the flavour.

Frequently asked questions about Paris