Looking for the top things to do in Paris? This post highlights some of the places you must not miss!
Welcome to the magical world of Paris! Whether you’re dreaming of a romantic getaway or an exciting adventure, Paris is the perfect destination for all your travel desires. This incredible city has been enchanting travelers since antiquity, and its historic beauty will leave you in awe.
From jaw-dropping landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral to essential experiences like dining at a sidewalk café and wandering through the Louvre Museum, there’s something in Paris for everyone. And with its iconic fashion and unbeatable cuisine, this City of Lights provides something unique. So buckle up: it’s time to explore this amazing place!
As you make your way around the city, don’t forget to stop by some of its timeless monuments. For example, one of the most popular attractions is the Eiffel Tower – no trip to Paris is complete without a visit! The iron lattice structure was built in 1889 as an entrance arch for the World’s Fair. Another must-see is Notre Dame Cathedral – one of France’s oldest churches on Ile de la Cité island. Its impressive Gothic façade dates back to 1345 and features two iconic towers.
Ready for some more culture? Then head to the world-renowned Louvre Museum – home to more than 35,000 artworks from all over Europe. And if you’re looking for something extra special during your stay, pay a visit to Montmartre Hill – it’s one of the highest points in Paris and offers stunning views of the entire city.
Finally, indulge your taste buds with some delicious French cuisine; hundreds of restaurants across town offer classic dishes like steak tartare, coq au vin, or even just a simple baguette sandwich on a park bench. With so much waiting for you here in Paris – la vie en rose never felt so real!
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Experiences and top things to do in Paris, France
Visit the signature Sorbonne area of the Quartier Latin
When it comes to Paris sightseeing, everyone advises and says that the Quartier Latin area is the most stuffed with history and lifestyle attractions. Giving a home to the renowned University, the Sorbonne, and the Panthéon, these lively streets are the best places to see in Paris for those who love total immersion into a nation’s history and culture.
We can easily bump into many boutiques and shops along the boulevard of St. Michel. Still, if one prefers the intimate marketplaces and exotic restaurants to the urban metropolis face of the city, the rue Mouffetard is one of the places to visit in Paris.
The street is a long-time home of restaurants, cafés, shops, and the traditional daily market. Locals love and frequent these friendly places; you’ll likely see a few Parisians casually walking around on a Sunday and having lunch with the family here.
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Read also: Top 9 Best Wine Countries in Europe
Check out the marketplaces in the Bastille area
A “tour highlight” and “mandatory” – are just a few keywords they drop around in traveling forums about this timeless tradition that belongs to these streets. Every Thursday and Sunday, hundreds of stalls offer their products of all kinds.
The Bastille is a traditional market, so you will likely find the cheapest groceries here. Still, from old vases to ancient-looking newspapers and theater posters, you can get anything you want. Train your bargaining skills! The Bastille market is the unofficial downtown of discounts and one of the must-visit top sights in Paris.
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Read also: The 15 Culinary Destinations in Europe That Will Make You Hungry! (Foodie Vacations)
Taste macaron – don’t leave without trying this yummy dessert!
Most travelers are busy planning what to see in Paris – and they miss the point by not asking: what to taste? See, French cuisine is famous for a reason. It’s understandable if you are not into happy meal-sized portions that cost a fortune, but you can’t leave the city of light and macaron without having a bite of the French way of life, a must-do in Paris.
Ladurée, Pierre Hermé, Gérard Mulot – no, they do not need fashion designers, but the ultimate masters of the macaron. Put visiting some of their shops on your checklist if you want to taste these flavors you can’t get to know anywhere else. These crunchy yet soft and sweet sandwiches are not only unbelievably cute and stylish but also the tastiest trademark desserts of Paris you can get.
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Wander around the streets of Montmartre
For lovers of fine arts, the Montmartre is the Paris point of interest and one of the most important places to visit in Europe. Probably the greatest collection of artists on the continent, these streets were home to countless designer homes and workshops – ateliers –as well as to saloons and clubs.
The spirit and art of the Belle Époque unfolded right in these streets: Les Nabis’ work blossomed here, and Van Gogh, Matisse, and Degas were introduced to artist communities in these workshops. Renoir, Picasso, and Modigliani frequented and rented a place called Le Bateau-Lavoir at the beginning of the century – quite a few masterpieces were conceived and realized here.
The Montmartre commemorates this era with numerous museums and art venues, so if you are into arts, don’t pass by these streets rich in history.
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Head to the Ile de la cité and the Shakespeare and Company
The Ile de la cité is a tiny island and one of the top Paris tourist attractions on the Seine, far from Notre Dame. For Parisians, it’s not a big deal if they bump into a celebrity downtown, but as a visitor, allow yourself to be enthusiastic about the stars of this city.
They say that the Ile de la cité is their home, so casually walking around these streets might be a surprising and exciting adventure.
If you are clueless about what to do in Paris to meet some more celebrities, pop over to the other bank of the river and visit the famous Shakespeare and Company. This bookshop is more than an actual bookshop, a top Paris sightseeing spot: of course, you can buy a book here, and they will stamp their logo on the head of Shakespeare on the first page of it, but there’s more to this place than just buying.
If you are lucky, you will arrive right in the middle of a reading or a literary event, and the place will be full of poets and writers. Good luck recognizing them all!
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Are you planning your travels? Here’re my top travel resources!
I’m a serial planner both in life and in travel – I have bucket lists, things to do, see, and everything. So, I always love when my life is sorted easily using tools and resources that would make my general planning a little smoother and easier. Therefore, in my many years of traveling the world, I’ve seen myself returning to these travel resources repeatedly. And here I am, sharing my tips to make your life easy and breezy so you can stress less, travel heaps, and focus on the fun part of travel!
- Booking.com – I book all my hotels through this website and don’t honestly use anything else. They always have the best prices, in my opinion.
- Airbnb – If I’m traveling long-term to one destination, I book my flats through Airbnb.
- Skyscanner – The best place to find cheap flights on flexible dates. I use this a lot to score cheap flights within Europe!
- SafetyWing – Always travel insured! Never leave your home country without one. It is worth the extra money, I promise you!
- GetYourGuide – Hands-down, the best place to find cool and unique tours if you don’t feel like winging it, and go straight to a local expert. I use this a lot in new destinations to get acquainted with the area!
- My Pretty Wild World Travel Diary (coming soon) – A book you can write down your travel plans, create itineraries, track down your budget, and dot down memories along the way! A handy book you can keep and read later to revisit memory lane.
- Pretty Wild World Travel Planning Printables (coming soon) – Are you a nut like me when it comes to planning? Yes? Good. My travel planning resource in one zip file is an easy-to-use printable planner that comes with tips that helps you plan your travels during the planning stage, a pre-flight checklist, an itinerary planner, and so on.
Nightlife along the Seine and the high-end art spaces
Even if the most sophisticated art spaces and museums are not the only top Paris attractions, the area of the Palais, the Tokyo and the Grand Palais, and the Petit Palais is a significant bit of the city; especially when it comes to wandering around and thinking about the things to do in Paris at night. The Champs-Élysées is quite close, so these streets radiate class and the high life even during the day – imagine the nightlife!
However, the most exciting clubs May not be on the boulevard, but closer to the Seine! As you cross the bridges downtown, you will see the crazy parties all along the river banks – if you are looking for an unforgettable night, discovering these venues is among the top things to do in Paris!
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Read also: Europe Bucket List: Top 12 Unusual Destinations in Europe to Visit
Chill at the Luxembourg garden
Still in the Quartier Latin but already representing a somewhat different lifestyle, the Jardin de Luxembourg is a popular park and place of interest in Paris.
This vast green area with cultivated and well-maintained flower beds, spectacular fountain settings, cut and shaped bushes and trees – heck, they even have some pétanque-fields, a museum, and a running trail – is beloved not only by tired travelers but by the true locals as well.
The iconic iron chairs of the park have seen countless picnics, business meetings, and even Rendez-Vous – as Paris is also the city of love, after all… If you are unsure about what to do in Paris when you are tired but want to experience a French way of relaxing, find a chair and lay back – you will already feel as if you could speak French in the next minute.
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Read also: Top 15 of the Most Visited Tourist Attractions in Europe
Top Landmarks and attractions in Paris, France
The Louvre
Starting as a medieval fortress, Louvre has gradually turned into a gallery of antique artworks and collections of old art masters from the 1700s. So many stunning collections that you’d need weeks to admire, turn it into Paris’s best tourist attractions.
The art collection of Renaissance and Baroque art are always worth seeing. Other highlights include the Portrait of François I, the world-famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix, and the majestic Gabrielle d’Estrées.
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Read also: Top 12 Museums in Europe (For Arts, History, and Culture)
Musée d’Orsay
Musée D’Orsay resides in the boundaries of Beaux-Arts Railway Station and is considered a triumph of Paris Sightseeing. This museum contains a vast collection of French art and sculptures from the mid-19th till 1914.
Once considered outdated for the modern rail industry, Musee d’Orsay has turned into an art museum not long ago. This museum also filled the gap between the National Museum of Modern Art and the Louvre.
Being one of the largest art museums in the world and a bright Paris highlight, Musée d’Orsay contains extensive art collections like Bal du Moulin de la Galette by Renoir, Le Déjeuner Sur l’Herbe by Manet and The Card Players and Apples and Oranges by Cezanne.
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Read also: Paris Itinerary: How to Spend Three Days in Paris
Eiffel Tower
The iconic landmark, the masterpiece of Paris tourist attractions, was built in 1889 for the world fair. This tower stood at a height of 324 meters and was once the tallest building in the world before the completion of the Millau Viaduct in 2004. Known around the world, this tower hardly needs an introduction.
If you are visiting Paris for the first time, the Eiffel tower should be on your checklist. Almost 7 million tourists visit the Eiffel tower in a year. While most of them go up to the first and second levels, where cafes and restaurants are located, you should aim for the third, as it’s Europe’s highest observation deck at 276 meters.
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Read also: Best One Day Trips from Paris: Overnight Trips from Paris
Hold up! Have you thought about the importance of travel insurance?
Remember this: anything can happen. Travel is fun, but your health is more important; thus, I always, always, always recommend getting insured during the duration of your trip. I have benefitted from having one multiple times, and it has been covered for thousands of euros!
The latest one is not necessarily “health” related – it was during the peak of the unspeakable terrible C that consumed the world. I was living in Vietnam when I received an email from SafetyWing (my travel insurance) that if I want they’ll fly be back home to Finland as the world goes through a global emergency alert. I flew back fully covered, and dealing with SafetyWing was a breeze despite the roar of people in contact with them trying to get back home.
I can’t highly recommend them enough. Otherwise, I rarely get sick; hence I don’t always need to head to a hospital, but knowing that I have travel insurance makes me feel safe at the very least.
Read my post about why you should get travel insurance for more information. Otherwise, you can get a free quote from SafetyWing – they’re the best, in my opinion.
Notre-Dame de Paris
The most delicate structure of Gothic architecture and the most beloved Paris tourist spot, Notre Dame, is a medieval cathedral whose construction started in 1163 and lasted almost 200 years.
The perfected tower of Notre-dame rises in the east from Île de la Cité in the Seine and dominates the sky. There are many reasons to visit this exotic cathedral, starting from the marvelous sculptures on the facade, one of which is the famous gargoyles.
Also, the decorated windows, illuminated glass panels, the enshrined bell, and the view from its tower are just memories of a lifetime.
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Book this amazing experience: Paris: Louvre Museum Timed-Entrance Ticket and Audioguide
Read also: South of France Road Trip: Top 7 Cities to Visit for a Stop Over!
Palace of Versailles
One of the most breathtaking Paris attractions, Versailles Palace, was once a hunting lodge. This palace was turned into a compendium of power in the next century, perfectly featuring the ancient French regime.
Andre Le Notre perfected the famous French formal garden in front of this palace, and the touch of the artistic sense of Charles Le Brun in this palace answers what to see in Paris.
The luxuriant apartments and the Hall of Mirrors are worth seeing for visitors. And don’t forget the Royal Opera, Neptune Basin, Petit Trianon, and the Grand Canal.
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Hôtel des Invalides
Founded initially to house the destitute war veterans by Louis XIV, Hôtel des Invalides still fulfills its original goal of serving as a retirement home for military men and women and other members of the armed forces.
This hotel also confines museums with martial themes inside for people excited to observe French history from a military perspective.
This Paris point of interest holds the famous Musée des Plans, designed for military commanders to study the cities from a tactical perspective in the 18th,19th, and 20th centuries.
The French National Military museum – Musée de l’Armée also resides here, presenting ancient canons, military uniforms, armor, and other artillery equipment to the tourists.
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Read also: Top 15 of the Most Visited Tourist Attractions in Europe
Musée de l’Orangerie
The majestic modern art museum was built by Napoleon III and achieves a high point in the Paris tourist attractions. Monet donated his famous Nymphéas oil paintings to the French government in 1920, and they are displayed here in the oval rooms of this Grand Orangery.
These oil paintings remain as dominant as they were earlier with the addition of other art collections with time.
The collections of Chaim Soutine, Picasso, Sisley, and Paul Cezanne are also kept here.
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Book this amazing experience: Paris: Versailles Palace and Gardens Full Access Ticket
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Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou is a complex building in the 4th arrondissement’s Beaubourg Area. The structure of this building can puzzle your mind and make you wonder for hours.
Within this center is a gigantic library and the famous music institute IRCAM. All that but the specialty of this complex is the world’s famous Musée National d’Art Moderne, the world’s 10th most visited art museum and a compelling Paris attraction.
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Arc de Triomphe
The triumph of Paris sightseeing – Arc de Triomphe lies at the western end of the Champs-Elysées. This historic arch was constructed to remember the victories and sacrifices of the French Revolution and the Napoleon Wars.
The sculptures carved on its facade feature historical war episodes from the late-1700s to the 1800s, such as the Battle of Austerlitz and Alexandria.
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Read also: Top 15 The Most Expensive Cities in Europe That Are Still Worth the Visit
What are my favorite travel must-haves?
As a frequent traveler, I’ve learned a lot throughout my years of travel, and there are five items that I always carry with me regardless of where I go and how long the trip is. Here are my five travel must-haves!
- Warm packable jacket – I always carry a light jacket, even when heading to warm countries. There hasn’t been a time I never used it, especially in airports and planes.
- Transparent toiletry bag – I often bring a carry-on if I’m only traveling within Europe for a few days. Life is so much easier to go through security checks with a transparent toiletry bag.
- Kindle Paperwhite – I love a good read and always take my Kindle everywhere. It keeps me entertained during long flights and waiting times.
- Powerbank – I don’t know how I could travel without one! Having a power bank saved me a ton since I carry a lot of electronic devices with me.
- Travel Adapter – I never leave my luggage without a travel adapter! I carry one with me all the time. It is just one of that travel-must haves that doesn’t hurt to have in your bag at all times.
Sainte-Chapelle
In Palais de la Cité, Saint Chapelle is one of the finest Gothic architecture. The construction of this Paris highlight took just ten years and was completed in 1248.
The blue vaults decorated with fleurs-de-lis and the gold style redefine the architectural sense and mesmerizes the tourists. The artifacts of Christ’s Crown of Thorns were first placed here on the orders of King Louis IX before they were moved to Notre Dame.
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Read also: Top 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe
Musée Marmottan Monet
Initially set up as a repository for the works in the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule, the Marmottan received large art donations from Michel and the second son of Claude Monet. This repository became the most significant art museum, with most of Monet’s collection in just one stroke.
The spell-blinding collections from the Napoleonic era, including the famous Impressionist paintings, remain safe in this museum and make it a Paris top tourist spot.
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Book this amazing experience: From Paris: Versailles Guided Tour with Skip-the-Line Entry
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Place de la Concorde
The largest square in Paris lies between Champs-Elysées and the Tuileries Garden. This square was constructed in 1772 and early on named Place Louis XV.
The fountains created during the reign of Louis Philippe are worth seeing here. The structures representing the Rococo Louis Quinze architectural sense at the north give this square a whole new look while the 3500 years old obelisk remains the core of this beautiful Paris sightseeing spot.
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Read also: Top 8 Best City Breaks in Europe (That are Worth Visiting)
Place des Vosges
Place des Vosges was designed and built in the 17th century, offering all the old vibes for visitors to absorb. It is lined with red brick mansions and white stone quoins; this square has made Marais fashionable.
Visitors can either admire the fresh ambiance of the charming garden or take a look at Victor Hugo’s mansion, a museum.
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Musée Rodin
The splendid workplace of August Rodin – Hotel Biron, was converted into a museum after he died. All his magnificent art collections remained here, including The Gates of Hell all await, The Kiss, The Thinker, and The Burghers of Calais.
The famous Paris tourist attraction features all the antiquities that Rodin himself collected from Egypt and Rome as well as from artists like Renoir.
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Sacré-Coeur
Sacré-Coeur is the world-known Paris sightseeing point at the top of Butte Montmartre hill and gives the tourists what we call the best view of Paris.
The largest mosaic in the world, known as Christ in Majesty, is fitted in the ceiling inside the apse. The tourists have to make their way up the Square Louise Michel to lay their eyes on this Romano-Byzantine-designed Basilica.
In Paris, you have a little time to spare if you wish to see all the sights. Paris’s points of interest are never-ending, with many beautiful places to discover, apart from the ones discussed above.
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Planning to visit France soon? Start here!
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Where to stay in Paris
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Wow, these are very pretty pictures. I could never be in Paris without tasting French cuisine, in fact I think that’s the reason number 1 why I would go there. I really like the photo of Ile de la cité and I’d definitely go there too – not much for the celebrities, but because it seems so pretty and unusual.
Certainly one of the popular places in Europe indeed
oh wow the luxembourg garden looks amazing. im more interested in things to see and do that arnt always what everyone does. theres lot of hidden jewels. thanks for sharing some
Thanks for dropping by Joseph
Where is the tower? ha ha. At least you featured other spots. France Yes but something new.
You mean the Eiffel tower?
The one that got me was those lovely macarons. Also even if I don’t drink, the nightscape of the city is lovely. Hopefully I’d be able to visit it soon!
I’m rooting for you Chorell
Thank you so much for this very informative post. Seeing the pictures made me want to visit Paris sooner!
Thanks!