47 Best things to see & do in Paris

The world’s most visited museum, the Louvre dates back to the 13th century, and was the primary residence of the French Royal family until Louis XVI moved the household to the Palais of Versailles in 1682. It opened as a museum in 1793 with 537 paintings – mainly from the Royal collection; today it houses 35,000 works of art and 380,000 objects.

The building is almost as much of an attraction as the exhibits; explore the grand galleries with ornately painted ceilings, opulent stairways and remnants of a medieval Parisian palace. Let yourself wander – and wonder – your way through the museum’s beautifully laid out, labyrinthine halls and discover world-class Italian Renaissance and French Neoclassical and Romantic painting, antique sculpture, treasures from Ancient Egypt and Assyria, or medieval gold and silverwares.

The sheer wealth of exhibits in the Louvre can be intimidating on the one hand; on the other, it means there’s always something fascinating to discover.

When French civil engineer Gustave Eiffel won a competition to design a building that would be unveiled at the 1889 World Fair in Paris, no-one could have foreseen that it would become one of the most iconic structures on the planet. Eiffel’s design won out against 106 other entries, with digging begun in January 1887, and the tower completed in time for the Exposition Universale two years later, held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Much derided at the time – in spite of being the tallest building in the world – it was only meant to stand for twenty years. More than a century later it remains a much-loved and iconic symbol of Paris; if you can stomach the crowds and the ride up in the vintage lift, the view from the top remains an enchanting treat.

The vast, opulent Chateaux de Versailles began life as a hunting lodge, built in 1623 for King Louis XIII, before being expanded and developed over a period of fifty years by King Louis XIV. In 1682, he moved the royal household from Paris to the palace, making Versaille the de facto capital of France.

It remains a brilliantly over-the-top ode to the power of Louis XIV, with lavish Baroque rooms and sparkling mirrors lining the heavily-gilded Galerie des Glaces.

The opulent interiors are the main event, but a splendid park and gardens have plenty to keep visitors busy, too – with two further (Grand and Petit Trianon) palaces, a sheep farm, a Grand Canal and Marie Antoinette’s private hameau (hamlet or mini-village).

The Centre Pompidou revolutionised both Paris and art museums when it opened in 1976 – and this multi-coloured glass and steel structure, designed by ‘starchitects’ Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, is still one of the city’s most exciting modern buildings.

Inside, the fabulous Musée National d’Art Moderne – Europe’s largest collection of modern and contemporary art – takes you from Picasso, Matisse and Kandinsky, via Pop Art and Arte Povera, to the latest installation and video art. The multidisciplinary spirit encompasses exhibitions, a cinema, performing arts space, library, bookshop, design shop and a trendy restaurant, Forest.

The celebrated ride up the escalators is still unmissable, providing one of the best views in Paris as the city unfolds before you.

Most of France’s famous Champagne houses are based in the historic city of Reims and smaller Epernay, both within an hour of Paris – although smaller producers can be found all over this specialist wine region.

Cellar tours provide a unique insight into how Champagne is made and blended, what makes it different from ordinary wines, just how much craftsmanship goes into bubbly, and how each Champagne house has its distinctive style – and often include visits to the magnificent cellars.

Paris’s iconic Gothic cathedral, previously its most visited site, is closed to the public following the devastating fire in April 2019. It’s set to reopen in December 2024 with its unique blend of heavenly views, hunchback legends and gargoyles galore.

This ornate, 50m-high arch is an iconic Parisian landmark, situated at the heart of 12 avenues that branch out from it like the spokes of a wheel.

The Arc was commissioned by Napoleon to honour all those who fought and died for France during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars – the names of all French victories and generals are inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces, and an eternal flame burns in memory of the unknown soldier of World War I (whose tomb lies beneath the arch).

Claude Monet (1840-1926) is one of France and the world’s most celebrated and influential painters, and is credited with founding the Impressionist movement. Impressionist painters attempt to paint nature, especially outdoor landscapes, through their perception and senses.

This museum, housed in a grand 19th-century mansion and appropriately one of the loveliest art venues in Paris, holds the world’s largest of Claude Monet’s paintings. They’re displayed along with Empire furniture and other Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works, many collected over two hundred years by the Marmottan family.

The highlight of the collection is Monet’s atmospheric ‘Water Lily’ (Nymphéas) canvases in brilliant blues. They’re part of a series of 250 such oil paintings depicting his flower garden at his home in Giverny, which he dedicated himself to creating during the last 30 years of his life. The rest of the paintings are now held in museums and private collections around the world. Wikipedia has a list of the full series.

Few countries have defined the history of Western art like France; from the 19th century onwards, the country was considered the epicentre of the art world, with Paris as its heart. The city was the home to world-renowned artists such as Picasso, Van Gogh, Rodin and Dali, and central to movements like Impressionism, Cubism and Pointillism.

Even today, cutting-edge galleries house the best modern and contemporary art, in spectacular buildings whose architecture is as much an attraction as the art inside. But the city is also an art capital thanks to its museums, which showcase everything from non-Western indigenous art and medieval sculpture, to Renaissance art and Impressionism.

Housed in a wing of the Louvre – but independently run and ticketed – the Musee des Arts Decoratifs is an inspirational collection of items around the decorative arts, featuring diverse and beautiful types of furniture, home decor and accessories. With over one million objects in its collection, it’s the largest museum of decorative arts in continental Europe.

The collections are arranged chronologically, by period – ranging from the Middle Ages all the way to the latest designers – as well as by theme. Other highlights include beautiful period rooms and historic jewellery.

Changing exhibitions also run, themed around types and styles of furniture, ceramics, fashion and advertising.

This brilliantly converted Belle Epoque train station is now a temple to art from 1848 to 1914, and it’s looking better than ever after a revamp for the museum’s 25th anniversary.

Downstairs, sculptures sit where trains once pulled in, and rooms pit Symbolists against Realists. On the top floor, the crowd-pulling Impressionists and Post-Impressionists include Monet, Manet, Degas, Cézanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh. The mezzanine levels feature Rodin sculptures, early photography and superb Art Nouveau decorative arts. At any one time, around 3,000 artworks are on display. Check out their Wikipedia page for a list of 24 selected collection highlights.

Paris is one dynamic food metropolis – a culinary hub that ticks every edible box, whether you’re looking for classic steak-frites and onion soup or breakfast staples like baguette and croissants.

Old-school pleasures – chateaubriand beef and garlicky snails – abound on menus in many traditional eating houses (like bistros and brasseries), but nowadays the new generation of chefs is deconstructing traditional dishes to create their own, more elevated styles of food, often using ingredients sourced from neighbouring departements like Picardie (for potatoes and root vegetables) and Seine-et-Marne (for cheeses).

Paris’ Picasso Museum is set in the grandiose, Hotel Sale, one of the most extravagant 17th-century mansions in the city.

Inside, over 400 of Pablo Picasso’s artworks are displayed – everything from sculpture and drawings, to collages and paintings (of an estimated 5000 pieces in the museum) – showing just how productive he was.

Unbeknown to many, Picasso was also a great art collector, and his personal collection is displayed on the 2nd floor. It includes works by many of his friends, including Matisse and Braque.

Napoleon III’s former citrus greenhouse is (along with the Orsay Museum) one of the loveliest places in Paris to admire Impressionist and Modernist art.

Works by many of the big 19th- and 20th-century names are there— Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse—but the stars of the show are Monet’s monumental ‘Water Lilies‘, which wrap around the gallery’s curved walls in pastel-hued beauty and draw crowds by the dozens.

Regular temporary exhibitions complete the offerings.

If you like coffee table books, you’ll be well-served in the bookshop, which sells an excellent array of art-themed tomes.

The museum sits within the Jardin des Tuileries – after your visit, you should take a stroll through the park (former royal gardens), up towards the Louvre.

There’s no better way to see the sights in one magical sweep than by boat along the Seine.

From the filigree girders of the Eiffel Tower to the giant clock of the Orsay Museum and the Mansard rooftops of the Louvre – not to mention the statue-studded bridges – the waterway provides a unique and crowd-free viewpoint for taking in the city’s treasures.

Book a dining cruise on a riverboat, hire your own private boat or opt for the hop-on-hop-off boat-buses. They’re all good, but for extra romance, go at night, when the monuments are lit up and the Eiffel Tower sparkles.

At first sight, Paris’s gorgeous golden stone gives the city an apparently uniform classical image. But beneath the illusion are numerous distinct periods of Parisian history – centuries of grandiose urban planning schemes, when kings and presidents left their mark on the city’s look and landscape.

Today Paris stands out for its elegant squares and broad boulevards, peppered with Gothic churches, Baroque palaces and mansions, strings of prim, balconied Hausmann-style apartment buildings and adventurous modern icons.

Along with Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie once formed part of a vast Medieval palace, with impressive, vaulted Gothic halls, that included the Sainte-Chapelle. Abandoned as a palace by the French Kings at the end of the 14th century, it took on a more judicial role, and parts were converted to prison cells.

Today, it’s most famously remembered as the ‘antechamber to the guillotine’, where nobles were held prior to execution in the bloodiest days of the French Revolution. Prisoners included the Queen at the time of the French Revolution and the last Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. She was executed by guillotine in 1793 to the cheers of the populace – one of almost three thousand prisoners, mostly from the upper classes, to be tried and sentenced at the Conciergerie.

Now a historic monument, only a small area of the building is open to the public. A small, commemorative chapel now was erected on the site of Marie Antoinette’s cell.

Fronted by a red windmill, this historical cabaret needs no introduction. Since opening the same year as the Eiffel Tower, in 1889, it has inspired paintings (most famously by Toulouse-Lautrec), and movies (like Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 hit film, Moulin Rouge), and is photographed by visitors from all around the world.

Today the show’s as glitzy as it’s kitschy, with themed scenes portraying the Circus, Pirates and the Moulin Rouge through the ages. Can Can, of course, takes centre stage and magic shows complete the offerings.

You can dine on French cuisine as you watch, or just opt for the show and champagne. There’s also a rooftop cocktail bar for pre- or post-show drinks and nibbles.

Built 1758-1790 at the behest of Louis XV of France, this grandiose monument to France’s ‘great men’ was originally intended to be a church dedicated to Sainte Genevieve. But during the French Revolution, it was converted into a mausoleum to house the remains of distinguished French citizens – to acknowledge and honour their contribution to the nation. The crypt contains the remains of 80 people, including the tombs of Voltaire, Hugo, Zola, Pierre and Marie Curie and Louis Braille.

Modelled on Rome’s Pantheon, the building is an early example of Neoclassicism, with a striking interior. The dome was designed to rival St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. It’s 83m high, compared to 136m for St. Peter’s. You can climb the dome for city views.

Housed in an impressive Baroque setting, this trio of French military museums is full of treasures.

The Musée de l’Armée, the military museum of the French army, has collections ranging from armour to World War II film footage; the Musée des Plans-Reliefs is a museum of military models; and the Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine (contemporary history museum) contains some 1.5 million artefacts from French political, social and cultural history.

Jacquemart-Andre Museum is proof of the discerning taste of the 19th-century banking heir Edouard Andre and his wife Nelie Jacquemart. Italian Renaissance masterpieces by Botticelli and Uccello, French portraiture and decorative arts, Dutch and English paintings are all displayed around this grandiose mansion – even the café has a Tiepolo on the ceiling.

The museum is divided into five major parts:

• The State Apartments, for formal receptions, rich in French paintings and 18th-century decorative art.
• The Informal Apartments, for receiving business relations, is decorated in a refined style.
• The Winter Garden is inspired by Opera Garnier.
• The Italian Museum is home to their collections of 15th- and 16th-century Italian sculpture, with masterpieces by Francesco Laurana, Donatello, Luca Della Robbia and others; plus painted masterpieces by Botticelli, Francesco Botticini and Perugino, and Ucello’s celebrated St. George and the Dragon.
• The Private Apartments occupy part of the mansion’s ground floor.

In a grand Seine-side palace built for the World Fair of 1937, Paris’ museum of Modern art covers the major 20th-century movements of fauvism, cubism, surrealism, realism, neorealism and expressionism, with works by iconic artists including Braque, Modigliani, Chagall, Leger, Picasso and Matisse.

The biggest piece by far greets you as you arrive: Raoul Dufy’s 1937 Fee Electricte, an awe-inspiring, monumental painting that depicts mythology and technology in sumptuous flurries of blues, yellows and oranges.

Don’t forget to check out the museum’s temporary exhibitions, which cover works by today’s Contemporary artists.

Francois Auguste Rene Rodin, born 1840, was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. His unconventional and unexpected works challenged the norm, but despite controversy and ridicule from traditionalists, his popularity grew and by 1900 he was world-renowned.

Displayed around the house and gardens where he lived at the end of his life, this fabulous museum collection illustrates how he revolutionised sculpture at the start of the 20th century – reworking figures and themes to create such iconic and distinctive works as The Thinker, The Burghers of Calais and The Gates of Hell.

It’s surprisingly good for families, with special family audio guides designed to introduce kids to sculpture. They include an interactive plan with an audio pen – point the pen at an exhibit and hear the commentary.

Paris has been catering to the fancies of the wealthy for centuries, and thanks to French haute couture brands like Chanel, Dior and Givenchy, it’s still associated with luxury shopping today.

But there’s loads more to discover than just posh shops. Stroll the Marais, Saint-Germain-des-Pres and South Pigalle to find gorgeous indie fashion boutiques, or seek out one of the city’s chocolate shops, bookshops, kitchenware boutiques or quirky concept stores selling everything from sustainable clothing to make-up and furniture.

In the 19th century, Paris was the birthplace of the French department store, and its legacy lives on in some of the most famous shopping spots in Europe. And of course, there are the fabulous markets too – from weekly food stalls to vast antiques bazaars.

This museum in the Montmartre neighbourhood is dedicated to the surrealist artist Salvador Dali, displaying over 300 of his works.

Dali’s art is characterised by his unique blend of dreamlike and bizarre imagery, exploring the realms of the subconscious and the irrational. His works often featured melting clocks, distorted figures, and fantastical landscapes, reflecting his fascination with the subconscious mind and the exploration of the human psyche. His creativity also extended beyond the art world as he collaborated with filmmakers, designed sets, and even dabbled in fashion and jewellery design.

He lived in France throughout the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) before leaving for the United States in 1940 where he achieved commercial success.

Mickey, Winnie, Aladdin, Snow White and all the Disney favourites are present and correct in this hugely successful theme park just 30 minutes from the centre of Paris.

There are three sections: Disneyland Park with its spectacular rides and elaborate daily parades; Disney Village with a host of places to eat and the Wild West show; and Walt Disney Studios Park with its film-themed treats.

Paris is home to hundreds of exquisite churches and cathedrals, their ornate spires and domes punctuating every neighbourhood. As a whole, they represent a magnificent ensemble of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, many of them packed with priceless art and relics – testimony to a Christian heritage that dominated the city until the French Revolution.

This museum dedicated to the history of Paris is a treasure trove of history and art, all housed in the sumptuous Renaissance mansion Hotel des Ligneris and the 17th-century Hotel le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau.

Fascinating indigenous art and artefacts from every continent except Europe are theatrically presented in this striking modern building designed by Jean Nouvel.  

The museum mainly includes exhibits from the now-defunct Museum of African and Oceanian art: masks, statues, fabrics, musical instruments, costumes and jewellery are displayed alongside archive film footage, soundtracks and photos – and there’s a well-rounded programme of performing arts, too.  

Among the highlights of the permanent collection are giant bronze drums from 4th century BC Indonesia, indigenous sculpture from Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands, West African masks and stone megaliths, North Arabian camel palanquins, and North American totem poles. 

There couldn’t be a more appropriate setting for Paris’ official museum of the Middle Ages than the Gothic townhouse – known as Hotel de Cluny. It was originally built by the Abbot of Cluny in 1330, and now stands as one of the oldest (former) private residences, and arguably the finest example of medieval civil architecture, in Paris.

Weapons, objets d’art, furnishings, stained-glass windows and manuscripts abound, but the star of the show is the celebrated late 15th-century La Dame a la Licorne (Lady and the Unicorn) tapestry cycle.

Interestingly, there are almost two museums here in one. The Hotel de Cluny is housed in the remains of a Roman thermal bathing complex. The baths, with 15m-high vaulted ceilings, have been restored and also now house the Pillar of the Nauti (Pillar of the Boatmen), the city’s oldest sculpture, dating back to 1349 AD.

Founded in 1793 during the French Revolution, this impressive museum is dedicated to preserving and educating about the natural world, and showcasing the diversity of life on Earth.

It has four substantive galleries housing a vast collection of over 68 million specimens, as follows:

1. Grande Galerie de l’Evolution: showcasing evolution and biodiversity through taxidermy specimens.
2. Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy: An extensive collection of ancient skeletons, including dinosaurs.
3. Mineralogy Gallery: a dazzling display of gemstones, crystals, and minerals.
4. Menagerie and the Great Greenhouses: living plants and animals, including rare species, in a beautiful garden setting.

Michelin-starred chef Frederic Anton is continuing former (super)chef Alain Ducasse’s success in turning Paris’s most famous monument into a gastronomic destination, with a spectacular setting on the second level of the Eiffel Tower.

Dishes such as langoustine ravioli with beetroot jelly are light, modern and imaginative, and Aline Asmar Amman’s sophisticated space capsule design provides a perfect setting for admiring what’s on your plate while also ogling the view. Entry is via the private lift on the South Pillar (Pilier Sud).

It’s not cheap, but for a special treat on your trip, this is surely hard to beat. Where else can you dine in a world-famous monument, admiring views over the world’s most romantic city?

This apartment where famous French poet and novelist Victor Hugo (1802-1885) lived for 16 years, is now a museum about his life and works.

This large hill in Pari’s 18th arrondissement may be overrun with visitors, but the village-like neighbourhood of Montmartre is also incredibly charming, with its cute houses, artists’ studios and steep stairways.

It’s known for its long artistic history – in the 18th and 19th centuries many artists lived and worked or had studios in Montmartre, leaving it a unique bohemian charm.

Its other claim to fame is the sugary-white domed church of Sacre-Coeur, built in 1914 – the interior is a feast of glittering neo-Byzantine mosaics. It crowns Paris’s highest hill and offers the best panoramic views of the city from atop its dome (open to visitors).

The main square – Place du Tertre – is horribly crowded with tourists and packed with pseudo-artists, but there are still authentic corners to be discovered in the side streets lower down the hill. For a more laid-back side of Montmartre, explore the cafés and shops along Rue des Abbesses, Rue Lepic and Rue des Trois-Frères.

Other attractions here include Montmartre Cemetery, the Montmartre Museum, and the Dalí Paris Museum.

It’s a go-to for all tourists and first-timers, but the area still has charm and a wonderfully bohemian air.

A museum dedicated to the works of Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau, housed in his former home and studio.

Moreau (1826-1898) was a French Symbolist painter known for his visionary and mystical works; he was inspired by mythology, biblical stories, and literary sources. His works are typcially richly detailed and often featured exotic and fantastical elements, combining classical themes with a sense of mystery and symbolism. His meticulous technique and use of vibrant colour also contribute to the dreamlike quality of his art.

He had a significant impact on the Symbolist movement, influencing artists such as Odilon Redon and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.

Pere Lachaise is the world’s most visited cemetery – hundreds of thousands of tourists come here annually to see the final resting places of France’s most flamboyant figures from the past 200 years.

Famous residents include painters Delacroix, Gericault and Ingres, writers Moliere, Balzac and Colette, composer Chopin, singers Edith Piaf and Jim Morrison, and the incomparable Oscar Wilde.

This sprawling 44-hectare park is also a feast of sculpture, with more than 69,000 ornate and ostentatious tombs. Fascinating and bizarrely enjoyable.

Paris’ most exquisite Gothic monument was built by Louis IX in 1248 to house his collection of Passion relics, including Christ’s Crown of Thorns (now at Notre-Dame Cathedral). It has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained-glass collections anywhere in the world.

Housed within the prestigious Cité de la Musique complex, home of the Paris Philharmonic, this museum is dedicated to the rich heritage of music. Its collection contains over 7,000 historic musical instruments and music-related items spanning centuries and continents.

These eerie bone-lined passages, set in a former quarry 20m underground, contain the remains of several million Parisians. The residents – including many victims of the notorious guillotine – were buried here when existing cemeteries overflowed during the French Revolution.

Cafe de la Paix is an institution with the best vanilla mille-feuille in Paris, served in gilded surrounds with views of the magnificent Palais Garnier Opera House.

The Fondation Louis Vuitton’s building is an attraction in itself – a wacky, silver structure in the middle of Bois de Boulogne (built by Frank Gehry), with futuristic-looking glass sails, clever lighting and whimsical, sunken water features.

Inside, you’ll find a cutting-edge exhibition space that promotes both contemporary and historical art via ever-changing shows and music concerts. What you see will depend on when you go, but more recent exhibitions have included Monet and Basquiat.

Feasting your eyes is hungry work, so there’s a chic restaurant too, serving contemporary French cuisine! And even an excellent bookshop about art and architecture.

A nuit blanche (or white night) means a sleepless night – or in the case of this annual festival, staying up into the small hours for free contemporary art events all around town. There’s a great festive atmosphere out on the streets as locals and visitors alike set off to explore installations and performances by international artists.

These take place across town, on the streets, in the city parks or in rarely visited buildings, illuminating or reimagining the cityscape in a magical way.

France’s national holiday marks the 1789 French Revolution and the storming of the Bastille prison with huge festivities in Paris – with a mixture of fun and formality.

Partying starts on the 13th July, with discos run by the fire brigade at local fire stations. On the 14th July there’s a grand military parade of troops and tanks and a fly-over down the Champs-Elysees. In the evening, fireworks are set off from the Trocadero – best seen from the Champ de Mars.

Head to this grand train station brasserie, originally opened to serve passengers travelling to the 1900 World Fair, is to ogle the incredible decor – the room is laden with gilt, carved cherubs and blowsy frescoes of southern landscapes.

Chic department store with a dazzling Art Nouveau cupola, famed for its food court, luxury fashion brands and rooftop restaurants. Paris’ most famous shopping destination.

This bar on the top of the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper is coveted for both its breathtaking Eiffel Tower views and its potent Bellinis.

The birthplace of the rum baba in the 18th century, the city’s oldest patisserie still wows with its gateaux (cake) today.