Paris, France Travel Guide

Paris has 20 arrondissements (districts) spiralling out from the Louvre, and it's compact enough to cross on foot in a couple of hours. Most first trips stay inside a small loop: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Champs-Élysées and Montmartre.

The same complaint comes up again and again in traveler reports: the famous places are real, but so are the queues, the pickpockets and the prices. The Paris people end up loving is usually a metro ride east or south, in neighborhoods like the 12th, 13th and 20th, where locals picnic, shop at markets and watch the sunset for free.

This guide leads with those places, then covers what to skip or swap, the 2026 prices that catch visitors out, and the practical basics.

None of these appeared in the top "best things to do in Paris" results, and each one is recommended by several independent local guides and Paris publications. Most are free.

The Coulée Verte René-Dumont. A 4.5 km garden path along an old railway viaduct, running from just off Place de la Bastille (stairs at 44–46 Avenue Daumesnil) to the Bois de Vincennes. It opened in 1993 and inspired New York's High Line. The arches underneath hold craft workshops (the Viaduc des Arts). It's free and mostly flat.

Butte-aux-Cailles. A hilltop neighborhood in the 13th that Baron Haussmann's 19th-century rebuilding passed over: cobbled lanes, small houses, Art Nouveau facades and street art. It has a 1924 swimming pool fed by an artesian well at 28 °C, and cheap, lively bars at night. Wander without a plan.

Musée de la Vie Romantique. An 1830s painter's house at the foot of Montmartre, with a free permanent collection and a garden tearoom that's one of the calmest places in the 9th. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–6pm. Pair it with the quieter back streets of Montmartre.

Parc de Belleville. At about 104 m, the highest park in Paris, with a terrace view over the whole city to the Eiffel Tower. It gives the same kind of panorama as Sacré-Cœur, but with local families instead of bracelet scammers. Go at sunset, and enter from Rue Piat.

Marché d'Aligre. A covered market hall (the Marché Beauvau) plus an open-air produce and flea market spilling onto Rue d'Aligre, between Bastille and Nation. It's open every day except Monday; the open-air part runs mornings only, until about 1:30pm on weekdays and 2:30pm on weekends. Stock up here for a picnic on the Coulée Verte.

The Galeries Lafayette rooftop. A free eighth-floor terrace on the Boulevard Haussmann department store, looking straight at the Opéra Garnier, with Sacré-Cœur and the Eiffel Tower on the skyline. You don't have to buy anything. Open daily (from 11am on Sundays).

Skip: queuing for the Eiffel Tower's summit. Instead: look at it from Pont de Bir-Hakeim, and get the city view from Parc de Belleville or the Galeries Lafayette rooftop. Reports describe long queues, a crowded lift and a crowded platform. The tower looks best from outside anyway, especially in the first five minutes of every hour after dark, when it sparkles.

Skip: Place du Tertre. Instead: Montmartre's back streets, like Rue de l'Abreuvoir, or the Butte-aux-Cailles. The painters' square is the part of Montmartre travelers most often call overrated in high season. The lanes a few minutes away are what people came for.

Skip: a photo shoot on Rue Crémieux. Instead: the street art in the Butte-aux-Cailles. The pastel street near Gare de Lyon is residential. Its residents have campaigned against the influencer crowds and have asked for gates to close it at busy times.

Skip: a whole day at the Louvre on impulse. Instead: book a timed slot for a Wednesday or Friday evening, or see a free collection such as the Petit Palais. The Louvre needs timed tickets, is closed on Tuesdays, and since January 2026 costs €32 for most non-EU visitors.

April to June and September to October are the best windows: mild weather, long evenings, and everything open.

July and August are the busiest and often hot. Many restaurants close for the holidays in mid-August, roughly the 3rd to the 23rd, so check before you book a special meal.

November to March is cold, grey and cheaper, with shorter queues. It's a good time for museums, and the Christmas lights run through December.

Check the day of the week. The Louvre closes on Tuesdays and the Musée d'Orsay on Mondays, and many smaller shops close on Sundays.

Walk and take the metro. Paris is dense, and most trips combine a short metro ride with a walk. A single metro, train or RER ticket costs €2.55 (2026). For several days, a Navigo pass on your phone is usually better value.

From the airports: taxis charge flat fares. From Charles de Gaulle it's €56 to the Right Bank and €65 to the Left Bank; from Orly it's €36 to the Left Bank and €45 to the Right Bank. The RER B also reaches both airports by train.

Watch your pockets on the busiest lines. Metro lines 1 and 4 and the RER B to the airport are where pickpocketing reports cluster, especially around the doors.

Don't bother with a car. Parking is scarce and the center is increasingly closed to through traffic.

Le Marais (3rd and 4th). Central, walkable and lively, with the Seine, the islands and the Louvre on foot. It's expensive and busy at weekends.

Saint-Germain and the Latin Quarter (5th and 6th). The classic Left Bank: cafés, bookshops, the Luxembourg Gardens. Central, and quieter at night than the Marais.

Around Bastille and the 11th and 12th. Better value and more local, next to the Coulée Verte and Marché d'Aligre, with fast metro links to the center.

South Pigalle and the 9th. Well connected (two major stations are nearby), close to Montmartre, the Galeries Lafayette and the Musée de la Vie Romantique, with good restaurants.

Buying a Louvre ticket at the door. Entry is by timed slot. Book ahead, and budget €32 if you're from outside the EU.

Accepting the bracelet at Sacré-Cœur. Men on the steps tie a "friendship bracelet" on your wrist and then demand money. Keep your hands in your pockets and walk on. The same goes for clipboard "petitions" (a distraction for pickpocketing) and anyone who "finds" a gold ring at your feet.

Planning a big dinner in mid-August. A lot of the city's independent restaurants close for their summer break. Check opening dates before you get attached to a booking.

Showing up on a museum's closing day. Tuesday for the Louvre, Monday for the Musée d'Orsay. Plan the week around them.

Trying to see everything from the top of something. Paris is best at street level. The free viewpoints above give you the skyline in 20 minutes.

One day

Walk the Seine from Notre-Dame to the Louvre (a booked evening slot if you're going in). Take the metro to Galeries Lafayette for the free rooftop, then walk up to the Musée de la Vie Romantique and Montmartre's back streets. At dusk, go to Pont de Bir-Hakeim to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour.

Two days

Day two: buy picnic food at the Marché d'Aligre in the morning and walk the Coulée Verte east toward the Bois de Vincennes. In the afternoon, visit the Marais and the Canal Saint-Martin, then watch the sunset from Parc de Belleville.

Three days

Day three: take a morning train to Versailles (book ahead; Versailles also charges more for non-EU visitors), then spend the evening in the Butte-aux-Cailles for dinner and bars.

How many days do you need in Paris?

Three to four days covers the major sights, two or three neighborhoods and a relaxed pace. Add a day for Versailles.

How much is the Louvre in 2026?

€32 for most visitors from outside the EU (since January 2026) and €22 for EU residents. Under-18s are free. Book a timed slot online; it's closed on Tuesdays.

Is the Eiffel Tower worth going up?

Only if the summit itself is the goal. For views, Parc de Belleville and the Galeries Lafayette rooftop are free with no queue, and the tower looks best from Pont de Bir-Hakeim or Trocadéro, especially when it sparkles after dark.

How do you get from Charles de Gaulle airport to Paris?

A taxi is a flat €56 to the Right Bank or €65 to the Left Bank. The RER B train is the cheaper option, but keep an eye on your bags on board.

Is Paris worth visiting in August?

It's quieter with locals away, but many independent restaurants close from roughly the 3rd to the 23rd. Late June or September gives you the same weather with everything open.