62 amazing things to do in Paris
Everyone knows the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, and both are here because both are worth it. But the Paris that stays with you tends to sit between them: the Catacombs under your feet, Sacré-Cœur at dusk when the crowds thin, a room in the Petit Palais that costs nothing to walk into. The list is ranked, so the ones I'd do first come first.
Get TicketsLouvre Museum★ 4.7 · 3-4 hours★ Tip: Skip the pyramid line entirely: enter through the Carrousel du Louvre (99 Rue de Rivoli). Same museum, no queue, plus you pass a shopping arcade with toilets and food. Directions
Skip the lineNotre-Dame Cathedral of Paris★ 4.7 · Free · 1-1.5 hours★ Tip: Entry is free but timed: book the slot online a few days ahead. For the best photo, cross to Square Jean XXIII behind the cathedral for the flying buttresses without the crowd. Directions
Skip the lineArc de Triomphe★ 4.7 · €16 · 1 hour★ Tip: Never cross the roundabout: there's a pedestrian tunnel on the north side of the Champs-Élysées. It's the only safe access. Visit on a Wednesday morning for the smallest crowds and best light for photos toward the Eiffel Tower. Directions
Av. des Champs-Élysées★ 4.7 · Free · 1 Hour★ Tip: Skip the chain cafés on the avenue itself: they're tourist traps. Step into the Galerie des Champs at number 84 for a quieter Ladurée counter with no queue, or walk one block south to Rue de Marignan for proper bistros at half… Directions
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre★ 4.7 · Free · 1 hour★ Tip: Take the funicular up (one metro ticket) and walk down through the artists' square at Place du Tertre. Skip the cable car line: the metro pass works on it. Directions
Skip the lineSainte-Chapelle★ 4.6 · €13 · 45 min★ Tip: Go on a sunny morning: the windows face east and the light is unreal before noon. Buy the combo ticket with Conciergerie next door for €5 extra. Directions
Skip the linePalace of Versailles★ 4.6 · €21 (Passport €24) · Half day★ Tip: Go Tuesday or Wednesday: Friday-Sunday is a zoo. Take RER C from Saint-Michel (~45 min) and pre-book the timed entry to skip the 2-hour queue. The gardens are free except on fountain-show days. Directions
Jardin du Luxembourg★ 4.7 · Free · 1 hour★ Tip: Grab a green metal chair (free, scattered everywhere), a coffee from the kiosk, and a book. This is Paris doing what it does best. Best in early evening when the light goes gold. Directions
Place du Trocadero★ 4.6 · FREE · 15 minTrocadéro is the esplanade across the Seine on the Right Bank, directly facing the Eiffel Tower. Directions
Tuileries Garden★ 4.6 · Free · 45 min★ Tip: End-of-July through August it hosts the Fête des Tuileries: a proper carnival with a Ferris wheel that gives you a free Eiffel/Louvre view. Otherwise, the Maillol statues at sunset are a quiet Paris classic. Directions
Skip the linePanthéon★ 4.6 · €13 · 1 hour★ Tip: Climb to the dome (extra €3.50) for a 360° rooftop view that almost nobody knows about: better than the Arc de Triomphe and zero queue. Directions
Get TicketsHôtel des Invalides★ 4.7 · €15 · 1.5-2 hours★ Tip: The garden out front is free and one of the best Eiffel-Tower-not-visible-but-still-beautiful spots in Paris. Buy a combo with Napoleon's tomb: both are inside the same complex. Directions
Get TicketsParis Tour in a Vintage Car★ 5 · 3 hoursPrivate chauffeured tour in a restored Citroën 2CV, open roof, the driver doubles as your guide, and you get to choose the route (Montmartre, Marais, riverside, all of the above). Directions
Pont Alexandre III★ 4.8 · Free · 15 min★ Tip: Come at sunset: the gold catches the light and it's the best free photo in Paris. Walk it both ways: the view of the Grand Palais on one end and Invalides on the other is unbeatable. Directions
Skip the lineMoulin Rouge★ 4.3 · From €87 (show) · 30 min★ Tip: Best photo angle: stand across Boulevard de Clichy looking east-south-east around 8:30 PM in summer (9:30 PM nearer the solstice), the windmill's red lights against the dusk sky beats every daytime shot. Directions
Get TicketsLearn How to Make the French Croissant with a Chef★ 4.9 · 2.5 hoursThree hours in a Paris bakery laminating real croissant dough with a working pastry chef: fold, turn, shape, bake. Directions
Galeries Lafayette Haussmann★ 4.5 · Free · 30 minGaleries Lafayette Haussmann is the flagship 1912 department store with a stained-glass Belle-Époque dome: even if you don't shop, walk in to look up. Directions
Shakespeare and Company★ 4.6 · Free · 30 minShakespeare and Company is the Left Bank's legendary English-language bookshop, opened in 1951 across the Seine from Notre-Dame. Directions
Jardin du Palais Royal★ 4.7 · Free · 30 minThe Jardin du Palais Royal is a hidden courtyard garden one block from the Louvre, perfect arcade columns, Daniel Buren's striped black-and-white columns in the inner court, and zero tourists. Directions
Arc de Triomphe du CarrouselFree · 10 minThe Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is the smaller pink-marble arch in front of the Louvre: Napoleon's mini-version, originally crowned with the four bronze horses he looted from Venice (now returned). Directions
Carrousel du Louvre★ 4.4 · Free · 10 minThe Carrousel du Louvre is the underground shopping mall connected to the museum, but the real reason to come is the inverted glass pyramid that hangs from the ceiling, and the much shorter security line into the Louvre itself. Directions
Skip the lineDisneyland Paris★ 4.5 · From €62/day · Full day★ Tip: Buy your tickets days ahead through the Experiences tab below: gate-day prices are 30% higher than online, and the queue at the ticket booths can hit 60 min on busy weekends. Directions
Skip the lineEiffel Tower★ 4.7 · €25+ · 1-2 Hours★ Tip: The stairs ticket is the cheapest and almost never sold out. You only climb to the 2nd floor: then a separate lift takes you to the Summit if you book that combo (€26.80 adult). Going up on foot is genuinely the best way to feel… DirectionsSome booking links earn us a small commission. It does not change the price the partner charges you.