Paris rewards the people who slow down. The city looks best on foot, tastes best at a pavement table, and makes more sense the second time you visit than the first. This is the list.
✅ Must-do’s
- Trocadéro – The best view of the Eiffel Tower in the city, and free. Come at dusk when the light is good and the tower starts to sparkle on the hour.
- Arc de Triomphe – Climb to the top for a view down the Champs-Élysées and out across the city. The rooftop is underrated — most people just photograph it from the roundabout.
- Seine dinner cruise – A classic for a reason. The city looks completely different from the water at night, and it’s one of the better ways to cover a lot of Paris in a single evening.
- Walk the Marais – The best neighbourhood for an aimless morning. Good galleries, independent shops, and some of the finest falafel you’ll eat anywhere on Rue des Rosiers.
🍽️ Food spots
- Du Pain et des Idées – A beautiful old boulangerie near Canal Saint-Martin. The croissants and escargot pastries are worth the queue. Go in the morning – it closes at lunchtime.
- L’As du Fallafel – The most famous falafel spot in the Marais, and the reputation is justified. Eat it standing on the street.
- Septime – One of the best restaurants in the city – modern French, seasonal, and genuinely exciting. Book well in advance or try your luck at the bar next door, Septime La Cave.
- Café de Flore – Expensive and touristy, but the terrace on Boulevard Saint-Germain is one of the great Parisian experiences. Go for coffee and a croissant, not a full meal.
- A proper bistro lunch – Steak frites, a carafe of house red, bread you didn’t ask for. Look for a handwritten chalkboard menu and a room full of locals – that’s the one.
🎯 Activities
- The Louvre – One of the great museums of the world. Book ahead, go early, and accept that you won’t see everything. The pyramid entrance at night is worth a visit even if you don’t go inside.
- Notre-Dame Cathedral – Restored and reopened after the 2019 fire, it’s as stunning as ever. Go inside if you can – the scale and the light are genuinely moving.
- Musée d’Orsay – The Impressionist collection here is one of the best in the world. Housed in a converted railway station, and worth visiting for the building alone. Book ahead.
- Père Lachaise Cemetery – A genuinely beautiful place to spend an hour. Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf – pick up a map at the entrance and take your time.
- Sainte-Chapelle – A Gothic chapel on the Île de la Cité with floor-to-ceiling stained glass that is genuinely breathtaking. Smaller and far less crowded than Notre-Dame.
- Browse Shakespeare and Company – The legendary English-language bookshop on the Left Bank. Buy something, spend too long upstairs, and have a coffee at the café next door.
✨ Experiences
- Picnic on the Champ de Mars – Cheese, wine, a baguette, and a view of the Eiffel Tower. This is Paris doing exactly what Paris should do.
- Canal Saint-Martin on a Sunday – The canal-side streets close to traffic on Sundays. Walk it, find a café, and watch the city slow down for a morning.
- Montmartre at dusk – Go late in the afternoon, walk up through the backstreets rather than the main drag, and catch the view from Sacré-Cœur as the light goes. Worth the climb.
- Explore the Passages Couverts – 19th-century glass-roofed arcades tucked between buildings across the 2nd arrondissement. Don’t miss the ornate Galerie Vivienne or the vibrant Passage des Panoramas.
🌙 Nightlife
- Le Comptoir Général – A bar and cultural space in a converted warehouse near Canal Saint-Martin. Eclectic, fun, and unlike anywhere else in the city.
- Experimental Cocktail Club – A small, serious cocktail bar in the Marais. No gimmicks, just well-made drinks in a good room.
- Lissit – A cosy, modern wine bar in the 11th arrondissement serving exceptional natural wines paired with sharp, polished French classics.
🚗 Day trips
- Palace of Versailles – An opulent royal palace 40 minutes by train from central Paris. The Hall of Mirrors is extraordinary, but the fountains and gardens are the real reason to give it a full day.
- Épernay, Champagne – About 90 minutes by train. The Avenue de Champagne is lined with the great Champagne houses, most of which offer cellar tours and tastings. Book ahead in summer.
- Provins – A medieval walled town an hour from Paris by train. Far fewer visitors than Versailles, genuinely well-preserved, and a good half-day out of the city.
💡 Good to know
- The Paris Museum Pass covers most major attractions and skips the ticket queues. Worth it if you’re visiting more than three or four sites in a few days.
- Most restaurants don’t open for dinner until 7:30pm at the earliest. Turning up at 6pm will get you a near-empty room and a slightly confused look.
- The Vélib’ bike share scheme covers the whole city and is straightforward to use. A good way to cover ground between arrondissements without relying on the Métro.
- Sundays are worth planning around – some smaller spots close, but the city slows down in the best possible way and the canal and park areas are at their best.
Found somewhere that should be on here? Drop it in the comments – we update this list regularly.