Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world, and it is also one of the easiest to enjoy badly. Visitors rush from landmark to landmark, queue for hours and leave with a camera roll but no sense of the place. The city rewards the opposite approach: a few anchor visits, long walks between them and plenty of time in the neighborhoods where Parisians actually live.
KapitelOne anchor a day
The Louvre is the largest museum in the world, and it cannot be seen in a day. Choose a wing or a theme, book a timed entry slot and accept that you will skip most of it. The Musée d'Orsay, in a former railway station, is a more manageable collection, with the great Impressionists under a glass roof. The Orangerie, in the Tuileries Garden, holds Monet's Water Lilies in oval rooms made for them, and is a calm, rewarding hour. The Rodin Museum has a garden where sculptures sit among the roses.
Kunst & Kultur · Louvre Museum, Paris
For the Eiffel Tower, reserve tickets ahead if you want to go up, and consider seeing it from a distance instead. The view from the Trocadéro at dawn, or from the Champ de Mars at dusk, is hard to beat. The Sainte-Chapelle, a jewel of stained glass on the Île de la Cité, is worth its queue. For Notre-Dame, check current visiting arrangements.
Sehenswürdigkeiten & Touren · Eiffel Tower, Paris
KapitelWalk the river and the islands
The Seine is the spine of the city. A walk along its banks, past the green bookstalls of the bouquinistes and under the bridges, connects many of the great sights. The Île Saint-Louis, the smaller island behind Notre-Dame, is a quiet village in the center of the city, with pretty streets and famous ice cream.
Sehenswürdigkeiten & Touren · Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris
KapitelNeighborhoods to settle into
The Marais has narrow medieval streets, the elegant Place des Vosges, Jewish heritage around Rue des Rosiers and a lively mix of galleries, boutiques and bars. Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, on the Left Bank, have bookshops, old cafés and the Luxembourg Gardens, where Parisians sit in green metal chairs around the fountain.
Montmartre, on its hill, has the white dome of Sacré-Cœur and a village feel in its back streets. The Place du Tertre is touristy; the quieter lanes around it, and Rue des Abbesses below, are better. The Canal Saint-Martin is a favorite of younger Parisians, with iron footbridges, cafés and picnics on the banks. Belleville and the Buttes-Chaumont park offer a more local city. Père Lachaise cemetery is a peaceful, atmospheric walk among famous graves.
KapitelHow to eat in Paris
Start the day at a boulangerie: a croissant, a pain au chocolat or a baguette tradition. Lunch is often a plat du jour, the dish of the day, at a bistro, and many offer a fixed-price formule. Classic bistro dishes include steak frites, onion soup, coq au vin and duck confit. Cheese, charcuterie and a glass of wine in a wine bar make an excellent light dinner. Markets, such as Marché d'Aligre or the Sunday market at Bastille, are good for picnic supplies.
A few habits help: say bonjour when you enter a shop or café, and merci and au revoir when you leave. Waiters will not usually rush you, so ask for l'addition when you want the bill.
KapitelGetting around
The metro is dense and fast. Walking is often the best option in the center, and distances are shorter than they look. Buses give a free view of the city. Pickpockets are active at major sights, in the metro and around the Louvre, so keep bags closed and phones secure.
KapitelDay trips
Versailles, with its palace and gardens, is the classic outing, and it needs a full day and advance booking. Giverny, Monet's house and garden, is open in the warmer months. Fontainebleau and Chartres, with its cathedral, are quieter, and Reims, the Champagne capital, is under an hour by fast train.
KapitelWhen to go
Spring and early autumn are lovely. Summer is warm and busy, and August can be quiet as some Parisians leave. Winter is cool and gray, but has its own mood, with fewer crowds and cozy cafés.
Check current details: Paris je t'aime.
