Best Things to Do in Paris
If it's your first time to Paris, you'll probably want to spend some time with the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and Notre-Dame, but don't miss out on lesser known jewels like the Musée Rodin, the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore, the Musée de l'Orangerie and the many markets. There's no way you'll get to do it all -- museum-touring, shopping, cemetery-perusing, district-exploring, opera-attending -- so experts recommend writing your own itinerary and traveling Paris on your own terms.
- Type: Churches/Religious Sites, Sightseeing
- Time to Spend: 2 hours to Half Day
Why go: Rising high above Paris, the Sacré-Coeur looks more like a white castle than a basilica ...continue
- Type: Sightseeing
- Time to Spend: 2 hours to Half Day
Why go: Some of the best things in life -- and in Paris -- are free. Walking the paths ...continue
- Type: Museums
- Time to Spend: 2 hours to Half Day
Why go: Located along the Seine's left bank and housed in a Belle Époque railway station ...continue
- Type: Museums
- Time to Spend: Half Day to Full Day
Why go: Once a fort and then a palace, the massive Musée du Louvre is now the ...continue
- Type: Castles/Palaces, Parks and Gardens, Sightseeing
- Time to Spend: Half Day to Full Day
Why go: The Château de Versailles, the sprawling palace and former seat of power, is a suburb ...continue
- Type: Sightseeing
- Time to Spend: 1 to 2 hours
Why go: Designed and constructed for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (that's the World Fair to us ...continue
- Type: Churches/Religious Sites, Sightseeing
- Time to Spend: 2 hours to Half Day
Why go: Builders started work on the Notre Dame Cathedral in 1163, finishing nearly 200 years later ...continue
- Type: Museums
- Time to Spend: 2 hours to Half Day
Why go: A hidden jewel in the city, the Musée Rodin is actually the former residence of ...continue
- Type: Monuments and Memorials, Sightseeing
- Time to Spend: 2 hours to Half Day
Why go: Visiting cemeteries on vacation? Well, in Paris, it's actually the thing to do. And ...continue
- Type: Entertainment, Sightseeing
- Time to Spend: 1 to 2 hours
Why go: The Opéra Garnier housed the fictional yet ubiquitous Phantom of the Opera, and it served ...continue
- Type: Sightseeing
- Time to Spend: 1 to 2 hours
Why go: Located in the 8ème arrondissement (8th district), the Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Napoléon ...continue
- Type: Neighborhood/Area
- Time to Spend: 2 hours to Half Day
Why go: Straddling the 3ème and 4ème arrondissements, Marais is one of Paris' oldest but also coolest ...continue
- Type: Hiking, Parks and Gardens
- Time to Spend: 2 hours to Half Day
Why go: The Bois de Boulogne is an expansive park/forest, located in western Paris' 16ème arrondissement ...continue
- Type: Neighborhood/Area
- Time to Spend: 2 hours to Half Day
Why go: Have you seen Baz Luhrman's almost surrealistic Moulin Rouge movie? The Montmartre neighborhood (18th ...continue
- Type: Shopping
- Time to Spend: Less than 1 hour
Why go: Nestled across the Seine from the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Shakespeare & Company is standout among the ...continue
- Type: Churches/Religious Sites, Sightseeing
- Time to Spend: 1 to 2 hours
Why go: Some travel writers recommend visiting Sainte-Chapelle over Notre-Dame. Lonely Planet says, "Be stunned (and inspired ...continue
- Type: Hiking and Parks
- Time to Spend: 1 to 2 hours
Why go: Another warm-weather favorite, the free Jardin du Luxembourg is filled with all kinds of life ...continue
- Type: Museums
- Time to Spend: 2 hours to Half Day
Why go: According to Lonely Planet, the Centre Pompidou is "the most visited cultural site in Paris ...continue
- Type: Parks and Gardens
- Time to Spend: 1 to 2 hours
Why go: If you're traveling with kids who are getting a bit antsy from all of ...continue
- Type: Museums
- Time to Spend: 1 to 2 hours
Why go: If you're a fan of Monet, the water lily man, you'll want to ...continue
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