Best Things to Do in Paris (2026): The Essential Guide from Paris Locals

You don’t need to see everything in Paris. You need to see the right things — and know what to skip, what to book in advance, and where the lines are worth it. We live in Paris. We’ve taken hundreds of visitors through this city. This is the honest, experience-tested list of the best things to do in Paris, with the practical booking information you actually need.

Paris Top Attractions at a Glance

Here’s the quick overview of the most popular things to do in Paris — with our advice about what booking approach to use. Paris is a top destination and planning/bookings for major sites is recommended.

1. Eiffel Tower — The Paris Attraction You Can’t Skip

The key is getting the booking and timing right. Lines at the Eiffel Tower can run 90+ minutes without a timed-entry ticket. With a ticket booked in advance, you skip the main queue entirely and walk straight to the elevator. This makes all the difference in your experience.

Yes, it’s the most obvious thing on this list. However, it’s worth it even for repeat visitors. The Eiffel Tower is one of those rare landmarks where the reality matches — or actually exceeds — the reputation. Standing beneath it looking up at the magnificent structure or watching the city spread out in every direction from the second floor – there’s nothing quite like it. Taking the elevator to the summit at night is among the most romantic things to do in Paris.

2. Louvre Museum — The World’s Greatest Art Collection

The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world for a reason: over 35,000 works spanning 10,000 years of human history, all under one roof. For a first-time visitor, it can feel overwhelming — but with the right approach (or a guide), it becomes one of the most extraordinary experiences Paris offers.

The key insight we always share: you cannot see the Louvre in a day, and you shouldn’t try. Pick 2–3 wings that interest you, book a timed-entry ticket or a guided tour to hit the highlights efficiently and leave satisfied and ready for another visit!

3. Notre-Dame Cathedral — Paris’s Greatest Comeback

After a 2019 fire nearly destroyed this Paris landmark, Notre-Dame de Paris has reopened its doors after a stunning restoration. The cathedral dates to the 12th century, took nearly 200 years to build, and survived revolutions, wars, and the recent devastating fire. Walking inside today — with the restored nave, the light through the rose windows, the sheer scale of it — is a genuinely moving experience.

Entry to the cathedral is free (though donations are welcome). Timed entry can be booked on the cathedral website or it is possible to wait and enter without a booking – particularly in the morning and evening. For a deeper experience, a guided tour is worth it — particularly one that covers the history of the fire and restoration, which is one of the most remarkable engineering stories of the modern era.

4. Seine River Cruise — The Most Relaxing Way to See Paris

A Seine cruise is our single most-recommended activity for first-time visitors who are on their feet all day. In 60–70 minutes, you float past the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and dozens of Haussmann-era bridges — with a glass of wine or champagne in hand, seated, comfortable, and getting a perspective on Paris that you simply can’t get from the street.

Evening cruises are particularly magical. The city lights up, the Eiffel Tower sparkles on the hour, and the atmosphere is genuinely romantic. It’s also one of the most affordable Paris experiences — starting from around €18 per person.

5. Paris Catacombs — 6 Million Stories Resting Below the City

Six million people are buried in an underground network of tunnels beneath Paris, arranged in crypts and ossuaries stretching for nearly 300 kilometers. The Paris Catacombs are genuinely unlike anything else in the world — dark, atmospheric, historically extraordinary, and surprisingly moving rather than simply macabre.

The Catacombs are one of Paris’s most important skip-the-line purchases. The official queue at the entrance on Place Denfert-Rochereau routinely reaches 2–3 hours on peak days. With a timed-entry ticket or a guided tour, you walk straight in.

6. Palace of Versailles — The Most Spectacular Day Trip from Paris

The Palace of Versailles is a 30-minute train ride from Paris and represents arguably the most extraordinary royal residence ever built — 700 rooms, gardens stretching further than the eye can see, the Hall of Mirrors, and a scale that doesn’t fully register until you’re standing in it.

Go with a guided tour from Paris. Versailles is genuinely confusing to navigate independently. In addition, getting the context of Louis XIV’s megalomania makes the experience of this popular Paris attraction far more interesting, and organized tours handle transport and skip-the-line entry. It’s a full-day commitment and worth every minute.

7. Musée d’Orsay – The World’s Greatest Impressionist Collection

If you love art — Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne — the Musée d’Orsay is, quite simply, the greatest single collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in the world. Housed in a magnificently converted 19th-century railway station, it’s also one of the most beautiful museum buildings in Paris.

One of Paris’s top attractions – the Orsay is more manageable than the Louvre and can be explored in a half-day. The permanent collection over three levels is easy to navigate, and a 2-hour visit covers the major works. Like the Louvre, this museum is popular. We recommend you book timed-entry tickets online (official website musee-orsay.fr). Lines can be long, especially in summer.

8. Sainte-Chapelle — Paris’s Most Underrated Wonder

Sainte-Chapelle is Paris’s greatest hidden gem — a 13th-century royal chapel where the upper floor is almost entirely made of stained glass. Fifteen enormous windows, 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testament, all glowing in jewel tones of blue, red, and gold when the sun hits them. It’s one of the most breathtaking interior spaces in Europe, and most visitors walk right past it on their way to Notre-Dame.

9. Montmartre — The Neighborhood That Made Paris Cool

Montmartre isn’t a single attraction — it’s a state of mind. This hilltop neighborhood in the 18th arrondissement is where Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Modigliani lived, where the can-can was invented, where the Sacré-Cœur Basilica watches over the whole city. It’s also where the best free panoramic views of Paris are found.

You can explore Montmartre on your own, but a guided walking tour reveals the layers: the studios hidden in quiet courtyards, the vineyards (yes, there’s a vineyard), the windmills, the history of the artistic community, and the streets that still feel like the Paris of 100 years ago.

10. Moulin Rouge — An Unforgettable Paris Evening

The Moulin Rouge is one of those experiences that sounds touristy but turns out to be genuinely spectacular. The Féerie show — 100 performers, 1,000 costumes, extraordinary choreography, and the iconic French can-can — is a world-class production that has been running in various forms for over 130 years.

Our honest take: go for the Show + Champagne option (not necessarily the dinner). The champagne adds to the atmosphere, the show is the main event, and the dinner reviews are mixed. For a special occasion — anniversary, birthday, first night in Paris — there are few better ways to spend an evening in Paris.

11. The Food Tour — Best Way to Eat Like a Paris Local

A Paris food tour is genuinely one of the most enjoyable ways to spend a morning or afternoon in the city. It is one of the top-rated things to do among all Paris tourist attractions. You’ll walk a neighborhood, stop at bakeries, fromageries, wine bars, and market stalls, eat constantly, and leave knowing the city more intimately than you did before.

Our recommended area for a food tour is Le Marais — dense with history, excellent food, and walkable in a tight loop. The Rue Mouffetard market tour is also exceptional for a different, more local feel.

12. Arc de Triomphe & Champs-Élysées — Walk Paris’s Most Famous Avenue

The Champs-Élysées is Paris’s most famous street, and while parts of it have become very commercial, the experience of walking it — from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde — with the city stretching in every direction is still genuinely impressive. The Arc de Triomphe itself, accessed by an underground passage, offers a rooftop view that gives you one of the best panoramas of Paris.

Two tips from people who live here: walk the Champs in the early morning (8–9am) when it’s quiet and beautiful, and climb the Arc rather than just photographing it. The view from the top rivals the Eiffel Tower at a fraction of the price and with a fraction of the queue.

13. Paris by Bike — The Most Fun Way to See the City

Cycling in Paris has been transformed in recent years — the city has built an extensive network of protected bike lanes, and exploring it on two wheels is one of the most joyful ways to experience the city. A guided bike tour covers ground that walking tours simply can’t, connecting the major sights with river paths, garden routes, and neighborhoods in between.

14. Paris City and Museum Pass — Is It Worth It?

The Paris City and Museum Pass covers entry to over 50 museums and monuments across Paris and the Île-de-France region, including the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Versailles, Sainte-Chapelle, Arc de Triomphe, and dozens more. The key question is whether you’ll visit enough sites to make it worthwhile financially.

Planning Your Paris Visit: How to Prioritize

Paris is overwhelming if you try to see everything. Here’s how we recommend building your itinerary based on trip length:

For a 3-Day Paris First Visit

1. Day 1: Eiffel Tower (morning, summit) + Seine cruise (evening)
2. Day 2: Louvre (with guided tour, 3 hours) + Sainte-Chapelle + Notre-Dame (same island)
3. Day 3: Versailles full day trip (or Montmartre + Catacombs if you prefer city over palace)

For a 5–7 Day Paris Trip

Add: Musée d’Orsay, food tour (morning in Le Marais), Arc de Triomphe, bike tour, Moulin Rouge (for a special evening), and a day wandering without agenda — which is when you truly fall for Paris.

Free Things to Do in Paris

Not everything in Paris costs money. Some of the city’s most memorable experiences are completely free:

• Sacré-Cœur Basilica (Montmartre) — free entry, best panoramic view in Paris from steps in front
• Musée Carnavalet (Paris history museum) — free permanent collection in a beautiful Marais mansion
• Petit Palais — free permanent collection of fine arts from antiquity to the early 20th century
• Palais Royal Gardens — free, elegant, and local. Perfect for a quiet morning or people-watching
• Luxembourg Gardens — the most beautiful park in Paris, free to enter
• Notre-Dame Cathedral — free to enter the cathedral interior (towers: separate ticket)
• Walk Along The Canal Saint-Martin — local, non-touristy, and lovely on a sunny afternoon
• First Sunday of the Month — most national museums are free, including the Louvre (9am–9:45pm)

Romantic Things to Do in Paris

Paris earns its reputation as a romantic city effortlessly. For couples, these are the experiences that deliver:

• Evening Seine Cruise With Champagne — the city at night from the water is unbeatable
• Moulin Rouge Cabaret Show — great for an anniversary or birthday
• Picnic Under The Eiffel Tower At Dusk — bring cheese, wine, a baguette from a nearby bakery
• Sainte-Chapelle in the Morning — the stained glass in early sunlight is genuinely breathtaking
• Walk the Île Saint-Louis in the Evening — quieter than Isle de la Cite this island features beautiful 17th-century architecture, stop at Berthillon for ice cream
• Dinner on the Rue de Buci in Saint-Germain — candle-lit, lively, quintessentially Parisian

Things to Do with Kids In Paris

Paris with children is genuinely wonderful if you plan for their pace (and their stomachs — croissants solve most problems). These highlights consistently work for families:

• Louvre — the Egyptian mummies section (Rooms 321–322 in the Sully Wing) is a child magnet. The giant Sphinx of Tanis stops everyone in fascination.
• Paris Catacombs — older kids (10+) find it fascinating rather than frightening; the historical scale is genuinely impressive
• Eiffel Tower — obligatory, and children’s reactions to the view from the summit are priceless
• Versailles Gardens — enormous space to run around that is free except on the fountain show days. The fountain shows are spectacular for everyone. For more information check the official Palace website at chateauversailles.fr
• Seine Cruise — relaxing for parents, novel for children, everyone wins
• Luxembourg Gardens Puppet Theatre (Théâtre des Marionnettes) — French-language but universally beloved

Colleen & Antoine’s Honest Take

Things to Do in Paris — Frequently Asked Questions