Things to do in Paris

This page groups Paris by area and says what to reserve. Where we could read an official page on 2026-10-31 we say so; for everything else we point you to the operator. We give no ticket prices.

The Louvre is the largest single stop in the city and can fill a whole day, so decide early how much of it you want. The Tuileries Garden runs west from it towards Place de la Concorde, a calm walk afterwards.

According to the official site (checked 2026-10-31), the museum is open daily except Tuesdays, with later hours on Wednesday and Friday, and it recommends booking a time-stamped ticket online. Some rooms may be closed for renovation; the museum suggests checking its closure schedule.

Cross the Seine from the Louvre to the Île de la Cité, where Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle stand close together. Entry arrangements for both change, so check each site’s own page before you rely on a visit.

From there the Latin Quarter and the Luxembourg Gardens are a short walk to the south, while the Musée d’Orsay, in a former railway station, lies along the river to the west.

The Eiffel Tower is on the Left Bank to the west; the Trocadéro terrace across the river gives the classic view of it without any ticket. Going up requires a ticket from the tower’s official operator, and we could not read that site on 2026-10-31, so check its page for booking windows and options.

The Arc de Triomphe sits at the top of the Champs-Élysées, which runs back down towards the Tuileries.

Montmartre, in the north, is a hill of steep streets and the white Sacré-Cœur at its summit; it suits a late afternoon. The Marais, east of the centre, suits an unplanned wander among narrow streets and small shops.

• Art: the Louvre or the Musée d’Orsay, not both on the same day.
• Architecture: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Arc de Triomphe.
• Views: Trocadéro, Montmartre, or the Eiffel Tower if you book.
• Short stay: the Louvre area, the Île de la Cité and the Eiffel Tower view.

The centre rewards walking, and the metro covers the longer gaps between areas. We could not read the official transport pages on 2026-10-31, so we state no fares or ticket rules here; look at the transport operator’s own page for current products, and see our guide on choosing between a city pass and a transport card.

Our transport pages cover arrival: Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais airports into the city.

• Book: a Louvre time slot, as the museum recommends, and the Eiffel Tower if you want to go up.
• Check: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and any exhibition you care about.
• Leave open: the Seine, the Tuileries, Montmartre, the Marais and the Latin Quarter.

• Arriving at the Louvre on a Tuesday, when it is closed.
• Putting the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre and the Louvre into a single day.
• Buying a ticket from an unofficial reseller without checking who operates the visit.
• Underestimating walking distances between areas; group by neighbourhood, not by list.