Things to Do in Paris, France

1. Eiffel Tower

Iconic Paris landmark with panoramic city views. Ascend by lift or stairs for river vistas, skyline photos, and nightly illuminations.

Quick facts: Visitors often marvel at its intricate iron lattice that seems to dance against the sky, creating mesmerizing shadows during sunset. Surprisingly, the structure expands and contracts with temperature changes, causing it to grow by up to 6 inches in the heat.

Highlights: The tower twinkles every hour on the hour after sunset, with exactly 20,000 light bulbs creating a sparkling spectacle that lasts for five minutes. Gustave Eiffel, the engineer behind the design, installed a secret apartment near the top where he hosted famous guests like Thomas Edison and even held private dinner parties with incredible views of the city.

2. Louvre Museum

World-class art spanning millennia in a stunning former royal palace. Expect masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, Egyptian antiquities, and grand Renaissance halls.

Quick facts: Step inside to wander through a labyrinth of over 35,000 artworks, where every corner hides a masterpiece from ancient civilizations to contemporary art. The labyrinth's iconic glass pyramid floods the space with natural light, creating a stunning contrast between modern architecture and historic grandeur.

Highlights: Over 35,000 pieces of art are on display, but one quirky tradition involves a secret underground tunnel once used by kings for discreet comings and goings. A favorite oddity is the barely noticeable 'Idiot's Room', a tiny hidden chamber once meant for guards to keep watch without being seen, offering a ghostly glimpse into the palace's past.

3. Notre-Dame Cathedral

A symbol of Gothic mastery and Parisian history. Marvel at towering stained glass, carved facades, and lively views from the plaza and towers.

Quick facts: Gargoyles and chimeras perch on the cathedral's edges, serving as both decoration and water spouts, their eerie shapes delighting visitors. The soaring stained glass windows fill the interior with a kaleidoscope of colors, creating a serene yet awe-inspiring atmosphere that captivates anyone who steps inside.

Highlights: Beneath the cathedral's iconic gargoyles, there is a quirky tradition where visitors softly tap the massive bells, the heaviest weighing over 13 tons, to awaken echoes that can be heard miles away on quiet evenings. The stained glass windows, especially the Rose Windows, contain over 13,000 pieces of vibrantly colored glass, creating mesmerizing kaleidoscopic patterns when the afternoon sun beams through them.

4. Sacré-Cœur Basilica

Stunning white basilica with panoramic views over Paris. Climb the dome for sweeping city vistas and explore ornate interiors and mosaics.

Quick facts: Perched atop a hill, the gleaming white dome contrasts strikingly with the Parisian skyline, offering panoramic views that steal the breath away. Inside, a mosaic covering over 6,000 square feet glimmers across the ceiling, one of the largest in all of France, depicting Christ with outstretched arms, welcoming all who enter.

Highlights: Beneath the vast white domes, you'll find the world's largest mosaic, featuring Christ with outstretched arms, made from over 4,300,000 individual pieces of colored glass and stone. A quirky tradition locals enjoy is climbing the 300 winding steps up the bell tower to hear the massive 19-ton Savoyarde bell chime, which is said to bring good luck and protection.

5. Champs-Élysées

A grand, tree-lined avenue of luxury shops, cafés, and Parisian flair. Stroll from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, shop, and soak up city life.

Quick facts: Vibrant café terraces and luxury shops line a grand avenue where the energy feels contagious, especially during the dazzling holiday light displays that turn the street into a festive wonderland. Crowds gather here for the iconic Bastille Day military parade and the thrilling final stage of the Tour de France, making it a magnet for celebration and sport.

Highlights: More than 300,000 people gather along this avenue every year on Bastille Day to watch a massive military parade that features over 4,300 troops, 200 horses, and 100 vehicles. By night, the trees lining the boulevard sparkle with 240,000 light bulbs, creating a magical golden canopy that transforms the entire experience into a fairytale.

6. Arc de Triomphe

Napoleonic arch honoring France's military past at Place de l'Étoile. Climb to the rooftop for sweeping views down the Champs-Élysées.

Quick facts: The monument stands at the center of a star-shaped arrangement of twelve avenues, creating one of the busiest roundabouts in Europe, which offers a spectacular view of the city from its rooftop. Beneath the arch lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, illuminated by an eternal flame that pays homage to those who died in World War I and symbolizes ongoing remembrance.

Highlights: Underneath the monument lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by an eternal flame that flickers every evening at 6:30 PM without fail, symbolizing respect for fallen soldiers since 1921. The monument's intricate relief sculptures depict some 300 figures, including the famous high relief of La Marseillaise, where the figures seem to burst with life and patriotic fervor, making you almost hear the rallying cries of revolution.

7. Palace of Versailles

Lavish royal palace showcasing Baroque splendor and an immense formal garden. Wander the Hall of Mirrors, ornate state rooms, and expansive fountain-lined grounds.

Quick facts: Lavish gardens stretch over 800 hectares, featuring meticulously manicured lawns, ornate fountains, and hidden groves that seem straight out of a fairy tale. Mirror-clad halls dazzle the eye, reflecting golden chandeliers and intricate ceiling paintings, creating an almost magical ambiance where royalty once wandered.

Highlights: The Hall of Mirrors is lit by 357 crystal chandeliers that reflect sunlight during the day in a dazzling array, creating a magical glow that seems almost unreal. Every year, the grand Neptune Fountain is operated with water from 210 jets, and back in the 17th century, it was said that King Louis XIV would watch the show from his hidden chambers just to keep an eye on his guests.

8. Musée d'Orsay

Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces in a grand Beaux-Arts train station. Walk past Monet, Van Gogh and giant clock-face views over the Seine.

Quick facts: Stepping inside feels like walking through a giant clock face with light pouring through gigantic glass windows, offering a stunning backdrop to some of the most famous Impressionist masterpieces. The museum's collection goes beyond paintings, showcasing sculptures, photography, and decorative art from a golden age of creativity and innovation.

Highlights: The museum is housed in a former Beaux-Arts railway station completed in 1900, featuring a giant clock that lets you gaze out over the Seine while contemplating Impressionist masterpieces by Monet and Renoir. Inside, you can find a quirky tradition where visitors often gather beneath the massive 12-meter tall station clock for photos, feeling like they've stepped into a time machine bridging industrial history with art.

9. Sainte-Chapelle

A soaring jewel of Gothic glass and medieval craftsmanship. Sunlight pours through 13th-century stained glass, turning the chapel into a living kaleidoscope.

Quick facts: Standing inside is like stepping into a kaleidoscope: the stained glass windows cover nearly the entire upper walls, illuminating the space with vibrant colors and biblical stories. Visitors often find themselves mesmerized by the chapel's delicate gothic architecture, which feels both majestic and intimate at the same time.

Highlights: Imagine stepping into a chapel where more than 1,100 stained glass windows, stretching over 600 square meters, tell vivid biblical stories in dazzling colors that shift with the sunlight. King Louis IX had this jewel built in just seven years to house his precious relics, including Christ's Crown of Thorns, which sparked a tradition of pilgrimage that still echoes through the delicate gothic arches today.

10. Montmartre

Bohemian hilltop neighborhood with panoramic Paris views. Wander cobbled streets, artist squares, Sacré-Cœur and lively cafés.

Quick facts: Wandering through narrow, cobblestone streets, you can still feel the bohemian spirit that inspired famous artists like Picasso and Van Gogh. The area offers stunning panoramic views of the city, especially from its iconic white-domed basilica perched atop the hill.

Highlights: Over a century ago, the neighborhood was home to artists like Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec who used to paint the lively scenes at the famous windmill café, Moulin de la Galette, whose wooden floors still creak with echoes of their laughter and debates. Every spring, locals celebrate the Fête des Vendanges, a grape harvest festival that spills rich aromas of fresh wine and roasted chestnuts into the cobblestone streets, making the air as intoxicating as the view from the hilltop basilica overlooking the city.

11. La Conciergerie (guided visit)

guided visit

Explore a medieval palace where kings ruled and revolution unfolded on Île de la Cité. Guided tour visits vaulted halls, the Salle des Gens d'Armes, and preserved Revolutionary prison cells.

Quick facts: Step down low, torch-lit corridors and you'll feel the heavy stone and vaulted ceilings pressing close, a real echo of old power struggles. Guided visits highlight a preserved prison cell where Marie-Antoinette spent her last nights before being transferred to face the guillotine in 1793.

Highlights: Lean close to a narrow cell where a straw pallet, a chipped enamel basin and a pewter spoon remain, the spoon's scratches visible under the tour lighting. A short audio clip plays an excerpt of a letter from Marie-Antoinette, roughly 20 lines long, and hearing her words in that dim space makes the past feel oddly immediate.

12. Luxembourg Gardens

Relax in a Parisian garden framed by the Luxembourg Palace and classical statues. Stroll tree-lined paths, admire the Medici Fountain, and watch locals play pétanque.

Quick facts: You can stroll past more than a hundred statues and a broad octagonal pond where kids sail tiny wooden boats on sunny afternoons. A lively mix of sun-dappled lawns, chestnut trees, and a baroque fountain draws students, grandparents, and chess players sharing bench space.

Highlights: Slip down to the Medici Fountain and you’ll hear water sluicing over scalloped stone as a reclining nymph and a bronze tarasque stare from opposite sides, a sculptural duet credited to Auguste Ottin. Around twenty children often race tiny wooden boats on the octagonal pond while a hand-cranked Guignol puppet troupe performs cheeky, satirical skits beneath the chestnut trees.