The City of Light — grand boulevards, the Louvre and d’Orsay, café terraces, the Eiffel Tower and Versailles
01 / 17
Champ de Mars, Paris
adventureParis's 330 m icon — lifts (or stairs) to three levels, with the summit giving the definitive view over the city. It sparkles for five minutes on the hour after dark. Book a timed summit ticket; go for sunset and the light show.
02 / 17
8th arr., Paris
cultureNapoleon's triumphal arch above twelve radiating avenues — climb the 284 steps for a superb axis view down the Champs-Élysées to the Louvre and out to La Défense. Then stroll the famous avenue. Best near sunset.
03 / 17
7th arr., Paris
cultureThe golden-domed monument of Louis XIV — beneath the dome lies Napoleon's grand tomb, and the surrounding Musée de l'Armée is one of the world's great military museums. The gilded dome glitters above the Left Bank.
04 / 17
7th arr., Paris
cultureThe sculptor's works — The Thinker, The Kiss, The Gates of Hell — set in an elegant mansion and a rose garden near Les Invalides. One of Paris's most relaxing museums, with a garden-only ticket option. Closed Mondays.
05 / 17
6th arr., Paris
leisureThe most elegant park in Paris — gravel allées, the Medici Fountain, toy sailboats on the octagonal basin and Parisians at leisure, beside the Senate palace. A free, perfect picnic and people-watching spot.
06 / 17
7th arr., Paris
leisureThe long green lawns stretching south from the foot of the Eiffel Tower — the classic spot to picnic, relax and photograph the tower. Free and open day and night; the Trocadéro across the river gives the matching head-on view.
07 / 17
8th/7th arr., Paris
leisureParis's most beautiful bridge — a Beaux-Arts span of gilded statues, cherubs and Art Nouveau lamps linking the Invalides esplanade to the Grand and Petit Palais. A free five-minute photo stop, loveliest when the lamps glow at dusk.
08 / 17
1st arr., Paris
cultureThe world's most-visited museum — the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory and endless galleries under I.M. Pei's glass pyramid. Vast; pick a wing and book a timed slot. Closed Tuesdays.
09 / 17
9th arr., Paris
cultureCharles Garnier's sumptuous 1875 opera house — the inspiration for The Phantom of the Opera. Self-guided visits take in the marble Grand Staircase, the gilded Grand Foyer and the auditorium with Chagall's painted ceiling. Hours shorten on matinee days.
10 / 17
Île de la Cité, Paris
cultureThe Gothic masterpiece on the Seine, magnificently restored and reopened in December 2024 — the rose windows, the spire and the river island at the heart of medieval Paris. Free to enter; book a slot at peak times.
11 / 17
Montmartre, Paris
cultureThe white-domed basilica crowning Montmartre, with one of the best free views over Paris, then the artists' square (Place du Tertre), winding lanes and cafés of the old village. The dome climb is a small extra.
12 / 17
Versailles (day trip)
cultureLouis XIV's colossal palace ~45 min from Paris — the Hall of Mirrors, the State Apartments and 800 hectares of formal gardens with summer fountain shows. A full day; the gardens alone are worth hours.
13 / 17
7th arr., Paris
cultureThe world's great Impressionist collection in a beautiful former railway station — Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas and the giant station clock overlooking the Seine. Closed Mondays; open late Thursday.
14 / 17
Seine, Paris
leisureA one-hour glide past the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Musée d'Orsay and under the Seine's historic bridges, with the Eiffel Tower as the finale. Bateaux-Mouches and rivals run frequent departures; sunset is the prettiest.
15 / 17
Île de la Cité, Paris
cultureA jewel-box royal chapel whose upper level is wrapped in 15 soaring 13th-century stained-glass windows — 1,100 scenes glowing on a sunny afternoon. Small but unforgettable; right by Notre-Dame.
16 / 17
9th arr., Paris
shoppingThe grand belle-époque department store under a stunning stained-glass dome, with a free rooftop terrace overlooking the Opéra Garnier and the city. Window-shop the flagships of Boulevard Haussmann.
17 / 17
Marne-la-Vallée (day trip)
adventureEurope's most-visited theme park, 32 km east of the city and about 45 minutes door-to-door on RER A. Two parks sit side by side — Disneyland Park with the Sleeping Beauty Castle, and Disney Adventure World (the rebuilt Walt Disney Studios Park, reopened 29 March 2026). A one-park ticket is a full day on its own; the two-park ticket costs roughly €89 and up.