20 Best Things to Do in Paris, France | 2026 Travel Guide
Paris has a funny way of living up to the hype and still surprising you. You show up expecting the Eiffel Tower and croissants, and you leave remembering the guy who sold you a bottle of wine on a bridge at midnight, or the smell of a boulangerie you stumbled into by accident. That’s the trick of this city — the famous stuff is famous for a reason, but the best afternoons often happen somewhere you didn’t plan for.
If you’re putting together a list of things to do in Paris, France, this guide covers the landmarks you shouldn’t skip, plus a handful of local favorites that don’t always make it into the guidebooks. Whether you’ve got three days or three weeks, here’s how to spend them well.
1. Start With the Eiffel Tower — But Do It Right
Yes, everyone tells you to go. Here’s the part they don’t always mention: skip the midday crowds and go near sunset instead. The light turns gold, the lines thin out a little, and once the sky goes dark, the tower sparkles on the hour for five minutes — a genuinely magic moment even if you’ve seen a hundred photos of it beforehand.
You don’t have to go up to enjoy it, either. Grab a baguette, some cheese, and a bottle of something decent, and picnic on the lawns of the Champ de Mars while you watch it light up. If you do want the view from the top, book your ticket online in advance — walk-up lines can eat two or three hours of your day.
2. Get Lost in the Louvre (On Purpose)
The Louvre is the largest art museum on the planet, and trying to “see it all” in one visit is a losing game. Instead, pick two or three wings that genuinely interest you — Egyptian antiquities, French Romanticism, Italian Renaissance — and let yourself wander. Yes, go say hello to the Mona Lisa, but don’t be surprised if the room next door, half-empty and full of enormous canvases, ends up being the highlight of your visit.
Book timed-entry tickets ahead of time. Tuesdays the museum is closed, and Wednesday and Friday evenings tend to be quieter than weekend afternoons.
3. Wander Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur
Montmartre is the hill where Paris slows down. Wind through its cobblestone streets, past the small vineyard tucked between buildings, and climb up to the Sacré-Cœur basilica for one of the best skyline views in the city — free of charge. Place du Tertre nearby is full of street artists sketching portraits, and while it’s touristy, it’s also genuinely fun to watch.
Go early morning if you can. By afternoon, the area around the basilica gets packed with tour groups and souvenir sellers.
4. Cruise (or Swim) the Seine
A Seine river cruise is a classic for a reason — it’s a relaxed, low-effort way to see Notre-Dame, the Musée d’Orsay, and half the city’s major landmarks from the water. Dinner cruises add a nice touch for a special night.
Here’s something new for 2026: after a major cleanup effort, the Seine <cite index=”7-1″>has reopened for public swimming for the first time in over a century</cite>. If the timing lines up with your trip, it’s a genuinely unusual way to experience the river — just check current safety advisories, since access depends on water quality that day.
5. Climb Notre-Dame Cathedral
Notre-Dame reopened to the public after the 2019 fire, and as of 2026 visitors can once again climb the bell tower for sweeping views over the city. The cathedral itself is free to enter, though there’s understandably still work going on inside in places. Book a timed slot if you want to climb — it’s popular, and the queue moves slowly for walk-ins.
6. Explore the Musée d'Orsay
Housed in a stunning former railway station, the Musée d’Orsay holds one of the world’s best collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art — Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, Renoir. It’s smaller and more manageable than the Louvre, which makes it a great pick if you only have time for one major museum during your trip.
7. Visit the Palace of Versailles
Technically outside Paris, but close enough (about 45 minutes by train) that it belongs on almost every itinerary. The Hall of Mirrors alone is worth the trip, and the gardens are enormous — rent a bike or a golf cart if you want to see more than a fraction of them. Go on a weekday if you can; weekends draw serious crowds.
8. Walk Through the Latin Quarter
This is Paris’s old student district, and it still has that energy — narrow streets, secondhand bookshops, cheap crêpe stands, and the occasional street musician. Stop by Shakespeare and Company, the famous English-language bookshop across from Notre-Dame, and spend an hour just browsing.
9. Wander the Marais
The Marais is one of the most walkable, characterful neighborhoods in the city — a mix of medieval streets, trendy boutiques, art galleries, and some of the best falafel in Paris (there are a few famous spots along Rue des Rosiers worth the short line). It’s also home to Place des Vosges, a gorgeous, symmetrical square that’s a nice place to sit and do nothing for a while.
10. Take In the View From Sacré-Cœur or a Rooftop Bar
Beyond Sacré-Cœur, Paris has a growing scene of rooftop bars with knockout Eiffel Tower views. A seasonal rooftop bar on top of the Musée du Quai Branly is one favorite for this exact reason — cocktail in hand, tower lit up across the water. It’s worth checking current hours since rooftop spots like this tend to be seasonal.
11. Explore the Catacombs
Beneath the streets of Paris lie the remains of roughly six million people, stacked along nearly a mile of underground tunnels. It’s eerie, genuinely fascinating, and unlike anything else in the city. Tickets sell out days in advance in peak season, so book ahead.
12. Shop and People-Watch at a Paris Market
Skip the department stores for a morning and head to a local market instead — Marché Bastille or Marché d’Aligre are both good options. You’ll find cheese, produce, flowers, and a genuine slice of daily Parisian life that’s easy to miss if you stick to the tourist track.
13. Eat Your Way Through the City
Paris is one of the great food cities of the world, and honestly, eating well here doesn’t require a Michelin star. A proper bakery croissant, a bowl of onion soup, a plate of steak-frites at a no-frills bistro — that’s most of the magic right there. If you want structure, a guided food tour is a good way to hit several iconic dishes in one outing without the guesswork.
14. Spend an Evening at the Opéra Garnier
Even if you don’t catch a performance, the Palais Garnier is worth touring just for the building itself — marble staircases, gilded ceilings, a Chagall-painted dome. If you can time your visit around a show, even better.
15. See the City From Above at Montparnasse Tower
Less famous than the Eiffel Tower, but arguably a better viewpoint — because from Montparnasse, you actually get the Eiffel Tower in your photo. The rooftop deck also tends to have shorter lines.
16. Browse the Bouquinistes Along the Seine
The green box-stalls lining the riverbanks near Notre-Dame have been selling secondhand books, prints, and postcards since the 1500s. It’s a quiet, easy way to spend twenty minutes, and you might walk away with a genuinely interesting find.
17. Take a Day Trip to Giverny
If you have an extra day and love Monet, Giverny — his home and garden about an hour outside Paris — is where he painted many of his water lily series. The gardens are especially striking in late spring and summer.
18. Visit the Centre Pompidou (Check Current Status)
Worth a note: the Pompidou, Paris’s modern art museum, is currently closed for a multi-year renovation, so it’s off the table as of 2026. If contemporary art is a priority, ask locally about temporary exhibition spaces standing in during the closure, since these venues do shift year to year.
19. Enjoy Paris With Kids at Disneyland Paris
If you’re traveling with family, Disneyland Paris is an easy add-on, about 40 minutes from the city center by train. It’s a reliable full-day (or two-day) outing that works for a wide age range.
20. Take a Free Walking Tour
Most neighborhoods in Paris have free (tip-based) walking tours run by knowledgeable local guides. It’s one of the best ways to get context and stories behind what you’re looking at — and a good way to get oriented in your first day or two before exploring on your own.
Practical Tips for Visiting Paris
- Book major sights in advance. The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Catacombs, and Notre-Dame’s tower all benefit from timed tickets booked online.
- Consider a museum pass. If you’re planning to hit several museums and monuments, a multi-day museum pass can save both money and time in ticket lines.
- Walk when you can. Paris is dense and wonderfully walkable — some of the best things to do in Paris, France, aren’t destinations at all, just the streets between them.
- Learn a few French phrases. A simple “bonjour” and “merci” go a long way with locals, even if the rest of the conversation switches to English.
- Visit off-peak when possible. Late spring and early fall bring good weather without the peak-summer crowds
Final Thoughts
Paris rewards travelers who mix the big-ticket landmarks with a little unstructured wandering. Tick off the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame — they’re famous for good reason — but leave room in your schedule for a market morning, a bookshop afternoon, or a rooftop sunset you didn’t plan for. That balance is really what makes a Paris trip memorable, and it’s the best way to experience everything this city has to offer.
