Paris: places to go and things to do

Getting around Paris

Use Métro or buses between the Marais, Left Bank, and Eiffel Tower area, then walk within each cluster. Plan museum entrances and station exits rather than assuming every landmark is a short walk away. Check current transport works and accessibility with the operator before using a fixed route.

Plan for the weather

Keep a gallery alternative for rainy days and carry water for summer garden walks. Garden hours change with the season, and winter daylight limits an ambitious outdoor evening. Choose the museum day according to its current opening calendar instead of assuming all attractions open on both weekend days.

Places covered in these guides

• Louvre Museum

  1st arrondissement · Art museum. An extensive art and antiquities museum in the former royal palace beside the Seine.

• Musée d’Orsay

  7th arrondissement · Art museum. An art museum in a former railway station, with painting, sculpture, and decorative arts collections.

• Petit Palais

  8th arrondissement · Art museum. The City of Paris fine arts museum in a decorative building near the Champs-Élysées.

• Musée Carnavalet

  Marais · History museum. A museum devoted to the history of Paris, housed in historic buildings in the Marais.

• Luxembourg Gardens

  6th arrondissement · Garden. Formal gardens around the Luxembourg Palace with paths, planted areas, and places to sit.

• Tuileries Garden

  1st arrondissement · Garden. A formal garden between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, useful for a central Paris walking break.

• Eiffel Tower

  7th arrondissement · Landmark. A Paris landmark with ticketed viewing levels and different stairs and lift options.

• Jardin des Plantes

  5th arrondissement · Botanical garden. A botanical garden that sits within a larger natural-history museum complex on the Left Bank.