It’s every lover’s dream to visit the city of Paris and take in the sights and sounds of the beautiful city. But since there are so many sights to see, where do you begin? With every other blog giving travel tips to Paris and travel information about Paris. Some even boast of being an online tour guide for Paris. It’s easy to get confused about what to do or even how much it costs to travel to Paris. Even more still, the world is slowly opening up again after the pandemic ravaging the world last year.
Paris is enormous, with centuries of history. It would take an eternity to see all there is to Paris. Not everyone has an eternity to spare to find the best travel guide to Paris.
So, what do you do? Like it is with falling in love, you’ll have to court her, see different sides of her bit by bit, and fall in love all over again until Paris becomes your perfect love story.
This is a how-to guide on falling in love with Paris, as well as your tour guide to Paris. Let’s look at the top 10 places to visit in Paris.
10 places to visit in Paris
1. The Eiffel Tower
The 300 meter Tower was built in 1889 for the World Fair, and in addition to being an amazing engineering feat, it is a work of art. The Tower didn’t gain much appreciation in its early days as it was popularly called “the metal asparagus,” but today, it’s a symbol of Paris in all her glory. The unofficial Paris tourist guide book (people who have seen the sights you plan to see) warns that if you plan on visiting the Eiffel Tower, you had better get there on time to avoid the long lines because everyone who visits the city of love wants to feel the wind caress their face from the top of the Tower.
2. The Palace of Versailles
Visiting the palace takes practically the whole day with its many rooms, and it’s long (and sometimes bloody). You might want to make visiting Marie Antoinette’s home a priority, if not to admire the architecture and learn the history, to admire its extensive gardens.
3. The Louvre
The Louvre is the largest museum globally not just because of the thousands of square feet it occupied but also because of its extensive catalog of artwork from the Mona Lisa to the Venus de Milo. To experience it all, you’ll need at least two full days, but you can do the highlights in an entire afternoon.
4. The Latin Quarter
When we say Paris is pregnant with centuries of history, this is one of the places that embodies this sentiment.
The Latin Quarter is a historic area near Notre Dame. It is riddled with little meandering streets that turn at dizzying angles that eventually open up to little cafe-lined squares. There are a lot of restaurants, bars, and jazz clubs here. It literally will feel like you’re stepping back a couple of hundred years in time. The best months to visit this magical piece of Paris are June to August, when summer is at its peak.
5. Sainte-Chapelle
The Sainte-Chapelle is a tiny beautiful gothic church with an exquisite interior and one of the few remaining examples of original stained glass in France. There’s usually a long line, but museum pass holders can skip it. If you want to be a part of the VIP line-skippers, you can purchase a pass for €15 ($17).
6. The Panthéon
Situated in the Latin Quarter, this neoclassical building was initially built as a church but has now been turned into a state burial site for French heroes like Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Louis Braille, and Voltaire. The Pantheon inspired the peristyle in Rome. Admission is €9 ($10) per person.
7. Jardin Du Luxembourg
The Jardin du Luxembourg is the largest and most artistic public park in Paris. It is one of the cool places to visit while in Paris. The garden contains a little over a hundred statues, monuments, and fountains scattered throughout the park’s grounds. It’s a good place for an early morning run and a midday picnic, which is the routine of the fabulous locals.
8. Montemartre
If you’re pressed for time, and you’re wondering where to see Paris in 1 day, then Montemartre is the place for you.
Montemartre has played host to a lot of starving artists for so many years. It offers a breathtaking view of Paris, arty cafĂ©s and bars, cobblestone streets, and the only winery within the city limits (Vignes du Clos Montmartre). It’s one of the funkier parts of the city of Paris. If you fancy yourself a budding artist or you’re just a patron of the arts, this is amongst the right places to visit while in Paris.
9. The Arc De Triomphe
This is one of the most famous landmarks in Paris. For €8 ($9), you can climb 284 steps to get to the top of the Arc, where you will get a little history lesson as well as enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the city.
10. The Paris Catacombs
Beneath the city of Paris, you’ll find a honeycomb of tunnels. The French resistance used these tunnels during World War II. Within this maze of tunnels lie the famous Catacombs of Paris. Here you can visit the tunnels and see the old burial sites of the city. It’s one of the freakiest and coolest sites in the city, usually missed by tourists. They’re open daily 10 am-8:30 pm except for Mondays. Guided tours start from €72 ($80), but you can do audio guide tours from €40 ($44).
These and many more are places to visit while in Paris. There are so many other things to see in this iconic city, but these are just some of the most famous, guaranteed to help you make the best memories with your lover.
Bonus Tip:
11. Take a Food Tour!
If you and your lover consider yourselves gourmands, you cannot afford to miss the food tour! French food is famous worldwide, and you cannot visit Paris and not taste the fantastic French cuisine.
Paris by Mouth is a company that offers neighborhood tours highlighting the best food in Paris. The groups are kept small, focusing on providing information on food, history, and culture. It’s more of a mini-class than it is a chance to eat food. They even have a workshop just for cheese. Tours start from €110 ($122).
I’m pretty sure you have a couple of questions; chief amongst them is how safe it is to travel.
Is it safe to go to Paris right now?
Fortunately and statistically speaking, Paris remains very safe. So you can rest assured that you can travel to Paris safe and sound. Such a relief, yeah?
OSAC, the US Bureau of Diplomatic Security, notes that tourists are pretty much safe in the city and that the only primary concern is pickpocketing.
Places to visit Paris at night
If you’re a nightcrawler like I am, then I’m pretty sure you’ve been wondering what places to visit at night. Paris is breathtakingly beautiful at night. It’ll be a shame if you don’t get to see her at night. The Eiffel tower and the Louvre remain choice destinations at night, or you might want to do a night river cruise. There’s the Les Bateaux Mouches or the Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf. You could also go to a fancy restaurant or show.
A small journey to Paris tip before you go: There are many parks in the city of love. Use them! Take a walk in a park, join a picnic, make your picnic, or sit and soak in the verdant lushness of those small pockets of nature in the city.
Have only 2 days to spend in Paris?
Don’t fret, use our 2 days in Paris travel guide.
Day 1: Visit the Louvre, Explore the Latin Quarter, climb the Arc de Triomphe.
Day 2: Climb the Eiffel tower (go early) and enjoy a laid-back day in one of the parks around Paris