Usually things that sound too good to be true are. When you ask people their top five favorite cities, Paris is always at the top of the list. There is so much hype around Paris that I figured it was destined to underperform. But I’m just a few days of visiting, Paris managed to live up to everything people say and then some!
Paris is one of the world’s most influential cities but is still able to exude a “small” town charm. It is full of rich history, unbelievable food, and iconic landmarks. Em and I joked that every street seemed like something straight out of a movie set.
This list is mainly focused on the most popular tourist attractions and not the hidden spots that only locals know. There are countless things to see and do in Paris, but you can’t visit the City of Light and skip the Louvre and Eiffel Tower. This list is to help make sure you don’t miss out on the best things to see in Paris!
1. Eiffel Tower
When I think of Paris, I picture the Eiffel Tower. It is one of the most iconic and recognizable buildings in the world. It was built for the 1889 World’s Fair and was the tallest building in the world at its unveiling. However, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight for every Parisian. Originally designed to only stand for 20 years, many local Parisians hated the inescapable structure. But over the years, the iconic statue won over the hearts of its critics and cemented itself as one of the most famous landmarks in the world.
Whether you enjoy popular tourist destinations or not, the Eiffel Tower is definitely a must visit. It was an amazing feeling strolling through the nearby park in the evening and seeing friends and families having picnics together. We decided to join in and have a picnic of our own. It was a fun way to experience Paris and reflect on our trip.
There is an option to buy tickets for the second level or go all the way to the top. We chose to go all the way to the top, but many people say they actually prefer the view from the second floor. (The ticket to the top does include a visit to the second floor as well). My favorite part of our Eiffel Tower visit was watching the twinkling lights at night. Every night, the Eiffel Tower is illuminated with hundreds of sparkling lights. The light show happens every hour and lasts for 5 minutes. Seeing such an iconic landmark sparkling under the Paris night’s sky definitely felt like we were watching a live scene from a movie!
2. Louvre
The most visited and possibly the most famous museum in the world is the Louvre. With over 70,000 pieces of art in its collection, there are countless things to see in this museum. Even for someone like me who isn’t exactly the biggest fan of museums, the Louvre is a must visit location.
The main attraction is the Mona Lisa, the most famous painting in the world. It is really cool to get to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s most famous piece of art in person, but it is almost comical seeing the huge line of people (myself included) waiting to see the 30×20 inch painting while there are hundreds of other masterpieces that go unnoticed. In fact, just outside of the room where the Mona Lisa was hanging, there were several other paintings by Da Vinci that nobody else was looking at. I would have definitely walked right past them had it not been for our trusty free Rick Steves audio tour. (I feel old even saying that I am now willingly walking through art museums listening to Rick Steves! 😁) No matter if you are an art expert or someone who can’t stand museums, the Louvre is an impressive museum inside and out. Just make sure to put on your comfy walking shoes before you visit!
3. Seine River Cruise
One of the best ways to experience the highlights of Paris in a few short hours is by taking a river cruise down the Seine River. We booked our river boat cruise with Vedettes de Paris through The Tour Guy. It was really romantic, sipping champagne (also a French original!), floating through Paris. The city was so beautiful that Em and I kept saying that we felt like we were riding on some elaborate Disney ride and the buildings were all just facades. (100x better than any ride at Epcot 😉) We started at the Eiffel Towel and floated past Place de la Concorde, the Louvre, and Notre Dame. It was an incredible way to see Paris without having to even take a step!
4. Notre Dame + Sainte-Chapelle Chapel
In the middle of Paris is a tiny island called Ile de la Cite. This is one of the oldest parts of the city and is home to the iconic Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral. Notre Dame is one of the most famous cathedrals in the world. Beginning in 1163, construction of this beautiful church took nearly 200 years to complete. Its early gothic architecture inspired countless other church styles around Europe. Unfortunately, due to a major fire in 2019, the spire and most of the roof collapsed. The inside is set to be reopened in 2024. Although we couldn’t go into the church, we loved seeing this Paris icon from the outside. My favorite view of Notre Dame is just a Ross the Seine River where you can see the famous flying buttresses.
Just down the street from Notre Dame is Sainte-Chapelle. This church houses 1,113 stained glass windows. Unlike Notre Dame, this church was built in record time at 7 years. The church was built to house King Louis IX holy relics, including what he believed to be Jesus’ crown of thorns. We loved gazing up at the beautiful stained glass and seeing the Bible stories depicted through pictures. It isn’t a big church, but worth visiting if you are already in the area to see Notre Dame!
5. Arc de Triomphe + Champ Elysee
One of the most emblematic monuments of Paris is the Arc de Triomphe. Napoleon built this gigantic arch in 1806 to commemorate his victories and conquests. The arch was inspired by the ancient arches that the Romans built. But this arch is massive in comparison to some of the most famous arches in Rome. The Arc de Triomphe took over 30 years to complete and today stands 148 feet tall and 72 feet wide. In addition to the history, one of the main reasons to visit the Arc is for the view. The structure sits in the middle of an enormous roundabout with 12 roads spiraling out from the base of the arch.
Unfortunately when we were there, the arch was under construction and could only be visited by appointment. I visited the arch years ago and still remember the incredible view from the top. The best view is of Champs-Élysées, one of the most famous streets in the world. So once you are finished visiting the arch be sure to walk down the beautiful Champs-Élysées for some shopping. The street is full of luxury shops and cafes. It has been the inspiration for many of the other famous shopping streets around the world.
6. Food Tour
You can’t go to one of the world’s culinary capitals and not experience their incredible food. I love to eat, but am far from an expert when it comes to food. So we decided the best way for us to get to learn about the incredible art of French food is through a food tour! We booked our tour with Secret Food Tours in the charming Montmartre area.
On the tour we tasted delectable meats, cheeses, breads, wines, chocolates and macarons. We strolled through the streets of Montmartre visiting local bakeries and dairy shops. Our guide explained the processes and intricacies of each food that we tried. It was a really unique and fun experience getting to sit around a table with other travelers sharing wine and cheese while learning more about Persian history and culture. All the food was so fresh and tasted amazing! (I even enjoyed the blue cheese that we tried!) This food tour was a great way to experience the amazing culinary culture of Paris.
7. Versailles
One of the must-do day trips from downtown Paris is to the Palace of Versailles. Originally built as a hunting lodge, this gigantic, ornate palace grew to become one of the most famous palaces in the world. Every inch of the palace is adorned with decor fit for the royalty that once lived there. The 2,300 rooms in the palace are filled with more than 6,000 paintings and 3,000 sculptures. The only thing I can compare it to in the US is the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.
The difference is that the Palace of Versailles is more than 500,000 square feet bigger, built centuries before, and was the center of one of the most powerful nations for around 100 years. One of the biggest highlights of the palace is the hall of mirrors. At the time, owning a mirror was extremely rare, so lining a 240 foot hallway with mirrors was unheard of. The gardens themselves deserve a tour on their own. There are more than 600 hectares on the palace grounds that are full of elaborate fountains and beautiful landscaping.
The Palace of Versailles is about a 30 minute train ride from Paris. We booked a Versailles day trip through The Tour Guy, which included train tickets. One of the biggest perks of the tour was getting to skip the forever-long line at the entrance of the palace. (Versailles has 15 million visitors a year so the line can get pretty long!)
Our guide Josephine did an amazing job of making the halls of the palace come to life. Walking through the rooms and hearing our guide tell us about the details of the royal court, the history, and the scandals that happened in the palace, gave us a whole new appreciation for this impressive palace. The Palace of Versailles is definitely worth the train ride from Paris and is an unbelievable sight to see.
8. Mont Saint-Michel
Years ago, I saw a picture of a fairytale-looking castle that was built on an island surrounded by water. After doing some research about France, I discovered that this picturesque island is Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France. It is so surreal-looking that the Disney movie Tangled modeled their fictional kingdom off of this real life fairytale castle.
Being a four hour drive away from downtown Paris, this is definitely pushing the limits of a Paris “day trip.” But I really wanted to see this mythical looking tidal island in person, so we booked a Mont Saint-Michel day trip with The Tour Guy. The coach bus was really comfortable and made the trip seem short. Our guide did a great job explaining France and Mont Saint-Michel’s history on the bus, and we were very thankful to have transportation provided for us because the island feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere!
In the abbey, we had an audio guide that explained the church’s history. Throughout the day we learned that Mont Saint-Michel became a place of worship all the way back in 708 AD! Over the centuries, it withstood several sieges and became a prominent place for religious pilgrimages. The island itself is actually an entire village stacked onto a relatively small area. Like most places in medieval times, the working class occupied the lower areas, the knights lived in the middle, and the church was built all the way at the top. It was amazing getting to wander the narrow streets, stroll through the abbey, and walk on the tidal ground surrounding the island. Walking around the grounds, I felt like we were transported back in time. It was an amazing experience getting to see this magical island – I’m so glad The Tour Guy offers a day trip so that we didn’t have to worry about the details of getting there and could just fully enjoy it!
9. Sacre Coeur + Montmartre
One of the most popular views and neighbourhoods of Paris is Montmartre. This church was designed on the top of a hill and was apparently supposed to be the highest view in Paris. However, 1875 was the same year that construction started for Sacre Coeur and the Eiffel Tower. Although it never held the title for highest view, a quick climb up into the church’s dome gives you an incredible view of Paris.
Sacre Coeur is in the Montmartre neighborhood. We loved strolling the picturesque streets and smelling the fresh food from the restaurants and bakeries. Just be ready to climb some hills to get there! Sacre Coeur is at the top of Montmartre, so you can plan your walking so you don’t have to walk up the hills twice.
10. The Catacombs
One of the things that we didn’t get to experience are the Paris Catacombs. Walking around Paris, you would never know that there is a massive maze of tunnels that were used as the burial site for more than 6 million people. The catacombs were built at the end of the 18th century to help take care of the overflowing burial grounds outside the city. This labyrinth of tunnels grew to be the largest ossuary in the world.
Today, you can tour the eerie underground burial grounds that lie directly beneath the streets of Paris. Em and I went on a similar tour in Lima, Peru and were amazed at the preservation of the large skeletal bones. Hopefully someday we will be back to Paris and be able to visit and learn more about this part of Paris’ history.
The Tour Guy offers a Paris catacombs tour as well and we highly recommend them for tours throughout Paris and all of Europe. We have toured with them in both Rome and Paris, and have always had a wonderful experience!
We are so grateful for our time in Paris and already miss it. The city is so beautiful and there is SO much to see and do. Even though we walked about 27 miles during our time there trying to see as much as we could of the city, I know we only touched the surface of all the amazing things Paris has to offer. We really hope we are able to visit again someday soon!
