Paris travel guide — where to stay, what to do, and where to eat in Paris, Île-de-France, France.
Top attractions
The most popular and significant attractions in Paris.
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1
Eiffel Tower
Gustave Eiffel's 1889 wrought-iron tower was built as the entrance arch for that year's World's Fair and was meant to be dismantled after twenty years; it survived because of its usefulness as a radio antenna. Three visitor levels rise above the Champ de Mars, with the summit reachable only by a second lift change on the 2nd floor.
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2
Louvre Museum
Once a medieval fortress and then a royal palace, the Louvre became a public museum in 1793 and now holds the Denon, Sully and Richelieu wings around I.M. Pei's glass pyramid entrance. It is where the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace are housed, alongside centuries of French and European painting and sculpture.
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3
Palace of Versailles
Louis XIV expanded his father's hunting lodge into the seat of French royal power, moving the court and government here in 1682. The Hall of Mirrors, the King's and Queen's State Apartments, and the formal gardens laid out by André Le Nôtre together record the scale of absolute monarchy in a way no single room in Paris can.
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4
Notre-Dame de Paris
Begun in 1163, this Gothic cathedral on the Île de la Cité is where Napoleon crowned himself emperor and where Victor Hugo's novel later drew global attention to its then-neglected architecture. After the 2019 roof fire, the interior has been rebuilt and reopened, with the twin-tower climb offering close views of the gargoyles and the bell that survived the blaze.
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5
Musée d'Orsay
Housed in a former Beaux-Arts railway station built for the 1900 World's Fair, the Musée d'Orsay covers French art from about 1848 to 1914, bridging the Louvre's older collections and the Centre Pompidou's modern ones. Its holdings of Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, Renoir and Cézanne make it the single best place in Paris to see Impressionism and Post-Impressionism together.
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6
Sacré-Cœur Basilica
Built in white travertine stone after the Franco-Prussian War as a national penance project, the basilica crowns the Butte Montmartre and was consecrated in 1919. Its Romano-Byzantine domes and the enormous mosaic of Christ in Majesty inside distinguish it from the Gothic cathedrals elsewhere in the city.
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7
Centre Pompidou
Opened in 1977 to a design by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, the building turned its structure inside out, running color-coded pipes, escalators and ducts along the exterior so the interior floors stay open for art. It holds France's national collection of modern and contemporary art, from Matisse and Picasso through to postwar and contemporary work.
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8
Sainte-Chapelle
Louis IX had this chapel built within the royal palace on the Île de la Cité to house relics including the Crown of Thorns, consecrating it in 1248. The upper chapel is essentially a cage of stone piers holding fifteen stained-glass windows nearly fifteen metres tall, telling the biblical story from Genesis to the Apocalypse.
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9
Musée Rodin
This museum occupies the Hôtel Biron, an 18th-century mansion where Auguste Rodin lived and worked, and it holds the largest collection of his sculpture anywhere. Bronzes and marbles including The Thinker and The Kiss are shown both inside the mansion's period rooms and scattered through the surrounding garden.
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10
Château de Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau was a residence of French monarchs for over seven centuries, from medieval kings through Napoleon, who favored it over Versailles and abdicated here in 1814. The interiors mix Renaissance decoration commissioned by Francis I with later imperial apartments, and the building sits within its own forest rather than a formal garden estate.
Attractions by category
Explore by your interests.
Unesco Heritage
Art Museums
Iconic Landmarks
Historic Châteaux
Religious Heritage
Gardens And Parks
Unique Experiences
Family Attractions
Practical information
What you need to know before you go.
Tips for visiting attractions
Make the most of your sightseeing time.
Book Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Versailles tickets online weeks in advance — same-day queues routinely exceed 2 hours
The Musée d'Orsay on a Thursday evening is one of Paris's best-value experiences — world-class Impressionist collection with 80% fewer visitors than midday
Sainte-Chapelle's 13th-century stained glass is best seen on a bright sunny morning — the 1,113 panels illuminate colours not visible on overcast days
Versailles gardens are free on non-fountain days — the estate is vast and a full day can be spent without entering the palace
Many lesser-known museums in Paris (Musée de Cluny, Musée Jacquemart-André, Musée Nissim de Camondo) offer extraordinary collections with minimal crowds year-round
Frequently asked questions
How much time should visitors allocate to the Louvre?
The Louvre has over 35,000 works on display across 403 rooms. A 3-hour visit covers the major works (Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Coronation of Napoleon). A comprehensive visit requires 2+ full days. For a first visit, download the Louvre app for a curated 2-hour highlights route.
Is the Palace of Versailles worth a full day?
Yes — the Palace (Hall of Mirrors, State Apartments), Gardens (free on non-fountain days), Trianon palaces, and Domaine de Marie-Antoinette easily fill 6–8 hours. The gardens alone cover 800 hectares. A bicycle rental (€7.50/hour / ~$8.20) from inside the estate dramatically increases the area reachable in a day.
Can visitors climb the Eiffel Tower without a lift?
Yes — stairs access the 1st and 2nd floors only (not the summit). Stair tickets cost €11.80 adults (~$12.85) and do not require advance booking in the same way as lift tickets. The staircase queue is typically shorter than the lift queue.