Paris travel guide
Tours, attractions, events and places to stay, picked by people who know the city.
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- Main airports
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), about 25 km north-east; Paris-Orly (ORY), about 13 km south
- Time zone
- CET (UTC+1), CEST (UTC+2) in summer
- Paying for transport
- Navigo Easy card or phone; Metro-Train-RER ticket €2.55; airport ticket €14
- Tourist tax
- Added per adult per night: €2.60 (1-star, B&Bs, hostels) to €8.45 (4-star), €11.70 (5-star) and €15.93 (palaces) in 2026
France's capital needs little introduction. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame and the Arc de Triomphe are among the most recognisable sights in the world, and the banks of the Seine between them are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beyond the monuments, Paris is a city of neighbourhoods: the medieval lanes of the Marais, the cafés and bookshops of Saint-Germain and the Latin Quarter, and the hilltop village of Montmartre beneath the Sacré-Cœur. Its museums, from the Orsay's Impressionists to Monet's Water Lilies at the Orangerie, are reason enough to visit. The centre is compact and very walkable, the Metro reaches everywhere, and Versailles, Disneyland Paris and Fontainebleau are under an hour away.
Most-booked tours
Ratings and prices from verified bookings.
ViatorBateaux Parisiens Seine River Gourmet Dinner & Sightseeing Cruise
2.5 hoursFrom €124.70
ViatorNormandy D Day Sites and Cemetery Day Trip from Paris with Lunch
14 hoursFrom €105
ViatorLouvre Museum Premium Guided Tour 6 GUESTS MAX Entry Included
2.5 hoursFrom €63
ViatorVersailles Palace Bike Tour with Market & Marie-Antoinette hamlet
8 hoursFrom €109
ViatorLoire Valley Castles Day Trip from Paris with Complementary Wine
13 hoursFrom €108
ViatorLouvre Museum Masterpieces Guided Tour with Access
2.5 hoursFrom €59
ViatorVersailles Palace Private Tailored Guided Tour With Hotel Pickup
4 hoursFrom €495
ViatorDevour Paris Ultimate Food Tour
3 hoursFrom €95
Top Paris attractions
The sights most visitors build a trip around.
Eiffel Tower
From €14.80 by stairs, €36.70 to the summit by lift
Tickets from €54Louvre Museum
€22 (EEA) or €32, free for under 18s
Tickets from €63Notre-Dame de ParisFree
Free; towers €16
Tickets from €79.90Musée d’Orsay
€16 online, free for under 18s
Palace of Versailles
Passport €25 in winter, €35 in summer
Tickets from €22Sacré-Cœur and MontmartreFree
Free; dome €8
Tickets from €32
More attraction tickets
- Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection: Timed Entrance4.5 (1,816)From €15
- Fondation Louis Vuitton: Premium Access4.7 (15,594)From €24
- La Cinémathèque Française: Jean-Paul Belmondo Exhibition4.7 (2,457)From €14
- Museum of Modern Art Paris: Kerry James Marshall Exhibition4.5 (1,209)From €17
- Musée Jacquemart-André: Skip The Line Ticket4.6 (2,879)From €19
- Petit Palais: Eva Gonzalès Exhibition4.5 (2,464)From €14
- Musée de l'Orangerie: Entry + Claude Monet - Along the Water VR Experience4.6 (48)From €18.50
- Grande Galerie de l'Évolution: Skip The Line Ticket4.6 (2,356)From €13
Tickets via Tiqets. Prices checked at each build.
What's on
Tickets via Ticketmaster and Tiqets. Updated nightly.
Where to stay
Pick a neighbourhood first. Each one suits a different kind of trip.
Le Marais
Boutique hotels, galleries, falafel and nightlife in the medieval heart of the Right Bank, close to Notre-Dame and the Place des Vosges13 places we rate
Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter
Classic Left Bank cafés, bookshops and the Luxembourg Gardens, a short walk from the Orsay and Notre-Dame14 places we rate
Louvre and Opéra
First-timers who want the Louvre, the Tuileries, the Palais Garnier and the department stores on the doorstep11 places we rate
Montmartre
Village charm and views, with lower prices and the Sacré-Cœur at the top of the hill12 places we rate
Local guides
Plans and tips for getting the most out of Paris.
Christmas in Paris 2026: markets, lights and windows
Christmas in Paris 2026: dates for the Tuileries, La Défense, Champs-Élysées and Notre-Dame markets, the Champs-Élysées lights and the department-store windows.
Read the guide · 3 minDay trips from Paris
The best day trips from Paris: Versailles, Disneyland Paris, Fontainebleau, Chantilly, Reims for Champagne, Giverny (April to November) and Mont-Saint-Michel.
Read the guide · 3 minFirst time in Paris: a three-day plan
A three-day Paris itinerary for first-timers: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, Montmartre and a Seine cruise, with booking tips and transport advice.
Read the guide · 3 minFree things to do in Paris
Free things to do in Paris: Notre-Dame, the Sacré-Cœur, free first Sundays at museums, parks, the Seine banks, Père-Lachaise and the city’s free museums.
Read the guide · 3 minDay trips from Paris
Easy days out by train or coach.
- VersaillesAbout 40 minutes by RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche
- Disneyland ParisAbout 40 minutes by RER A to Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy
- FontainebleauAbout 40 minutes by Transilien line R from Gare de Lyon, then bus
- ChantillyAbout 25 minutes by train from Gare du Nord
- GivernyAbout 45 minutes by train from Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny, then shuttle (open April to November)
- ReimsAbout 45 minutes by TGV from Gare de l'Est
- Mont-Saint-MichelA long day trip, best on a guided tour
Getting around
Walking
Central Paris is compact. The Louvre to Notre-Dame is about 20 minutes on foot along the river, and the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe about 25 minutes. Walking between neighbourhoods is often the best way to see the city.
Metro, RER and buses
The Metro has 16 lines and runs until after midnight. Since the 2025 fare reform a single Metro-Train-RER ticket costs €2.55 in 2026 and is valid for one journey of up to two hours anywhere in the Île-de-France region except the airports, including Versailles and Disneyland Paris. Buses and trams use a separate Bus-Tram ticket at €2.05. Tickets are loaded on a reusable Navigo Easy card or on your phone. For unlimited travel, the Navigo Day pass costs €12.30 (not valid for the airports), the Navigo weekly pass €32.40 (Monday to Sunday, needs a Navigo Découverte card and a photo) and the Paris Visite pass €30.60 for one day, €45.40 for two, €63.80 for three and €78 for five days, airports included.
Airport transfers
Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is about 25 km north-east of the centre. The RER B runs to Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles and Saint-Michel Notre-Dame. Paris-Orly (ORY) is about 13 km south; Metro line 14 now runs from the airport to Châtelet and Saint-Lazare, and the Orlyval shuttle links Orly to the RER B. Both airports use the Paris Région-Aéroports ticket at €14 (€7 reduced). Taxis charge fixed fares between Paris and the airports: €56 from CDG to the Right Bank and €65 to the Left Bank, and €45 from Orly to the Right Bank and €36 to the Left Bank, in both directions.
Compare Paris airport transfers and book ahead →
Taxis and bikes
Outside the airport flat fares, Paris taxis run on the meter, with a minimum fare of €8. Vélib' shared bikes and an extensive network of cycle lanes make cycling an easy option in the centre.
Tourist tax
Paris charges a tourist tax (taxe de séjour) per adult per night on top of room rates, collected by the hotel or rental platform. In 2026 it is €2.60 for 1-star hotels, guest houses and hostels, €3.25 for 2-star, €5.53 for 3-star, €8.45 for 4-star, €11.70 for 5-star and €15.93 for palace hotels. Unclassified accommodation, including most holiday rentals, pays 5% of the nightly price per person, capped at the top rate. The rate includes regional surcharges that fund public transport. Rates rise again on 1 January 2027.