Top 10 Things to Do in Paris

Using this list

Ten of the things Paris is most known for, as a checklist to tick off rather than an itinerary. Treat it as a menu — most visitors on a long weekend manage five or six comfortably, and doing fewer things properly beats sprinting through all ten.

Book the big ones before you arrive

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Sainte-Chapelle all sell timed tickets online, and turning up without one in summer means hours in a queue or not getting in. Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 and is free to enter, but the queues are long — go early or reserve a slot.

The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays and the Musée d'Orsay on Mondays, which catches out a surprising number of short trips. Check current opening days before building your plan around either.

Plan by neighbourhood, not by ranking

Paris is compact and the metro is good, but crossing the city repeatedly wastes the day. Group by arrondissement: the Louvre and Tuileries together, Montmartre as its own half-day, the Marais and Île de la Cité as another.

Where to spend the extra time

The best hours in Paris are usually the unstructured ones — a long lunch, an afternoon in a park, wandering a neighbourhood with nothing booked. Leave gaps deliberately.

Practicalities

Carry a card; almost everywhere takes them. Museums are busiest late morning. Many restaurants stop serving lunch around 2pm and don't reopen until 7pm, which surprises visitors expecting all-day service.

Timing

Run it plain, or add due dates and set the start to your arrival to spread the list across your trip.