Welcome to Totally Paris, a practical Paris travel guide for planning the city with fewer surprises. Pick a destination card below — from icons like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre to the neighbourhoods locals actually love — and you'll land on a full page of things to do in Paris: highlights, hours, prices, and what's nearby. Still deciding on your trip? Start with the best time to visit Paris, sort out where to stay, and see how far Paris on a budget can stretch. Consider this your running list of the best places to visit in Paris.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Paris Airport Transfers
CDG has RER B, Orly has Metro 14, and Beauvais is far enough away to change the maths on a cheap flight.
ARR. 8
The Arc de Triomphe
Twelve avenues meet under one arch.
ARR. 19/20
Belleville
The hill where Paris's immigrants built the city's best street food.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Best Boulangeries
The bakery on your corner is probably better than you think.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Best Time to Visit Paris
Every season has a different city hiding inside it.
ARR. 16
Bois de Boulogne
A former royal hunting forest, bigger than Central Park.
ARR. 10
Canal Saint-Martin
A working canal that became Paris's favorite place to sit on the ground.
ARR. 14
The Catacombs
Six million Parisians, rearranged underground.
ARR. 4
Centre Pompidou
The museum that wears its plumbing on the outside.
ARR. 8
The Champs-Élysées
The world's most famous avenue, and Parisians' least favorite place to shop.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Classic Bistros
Zinc counters, chalkboard menus, and food that hasn't needed to change.
ARR. 1
The Conciergerie
A royal palace that became the Revolution's waiting room for the guillotine.
DAY TRIP · SEINE-ET-MARNE
Disneyland Paris
A 40-minute train ride from Notre-Dame to Cinderella's castle.
ARR. 7
The Eiffel Tower
Iron lace against the sky.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Flea Markets
Treasure hunting on the edges of the city, where Paris has shopped secondhand for a century.
DAY TRIP · EURE
Giverny
The garden Monet painted for the last 43 years of his life.
ARR. 4
Île Saint-Louis
Paris's quietest island, one bridge from Notre-Dame.
ARR. 5
Jardin des Plantes
A royal medicine garden that grew into a natural history campus.
ARR. 6
Luxembourg Gardens
Where Paris goes to sit still.
ARR. 5
The Latin Quarter
Eight centuries of students haven't left yet.
ARR. 3/4
Le Marais
Paris's oldest new neighborhood.
ARR. 7
Les Invalides
A veterans' hospital that became an emperor's tomb.
ARR. 1
The Louvre Museum
The world's most famous museum is much better when you stop trying to conquer it.
PARIS
Getting Around Paris
The old t+ ticket advice is obsolete; Paris transport is simpler now if you buy the right fare.
ARR. 18
Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur
Go for the hill, stay for the streets behind the postcard.
ARR. 3
Musée Carnavalet
The whole history of Paris, told through two connected mansions.
ARR. 7
Musée d'Orsay
A train station built for the Impressionists.
ARR. 1
Musée de l'Orangerie
Two oval rooms, built to hold Monet's water at every hour of the day.
ARR. 3
Musée Picasso
One artist's work, filling a 17th-century mansion.
ARR. 7
Musée Rodin
The Thinker, sitting in a garden of roses.
ARR. 4
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Reopened, restored and once again a working cathedral — not just a monument with a queue.
ARR. 9
Palais Garnier
The opera house that inspired The Phantom of the Opera.
ARR. 5
The Panthéon
A church that became a shrine to genius instead.
ARR. 19
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
A quarry turned into Paris's most dramatic park.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Paris Food Markets
Every neighborhood has one, and they're where Paris actually shops.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Paris on a Budget
A famously expensive city, if you don't know the workarounds.
NEWS
Paris Travel News
The changes that can alter a trip — dated, sourced and separated from website chatter.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Paris with Kids
A walkable city with more playgrounds than it gets credit for.
ARR. 20
Père Lachaise Cemetery
A city of the dead that Parisians still visit for a walk.
ARR. 18
Sacré-Cœur Basilica
Built as an apology for a war Paris lost.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Safety & Scams
Paris is a safe city with a handful of well-known tourist scams worth knowing.
ARR. 6
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Where Paris argued philosophy over coffee.
ARR. 4
Sainte-Chapelle
A cage of stained glass, built to hold a crown of thorns.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Seine River Cruises
The laziest, and arguably best, way to see a dozen landmarks in an hour.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
SIM Cards & WiFi
Getting connected in Paris is easier than most travelers expect.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Tipping & Etiquette
You're not expected to tip the way you might at home — and a few small habits go a long way.
ARR. 16
Trocadéro
The postcard view of the Eiffel Tower, straight across the river.
DAY TRIP · YVELINES
Versailles
The palace that moved a government to escape Paris.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Where to Stay in Paris
Choose for the trip you want, not the arrondissement number somebody told you was 'best'.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Wine Bars
Natural wine, small plates, and standing room only in the best ones.