One of the most popular destinations on the planet is none other than the city of love – Paris, France. With over 30 million visitors each year, Paris is world-renowned for its art collections, dining, stunning monuments, and joie de vivre – or the way the French enjoy life. Few cities on earth have the rich history and modern-day appeal as Paris. From Hemingway to Napoleon, Coco Chanel to Christian Dior, Paris has been called home by starving artists and royalty alike. It never seems to lose its appeal, whether it’s your first trip or your 20th.
Spending just one weekend in Paris can seem like a bit of a downer – there’s just no way to see, do, and taste everything the city offers! It’s always necessary to prioritize what’s important to you. Do you want to live like a Parisian for the weekend, wandering through the Tuileries and people-watching from a café for hours? Or do you want to check all the tourist spots off your list and see as much as possible?
I can tell you this much – no matter how you spend your weekend in Paris, it will be a memorable trip. Here’s our guide to making your trip to Paris incredible.
Table of Contents
Attractions
Museums
Louvre
The Louvre Museum is one of the most famous art museums in the world, sprawling over 72,000 square meters. With over 38,000 objects to see, you’ll want to plan your visit ahead of time.
Most people (myself included) want to see some of the museum’s most famous pieces, including the Venus de Milo, the Code of Hammurabi, The Coronation of Napoleon, and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
We used Get Your Guide to snag tickets ahead of time, which saved us standing in the massive line. We loved being able to skip the line at some of the biggest attractions in Paris, the Louvre included.
I highly recommend starting at the Denon wing of the Louvre, which will take you up the staircase at the Winged Victory of Samothrace and take you into the Italian Renaissance wing, including the Mona Lisa.
Orsay Museum
Fans of art will find much more than just the Louvre to entertain them in Paris. The Orsay Museum hosts an impressive art collection, including many Impressionist and Post-Impressionist pieces. Here you’ll find works by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, and Cézanne. The museum is in the Gare d’Orsay, a former railway station built in 1900, and is worth seeing for the architecture alone. If you visit, don’t miss Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Self Portrait, and Rodin’s Gates of Hell.
Invalides
Military history buffs might enjoy perusing Invalides, Paris’s most notable military history museum. Commissioned in 1670 under Louis XIV, Invalides was initially meant to serve as a home for disabled and aged war veterans. The gold dome can be seen from many high points in the city, and directly beneath it, you’ll find the ostentatious tomb of Napoleon.
Other Museums
You could certainly spend weeks in Paris just visiting art museums. For those who want to hop from museum to museum, you might also check out the Rodin Museum, the Centre Pompidou, and the Musée de l’Orangerie. Science fans might also enjoy visiting the Musée des Arts et Métiers, where you’ll find inventions and innovations that span the ages.
Monuments
Eiffel Tower
No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to its most famed landmark, the Eiffel Tower. Built for the 1889 World’s Fair, the ‘dame de fer’ (or Iron Lady) stands a whopping 330 meters tall. Get off the metro at Trocadero and follow signs for the Eiffel Tower to get some great photos from afar. You can walk down toward the tower if you want to go up. (You can also get tickets for that on Get Your Guide.) If the weather is nice, keep walking past the Eiffel to the Champ de Mars with a bottle of rosé and a baguette for a lovely picnic.
Cathedrals
Notre Dame
At the time I’m writing this, the Notre Dame Cathedral still isn’t open for visitors following the April 2019 fire. When this does reopen, it’s worth adding to your list. The construction of Notre Dame started in 1163, and to this day, it’s one of the best examples of French Gothic architecture. Its rose windows, flying buttresses, and famed gargoyles are worth an in-person visit.
Sacre Coeur
The Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre doesn’t land at the top of many Paris sightseeing lists, but it’s worth seeing. If you don’t want to climb the stairs, you can take the funicular (tram) to the left of the stairs. Either way, when you reach the top, you’ll enjoy one of the most beautiful views of Paris from one of the highest points in the city. (Walk to your right facing the city for a view of the Eiffel Tower.) Dedicated in 1919, this cathedral boasts gorgeous mosaics ad stained glass windows.
When you’ve seen the church, walk up the road to the left of the cathedral to the Place du Tertre, or artists’ square. Dodge the guys offering to draw you a picture of yourself on the way there!
Once you reach it, you’ll find a quaint square with many artists selling unique pieces. This is an excellent place to look if you’re on the hunt for a great souvenir! The restaurants in the area tend to be a bit touristy, but if you’re looking to try a French classic like escargot, French onion soup, or mussels, you can be sure you’ll find them on the menus here.
Sainte-Chapelle
Sainte-Chapelle, or the Holy Chapel, was consecrated in 1248. Its medieval architecture is in classic Gothic style, and it houses one of the world’s most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections. If you go at the right time of day, you can catch the sun through the gorgeous stained glass panels. This stunning chapel is a must-see!
If the list of attractions overwhelms you, I highly recommend doing the hop-on, hop-off bus tour as we did! You can get anywhere without trying to figure out the transport. You can skip what you don’t want to see and spend as much time as you want at the attractions that matter to you. And the best part is, you’ll get great city views on your way there!
Restaurants
Like in many major cities, dining in Paris ranges from very affordable street food to break-the-bank fine dining. No matter your budget, Paris can give you an unforgettable culinary experience if you know where to look.
Paris has a bit of a reputation for being short with visitors, but like any city, you have to play by their rules. Many restaurants in Paris recommend reservations – even for lunch – so it’s always best to call ahead. You’ll also find a full menu posted outside the vast majority of restaurants, which can help you avoid sticker shock at some pricey places. In general, Parisians don’t like loud and boisterous people in their restaurants – although if you stay at a restaurant until late, most people have had enough wine to loosen up a bit! Depending on where you’re from, you might find the dining room a bit cramped and service slow. This isn’t a place where your server will check on you every two minutes. Be prepared to settle in for the evening – no one is rushed here, your server included!
The French take their time eating, often taking two-hour lunches in the standard workday. What does that mean for a quick getaway in Paris? It means you have to prioritize. If you are a foodie who wants to spend your time having your mind blown by culinary treasures, you’re in the right place! If you’d rather see as much as possible and eat along the way, you’ll find some great street food to keep you going.
While French food has its rightful place in the world cuisine hall of fame, Paris is a world city, which means you can find exceptional food from all around the world.
Near Gare du Nord, you’ll find the streets lined with Indian restaurants. In the 13th arrondissement, you’ll find exceptional Thai, Vietnamese, and Cambodian food.
Places like Thai Vien (56 Av. de Choisy, 75013), Lao Lane Xang (102 Av. d’Ivry, 75013), and Heng Lay (50 Av. d’Ivry, 75013) will offer you truly authentic cuisine, excellent service, and a meal you won’t forget.
Here are a few of my suggestions:
- Start your day with breakfast at Le Deauville on the Champs Elysees. It is a beautiful sidewalk café on this famous Parisian boulevard with incomparable flair. It is next door to another renowned café and manufacturer of high-quality pastries and sweets, La Maison Ladurée. Of course, we also had to visit because they have the best macarons in Paris.
- Get a fresh baguette from a bakery, some cheese from the grocery store (or a fromager), and a bottle of wine and head to the nearest park (in spring and summer) or someone’s cozy apartment or hotel room (in winter). Better yet, pick up some seasonal fruits and vegetables at a local market.
- Get crêpes from a sit-down restaurant – not just the street vendors (although those are a great snack!) Authentic crêpes originate from the Bretagne region and include both salée (salty) and sucrée (sweet) crêpes. The crêpes salée are made with buckwheat flour and have a wonderful nutty flavor. The crêpes sucrée are often drowning in homemade fudge sauce, salted butter caramel, or flaming Grand Marnier. If you’re on the hunt for a proper crêpe, I recommend checking out Breizh Café (109 Rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75003), Les Crêpes de Louis-Marie (1 Rue de l’Arbalète, 75005), or Crêperie Brocéliande (15 Rue des Trois Frères, 75018). Oh, and get a cup of traditional Bretagne cider with them!
- Visit Bistrot Paul Bert (18 Rue Paul Bert, 75011) for classic French bistro food. You can’t miss the canard confit (incredible crisped duck leg), beef tartare, and Grand Marnier soufflé.
- If you want an incredible city view, check out the Seine river 3-course dinner cruises! We did one of these during our trip, and it was such a fun way to enjoy the city. Several companies offer these through Get Your Guide, and it’s a great way just to sit back and enjoy the ride while having a great dinner.
Accommodations
Finding a place to stay for your trip to Paris can be intimidating. With so many places to choose from and such variety between different areas of the city, and with such a wide range of prices, where do you start?
We stayed at Hôtel Boissière for our trip, just a hair outside Paris proper. If you’re traveling on a budget, consider looking outside central Paris for hotels – it can save you a load of money! If you’re staying outside the city, consider finding a place close to a metro or bus station. Generally, each neighborhood will have plenty of grocery stores and bakeries so that you can get those pastries for breakfast in the mornings!
If you want the ability to cook for yourself, or if you’re traveling with a large group, you’ll find loads of options on home-sharing sites like Airbnb. The other perk of staying in an Airbnb is that if you’re traveling alone, you can rent a room in someone’s home, allowing you to make a new friend, and have a local give you neighborhood recommendations.
Transport
Public transport
Paris boasts some of the best public transport in the world. With ticket kiosks at every station and helpful agents (many of whom speak English), it’s as nearly foolproof as you can get when it comes to international travel.
Paris’s transport website offers visitors copious information on the system, including hours of operation, travel pass and ticket information, and maps.
If you stay out partying past the metro closing time (1:15 AM when everything is running smoothly), you can take the night buses or Noctilien, which run all night throughout the city.
Taxis
As soon as you land at the Paris airport, you’ll be inundated with taxi offers. Make sure you only use taxis that are registered with the city. Paris also offers services like Uber and Lyft, so if the metro fails you, you can still get where you need to be. If you’re on a budget, Uber can also be much cheaper than taxis if you choose a car to get around Paris.
Biking
If you’re up for a bit of adventure, consider renting one of the city bikes you can find at stands throughout the city (a word of caution – the bikes always seem low at Montmartre. Who wants to ride a bike UP those hills?). You can rent a bike from any stand and return it to a different perspective in the city for a meager cost. Cyclists are allowed to share the bus lane, and you’ll see many around them, so drivers are usually used to watching for them.
Walking
Paris is a highly walkable city. While it seems pretty sprawling, it’s easy to get from place to place on foot. The city is relatively flat and easy to walk, and the streets tend to be very clean.
Photo Hotspots
What’s the point of visiting Paris if you can’t get some great shots for your insta? Trust me, and I get it! Here are a few spots to visit to get that great shot.
- Trocadero. Don’t be shy or worry about looking like a tourist – get that shot in front of the Eiffel!
- The Wall of Love in Square Jehan Rictus in Montmartre is a perfect background, whether you’re grabbing a selfie or a group shot. This wall repeats the phrase “I love you” in 250 languages.
- If you time it right, the Champs Elysées is an excellent place for a quick photo. Cross the street to the halfway point (at the crosswalk!), and you can get a great shot with the Arc de Triomphe in the background. (Safety first – please don’t stand in traffic! Not even for the gram!)
- If you visit the Musée d’Orsay, you can go upstairs to grab a photo behind the massive clock face.
- The Pont Alexandre III bridge is hands down the most stunning bridge in Paris. With its vintage-looking lamps, winged horses, and cherubs, this is a spot where you can get the Eiffel in the background. This is a great place to take a photo in the daytime or at night when the lamps are on.
- Don’t forget places like the Moulin Rouge, art deco metro signs, flower stands, and the booksellers next to the Seine…the list is endless in Paris!
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