France · La Ville Lumière
🗼Paris
Twenty arrondissements spiraling out from the Seine, each with its own café tempo — Haussmann boulevards, Gothic cathedrals, canal-side apéros, and the world's densest concentration of museums.
- Best season
- April–June and September–October
- Mid-range
- €130–€220 / day
- Backpacker
- €70–€110 / day
- Country
- France
Safety
Very safe by capital standards. Pickpocket hotspots: Métro lines 1, 4, 9; Trocadéro, Louvre, Champs-Élysées; scam petitions near the Eiffel Tower.
Best travel season
April–June and September–October. August empties out (many small shops close); December is beautifully lit.
Daily budget
Mid-range
€130–€220 / day
Backpacker
€70–€110 / day
Where to stay
- Le Marais (3e/4e) — historic, gay-friendly, boutique hotels
- Latin Quarter (5e) — student, close to Notre-Dame
- Saint-Germain (6e) — chic, café literary heritage
- Canal Saint-Martin (10e) — hip, cheaper, indie bars
- Montmartre (18e) — village on a hill, Sacré-Cœur
Hostels
- Generator Paris — near Canal Saint-Martin, rooftop bar
- St Christopher's Canal — party hostel by Bassin de la Villette
- Les Piaules Belleville — design-driven, rooftop terrace
Transportation
Métro
14 lines, dense coverage. €2.15 single, €17.35 carnet of 10, €30.75 Navigo weekly (Mon–Sun).
RER
5 suburban express lines crossing the city; needed for Versailles, CDG, Disneyland.
Bus & tram
Same fares as metro; buses see more of the city than the metro.
Vélib'
Public bike-share; €5/day pass with first 30 min free per ride.
Taxi / Uber
White G7 taxis; €3.83 flag fall, €1.22/km daytime.
Airport — CDG / ORY
Paris–Charles de Gaulle (CDG) & Orly (ORY)
CDG is 30 km northeast (three terminals); Orly is 13 km south (four halls).
Airport to city center
RER B (CDG)
Every 10–15 min to Gare du Nord / Châtelet in 35 min, €11.80.
Métro 14 + Orlyval (ORY)
New Métro 14 extension reaches Orly directly; €10.30.
Roissybus / Orlybus
Direct RATP buses to Opéra / Denfert-Rochereau, €16.60 / €11.50.
Taxi
Flat fares by law: CDG €56 (Right Bank) / €65 (Left Bank); Orly €36 / €44.
Attractions
Must-see
Eiffel Tower
324 m, three levels; book online in advance for the summit lift.
Museum
Louvre
35,000 works across three wings; enter via the Carrousel to skip the pyramid queue.
Museum
Musée d'Orsay
World's finest Impressionist collection in a Beaux-Arts train station.
Monument
Notre-Dame de Paris
Reopened December 2024 after the 2019 fire; free entry, timed tickets recommended.
Must-see
Sainte-Chapelle
1248 royal chapel with 15 m of stained glass — bring sunshine.
Museum
Musée Rodin & garden
The Thinker in a Rococo mansion; garden ticket is a bargain.
Sunset
Sacré-Cœur & Montmartre
Free basilica with the best free view of Paris; climb the dome (€8) for the panorama.
Hidden gem
Père Lachaise Cemetery
44-hectare landscape cemetery — Chopin, Wilde, Morrison, Piaf.
Photography
Canal Saint-Martin
Iron footbridges, tree-lined locks, canal-side apéros.
Monument
Palais Garnier
Charles Garnier's 1875 opera house; the Chagall ceiling caps a gilded staircase.
Food & drink
Local dish
Baguette + jambon-beurre
The everyday classic. Boulangerie Utopie or Du Pain et des Idées make the finest baguettes.
Local dish
Croissant au beurre
Try Cédric Grolet, Poilâne, or the corner bakery — never the supermarket.
Restaurant
Bistrot Paul Bert
Textbook Parisian bistro in the 11e: steak-frites, Paris-Brest, natural wine.
Restaurant
Septime
Modern French tasting menu near Bastille; book two months ahead.
Street food
L'As du Fallafel
The Marais falafel institution, queues on Rue des Rosiers.
Café
Du Pain et des Idées
10e boulangerie famous for escargot pastries and the pain des amis.
Vegan
Jouvence
Refined vegetarian restaurant in the 12e.