Paris
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Paris - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Eiffel Tower
Eiffel TowerThe Eiffel Tower is to Paris what the Statue of Liberty is to New York and what Big Ben is to London: the ultimate civic emblem. French engineer Gustave Eiffel spent two years working to erect this iconic monument for the World Exhibition of 1889. Because its colossal bulk exudes such a feeling of permanence, it's hard to believe that the tower nearly became 7,000 tons of scrap when the concession expired in 1909. Only its potential use as a radio antenna saved the day. Though many prominent Parisians derided it at first, the tower gradually became part of the city's topography. It's most breathtaking at night, when every girder is highlighted in a glittering show of 20,000 golden lights for five minutes every hour on the hour from nightfall until 11:45 pm. More recent enhancements include a two-year, €30 million renovation of the first level that added a vertigo-inducing "transparent" floor 187 feet above the esplanade as well as a mini-turbine plant, four vertical turbine windmills, and eco-friendly solar panels to minimize the tower's carbon footprint over time. You can stride up 704 steps as far as the second level, but only the elevator goes to the top. The view of the flat sweep of Paris at 1,000 feet is sublime—especially if you come in the late evening, after the crowds have dispersed. Beat the crushing lines by reserving your ticket online, or book a skip-the-line guided tour offered by many companies (from €41). On the tower's second floor, the Jules Verne restaurant—with its Michelin star—is about as dramatic a lunch or dinner spot as you'll find. Or you can watch the glimmering lights from the top of the tower over a bubbly, or a nonalcoholic, drink at the Bar à Champagne (there's also a sit-down bistro from Jules Verne's chef Thierry Marx on the first floor and small "Buffet" snack shops on the esplanade and the first and second floors). At the tower's tippy top, you'll also find Gustave Eiffel's "secret apartment," which he used as his office, including wax mannequins of Eiffel, Thomas Edison, and a blonde woman in the background who represents Claire, Eiffel's oldest daughter, with whom he was very close.
View Tours and ActivitiesQuai Branly, Paris, Île-de-France, 75007, France08–92–70–12–39-(€0.35 per min)Sight Details
Rate Includes: By elevator from €17.10; by stairs from €10.70, Stairs close at 6 pm in off-season (Oct.–June). Closed last 2 wks in Jan. for annual maintenance -
2. Hôtel des Invalides
Eiffel TowerThe Baroque complex known as Les Invalides (pronounced lehz-ahn-vah-leed) is the eternal home of Napoléon Bonaparte (1769–1821) or, more precisely, his remains, which lie entombed under the golden dome. Louis XIV ordered the facility to be built in 1670 to house disabled soldiers (hence the name), and, at one time, 4,000 military men lived here. Today, a portion still serves as a veterans' residence and hospital. The Musée de l'Armée, containing an exhaustive collection of military artifacts from antique armor to weapons, is also here. If you see only a single sight, make it the Église du Dome (one of Les Invalides's two churches) at the back of the complex. Napoléon's tomb was moved here in 1840 from the island of Saint Helena, where he died in forced exile. The emperor's body is protected by no fewer than six coffins—one set inside the next, sort of like a Russian nesting doll—which are then encased in a sarcophagus of red quartzite. The bombastic tribute is ringed by statues symbolizing Napoléon's campaigns of conquest. To see more Napoléoniana, check out the collection in the Musée de l'Armée featuring his trademark gray frock coat and huge bicorne hat. Look for the figurines reenacting the famous coronation scene when Napoléon crowns his empress, Josephine. You can see a grander version of this scene by the painter David hanging in the Louvre. The best entrance is at the southern end, on Place Vauban (Avenue de Tourville); the ticket office is here, as is Napoléon's Tomb. There are automatic ticket machines at the main entrance on Place des Invalides.
View Tours and ActivitiesParis, Île-de-France, 75007, France01–44–42–38–77Sight Details
Rate Includes: €14 with temporary exhibitions, Last admission 30 mins before closing -
3. Musée Rodin
Eiffel TowerAuguste Rodin (1840–1917) briefly made his home and studio in the Hôtel Biron, a magnificent 18th-century mansion that now houses this museum dedicated to his work. He died rich and famous, but many of the sculptures that earned him a place in art history were originally greeted with contempt by the general public, which was unprepared for his powerful brand of sexuality and raw physicality. Most of Rodin's best-known sculptures are in the gardens. The front one is dominated by The Gates of Hell (circa 1880), which illustrates stories from Dante's Divine Comedy. Rodin worked on the sculpture for more than 30 years, and it served as a "sketch pad" for many of his later works: you can see miniature versions of The Kiss (bottom right), The Thinker (top center), and The Three Shades (top center). The museum now showcases long-neglected models, plasters, and paintings, which offer insight into Rodin’s creative process. Pieces by other artists from his personal collection are on display as well—including paintings by van Gogh, Renoir, and Monet. There's also a room devoted to works by Camille Claudel (1864–1943), his student and longtime mistress, who was a remarkable sculptor in her own right. An English audio guide (€6) is available for the permanent collection and for temporary exhibitions. Tickets can be purchased online for priority access. If you wish to linger, L'Augustine serves meals and snacks in the shade of the garden's linden trees.
View Tours and Activities77 rue de Varenne, Paris, Île-de-France, 75007, France01–44–18–61–10Sight Details
Rate Includes: €13 (free 1st Sun. of month), Closed Mon. -
4. American Church
Eiffel TowerNot to be confused with the American Cathedral across the river at 23 avenue George V, this pretty, neo-Gothic, Protestant church was built between 1927 and 1931. It features a pair of Tiffany stained-glass windows—a rare find in Europe. Besides ecumenical services, the church hosts architectural tours, free classical and acoustic concerts, and lectures and workshops on well-being and topics of current interest. You can check event listings and download a self-guided PDF tour at the church website.
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5. Cathédrale de la Sainte-Trinité de Paris
Eiffel TowerAt first glance, the blazing silvery onion domes of this Russian Orthodox cathedral, an easy walk from the Eiffel Tower and Quay Branly, appear like a mirage of Moscow on the Seine. The ultramodern edifice, designed by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, is worth a quick peek for its graceful icons, mosaics, and colorful frescoes against pristine marble walls.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Champ de Mars
Eiffel TowerBig changes are afoot for the tree-lined paths and long expanse of grass between the Eiffel Tower and École Militaire. It was previously used as a parade ground and was the site of the world exhibitions in 1867, 1889, and 1900. Landscaped at the start of the 20th century, the park has become a centerpiece of current mayor Anne Hildago's plan to reduce pollution and increase the city's pedestrian and green spaces. The new plans by American architect Kathryn Gustafson call for a total overhaul of the esplanade to be completed in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The ambitious project will involve creating a mile-long green space, closing the entire expanse to traffic, planting thousands of trees, and adding fountains and pedestrian walkways under a "unifying axis" that connects the Place du Trocadéro, the Palais de Chaillot, the Champ de Mars, and the École Militaire. At the southern end of the park, Jean-Michel Wilmotte's Grand Palais Ephemère will host the Grand Palais's art exhibits, fashion shows, and sporting events during its four-year restoration and for some of the Olympic games.
View Tours and ActivitiesParis, Île-de-France, France -
7. Grand Palais Éphémère
Eiffel TowerThis soaring 2½-acre structure—a stand-in for the original across the Seine while it undergoes massive renovations—was designed by Paris architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte as a contemporary, and temporary, rendering of its namesake. Taking pride of place at the foot of the Eiffel Tower's Champs de Mars, the wood-and-transparent-plastic edifice is home to everything from blockbuster art exhibitions and art fairs to concerts, fashion shows, and sporting events. It will also host some of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Av. Pierre Loti, Paris, Île-de-France, 75007, France01–40–13–48–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: €14.50, Closed Tues. -
8. Les Égouts
Eiffel TowerLeave it to the French to make even sewers seem romantic. Part exhibit but mostly, well, sewer, the 1,640-foot stretch of tunnels provides a fascinating—and not too smelly—look at the underbelly of Paris. You can stroll the so-called galleries of this city beneath the city, which comes complete with street signs mirroring those aboveground. Walkways flank tunnels of whooshing wastewater wide enough to allow narrow barges to dredge sand and sediment. Lighted panels, photos, and explanations in English detail the workings of the system. Immortalized as the escape routes of the Phantom of the Opera and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, the 19th-century sewers have a florid real-life history. Since Napoléon ordered the underground network built to clean up the squalid streets, they have played a role in every war, secreting revolutionaries and spies and their stockpiles of weapons. Grenades from World War II were recovered not far from where the gift shop now sits. The display cases of stuffed toy rats and "Eau de Paris" glass carafes fold into the walls when the water rises after heavy rains. Buy your ticket at the kiosk on the Left Bank side of the Pont de l'Alma. Guided one-hour tours by friendly égoutiers (sewer workers) are available in French only; call or email ahead for details.
Paris, Île-de-France, 75007, France01–53–68–27–81Sight Details
Rate Includes: €9, Closed Mon. -
9. Musée de l’Homme
Eiffel TowerWhen President Jacques Chirac’s legacy project (the Musée du Quai Branly, dedicated to the world’s indigenous arts and cultures) pilfered half of this museum's pieces, few thought the rest of Paris’s storied anthropology museum would survive, but it has come roaring back to life. Focused now on “science and human societies,” the Musée de l’Homme has 33,368 square feet of sparkling exhibition space in the west wing of the Palais de Chaillot, where it displays more than 700,000 prehistoric artifacts and art objects. And it now does so using the most modern of museum tricks—including interactive displays, 3-D projections, and educational games—to help visitors understand the history of the human species. While you’re admiring the 25,000-year-old Venus of Lespugue or comparing the skull of Cro-Magnon man with that of René Descartes, don’t forget to look out the window: the view from the upper floors across to the Eiffel Tower and southern Paris is spectacular.
17 Pl. du Trocadéro, Paris, Île-de-France, 75116, France01–44–05–72–72Sight Details
Rate Includes: €13, Closed Tues. -
10. Musée du Quai Branly
Eiffel TowerThis eye-catching museum overlooking the Seine was built by architect Jean Nouvel to house the state-owned collection of "non-Western" art, culled from the Musée National des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie and the Musée de l'Homme. Exhibits mix artifacts from antiquity to the modern age, such as funeral masks from Melanesia, Siberian shaman drums, Indonesian textiles, and African statuary. A corkscrew ramp leads from the lobby to a cavernous exhibition space, which is color coded to designate sections from Asia, Africa, and Oceania. The lighting is dim—sometimes too dim to read the information panels (which makes investing in the €5 audioguide a good idea). Renowned for his bold modern designs, Nouvel has said he wanted the museum to follow no rules; however, many critics gave his vision a thumbs-down when it was unveiled in 2006. The exterior resembles a massive, rust-color rectangle suspended on stilts, with geometric shapes cantilevered to the facade facing the Seine and louvered panels on the opposite side. The colors (dark reds, oranges, and yellows) are meant to evoke the tribal art within. A "living wall" composed of some 150 species of exotic plants grows on the exterior, which is surrounded by a wild jungle garden with swampy patches—an impressive sight after dark when scores of cylindrical colored lights are illuminated. The trendy Les Ombres restaurant on the museum's fifth floor (separate entrance) has prime views of the Eiffel Tower—and prices to match. The budget-conscious can enjoy the garden at Le Café Branly on the ground floor.
View Tours and Activities37 quai Branly, Paris, Île-de-France, 75007, France01–56–61–70–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €12 (free 1st Sun. of month), Ticket office closes 1 hr before museum. Closed Mon. -
11. Palais de Chaillot
Eiffel TowerThis honey-colored Art Deco cultural center on Place du Trocadéro was built in the 1930s to replace a Moorish-style building constructed for the 1878 World's Fair. Its esplanade is a top draw for camera-toting visitors intent on snapping the perfect shot of the Eiffel Tower. In the building to the left is the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine—billed as the largest architectural museum in the world—and the Theâtre National de Chaillot, which occasionally stages plays in English. Also here is the Institut Français d'Architecture, an organization and school. The twin building to the right contains the Musée de l’Homme, a thoroughly modern anthropology museum. Sculptures and fountains adorn the garden leading to the Seine.
View Tours and ActivitiesParis, Île-de-France, 75016, France
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