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. Arc de Triomphe
Champs-ÉlyséesInspired by Rome's Arch of Titus, this colossal, 164-foot triumphal arch was ordered by Napoléon—who liked to consider himself the heir to Roman emperors—to celebrate his military successes. Unfortunately, Napoléon's strategic and architectural visions were not entirely on the same plane, and the Arc de Triomphe proved something of an embarrassment. Although the emperor wanted the monument completed in time for an 1810 parade in honor of his new bride, Marie-Louise, it was still only a few feet high, and a dummy arch of painted canvas was strung up to save face. Empires come and go, but Napoléon's had been gone for more than 20 years before the Arc was finally finished in 1836. A small museum halfway up recounts its history. The Arc de Triomphe is notable for magnificent sculptures by François Rude, including the Departure of the Volunteers in 1792, better known as La Marseillaise, to the right of the arch when viewed from the Champs-Élysées. Names of Napoléon's generals are inscribed on the stone facades—the underlined names identify the hallowed figures who fell in battle. The traffic circle around the Arc is named for Charles de Gaulle, but it's known to Parisians as L'Étoile, or "the Star"—a reference to the streets that fan out from it. Climb the stairs to the top of the arch and you can see the star effect of the 12 radiating avenues and the vista down the Champs-Élysées toward Place de la Concorde and the distant Musée du Louvre. Paris mayor Anne Hildago's ambitious plans to "green" the city include a total makeover for the Place d'Étoile to make visiting the Arc de Triomphe a safer and more pleasant experience. By 2024, traffic will be limited in favor of enlarged pedestrian areas and a wide expanse of trees extending all the way down the Champs-Élysées. France's Unknown Soldier is buried beneath the arch, and a commemorative flame is rekindled every evening at 6:30. That's the most atmospheric time to visit, but, to beat the crowds, come early in the morning or buy your ticket online. Be wary of the traffic circle that surrounds the arch. It's infamous for accidents—including one several years ago that involved the French transport minister. Always use the underground passage from the northeast corner of Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
View Tours and ActivitiesPl. Charles-de-Gaulle, Paris, Île-de-France, 75008, France01–55–37–73–77Sight Details
Rate Includes: €13, Last admission 45 mins before closing -
2. Galerie Dior
Champs-ÉlyséesFollowing on the heels of the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris (and helmed by its former director) this drop-dead gorgeous exhibition space, housed in the same building as the Dior flagship boutique store and restaurant, inaugurates a new direction for Dior, fusing fashion and culture. No doubt inspired by the blockbuster Dior show at Paris's Musée des Arts Décoratifs in 2017, the permanent exhibition assembles all of the house's great designers along with iconic pieces from the master himself. This primer on the history of Paris fashion is an absolute must-see for fashion buffs, and afterward, you may be inspired to pop into the Avenue Montaigne boutique next door for some shopping or a quick pick-me-up at the super-chic café.
11 rue François 1er, Paris, Île-de-France, 75008, France01–82–20–22–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: €12, Closed Tues. -
3. Musée Guimet
Champs-ÉlyséesThe outstanding Musée Guimet boasts the Western world's biggest collection of Asian art, thanks to the 19th-century wanderings of Lyonnaise industrialist Émile Guimet. Exhibits, enriched by the state's vast holdings, are laid out geographically in airy, light-filled rooms. Just past the entry, you can find the largest assemblage of Khmer sculpture outside Cambodia. The second floor has statuary and masks from Nepal, ritual funerary art from Tibet, and jewelry and fabrics from India. Peek into the library rotunda, where Monsieur Guimet once entertained the city's notables under the gaze of eight caryatids atop Ionic columns; Mata Hari danced here in 1905, and the museum still hosts an impressive series of musical events. The much-heralded Chinese collection, made up of 20,000-odd objects, covers seven millennia. At the Hôtel d'Heidelbach next door ( 19 Avenue d'Iéna), you'll find Asian furniture and implements for tea ceremonies, which are performed on special dates during the year in the garden's authentic Japanese tea pavilion. Grab a free English-language audioguide and brochure at the museum entrance. If you need a pick-me-up, stop at the Salon des Porcelaines café on the lower level for a ginger milkshake or an Asian-influenced meal. Don't miss the Guimet's spectacular offshoot, the Musée d'Ennery, housed in a Belle Époque mansion on Avenue Foch and noted for its exquisite collection of Japanese netsuke, as well as 3,000 works of Chinese and Japanese art (open Saturday by appointment only via the Musée Guimet website).
View Tours and Activities6 pl. d'Iéna, Paris, Île-de-France, 75016, France01–56–52–54–33Sight Details
Rate Includes: €11.50, Closed Tues. -
4. Palais Galliera, Musée de la Mode
Champs-ÉlyséesThe city's Museum of Fashion occupies a suitably fashionable mansion—the 19th-century residence of Marie Brignole-Sale, Duchess of Galliera. Inside, the exhibition spaces, now on two floors, focus on costume and clothing design (a recent retrospective, for instance, honored the visionary Coco Chanel). Covering key moments in fashion history and showcasing iconic French designers, the museum's collection includes 200,000 articles of clothing and accessories that run the gamut from basic streetwear to haute couture. Galleries at the garden level focus on fashion history from the 18th century to the present via pieces from the permanent collection. Details on shows are available on the museum website. Don't miss the lovely 19th-century garden that encircles the palace, a favorite spot for neighborhood Parisians to take a coffee and a book.
10 av. Pierre-1er-de-Serbie, Paris, Île-de-France, 75016, France01–56–52–86–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: €15, Closed Mon. and between exhibitions -
5. Aquarium de Paris
Eiffel TowerAn aquarium and cinema may seem like a strange combination, but the two coexist nicely in this attractive space beneath the Trocadéro gardens. In addition to 10,000 fish and a giant tank of small sharks, it promises puppet and magic shows, along with workshops for children in animation, art, and dance (these are offered in French, but the staff speaks English). There are also kid-oriented films showing on one big screen and, for the grown-ups, feature films playing on a second. Book tickets online to avoid lines.
5 av. Albert De Mun, Paris, Île-de-France, 75016, France01–40–69–23–23Sight Details
Rate Includes: From €20.50, Last entry 1 hr before closing -
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6. Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Champs-ÉlyséesMarcel Proust lovingly described the genteel elegance of the storied Champs-Élysées (pronounced "chahnz-eleezay," with an "n" sound instead of "m," and no "p") during its Belle Époque heyday, when its cobblestones resounded with the clatter of horses and carriages. Today, despite unrelenting traffic and the intrusion of chain stores and fast-food franchises, the avenue still sparkles. There's always something happening here: stores are open late (and many are open on Sunday, a rarity in Paris); nightclubs remain top destinations; and cafés offer prime people-watching, though you'll pay for the privilege—after all, this is Europe's most expensive piece of real estate. Along the 2-km (1¼-mile) stretch, you can find marquee names in French luxury, like Cartier, Guerlain, and Louis Vuitton. Car manufacturers lure international visitors with space-age showrooms. Old stalwarts, meanwhile, are still going strong—including the Lido cabaret and Fouquet's, whose celebrity clientele extends back to James Joyce. The avenue is also the setting for the last leg of the Tour de France bicycle race (the third or fourth Sunday in July), as well as Bastille Day (July 14) and Armistice Day (November 11) ceremonies. The Champs-Élysées, which translates to "Elysian Fields" (the resting place of the blessed in Greek mythology), began life as a cow pasture and in 1666 was transformed into a park by the royal landscape architect André Le Nôtre. Traces of its green origins are visible toward the Concorde, where elegant 19th-century park pavilions house the historic restaurants Ledoyen and Laurent. Soon, the celebrated avenue will once again live up to its name. By 2024, Paris plans to transform the avenue, drastically reducing automobile traffic in favor of expanded pedestrian walkways and hundreds of new trees.
Paris, Île-de-France, France -
7. Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine
Eiffel TowerThe greatest gems of French architecture are represented at the City of Architecture and Heritage, which occupies the east wing of the Palais de Chaillot. The former French Monuments Museum covers French architecture from the middle ages to the present and contains some 350 plaster-cast reproductions spread out over 86,000 square feet. Although this is a collection comprised entirely of copies, these are no ordinary ones: they include partial facades from some of the most important Gothic churches, a gallery of frescoes and windows (among them a stained-glass stunner from the famous Chartres cathedral), plus an assembly of gargoyles practically leaping off the back wall of the soaring first-floor gallery. Video monitors allow a 360-degree view of some of the grandest cathedrals. The upper-floor gallery has been devoted to architecture since 1851, with a life-size replica of a postwar apartment in Marseille designed by the urban-planning pioneer Le Corbusier. It's well worth picking up the free English audiovisual guide. When you're ready for a break, the museum's small café offers a great view of the Eiffel Tower.
View Tours and Activities1 pl. du Trocadéro, Paris, Île-de-France, 75016, France01–58–51–52–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: €9; €12 with temporary exhibits, Closed Tues. -
8. Grand Palais
Champs-ÉlyséesWith its curved-glass roof and gorgeous Belle Époque ornamentation, you can't miss the Grand Palais whether you're approaching from the Seine or the Champs-Élysées. It forms an elegant duo with the Petit Palais across Avenue Winston Churchill. Both stone buildings, adorned with mosaics and sculpted friezes, were built for the 1900 World's Fair and, like the Eiffel Tower, were not intended to be permanent. That's why, after 120 years of wear and tear, the graceful yet delicate structure is currently closed for renovation, with plans for the galleries and central nave to reopen in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics (and a full reopening is scheduled for 2025). The good news is you'll still be able to enjoy the Palais's world-class cultural, fashion, and sporting events—as well as some Olympic events—at the Grand Palais Éphémère, a soaring temporary structure set on the Champs de Mars, the long grassy park that fronts the Eiffel Tower.
View Tours and ActivitiesAv. Winston Churchill, Paris, Île-de-France, 75008, France01–40–13–48–00 -
9. La Maison Baccarat
Champs-ÉlyséesPlaying on the building's Surrealist legacy, designer Philippe Starck brought an irreverent Alice in Wonderland approach to the HQ and museum of the venerable Baccarat crystal firm: Cocteau, Dalí, Buñuel, and Man Ray were all frequent guests of the mansion's onetime owner, Countess Marie-Laure de Noailles. At the entrance, talking heads are projected onto giant crystal urns, and a lighted chandelier is submerged in an aquarium. Upstairs, the museum features masterworks created by Baccarat since 1764, including soaring candlesticks made for Czar Nicholas II and the perfume flacon Dalí designed for Schiaparelli. Don't miss the rotunda's "Alchemy” section by Gérard Garouste, showcasing the technical history of cutting, wheel engraving, enameling, and gilding. If you’re in the mood for shopping, contemporary crystal by top-name designers as well as stemware, vases, tableware, jewelry, chandeliers, and even furniture are sold in the on-site shop. Set aside a few moments to enjoy the little park just outside in the Place des États-Unis with impressive statues of Washington and Lafayette. The spectacular Crystal Room restaurant, decked out with the house's colorful crystal vases and dinnerware and crowned by a majestic 157-light Baccarat chandelier, is a lovely place for lunch, dinner, teatime, or a drink in the outdoor Garden Lounge.
11 pl. des États-Unis, Paris, Île-de-France, 75116, France01–40–22–11–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10, Closed Sun. and Mon. -
10. Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Champs-ÉlyséesAlthough the city's modern art museum hasn't generated a buzz comparable to that of the Centre Georges Pompidou, visiting can be a more pleasant experience because it draws fewer crowds. The Art Deco building's vast, white-walled galleries make an ideal backdrop for temporary exhibitions of 20th-century art and postmodern installation projects. The permanent collection on the lower floor takes over where the Musée d'Orsay leaves off, chronologically speaking: among the earliest works are Fauve paintings by Maurice de Vlaminck and André Derain, followed by Pablo Picasso's early experiments in Cubism. Other highlights include works by Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Chagall, Matisse, Rothko, and Modigliani. The museum also organizes excellent temporary exhibitions that rarely come with crowds. The museum's restaurant, Forest, is a lovely choice for lunch or dinner, and in warm weather, it's a prime spot for Eiffel Tower views on the Palais de Tokyo's sprawling terrace.
11 av. du Président Wilson, Paris, Île-de-France, 75016, France01–53–67–40–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free; from €7 for temporary exhibitions, Closed Mon. -
11. Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris
Champs-ÉlyséesAs elegant and stylish as the master couturier's groundbreaking designs, this museum is housed in the very mansion where Yves Saint Laurent did his work and entertained celebrity clients. More than 50 prototypes—including such landmarks as the Mondrian dress, the original pantsuit, and the woman's tuxedo—are on display at any one time, as are dozens of design drawings and a glittering array of jewelry. Thanks to its huge windows, the light-bathed upstairs atelier, stuffed with books and fabrics, offers an intimate glimpse into YSL's world. Be sure not to miss the touching short film detailing the relationship between Saint Laurent and his longtime partner Pierre Bergé. All of the exhibits have detailed English labeling, and there is a free English guide available at reception.
5 av. Marceau, Paris, Île-de-France, 75016, France01–44–31–64–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10, Last entry 45 mins before closing, Closed Mon. -
12. Palais de Tokyo
Champs-ÉlyséesThe go-to address for some of the city's liveliest exhibitions, the Palais de Tokyo is a stripped-down venue that spotlights provocative, ambitious contemporary art. There is no permanent collection: instead, cutting-edge temporary shows are staged in a cavernous space reminiscent of a light-filled industrial loft. The programming extends to performance art, concerts, readings, and fashion shows. Night owls will appreciate the midnight closing. The museum's chic Bambini trattoria and cocktail bar—serving delicious authentic Italian cuisine and Neapolitan-style pizzas—is a regular haunt for locals, especially for cocktails, dinner, and late-night cravings thanks to its wraparound terrace and Eiffel Tower views. But there's also a small café area at the restaurant entrance for a quick bite and glass of wine or cup of coffee if you don't feel like a sit-down meal. Visit the offbeat bookshop for colorful souvenirs that are as edgy and subversive as the exhibits.
View Tours and Activities13 av. du Président Wilson, Paris, Île-de-France, 75016, France01–81–97–35–88Sight Details
Rate Includes: €12, Closed Tues. -
13. Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris
Champs-ÉlyséesThe "little" palace has a small overlooked collection of excellent paintings, sculpture, and objets d'art, with works by Monet, Gauguin, and Courbet, among others. Temporary exhibitions, beefed up in recent years (and occasionally free), are particularly good. The building, like the Grand Palais across the street, is an architectural marvel of marble, glass, and gilt built for the 1900 World's Fair, with impressive entry doors and huge windows overlooking the river. Search directly above the main galleries for 16 plaster busts set into the wall representing famous artists. Outside, note two eye-catching sculptures: French World War I hero Georges Clemenceau faces the Champs-Élysées, while a resolute Winston Churchill faces the Seine. In warmer weather, head to the garden café with terrace seating.
Av. Winston Churchill, Paris, Île-de-France, 75008, France01–53–43–40–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free; €11–€14 for temporary exhibitions, Closed Mon.
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