15 Best Sights in Paris, France

Encompassing a trio of upscale department stores (Printemps Mode, Printemps Beauté-Maison-Enfant, and Printemps Homme), this vast, venerable retailer has been luring shoppers since 1865 and has lately upped its glamour quotient with a series of elegant storewide restorations. Besides the clothes, shoes, housewares, and everything else, there are appealing dining options here. Two floors of the main building (Printemps Homme) have been completely renovated and are now home to Printemps du Goût, a celebration of French cuisine. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can find the best of French foodstuffs on the seventh floor. But if you want to eat in style while taking in spectacular views, either from inside via floor-to-ceiling windows or outside on the wraparound terrace, continue on to the eighth floor, where noted chefs and food artisans—including master cheese-maker Laurent Dubois, chef pâtissier Nina Métayer, and artisanal baker Gontran Cherrier—oversee a gourmet cornucopia. You can also opt for a leisurely shopping break at La Brasserie Printemps, under the famous stained-glass cupola, or the magnificent terrace of restaurant Perruche, with 360-degree views over Paris. Shoppers will be pleased to know that Paris's grand department stores are now open Sunday.

The stunning Byzantine glass coupole (dome) of the city's most famous department store is not to be missed. Amble to the center of the main store, amid the perfumes and cosmetics, and look up. If you're not in the mood for shopping, visit the (free) first-floor Galerie des Galeries, an art gallery devoted to fashion, applied arts, and design; or have lunch at one of the restaurants, including a rooftop bar and restaurant in the main store—it has some of the best panoramic views of the city. On your way down, the top floor of the main store is a good place to pick up interesting Parisian souvenirs. Across the street in Galeries Maison, the gourmet food hall has one of the city's best selections of delicacies and several restaurants, including the elegant Maison de la Truffe lunch bar. Try a classic madeleine filled with pistachio or lemon at YC Café Yann Couvreur's popular teatime. The luxurious Bar Kaspia, under the main building's famous coupole, serves caviar and all things from the sea. Don't miss Duclot La Cave on Galeries Maison/Gourmet's first floor, where 2,500 bottles of wine from France and around the world are on display.

Wealthy Milanese banker and patriot Enrico (Henri) Cernuschi fled to Paris in 1850 after the new Italian government collapsed, only to be arrested during the 1871 Paris Commune. He subsequently decided to wait out the unrest by traveling and collecting Asian art. Upon his return 18 months later, he had a special mansion built on the edge of Parc Monceau to house his treasures, notably a two-story bronze Buddha from Japan. Reopened in 2020 after a yearlong restoration, France's second-most-important collection of Asian art, after the Musée Guimet, expanded its galleries to include objects never before displayed, widening the collection to include more works from Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Cernuschi had an eye not only for the bronze pieces he adored but also for Neolithic pottery (8000 BC), mingqi tomb figures (AD 300–900), and an impressive array of terra-cotta figures from various dynasties. A collection highlight is La Tigresse, a bronze wine vessel in the shape of a roaring feline (11th century BC) purchased after Cernuschi's death. Although the museum is free, there is a charge for temporary exhibitions: previous shows have featured Japanese drawings, Iranian sculpture, and Imperial Chinese bronzes.

Among the city's best small museums, the opulent Musée Jacquemart-André is home to a huge collection of art and furnishings lovingly assembled in the late 19th century by banking heir Edouard André and his artist wife, Nélie Jacquemart, when this was their home. Their midlife marriage in 1881 raised eyebrows—he was a dashing bachelor and a Protestant, and she, no great beauty, hailed from a modest Catholic family. Still, theirs was a happy union fused by a common passion for art. For six months every year, the couple traveled, most often to Italy, where they hunted down works from the Renaissance, their preferred period. Their collection also includes French painters Fragonard, Jacques-Louis David, and François Boucher, plus Dutch masters van Dyck and Rembrandt. The Belle Époque mansion itself is a major attraction. The elegant ballroom, equipped with collapsible walls operated by then-state-of-the-art hydraulics, could hold 1,000 guests. The winter garden was a wonder of its day, spilling into the fumoir, where André would share cigars with the grands hommes (important men) of the time. You can tour the separate bedrooms—his in dusty pink, hers in pale yellow. The former dining room, now an elegant café, features a ceiling by Tiepolo. Don't forget to pick up the free audio guide in English, and do inquire about the current temporary exhibition, which is usually top-notch. Plan on a Sunday visit, and enjoy the popular brunch (€32) in the café from 11 am to 2:30 pm. Reservations are not accepted, so come early or late to avoid waiting in line.

The story of the Camondo family is steeped in tragedy, and it's all recorded within the walls of this superb museum. Patriarch Moïse de Camondo, born in Istanbul to a successful banking family, built his showpiece mansion in 1911 in the style of the Petit Trianon at Versailles and stocked it with some of the most exquisite furniture, wainscoting, artworks, and bibelots of the mid-to-late 18th century. Despite his vast wealth and purported charm, his wife left him five years into their marriage. Then his son, Nissim, was killed in World War I. Upon Moïse's death in 1935, the house and its contents were left to the state as a museum named for his lost son. A few years after Moïse's death, daughter Béatrice, her husband, and two children were deported from France and murdered at Auschwitz. No heirs remained, and the Camondo name died out. Today, the house is an impeccable tribute to Moïse's life. Recent renovations have opened several rooms to the public, including some of the family's private apartments, the kitchen, scullery, and the servant's dining room. There's also a chic contemporary café with a lovely terrace set in the adjoining former garage.

Haunt of the Phantom of the Opera and the real-life inspiration for Edgar Degas's dancer paintings, the gorgeous Opéra Garnier is one of two homes of the National Opera of Paris. The building, the Palais Garnier, was begun in 1860 by then-unknown architect Charles Garnier, who finished his masterwork 15 long years later, way over budget. Festooned with (real) gold leaf, colored marble, paintings, and sculpture from the top artists of the day, the opera house was about as subtle as Versailles and sparked controversy in post-Revolutionary France. The sweeping marble staircase, in particular, drew criticism from a public skeptical of its extravagance. But Garnier, determined to make a landmark that would last forever, spared no expense. The magnificent grand foyer is one of the most exquisite salons in France. In its heyday, the cream of Paris society strolled all 59 yards of the vast hall at intermission, admiring themselves in the towering mirrors. To see the opera house, buy a ticket for an unguided visit, which allows access to most parts of the building, including a peek into the auditorium. There is also a small ballet museum with a few works by Degas and the tutu worn by prima ballerina Anna Pavlova when she danced her epic Dying Swan in 1905. To get to it, pass through the unfinished entrance built for Napoléon III and his carriage (construction was abruptly halted when the emperor abdicated in 1870). On the upper level, you can see a sample of the auditorium's original classical ceiling, which was later replaced with a modern version painted by a septuagenarian Marc Chagall. His trademark willowy figures encircling the dazzling crystal chandelier—today the world's third largest—shocked an unappreciative public upon its debut in 1964. Critics who fret that Chagall's masterpiece clashes with the fussy crimson-and-gilt decor can take some comfort in knowing that the original ceiling is preserved underneath, encased in a plastic dome.

The Opéra Garnier hosts the Paris Ballet as well as a few operas each season (most are performed at the Opéra Bastille). Tickets cost €10–€230 and should be reserved as soon as they go on sale—typically a month ahead at the box office, earlier by phone or online; otherwise, try your luck last-minute. To learn about the building's history, and get a taste of aristocratic life during the Second Empire, take an entertaining English-language tour (daily at 11 am and 2:30 pm, €14) or rent an audioguide (€5) and proceed at your own pace. To complete the experience, dine at Coco—an over-the-top Belle Époque folie recalling the glamorous 1920s and helmed by chef Julien Chicoisne—or browse through the Palais Garnier gift shop for ballet-inspired wares, fine Bernardaud porcelain depicting the famous Chagall ceiling, a jar of honey from the Opéra's own rooftop hives, and an exceptional selection of themed DVDs and books.

Commissioned in 1815, this neoclassical temple marks the original burial site of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. After the deposed monarchs took their turns at the guillotine on Place de la Concorde, their bodies were taken to a nearby mass grave. A loyalist marked their place, and their remains were eventually retrieved by the dead king's brother, Louis XVIII, who moved them to the Basilica of St-Denis. He then ordered the monument (which translates to Expiatory, or Atonement, Chapel) built on this spot, in what is now the leafy Square Louis XVI off Boulevard Haussmann. Two massive white-marble sculptures by François Joseph Bosio show the king and queen being succored by angels, while stone tablets below are inscribed with the last missives of the doomed royals, including pleas to God to forgive their Revolutionary enemies.

Considering that a daily dose of chocolate is practically obligatory in Paris, it's hard to believe that this spot (opened in 2010) is the city's first museum dedicated to the sweet stuff. Exhibits on three floors tell the story of chocolate from the earliest traces of the "divine nectar" in Mayan and Aztec cultures, through to its introduction in Europe by the Spanish, who added milk and sugar to the spicy dark brew and launched a Continental craze. There are detailed explanations in English, with many for the kids. While the production of chocolate is a major topic, there is also a respectable collection of some 1,000 chocolate-related artifacts, such as terra-cotta Mayan sipping vessels (they blew into straws to create foam) and delicate chocolate pots in fine porcelain that were favored by the French royal court. Frequent chocolate-making demonstrations finish with a free tasting.

More of a showroom than a museum, the small exhibit run by parfumier Fragonard above its boutique on Rue Scribe is heavy on decorative objects associated with perfume, including crystal bottles, gloves, and assorted bibelots. The shop is a good place to find gifts, like body lotion made with royal jelly, myriad soaps, and, of course, perfume. True fragrance aficionados can double their pleasure by visiting the Théâtre Musée des Capucines-Fragonard, another mini-museum nearby at  39 bd. des Capucines.

Hidden away in a small antiques district, not far from the Opéra Garnier, is Paris's central auction house, said to be the oldest in the world. Drouot sells it all: vintage clothes, haute-couture gowns, tchotchkes, ornate Chinese lacquered boxes, rare books, art, and wine. Anyone can attend the sales and viewings, which draw a mix of art dealers, ladies who lunch, and art amateurs hoping to discover an unknown masterpiece. Check the website to see what's on the block. Don't miss the small galleries and antiques dealers in the Quartier Drouot, a warren of small streets around the auction house, notably on Rues Rossini and de la Grange-Batelière.

A visit to the charming Museum of Romantic Life (recently reopened after a yearlong renovation), dedicated to novelist George Sand (1804–76), will transport you to the countryside. Occupying a pretty 1830s mansion in a tree-lined courtyard, the small permanent collection features drawings by Delacroix and Ingres, among others, though Sand is the undisputed star. Displays include glass cases stuffed with her jewelry and even a mold of the hand of composer Frédéric Chopin—one of her many lovers. The museum, about a five-minute walk from the Musée National Gustave Moreau, is in a picturesque neighborhood once called New Athens, a reflection of the architectural tastes of the writers and artists who lived and worked in the area. There is usually an interesting temporary exhibit here, too. The garden café (open mid-March to mid-October) is a lovely spot for lunch or afternoon tea.

If you like wax museums, this one founded in 1882 ranks among the best. Pay the steep entry price and ascend a grand Phantom of the Opera–like staircase into the Palais des Mirages, a mirrored salon from the 1900 Paris Exposition that transforms into a hokey light-and-sound show the kids will love. (It was a childhood favorite of designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who is in the collection, of course.) From there, get set for a cavalcade of nearly 300 statues, from Elvis to Ernest Hemingway, Picasso to the late Queen Elizabeth. Every king of France is here, along with Mick Jagger and George Clooney, plus scores of French singers and celebrities.

Visiting the quirky town house and studio of painter Gustave Moreau (1826–98) is well worth your time. With an eye on his legacy, Moreau—a high priest of the Symbolist movement—created an enchanting gallery to showcase his dark paintings, drawings, and sculpture. The recently refurbished first-floor rooms, closed to the public for more than a decade, now trace Moreau’s “sentimental journey”; their walls are festooned with family portraits and works offered by close friends and allies like Chassériau, Fromentin, and Degas. The two light-flooded top floors house Moreau’s vast workshops, where hundreds of paintings, watercolors, and more than 4,000 drawings give a broad overview of his techniques and subjects. Some of the pieces appear unfinished, such as Unicorns (No. 213) inspired by the medieval tapestries in the Musée de Cluny: Moreau refused to work on it further, spurning the wishes of a wealthy would-be patron. His interpretation of Biblical scenes and Greek mythology combine flights of fantasy with a keen use of color, shadow, and tracings influenced by Persian and Indian miniatures. There are wax sculptures and cupboards with sliding vertical doors containing small-format paintings. The Symbolists loved objects, and Moreau was no different. His cramped private apartment on the second floor is jam-packed with bric-a-brac, and artworks cover every inch of the walls.

French artist Jean-Jacques Henner (1829–1905) was a star in his day, and although his luminous nudes and clear-eyed portraits are largely forgotten now, the handsomely renovated 19th-century mansion-cum-museum stocked with his works is an interesting stop for art enthusiasts. Henner painted more than 400 portraits, including a substantial number sold in America, with a Realist's eye, yet there is much beauty here as well: witness Lady with Umbrella, a portrait of a fur-clad aristocrat with glistening blue eyes. Many of his soft-featured nudes betray other influences. Don't miss them in the light-filled atelier on the museum's third floor, where they share space with a series of religious paintings, notably the haunting Saint Sebastian and a stark portrayal of a lifeless Christ, whose luminescent white skin is offset by a shock of flaming red hair. There is some information in English.

This exquisitely landscaped park began in 1778 as the Duc de Chartres's private garden. Though some of the land was sold off under the Second Empire (creating the exclusive real estate that now borders the park), the refined atmosphere and some of the fanciful faux ruins have survived. Immaculately dressed children play under the watchful eye of their nannies, while lovers cuddle on the benches. In 1797, André Garnerin, the world's first-recorded parachutist, staged a landing in the park. The rotunda—known as the Chartres Pavilion—is surely the city's grandest public restroom: it started life as a tollhouse.