Paris: Your Destination Guide | Destination Guides
Visiting Paris for the first time?
Get the best views: no trip to Paris is complete without heading to the top of the stunning 324m Eiffel Tower. Stop off along the way to take in the views or have a drink at the top floor Champagne Bar.
Go Gothic: the 13th-century Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral is as gorgeous on the outside as it is inside, with original bells running down the nave to thecrypts beneath. Nearby is the lesser known but equally beautiful Sainte-Chapelle, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture.
Go shopping: in a city renowned for high-fashion, the Champs-Élysées and Avenue Montaigne offer some of the best shopping in the world, along with sights like the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde. Foramore boutique experience, try Rue de Passy or Rue de Rennes.
Devour the art: from the stunning glass pyramid in the courtyard to the Mona Lisa, a visit to the Musée du Louvre is a day out in itself. Cross the Seine to the Musée D’Orsay, which boasts seminal works from Manet, Monet, Cézanne and Renoir.
Visit the Palace of Versailles: this 17th-century palace sits on the edge of the city in some of the most beautiful gardens you’re likely to see. Famous for its Hall of Mirrors, get there early to avoid the queues.
Looking for something different?
Discover green spaces: the stunning Le Jardin du Luxembourg, and the Jardin des Tuileries are popular places to relax. For an alternative view, the green walkway, La Promenade Plantée, formerly a railway line,weaves its way above the streets through yards and viaducts.
Explore the Seine: whether you choose to walk its tree-lined banks alone or on an organised tour, there are few more romantic places than this river. Join one of the many river cruises to learn more about the city’s history.
Shop at Montparnasse’s markets: one of the arty neighbourhoods, it also has a number of great markets including the Edgar Quinet Open-Air Food Market in the shadow of Montparnasse tower. The Marché Parisien de la Création marketsells art of all kinds from paintings and engravings to sculpture and photography.
Go underground: there’s a lot going on under the streets of Paris– the Sewer Museum, for example, where you can tour a section of the network. Or you can try Les Catacombes, an atmospheric labyrinth of tunnels containing the bones of millions of people from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Pay your respects to luminaries like Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Jim Morrison and Balzac at the Père Lachaise cemetery. This sprawling necropolis is known for itselaborate monuments as well as its famous residents.
Want to go further?
With the Champagne region just an hour away by train, don’t miss the chance to try some of the world’s very best wine and enjoy the surrounding countryside.
The Parc de Thoiry, about 60km from Paris, offers a wilder side of France, with a safari ride in one of Europe's first animal reserves. Alongside the lynx and bears are a stunning chateau and 2km long maze.
Want to know a secret?
You might recognise the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore as it’s featured in a number of films including Before Sunset and Midnight in Paris. Opened in its current location in 1922, it sells English language books from its narrow shelves and was frequented by writers like Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce and Ezra Pound.
If you're feeling inspired, why not book your city break to Paris here