Paris Tours &
Things to Do
Discover the best Paris tours, museum tickets, Seine cruises, food experiences, walking tours and day trips. Compare top-rated activities and plan your perfect Paris itinerary.
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Explore Paris by interest
Whatever brings you to Paris — world-class museums, the river, or a long lunch — start with the experiences travellers love most.
Museums & exhibitions
From the Louvre to the Orsay — reserved entry and expert-led tours.
ExploreCruises & boat tours
Seine sightseeing, lunch and dinner cruises past every landmark.
ExploreWalking tours
Montmartre, the Marais and hidden passages with local guides.
ExploreFood & drink
Pastry, cheese and wine tastings, market walks and bistro crawls.
ExploreShows & cabaret
Evenings at the Moulin Rouge, Lido and intimate jazz clubs.
ExploreDay trips
Versailles, Giverny and Champagne — easy escapes from the city.
ExploreFamily activities
Disneyland Paris, the zoo and hands-on workshops for kids.
ExploreRomantic experiences
Private cruises, rooftop dinners and sunset Eiffel viewings.
ExploreTop attractions in Paris
The landmarks that define the city — and the tickets and tours that get you in, often skipping the line.
Eiffel Tower
Paris's 330 m iron landmark on the Champ de Mars, with summit views over the whole city.
Louvre Museum
The world's most-visited museum and home to the Mona Lisa and 35,000 works of art.
Seine River
The UNESCO-listed waterway threading the city — best seen by sightseeing or dinner cruise.
Palace of Versailles
Louis XIV's vast royal château and gardens, a short trip south-west of Paris.
Notre-Dame Cathedral
The Gothic masterpiece on the Île de la Cité, famed for its façade and rose windows.
Musée d'Orsay
A former railway station housing the world's finest collection of Impressionist art.
Sainte-Chapelle
A 13th-century royal chapel wrapped in 15 soaring stained-glass windows.
Moulin Rouge
The original Montmartre cabaret, home of the French cancan since 1889.
Paris in 1 day
- 1Eiffel Tower summit at opening
- 2Seine sightseeing cruise
- 3Louvre highlights, skip-the-line
- 4Sunset over Trocadéro
Paris in 2 days
- 1Day 1: Eiffel, Seine & Louvre
- 2Notre-Dame & Sainte-Chapelle
- 3Day 2: Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur
- 4Evening cabaret show
Paris in 3 days
- 1Days 1–2: city icons & museums
- 2Musée d'Orsay & Latin Quarter
- 3Day 3: Versailles day trip
- 4Farewell dinner cruise
Paris with kids
- 1Disneyland Paris full day
- 2Kid-friendly Seine cruise
- 3Jardin d'Acclimatation
- 4Cité des Sciences workshop
Rainy day in Paris
- 1Louvre or Orsay, reserved entry
- 2Covered passages of the 2nd
- 3Galeries Lafayette dome
- 4Patisserie tasting indoors
Romantic weekend
- 1Private sunset Seine cruise
- 2Eiffel summit at dusk
- 3Montmartre & artists' square
- 4Rooftop dinner for two
35 min awayVersailles
The opulent royal château and its formal gardens — France's grandest palace.
1 hr awayGiverny
Claude Monet's house and the lily-pond garden that inspired his water-lily series.
Full day awayMont-Saint-Michel
The island abbey rising from the tidal flats of Normandy — a UNESCO icon.
1.5 hrs awayChampagne region
Reims, grand maisons and cellar tastings in the home of sparkling wine.
2 hrs awayLoire Valley
Fairy-tale châteaux — Chambord and Chenonceau — across the royal valley.
Full day awayNormandy D-Day
The landing beaches, American cemetery and museums of June 1944.
Know before you go
Short, straight answers to the questions every Paris visitor asks before booking.
The sweet-spot months
May–June and September–October hit the balance: comfortable 15–22°C days, long daylight and lighter crowds than peak summer.
Spring (Mar–May)
Blossom in the gardens, café terraces reopen and mild weather is ideal for walking. Easter and May public holidays get busy, so book ahead.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Long evenings, Paris Plages on the Seine and open-air cinema — but the hottest, busiest and priciest months. Choose early-morning entry slots.
Autumn (Sep–Oct)
A local favourite: golden light, gallery openings and thinner crowds, with mild weather often lasting into October and the best value of the year.
Winter (Nov–Feb)
Festive markets, ice rinks and quiet museums. Cold (3–8°C) but rarely snowy, and the cheapest time to fly, stay and visit.
Events to plan around
Fashion weeks, the French Open (late May), Bastille Day on 14 July and the Christmas markets all spike demand — reserve well ahead.
One day
Enough for the highlights reel: the Eiffel Tower, a Seine cruise and the Louvre courtyard and Notre-Dame area. Skip-the-line tickets make it fit.
Two days
Add the Louvre or Orsay properly, Montmartre and a relaxed evening on the Left Bank — a long-weekend pace without rushing.
Three days
The sweet spot: major museums and landmarks plus one day trip to Versailles or Giverny, with time for a neighbourhood or two.
Four to five days
Slow down: add the Catacombs, a food tour or a second day trip, and explore the Marais, Latin Quarter and Canal Saint-Martin.
A week or more
Live like a local — lesser-known museums, day trips to Champagne or the Loire, and unhurried café mornings.
Travelling with kids
Add a half-day buffer: Disneyland Paris alone fills a full day, and younger children need a slower, break-friendly pace.
The Métro
Fast, cheap and reaching almost everywhere across 16 lines. A pack of 10 t+ tickets (on a Navigo Easy card) or a day travelcard is the best value.
On foot
The centre is compact and flat — many top sights are 15–20 minutes apart, and the riverside walks are part of the experience.
RER & trains
RER lines link the centre to Versailles, Disneyland and both airports; buy the correct zone ticket for these longer trips.
Buses & trams
Buses are scenic and use the same tickets as the Métro — handy for the river route and stops between stations.
Vélib' & bikes
The Vélib’ bike-share and growing cycle lanes make short hops easy in good weather, and e-bikes help with longer distances.
From the airports
CDG links to the centre by RER B or the Roissybus; Orly by Métro 14, the Orlybus or tram. Allow 45–70 minutes and pre-book transfers in peak season.
Eiffel Tower
Yes — lift queues often top an hour in season. Timed skip-the-line tickets guarantee your slot for only a few euros more.
The Louvre
Strongly recommended: timed entry skips the main security line, and a guide helps you find the masterpieces in the vast halls.
Catacombs
Almost essential — standby queues can run two hours and daily numbers are capped, so timed tickets are the reliable way in.
Versailles
Yes — a timed skip-the-line ticket saves the worst of the queue, which peaks on weekends and holidays. For the calmest visit go early or midweek; a Passport ticket also covers the gardens and Trianon.
When you can skip skipping
For quieter sights, or first entry on a winter weekday morning, standard tickets are often fine — save skip-the-line for the big three.
How much extra
Skip-the-line usually adds only a few euros over standard admission; guided versions cost more but include context and priority access.
Eiffel Tower summit
Summit lift tickets sell out days ahead in high season — book the earliest slot you can as soon as dates are confirmed.
Louvre timed entry
Reservations are required and popular slots go quickly, especially mornings and the first-Sunday discounts.
Versailles
Timed Château entry and the Passport sell out on weekends and holidays; pairing with a tour skips the longest lines.
Seine dinner cruises
The top-rated dinner and champagne cruises fill weeks ahead for weekends and around holidays.
Disneyland Paris
Peak-season and weekend dates sell out; pre-booked tickets with transport save time and often money.
Cabaret & food tours
Moulin Rouge and Lido shows and small-group food or wine tastings have limited seats and book out fast.
Seine cruises
Around €15–25 for a one-hour sightseeing cruise; sunset and small-group options cost a little more.
Museum tickets & walks
Roughly €30–60 for guided museum visits and walking tours, usually including skip-the-line entry.
Eiffel & dinner cruises
Expect €70–110 for Eiffel summit access and for dinner cruises with live music.
Day trips
Full-day trips to Versailles, Giverny, Champagne or Normandy run about €90–150 including transport.
Disneyland Paris
One-day park tickets start around €60–90; packages with round-trip train from Paris cost more but simplify the day.
How to save
Book online ahead, travel in shoulder season, and consider a Museum Pass if you will visit three or more sites.
Paris through the seasons
What's best, how busy it gets, and one booking tip for each time of year.
- Best for
- Blossom in the gardens, café terraces reopen and mild days are ideal for walking tours.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Book outdoor experiences early — spring weekends fill fast.
- Best for
- Long evenings, Paris Plages on the Seine and open-air cinema, but the busiest, hottest months.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Reserve Eiffel & Louvre tickets weeks ahead and choose early slots.
- Best for
- Golden light, gallery openings and fewer crowds make this a local favourite.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Great value on tours — shoulder-season prices return in October.
- Best for
- Festive markets, ice rinks and quiet museums; cold but rarely snowy.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Book a warm indoor mix — museums and dinner cruises shine now.