We have both been to Paris many times and absolutely love visiting this beautiful city. The is something truly special about the 'City of Lights'. Of course, there is plenty to enjoy in the culture, restaurants and bars of Paris, but for the first (or many times) visitor, there are some must-see places.
France: Paris – the banks of the Seine
The banks of the River Seine through the heart of Paris are listed as UNESCO world heritage site due to the incredible architecture of buildings such as Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Grand Palais and the examples of outstanding town planning.
Our exploration of the River Seine started at the Pont de Sully, which crosses the river onto the Île de Saint Louis, which we did not do, instead, we headed further along the river to Notre-Dame de Paris. This medieval Catholic cathedral sits on Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River). The cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Sadly, in 2019 there was a terrible fire in Notre Dame that caused immense damage to the cathedral. On the positive side, the fire was put out before the building was completely raised to the ground. President Macron boldly declared that they would reopen Notre Dame in 5-years (2024). So, for our visit in 2022 all we could do was look on and imagine (we had visited several times before so that was quite easy.)
Not far from Notre Dame is the beautiful Sainte-Chapelle, a gothic chapel with impressive stained glass windows. The queues were long so we decided to continue on. Right next to Sainte-Chapelle is the Palais de Justice de Paris, a vast complex of buildings that are the heart of the French justice system. The streets around the main entrance to the court buildings were heavily guarded as they were in the final stages of the trial for the sole surviving terrorist from the devastating Paris attacks of 2015.
We left the Île de la Cité, crossing the Pont au Change, and continued our walk along the Seine, taking us past Pont Neuf, which dates back to 1578 and is the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris.
A short way from the Pont Neuf is the mighty Louvre, the most visited museum in the world, next to which is the Tuileries Garden; the site of a former royal palace that was destroyed during the French revolution. Today, the Tuileries are a large green space in the heart of Paris.
Across the Seine from the Louvre is the old train station, Gare D’Orsay, which is now an art museum displaying impressionist artists, such as Monet, Manet, Renoir and Van Gogh.
Continuing down the Seine you come across two more iconic buildings on opposite sides of the river.
The Grand Palais looks like a giant greenhouse but is actually an exhibition hall that was built for the 1900 Universal Expedition. Currently, it is closed for renovations and is expected to re-open for the 2024 Olympic games.
Opposite the Grand Palais, is Les Invalides, formerly the Hôtel National des Invalides, which houses several museums relating to French military history and a hospital for retired veterans.
Our final stop on our journey along the river Seine was the iconic Eiffel Tower. The tower sits on the Champ de Mars and was built for the 1889 World Fair. The Eiffel Tower is once again open for visitors to take journeys to the top, but we’ve done it once or twice before so we skipped it on this occasion.
Planning your trip along the river Seine
We decided to walk along the Seine from Pont de Sully to the Eiffel Tower. It is about 5.5km (3.4 miles), which took us around 2 hours with quite a number of stops along the way. The route is flat with only a few stairs, which can be avoided.
Another way to explore this part of the river is by a riverboat tour. There are several companies providing tours including Bateaux Parisien and Bateaux Mouches.
An alternative mode of travel is to use the Paris metro train system. The RER C Train has stops at St Michel Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower with other stations along the way, following along the Seine.
The best time to visit Paris
You’ll experience crowds from May to September, but encounter the most people in July (followed closely by June and August). We’d recommend visiting between October and April if your main objective is to avoid crowds. For the warmest temperatures, October and April are the best times to visit Paris sans crowds.
Other places to visit while in Paris
1. Musee D’Orsay
Housed in a train station built for the 1900 World’s Fair, the Musée d’Orsay is known throughout the world for its rich collection of Impressionist paintings including masterpieces as iconic as the Bal au Moulin de la galette from Renoir or The room at Arles de Van Gogh. Its collections include works of architecture, decorative arts and photography in addition to traditional artistic fields (painting, sculpture, graphic arts). They thus draw a broad panorama of French and European art from 1848 to 1914.
2. Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Embellished by several generations of architects, sculptors, decorators and landscape architects, it provided Europe with a model of the ideal royal residence for over a century.
3. The Louvre Museum
The Louvre, or the Louvre Museum, is the world’s most-visited museum, and a historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. At any given point in time, approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are being exhibited over an area of 72,735 square metres.
4. The Palais Garnier
The Palais Garnier, also known as Opéra Garnier, is a 1,979-seat opera house at the Place de l’Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III. It is also famous due to its use as the setting for Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera.
5. Château Fontainebleau
The Château de Fontainebleau is located in the small town bearing the same name and lies 40 miles (65 km) south-southeast of Paris by road. It has been the residence of 34 kings and two emperors, Fontainebleau is the only château that was lived in by every French monarch for almost eight centuries. With 1500 rooms, it is one of the biggest châteaux in France, and the most furnished in Europe.
Getting around Paris
The centre of Paris, where tourists are likely to spend most of their time is compact and easy to get around using a combination of public transport and walking. It also quite friendly towards cyclists. Below are some of the options for getting around this beautiful city.
The Metro
Paris Metro (Métro in French, Subway or Underground in English) is the fastest way of getting around the city. The underground system has 14 interconnected lines (and 4 others under construction) and is also linked with the other RER trains.
RER
The Paris RER is a regional train transport system connecting the centre to its surrounding suburbs. RER stands for Réseau Express Régional. The RER also complements the Paris Metro, giving Parisians and tourists a larger transport network in the centre of Paris. The RER also connects the city centre with Charles de Gaulle Airport, Disneyland and Versailles.
Paris City Buses
One of the easiest and most convenient ways of getting around Paris is by bus. The buses in Paris travel 60-day routes and 40-night ones.
Taxis
Paris has over 20,000 taxis (cabs) on its streets 24 hours a day. It normally isn’t hard to hail a cab, except after midnight.
Ride Hailing
Both Uber and Bolt ride-hailing apps work in Paris.
Batobus
Both Uber and Bolt ride-hailing apps work in Paris.
Cycling
With 1,000 km of bike paths and bike lanes across the city, Paris offers a great choice of cycling routes.
If you don’t have a bicycle there are plenty of places to hire one or use one of the bicycle-sharing options, the most popular being Vélib’
Eating in Paris
French cooking is full-flavored and varied thanks to the fresh ingredients and the country’s cultural diversity.
Traditional dishes
These are some of the traditional dishes that you can try in the restaurants of Paris:
- Foie gras: fattened duck or goose liver.
- Boeuf Bourguignon: known in English as Burgundy beef, is beef stewed in red wine.
- Escargots: snails.
- Croque-monsieur: baked or fried ham and cheese sandwich.
- Quiche Lorraine: savoury open pie made of eggs, cream and other ingredients such as bacon, cheese or different varieties of vegetables.
- Fromage: cheese.
- Coq au vin: chicken and vegetable casserole cooked in wine.
- Pot-au-feu: beef stew with vegetables.
- Brioche: pastry made of eggs, baking powder, milk and sugar.
- Tarte Tatin: thin caramelised apple pie.
- Crepe: thin type of flour pancake that can be filled with savoury or sweet ingredients.
- Ratatouille: stewed dish made of aubergines, tomato, courgette, peppers and basil.
French cheeses
France is one of the top cheese makers worldwide. Known by many as the country of 1,000 cheeses, it is possible to eat a different type of cheese every day of the year.
Walking around the city and especially its markets, visitors will be surprised by the quality and quantity of cheese available. The country produces over 400 different varieties.
Patisseries and pastries
Some of the most exquisite French foods are the bread, pastries and desserts. Paris has thousands of boulangeries and patisseries (bakeries), where visitors will be able to enjoy some of the most delicious sweet goodies just out of the oven.
We recommend all travellers to try the brioche and the renowned pain au chocolat, similar to a croissant, but with an oozing chocolate centre. A curious fact is that the famous croissant is originally from Austria, not from France.
When to eat?
Generally, the French eat quite early. Most restaurants in Paris open from midday until 3 pm for lunch and then from 7:30 pm – 11 pm for dinner.
Be that as it may, it won’t be difficult for tourists to find restaurants open for longer hours since Paris is a very cosmopolitan city and is used to tourism.
Prices
Although it’s not a cheap city, the prices of restaurants in Paris are not much higher than those usually found in the main European capitals.
Where to stay Paris
Paris is very spread out and its top attractions are far apart. If you want to find accommodation in the most elegant parts of the city, the best options are Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, the Louvre, and Opéra Garnier. If, on the other hand, you prefer a lively neighbourhood and want to enjoy the city’s nightlife, we recommend the Latin Quarter.
To summarize, we recommend finding accommodation on both sides of the Seine, from the Île de la Cité to the Eiffel Tower. These areas are safe, central and ideal to stay in.
More to Explore
