City guide
Paris is two banks and a hill: the Left Bank of gardens, cafés and universities; the Right Bank of palaces, grand avenues and the Marais; and Montmartre floating above both. The river ties them together — most first trips are really a negotiation between the tower in the west, the museums in the middle and the islands where the city began. Do it by bank and by altitude, one layer per day, and let the walking do the work: Paris rewards feet more than any itinerary.
Not listed here: opening hours, prices, closures and events. They change, so check them before you go.
23 places across 7 areas. Every fact links to its source.
Eiffel Tower & Invalides (7th)
The 330-metre iron lattice tower built for the 1889 World's Fair — Paris's defining landmark. The Champ de Mars and Trocadéro give the classic ground views; the top gives the city.
Indoors & outdoors · Best in the morning · 90–150 min (estimate)
Eiffel Tower & Invalides (7th)
The golden-domed complex built as a veterans' hospital, now the army museum — and, under the dome, Napoleon's tomb. A short, dense walk east of the tower.
Indoors · Best in daytime · 60–120 min (estimate)
Eiffel Tower & Invalides (7th)
The Beaux-Arts railway station turned home of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art — Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh under one great clock. For many visitors, Paris's most satisfying museum day.
Indoors · Best in daytime · 120–180 min (estimate)
Saint-Germain & the Latin Quarter
The neoclassical mausoleum on the Latin Quarter's hill, holding Voltaire, Rousseau, Curie and Hugo — with Foucault's pendulum swinging in the nave below the dome.
Indoors · Best in daytime · 45–75 min (estimate)
Louvre, the Islands & Le Marais
The world's most-visited museum, in the former royal palace on the Right Bank — the Mona Lisa and several civilisations' worth of art besides. A plan beats a queue: pick wings, not everything.
Indoors · Best in the morning · 180–300 min (estimate)
Louvre, the Islands & Le Marais
The Gothic cathedral on the island where Paris began, reopened after its post-fire restoration. Pair it with a slow circuit of the island's bridges and quays.
Indoors & outdoors · Best in the morning · 60–90 min (estimate)
Champs-Élysées & the 8th
Napoleon's triumphal arch at the hub of twelve avenues, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath and a rooftop view straight down the Champs-Élysées.
Indoors & outdoors · Best at sunset · 45–75 min (estimate)
Champs-Élysées & the 8th
The grand avenue from Concorde to the Arc — gardens and theatres at the lower end, flagship stores above. Walk it once, downhill, and let the side streets do the shopping.
Outdoors · Best in daytime · 45–90 min (estimate)
Montmartre & Pigalle
The white basilica crowning Montmartre hill, Paris's highest point — the steps below it are the city's grandstand at sunset.
Indoors & outdoors · Best at sunset · 45–75 min (estimate)
Montmartre & Pigalle
The red windmill of the famous cabaret at the foot of Montmartre, heart of Pigalle's neon nightlife strip. A photo stop by day, a show decision by night.
Outdoors · Best in the evening · 20–40 min (estimate)
None of them is “the best”. Each one gives up something to get something else.
The western essentials in one walk: up the Eiffel Tower early, across the Champ de Mars to Napoleon's dome, and east along the bank to the Orsay's clocks.
Simple rules over the places on this page. Nothing is generated, and every change says why.
Schematic map, not for navigation. Use “Open in maps” for directions.
All times are estimates.
The 330-metre iron lattice tower built for the 1889 World's Fair — Paris's defining landmark. The Champ de Mars and Trocadéro give the classic ground views; the top gives the city.
About 10 min by walking
The long green lawn running southeast from the Eiffel Tower — picnic grass, evening gatherings and the tower's best full-length portrait angle.
About 17 min by walking
The golden-domed complex built as a veterans' hospital, now the army museum — and, under the dome, Napoleon's tomb. A short, dense walk east of the tower.
About 18 min by walking
The Beaux-Arts railway station turned home of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art — Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh under one great clock. For many visitors, Paris's most satisfying museum day.
Before you decide
April to June and September to October are the classic windows: mild air, long-enough days and the city fully open. August is quieter as Parisians leave, but some cafés and shops close with them; winter is short-day and grey, though the museums and café culture carry it.
Fits walkers and museum people — tower mornings, palace afternoons, café evenings — who are happy to earn the city on foot. Still choosing vs Barcelona? /compare/paris-vs-barcelona.
This page shows places and day routes. To decide whether Paris fits you — against alternatives — add your origin, dates, budget, and what matters.
We only list facts that stay true. These change too often to show without a live source:
