Paris

Paris

Paris is huge and grand, requires a lot of preparation, and deserves at least 4 days for your first visit. They say Paris is overhyped, but we continue to find it charming and exceeding our expectations – a wonderful city!

Logistics: Try to avoid bringing a car, and make all your bookings well in advance (hotels, restaurants, museums). Note that the museum pass can save time, but you still need to individually reserve an appointment for most venues – and the pass only covers a relatively small subset of museums. It’s going to be crowded just about everywhere. Using the public scooters was one of my favorite things (sadly now barred), but you can still easily rent bikes (Lime in particular, using the Uber app), a quick and fun way to get around.

Where to Stay: On our more recent trips, we’ve stayed in the Marais (charming, walkable, good shopping, lots of restaurants), and the 1st (quieter, grander, more convenient for most museums). I’d prioritize arrondissements 1, 3, 4, and 11 (rich in restaurants) for top neighborhoods to stay in as a tourist.

On our last trip we spent time in the 18th (Montmartre) – a place I wouldn’t want to stay in! We actually enjoyed ourselves, and took a very good voice map walking tour by Annie Sargent. But my goodness, does anyone survive living here anymore, with wall-to-wall tourists everywhere? A few hours were plenty; I’ll probably give it another 10-15 years before trying again.

Map view of sites here.

Paris is full of Gothic churches, admittedly not my favorite style. Prioritize Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle; everything else not particularly worth a detour, but stop in if in the area.

*Cimetière de Montmartre (Cimetière du Nord): it’s nice, but there’s only one entrance and it’s not well marked. We walked forever…
**Cimetière du Montparnasse: beautiful. Cold and involves a lot of walking.
**Cimetière du Père Lachaise: prettier, more interesting than Montparnasse. Great on a hot day – lots of shade available.
***Notre Dame: huge and impressive. As of 2026, parts of the exterior are still very much under construction, but the interior was open. The crowds are a bit off-putting (so many you circle the interior in a slow moving solid line), but it is a remarkable building. The new lighting stands out, and the clean whiteness of the stone.
**St. Augustin Church: worth peeking in to see the stained glass.
*Sacre Coeur (Montmartre): an impressive, relatively modern efficace aspiring for an old feel, with views over Paris. But given the pick-pockets and crowds, not a must-do.
***Sainte Chapelle: gorgeous, even on a cloudy day. Smaller than I expected.
**Saint-Eustache: impressive exterior, slightly run-down interior, interesting mix of old and new (Keith Haring altarpiece).
**Église Saint-Jean de Montmartre, built from 1894 to 1904, is notable for being one (perhaps the) first reinforced concrete church. It blends Art Nouveau aesthetics with Gothic structural elements – interesting, worth a stop. Not in incredibly good repair on the inside.
**Saint-Louis en L’ile: beautiful, if a bit oddly decorated, smaller church with accomplished stained glass and sculpture. Felt grand, yet intimate. In 2005, and still in 2022, under extensive reconstruction.
*Sainte Marie-Madeleine à Paris: cold and secular, feels like a government building.
The *Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis is an imposing edifice in the Marais, constructed between 1627 to 1641. I wouldn’t seek it out, though you’ll likely walk by it at some point. Has regular concerts.
**Saint-Pierre de Montmartre is the second oldest surviving church in Paris, after the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pres. It’s just next to Sacré-Cœur Basilica, and much more to my taste (Romanesque, of course). Construction began in 1133, though there are signs to indicate a church in the area dating back to at least the 6th century.The nave dates to the 12th century and most of the interior has been restored to retain a fairly authentic feel.
*St. Severin: fairly unremarkable, but impressive organ.
*Ste. Trinite Church: pretty setting, but not really worth visiting

*Arenes de Lutece: Roman ruins of the 2nd century arena. Not that interesting to look at.
*Bois de Boulogne: mixed. Bring a bike (and watch Gigi first). It’s pretty but very large and there are very aggressive prostitutes (male and female) lurking everywhere. Not safe at night. The Pre-Calatan gardens are nice, the Bagetelle gardens far better – but it’s really a hike to get to them.
**Eiffel Tower: way better in winter! Air quality is better and the crowds are less insane. Viewing the lights (on the hour, after dark) is worthwhile.
The ***Ferris Wheel next to the Louvre: do it at night! You can’t beat the views.
**Jardin des Tuileries: Pretty, a nice place to stroll in the summer or have a picnic.
**Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation: very somber and effective. A bit claustrophobic, as was intended.
**Parc Monceau: small and lovely. Great place to stroll on a sunny day.
**Place des Vosges: in winter, rather cold and uninviting. The garden of the adjacent **Hôtel de Sully is much more intimate, and a better place to stop. Note that as of Dec 2022, the garden is closed, presumably will be replanted in the spring.
***Promenade Plantee: LOVE this. Only do it on a sunny day – it’s the highline of Paris.

1st	*Conciergerie: former prison, historically important. Very large, limited appeal. I wouldn’t recommend a visit.
1st	The ***Hôtel de la Marine was originally the home of the royal Garde-Meuble, the office managing the furnishing of all royal properties. Following the French Revolution it became the Ministry of the Navy, which occupied it until 2015). The building was entirely renovated between 2015 and 2021, displaying the gorgeous restored 18th century apartments of Marc-Antoine Thierry de Ville-d’Avray, the King’s Intendant of the Garde-Meuble, as well the salons and chambers later used by the French Navy. This is extremely worth a visit, for the quality of the interior and the excellent, high-tech audio guide that brings the experience to life.
1st	**Louvre: completely overwhelming. Get a weekly pass and see it in 1 hour increments – and honestly, on your first trip, just skip it altogether.
1st	**Musee de l’Orangerie is justifiably famous, filled with Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings including Monet’s large-format Water Lilies murals. Do it once, and endure the lines and the crowds. It’s one of the better collections of one of my not-favorite genres.
3rd	**Musée d’art et d’histoire du Jaidaisme: grand, well-designed, elegant setting. Interesting artifacts, well-written overviews of sections. Primarily concerned with explaining what the rituals of Judaism are, with extensive props. Fairly light on the history part.
3rd	**Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (Museum of Hunting and Nature): one of the odder museums in Paris. It’s full of taxidermy and hunting art, with occasional more modern exhibits. The building is lovely (a grand former home) and the rooms are carefully curated.
3rd	*Musee Cognacq-Jay: pretty setting, but not really worth visiting
3rd	**Musee Carnavalet: after a major renovation, this History of Paris museum still feels massive and a bit overwhelming. Unlike my earlier visit, it is not empty of crowds – quite a busy place. It’s interesting, but I wouldn’t put this high on the list of must-dos for Paris.
4th	*Centre Pompidou: dramatic modern building with great views. It’s good, if you like contemporary art. (Reopening in 2030)*
5th	***Musee National du Moyen Age (Musee de Cluny): awesome. Beautiful building over looping the Gallo-Roman baths. I loved the book collection, tombstones and coffins, unicorn tapestries, wooden statues and carvings, and the jewelry collection.
5th	**Pantheon. Kind of interesting. I liked the neighborhood.
7th	*Hotel des Invalides: not my favorite (though Galen would love this – war/weapons museum)
7th	***Musee d’Orsay: one of the world’s best museums.
7th	**Rodin Museum: impressive grounds and collection. I didn’t love this as much as expected, but it’s a nice place to hang out on a sunny day.
7th	**Sewers Museum (Les Egouts de Paris): surprisingly interesting. Hot and smelly. Good overview of the infrastructure of the city.
8th	**Arc de Triomphe: fun to watch the car chaos from the top.
8th	**Musee Nissim de Camondo: fascinating place with great audio guide. The home was donated completely intact in the 1920s to be used as a museum. The family died in Auschwitz (later), which leaves an interesting sadness over the experience.
8th	***Musee Jacquemart-Andre: Excellent! Similar in scale and focus to the Frick.
8th	The **Petit Palais was built for the 1900 world’s fair, and today is the official Museum of Fine Arts of the city of Paris. It’s bigger than you might guess, with a diverse collection, from medieval artwork to contemporary paintings – some quite excellent. We enjoyed it. Main collection free; ticketed special exhibitions.
9th	**Musee Gustave-Moreau: an off-beat favorite. This was his home and studio.
14th	**Les Catacombes: cold, dark, and packed with bones. Very crowded (with tourists). Interesting.
16th	***Musee Marmottan: one of my favorite museums in Paris. Great building, great neighborhood, impressive collection. In addition to the extensive number of Monets, there were illuminated manuscripts, Manets, Degas, etc.
16th	**Musée de la Marine: full of boat stuff! This is a large and impressive collection: boat interiors, boat art, miniature boats, etc. If you like this sort of thing, it’s very worthwhile. Also as a bonus, it’s right at the Eiffel Tower viewpoint.
16th	**Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris: a small but worthwhile experience for fashion fans. It’s not at the scale or level of the Moroccan YSL experience, but they fit as a pair in rounding out the importance of his work.
16th	**Palais Galliera (Musee de la Mode et du Costume): small but very worthwhile; on my first visit they had exhibits on Japanese dress and western antiques. Lovely neighborhood.
16th	*The Wine Museum: skip. Smells bad and is expensive.

**Hotel Sookie was a very good choice (in the Marais). Rooms are tiny, but warm and well-appointed. If you want to be in the Marais, the location is very good, prices reasonable.

**Maison Armance was a delight. We had some hesitations about the location near Place de la Concorde (too stuffy? too close to the Louvre?) and couldn’t have been more wrong – it was incredibly central, a perfect spot for navigating the city. The surrounding streets are fairly quiet. Very friendly and helpful staff, comfortable and elegant (if a bit small) rooms with the feel of an apartment, good breakfast.

1st	**Le Bougainville is a wonderful throwback cafe in a covered historic shopping gallery – the kind of place you could easily walk right past and miss entirely. Very cute, and I hear the food is very good (we had a drink). A handy respite after a Louvre visit.
1st	**Aki Boulangerie appears on a lot of the recommended lists for Japanese-inspired pastries. It was good, had limited selection when we visited, a worthwhile stop if you’re in the area (Japan town).
1st	**Bar Omi is an extremely hip sushi spot, with counter seating and small booths. Bring a date, and not a party – the noise level is extreme and you’ll need to be quite close to hear a word. We were a bit annoyed by the crowd, but the food was excellent, and the service attentive. Book early, it’s a small space.
1st	**Cafe Marley: fun if someone else is paying. Overlooks the pyramid at the Louvre. Romantic, decent (if not great) food. Very elegant.
1st	**La Coupe d’Or is a nice little cafe in the 1st, in the midst of fancy shopping. Clearly popular with locals. I can’t speak to the food, but the wine was good and our waiter was the perfect mix of non-challant and flirty.
1st	**Juveniles: A very friendly wine bar and bistro. It’s tiny and packed, almost entirely with Americans, but the food and experience really is good.
2nd	**BO&MIE bills itself as a ‘Boulangerie Creative.’ They have several locations and do brisk business, with lines out the door. Everything we tried was very good and they cater to a very wide range of tastes, from beautiful desserts to flaky pastries to very toothy breads with nuts and fruit. It’s also a great place to seek out a wide range of coffee types in American style.
3rd	***Carboni’s: excellent! Small and regularly updated menu, handmade pasta, good wine list. Everything was perfectly done, setting charming, friendly service.
3rd	*Sacré Frenchy is fine, a brasserie catering to the tourist crowd. The servers are welcoming, it’s a cute space, and the menu is diverse. Execution is average.
3rd	**Terra bar à vins: just barely a two, though it wasn’t bad at all. In a city with this many restaurants, I wouldn’t go back. They’re doing a lot with a very tiny kitchen, trendy/creative small menu, and long wine list. The wines by the glass were pretty traditional, I was hoping for more range. Shared tables.
4th	*Le Sully comes up regularly on historic bests – a classic bistro dating back to 1917. It was fine, with appropriately surly staff, and not amazing food. I wouldn’t make a point of visiting. (Also note there are two Le Sullys in Paris, this is the Bd Henri IV location).
4th	*Le Temps des Cerises: very cute restaurant hidden in a quiet section of the Marais. I give it one star (typical menu, not particularly great execution), but Galen’s burger was very good. I wouldn’t seek this place out, but if you’re staying nearby, it’s cozy. (Also note this was featured in Season 3 of Emily in Paris, reservations are likely hard to get!*)
7th	**L’Ami Jean: a very compact space serving excellent, bouchon-style Lyonnaise cuisine. Very tasty. Packed with Americans.
7th	**Au Canon des Invalides probably doesn’t need a callout, beyond to say it’s right next to a perfectly framed view of the Eiffel Tower. Sit out front and enjoy watching everyone try to take their perfect photo.
8th	**Beefbar: A very designed space with a 19th-century, beautifully preserved Art Nouveau atrium. It’s all very elegant, and the food is interesting (meat heavy, mostly Asian-inspired but with creative fusion touches). Wine only at lunch, fancy cocktails available in the evening. Dress up, call ahead for a table in the atrium itself (though the other spaces are pretty too).
11th	**La Fée Verte: a decent brasserie in the 11th, not overly formal and well-executed classics.
11th	***Maison was delightful, with attentive service, tasty food, and a fun wine pairing with creative and natural options. The Michelin guide description is accurate: “Sota Atsumi, whose CV boasts lofty establishments such as Le Clown, Toyo, Michel Troisgros in Roanne, etc., transports diners with his Gallic cuisine imbued with modernity, served as a set menu composed of the best market-fresh ingredients. The fashionable dining area calls to mind a post-industrial loft with its gabled ceiling, huge central table d’hôte and open-plan kitchen (with a wood-fired oven), extended by a bar. Pleasantly casual vibe.”
11th	***Ober Mama: I really liked this place. Food was excellent (Italian), cocktails top notch (have the negroni!), service attentive and professional. Interiors are a nice modern/industrial mix. Clearly popular, with a long line out the door waiting for no-shows. Reserve in advance!
18th	**Au Cadet de Gascogne in Montmartre has a front-row seat to the tourism chaos. Good spot to have a drink and enjoy the show.
18th	**Chez Toinette (Montmartre): a cautious recommendation – it’s been 15 years since my last visit, but I had a lovely meal at the time.

***Deyrolle: amazing! A very old shop devoted to taxidermy. It’s gorgeous, almost a museum, worth going out of your way.
**Palais Royal: lovely, expensive shopping, pretty garden. Not very crowded.
**Place Vendome: lovely square filled with jewelers

Day Trips from Paris:

*Chateau de Vincennes: a former fortress and royal residence next to the town of Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris, alongside the Bois de Vincennes. It was largely built between 1361 and 1369, and was a preferred residence, after the Palais de la Cité, of French kings from the 14th to 16th century. I found it fairly forgettable, wouldn’t prioritize over other destinations.
See Chartres
**Versailles: About an hour by train from the Bastille. The Chateau is everything it claims to be – opulent, historical, beautifully preserved. It’s also massively crowded, and has long lines. I did enjoy the audio tour of the King’s apartments, the Grand Trianon, and the gardens in particular.
**Basilique de St. Denis: quite interesting, lower level dates to the 5th century. Packed full of tombs of Kings, Queens, and other royals. Abbot Suger’s west front and ambulatory dates to 1140–44. Traditionally the birth of Gothic; more accurately, the moment a Romanesque builder pushed rib vault, pointed arch, and buttress far enough that the wall could be dissolved. The west front itself is still substantially Romanesque in feel.