The Eiffel Tower lit at dusk above the Seine and the Pont Alexandre III The Eiffel Tower lit at dusk above the Seine and the Pont Alexandre III The Cour Napoléon of the Louvre and I. M. Pei’s glass pyramid lit at blue hour The Pont des Arts and the Île de la Cité at dusk, with Notre-Dame’s towers The white domes of the Sacré-Cœur basilica on Montmartre against a deep blue sky

The city guide to Paris, France

Best of Paris

The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, Notre-Dame reopened, the palace hotels of the Golden Triangle, nine three-star tables and the bouillons of the Grands Boulevards: Paris, checked place by place.

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

The red carriages of the Glacier Express crossing the stone arches of the Landwasser Viaduct below a snow-capped peakSister guideULTIMATE Rail JourneysThe story of the train, the great journeys and where to book themA cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, MontenegroSister guideULTIMATE CruisesLines, ships and itineraries, from river to expeditionThe Matterhorn in winter above ZermattSister guideULTIMATE Ski ResortsSeason dates, hotels, après and ski schools, resort by resort
The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratSister guideULTIMATE PropertyPrime neighbourhoods, agents, new developments and how buying works

Your trusted, one‑stop guide to Paris

Paris runs along the Seine from the Eiffel Tower to the islands of Notre-Dame, north to Montmartre and east to the Canal Saint-Martin. Here are the palace hotels and the 2026 MICHELIN stars, the cafés, bistros and bouillons, the Louvre, the Orsay and the opera houses, the parks and the quays, and day trips to Versailles, Giverny, Fontainebleau, Reims and Chantilly. We’ve checked every listing against the venue’s own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Paris on the Seine: the back story

In depth

Paris on the Seine

Paris·In depth

From the Eiffel Tower to Notre-Dame, the banks of the Seine are a UNESCO World Heritage site: how the city grew along its river.

Read the story

Arts + Culture

The Louvre and the Orsay, Monet’s Water Lilies, the Palais Garnier and the Philharmonie: a city where art and music are part of daily life.

The grand staircase of the Palais Garnier, lit by its bronze lampsArts + CultureArts & Culture in ParisMuseums, opera, theatre and film

Paris by neighbourhood

From the Louvre to the Canal Saint-Martin, each area has its own guide: palaces and arcades, literary cafés, the hill of Montmartre and the bistros of the east.

The Cour Napoléon of the Louvre and I. M. Pei’s glass pyramid lit at blue hourNeighbourhood guideThe Louvre & Palais-RoyalThe royal heart of ParisThe red-brick pavilions and fountain of the Place des Vosges in autumnNeighbourhood guideThe MaraisMansions and the Place des VosgesThe Café de Flore on the boulevard Saint-Germain, with its green-planted balconyNeighbourhood guideSaint-Germain-des-PrésLiterary cafés and the Left BankThe restored west front of Notre-Dame de Paris, with visitors queuing at the portals, 2025Neighbourhood guideThe Latin Quarter & the islandsNotre-Dame and the SorbonneThe Eiffel Tower seen from the Trocadéro under a blue sky with white cloudsNeighbourhood guideThe Eiffel Tower & the 7thThe tower and the InvalidesThe Arc de Triomphe on the Place Charles-de-Gaulle under a blue skyNeighbourhood guideThe Champs-Élysées & Golden TrianglePalaces and couture

On foot

Paris is a city for walking: cross the river on the Pont Neuf, and let the quays lead you from one neighbourhood to the next.

La Maison Rose on the rue de l’Abreuvoir in Montmartre in springNeighbourhood guideMontmartre & PigalleThe hill and the cabaretA lock and iron footbridge on the Canal Saint-Martin under plane treesNeighbourhood guideCanal Saint-Martin & the eastLocks, bistros and bakeries

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: entry, the airports and the métro, tickets for the big sights, and three days for a classic first visit.

The Arc de Triomphe on the Place Charles-de-Gaulle under a blue skyBefore you goParis essentialsEntry, money, etiquette and getting aroundThe main hall of the Gare de Lyon in Paris, with the departure boardsGetting aroundGetting aroundThe airports, the Eurostar and the métroThe Eiffel Tower lit at dusk above the Seine and the Pont Alexandre IIIItineraryThree days in ParisThe classic first visitThe grand staircase of the Palais Garnier, lit by its bronze lampsLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe arcaded façade of Le Meurice on the rue de Rivoli in late sunItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Ritz, Espadon and Le GabrielThe Samaritaine building, home of Cheval Blanc Paris, above the SeineItineraryThe Platinum weekendCheval Blanc and Épicure

Our advice

Book the big sights before you fly

Book a timed slot for the Louvre (closed on Tuesdays), the Eiffel Tower on its official site and Versailles on the palace’s own website. Notre-Dame is free: reserve a slot on its own site, usually from the day before. Paris essentials

Beyond Paris

Versailles, Giverny, Fontainebleau, Reims and Chantilly, all within reach for the day by train: palaces, Monet’s garden, a royal forest and the Champagne cellars.

The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, with its chandeliers and gilded statuesBeyond ParisVersaillesThe palace of the Sun KingMonet’s water-lily pond at Giverny, with weeping willows and the green Japanese bridgeBeyond ParisGivernyMonet’s gardenThe horseshoe staircase of the Château de FontainebleauBeyond ParisFontainebleauEight centuries of kingsThe west front of Reims Cathedral at dawnBeyond ParisReims & ChampagneCathedral and cellarsThe Château de Chantilly reflected in its moat under a blue skyBeyond ParisChantillyChâteau and stables

Our advice

Lunch, not dinner, at three stars

Several of the nine three-star tables of 2026 serve lunch: the same kitchen in daylight, often with the room at its loveliest. The restaurants

In depth: Paris’s back stories

Parisian cuisine, the Seine, the city of art, eating, the palace hotels, rail and where to buy: the stories behind the city.

The stained-glass dome of Galeries Lafayette Paris HaussmannChristmas & New YearChristmas in ParisThe lights, the windows and the musicA tray of golden croissants and chocolate-topped croissantsEatParisian CuisineThe tradition baguette, the bouillons and the bistro classicsThe Pont des Arts and the Île de la Cité at dusk, with Notre-Dame’s towersThe back storyParis on the SeineThe UNESCO banksThe grand staircase of the Palais Garnier, lit by its bronze lampsThe back storyThe city of artMuseums, opera and the new foundationsThe Art Nouveau dining room of Bouillon Chartier MontparnasseThe back storyEating in ParisNine three-star tables and the bouillonsThe arcaded façade of Le Meurice on the rue de Rivoli in late sunThe back storyThe palace hotelsFrom the Ritz to the Golden Triangle

At the bakery

Ask for “une tradition”, not just “une baguette”: it is the loaf French law protects, made only with flour, water, salt and yeast.

The main hall of the Gare de Lyon in Paris, with the departure boardsThe back storyParis by railSix termini, the Eurostar and the TGVThe red-brick pavilions and fountain of the Place des Vosges in autumnThe back storyBuying in ParisNeighbourhoods and the notaireThe Eiffel Tower seen from the Trocadéro under a blue sky with white cloudsFun factsParis fun factsThings you might not know

By rail across Europe with the ULTIMATE guides

London by Eurostar, the Riviera by TGV, and the great train journeys of the world: Paris is a fine place to begin a journey by rail.

The main hall of the Gare de Lyon in Paris, with the departure boardsULTIMATE LondonLondonBy Eurostar from the Gare du NordA TGV inOui train under the glass roof of a Paris terminusULTIMATE French RivieraThe French RivieraSouth by TGVThe main hall of the Gare de Lyon in Paris, with the departure boardsULTIMATE Rail JourneysRail JourneysThe great train journeys

ULTIMATE City Guides: Europe & beyond

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

The Alhambra in Granada in the evening lightSpainULTIMATE AndalusiaSeville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.Visit the guide The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.Visit the guide The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open seaSpainULTIMATE Balearic IslandsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.Visit the guide The Sagrada Família lit up at nightSpainULTIMATE BarcelonaGaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.Visit the guide Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunsetSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.Visit the guide The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin against a blue skyGermanyULTIMATE BerlinThe Brandenburg Gate and Museum Island, the Philharmonie and three opera houses, the story of the Wall, and day trips to Potsdam and Dresden.Visit the guide The Royal Pavilion in Brighton under a blue skyEnglandULTIMATE BrightonThe Royal Pavilion and the piers, the Lanes and the North Laine, Kemptown and Pride, and the South Downs on the doorstep.Visit the guide The Romanian Athenaeum in its gardenRomaniaULTIMATE BucharestBelle Époque palaces, concerts at the Athenaeum, a buzzing food and coffee scene, and the castles and mountains of the Carpathians.Visit the guide The Hungarian Parliament lit up at night on the DanubeHungaryULTIMATE BudapestThermal baths, grand coffee houses, ruin bars and MICHELIN-starred dining on both banks of the Danube, with day trips to the Danube Bend and Lake Balaton.Visit the guide A cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegroships & regions)ULTIMATE Cruises (linesThe world’s cruise lines for every budget, from family resort ships to yachts, expedition ships and river boats, with the cruising regions port by port.Visit the guide Aerial view of the white sand spit of Ses Illetes and Llevant, the salt pans and, across the strait, Ibiza and Es VedràSpainULTIMATE FormenteraThe white sands of Ses Illetes, the lighthouses of La Mola and Barbaria, the craft markets and an island made for bikes.Visit the guide The Baie des Anges, NiceFranceULTIMATE French RivieraNice, Cannes, Antibes, Cap Ferrat, Èze, Menton, Saint-Tropez and Cassis: palace hotels, three-star tables, beach clubs, the Festival de Cannes and the painters’ coast.Visit the guide Blue domes of Oia above the Santorini calderaGreeceULTIMATE Greek IslandsIsland hopping made easy: Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Milos and the Cyclades, plus Crete, Rhodes and Corfu, with ferries, beaches, hotels and tavernas.Visit the guide Helsinki Cathedral above the South HarbourFinlandULTIMATE HelsinkiSuomenlinna and the South Harbour, saunas by the sea, Aalto and the Design District, two-starred Palace and day trips to Porvoo and Tallinn.Visit the guide The walls of Dalt Vila and the cathedral above the harbour of Ibiza Town, in late sunSpainULTIMATE IbizaDalt Vila’s UNESCO walls, Es Vedrà, three MICHELIN-starred kitchens, the beach clubs and the quiet north, 30 minutes from Formentera.Visit the guide Hagia Sophia and its minarets in golden evening lightTurkeyULTIMATE IstanbulTwo continents, one city: Hagia Sophia and the bazaars, Bosphorus ferries, meyhanes and rooftop bars, Sinan’s hammams and the car-free Princes’ Islands.Visit the guide Congress Square, Ljubljana, with the castle on its hill behindSloveniaULTIMATE LjubljanaSlovenia’s green, car-free capital of river cafés and Plečnik’s bridges, an hour from Lake Bled, the Julian Alps, the caves and the Adriatic.Visit the guide The Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower lit at dusk across the ThamesUnited KingdomULTIMATE LondonRoyal palaces and the Thames, great museums, West End theatre, grand hotels, and the restaurants and bars of Soho, Mayfair and the City.Visit the guide The Metrópolis building at the start of the Gran VíaSpainULTIMATE MadridThe Prado and El Retiro, the Royal Palace, DiverXO’s three stars and cocido since 1870, with day trips to Toledo and Segovia.Visit the guide La Seu, Palma’s Gothic cathedral, and the Almudaina above the old sea wall, seen from the Parc de la MarSpainULTIMATE MallorcaPalma’s cathedral and palace hotels, the UNESCO Tramuntana, Deià and Sóller, nine MICHELIN-starred kitchens, and Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.Visit the guide Valletta’s honey-coloured skyline, with the dome of the Carmelite church and the spire of St Paul’s, above the harbour at sunsetGozo & CominoULTIMATE MaltaValletta’s knights’ city, temples older than the pyramids, Caravaggio, seven MICHELIN-starred kitchens and the Blue Lagoon.Visit the guide Yachts in Puerto BanúsSpainULTIMATE MarbellaWhitewashed lanes and orange trees in the Old Town, the yachts of Puerto Banús, beach clubs on the Golden Mile and day trips to Ronda and Gibraltar.Visit the guide Turquoise water below the pine-topped cliffs at Cala Macarella, MenorcaSpainULTIMATE MenorcaA UNESCO Biosphere Reserve: the coves of Macarella and Turqueta, World Heritage Talayotic sites, Ciutadella and Maó’s great harbour.Visit the guide Monaco from above, Port Hercule and Monte-Carlo below the mountainsOur sister guideULTIMATE MonacoThe Casino and Monte-Carlo’s palace hotels, the Prince’s Palace on the Rock, superyachts in Port Hercule, Larvotto’s beach clubs and the Grand Prix streets.Visit the guide The Millennium Bridge over the MoračaMontenegroULTIMATE PodgoricaMontenegro’s relaxed capital of rivers and café terraces, and the gateway to the Bay of Kotor, Lake Skadar, Cetinje and the mountains.Visit the guide The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratOur sister guideULTIMATE Property (prime markets worldwide)Prime neighbourhoods, estate agents, new developments and how buying works, market by market across the ULTIMATE network.Visit the guide The red carriages of the Glacier Express crossing the stone arches of the Landwasser Viaduct below a snow-capped peakOur sister guideULTIMATE Rail Journeys (great train journeys worldwide)The story of the train, the great rail journeys of the world and where to book them, from the Orient Express to the Glacier Express.Visit the guide The Church of St John at Kaneo above Lake Ohrid, North MacedoniaOur sister guideULTIMATE Regions (editor’s letters & regional guides)Editor’s letters and the food, markets, nature and seasons each region shares, starting with the Balkans.Visit the guide The Sebilj fountain and the square of BaščaršijaBosnia & HerzegovinaULTIMATE SarajevoWhere East meets West at a line in the pavement: an Ottoman bazaar, Habsburg boulevards, Bosnian coffee and the 1984 Olympic mountains, with Mostar two hours away.Visit the guide The Matterhorn in winter above ZermattOur sister guideULTIMATE Ski Resorts (Europe & North America)Ski resorts in Europe and North America, country by country, for every budget: season dates, hotels, mountain restaurants, après, ski schools and getting there.Visit the guide The Warrior on a Horse fountain in Macedonia Square, Skopje, lit at nightNorth MacedoniaULTIMATE SkopjeA 15th-century stone bridge between a 21st-century square and an Ottoman bazaar, Kenzo Tange’s concrete city, Matka Canyon, and Lake Ohrid three hours away.Visit the guide The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, under a pink evening skyBulgariaULTIMATE SofiaRoman streets beneath the city, golden domes, warm mineral springs and a mountain at the end of the main boulevard.Visit the guide The restored Pyramid of Tirana under a blue skyAlbaniaULTIMATE TiranaAn Ottoman mosque painted with waterfalls, museums in bunkers, Blloku’s cafés and the Dajti cable car, with Berat, Gjirokastër, the Alps and the Riviera within reach.Visit the guide Rolling green hills and a farmhouse near Pienza in the Val d’OrciaItalyULTIMATE TuscanyFlorence, Chianti, Siena, the Val d’Orcia, Pisa and Lucca, Versilia, Bolgheri, the Maremma, Arezzo and Elba.Visit the guide Calatrava’s Hemisfèric lit at twilight, reflected in its poolSpainULTIMATE ValenciaCalatrava’s City of Arts and Sciences, the Gothic Lonja, paella by the sea, Las Fallas and the nine-kilometre Turia Garden.Visit the guide The tiled roof of St Stephen’s Cathedral and the rooftops of central ViennaAustriaULTIMATE ViennaThe State Opera and the Musikverein, Schönbrunn and Klimt, the coffee houses and Heurigen, and Railjets to Budapest every hour.Visit the guide St Mark's Church and its tiled roof on St Mark's Square, Zagreb's Upper TownCroatiaULTIMATE ZagrebCroatia’s elegant capital of cafés, museums and markets, and the gateway to Plitvice Lakes, Istria, Dubrovnik and the islands of the Adriatic.Visit the guide
The Grand Palace reflected at dawnThailandULTIMATE BangkokThe Grand Palace and Wat Arun on the river, the grand hotels of Charoen Krung, MICHELIN stars from street food to tasting menus, rooftop bars and the Thai islands.Visit the guide Hong Kong Island and the harbour at night from Victoria PeakOur sister guideULTIMATE Hong KongThe harbour from the Peak, the Star Ferry, Cantonese dining rooms with MICHELIN stars, dim sum in the lanes of Central and the museums of West Kowloon.Visit the guide An aerial view of a small island ringed by reef in the MaldivesOur sister guideULTIMATE MaldivesUndersea restaurants and overwater bars, Hanifaru Bay’s mantas, the whale sharks of South Ari, private islands and the little capital, Malé.Visit the guide The Taj Mahal Palace and the Gateway of India from the harbourIndiaULTIMATE MumbaiThe Taj and the Gateway of India, Marine Drive’s Queen’s Necklace, three UNESCO sites, modern Indian restaurants and day trips to Elephanta and the Ghats.Visit the guide The Lujiazui skyline lit up at night across the Huangpu RiverChinaULTIMATE ShanghaiThe grand hotels of the Bund facing the towers of Pudong, every MICHELIN star, Yu Garden, the two Shanghai Museums and day trips to Suzhou and Hangzhou.Visit the guide The towers of the Central Business District lit up at night, reflected in Marina BayOur sister guideULTIMATE SingaporeMarina Bay and Raffles, three restaurants with three MICHELIN Stars, the hawker centres, and the Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Visit the guide A caparisoned elephant in the Esala Perahera procession, KandyOur sister guideULTIMATE Sri LankaColombo, the ramparts of Galle Fort, the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the tea country by train, Sigiriya and leopards in Yala.Visit the guide Longtail boats on West Railay beach beneath the limestone cliffsOur sister guideULTIMATE Thai IslandsWinter sun on two seas: Phuket, Krabi and Railay, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta on the Andaman, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao in the Gulf.Visit the guide

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    Palais Garnier (Opéra national de Paris)

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    Palais Garnier (Opéra national de Paris)

    Opéra·Opera house

    The Opéra national de Paris season is under way at the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille: book on the Opéra’s own website.

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