UltimateCity Guide Paris
Our favourites
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

Where to eatWhat to see
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 resortThe Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratSister guideULTIMATE PropertyThe Left Bank, the Marais and the 16th: agents and how buying works in France

Paris, from the Seine to the butte of Montmartre

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: how the city grew along its river

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

All of 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 Invalides

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.

  1. Neighbourhood guideThe Champs-Élysées & Golden TrianglePalaces and couture
  2. Neighbourhood guideMontmartre & PigalleThe hill and the cabaret
  3. Neighbourhood 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 Gabriel
  1. ItineraryThe 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

The ULTIMATE letter

Paris in your inbox

An occasional email with new places, events, neighbourhood guides and our latest in-depth articles. No spam, ever.

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, from the Seine to Montmartre

A portrait of Paris today, then 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 HaussmannGaleries LafayetteChristmas in ParisThe tree under the dome and the windows of the boulevard HaussmannThe Eiffel Tower lit at dusk above the Seine and the Pont Alexandre IIIFeatureParis, the classic and the newGrandeur, style, the table and the city after darkLa Maison Rose on the rue de l’Abreuvoir in Montmartre in springFeatureParis on filmFrom The 400 Blows to Midnight in Paris

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.

  1. EatParisian CuisineThe tradition baguette, the bouillons and the bistro classics
  2. The back storyThe city of artMuseums, opera and the new foundations

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 TGV

The ULTIMATE City Guides around the world

See all Europe

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.

Canal houses and bridges in Amsterdamthe NetherlandsULTIMATE AmsterdamThe canal ring, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, canal-house hotels, twenty MICHELIN-starred tables, brown cafés, and day trips to Haarlem and Keukenhof.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.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.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.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.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.

See all 81 guides

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

The latest from our readers: visitors and Parisians on the bistros, the museums, the opera and the arrondissements.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    Palais Garnier (Opéra national de Paris)

    This week's pick

    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.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    The nave of the Musée d’Orsay, with bronze sculptures and the great station clockItineraryArt lovers’ Paris in a dayOne dayThe main hall of the Gare de Lyon in Paris, with the departure boardsItineraryBy rail: London to Paris by Eurostar, and on southThree days or more, by trainThe red-brick pavilions and fountain of the Place des Vosges in autumnItineraryA property viewing day: the Left Bank, the Marais and the 16thOne dayThe Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, with its chandeliers and gilded statuesItineraryA day trip: VersaillesOne dayThe grand staircase of the Palais Garnier, lit by its bronze lampsItineraryThree days in Paris, with three great dinnersThree days

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1Bistros, bouillons and nine three-star tables: how Paris eatsParis · In depth
    2. 2Parisian CuisineParis · In depth: food
    3. 3ÉpicureLe Bristol · Fine dining
    See all 79

    Cafés

    1. 1Café de FloreSaint-Germain · Café
    2. 2Les Deux MagotsSaint-Germain · Café
    3. 3AngelinaRue de Rivoli · Tea room
    See all 9

    Bars

    1. 1Bar HemingwayPlace Vendôme · Hotel bar
    2. 2Little Red DoorMarais · Cocktail bar
    3. 3CandelariaMarais · Cocktail bar
    See all 9

    Hotels

    1. 1From the Ritz to the Left Bank’s literary hotels: the grand hotels of ParisGolden Triangle · In depth
    2. 2Ritz ParisPlace Vendôme · Grand hotel
    3. 3Le MeuriceRue de Rivoli · Grand hotel
    See all 22

    Sights

    1. 1Paris on the Seine: how the city grew along its riverParis · In depth
    2. 2Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel)Champ-de-Mars · Landmark
    3. 3Notre-Dame de ParisÎle de la Cité · Cathedral
    See all 14

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1From the Louvre to the new foundations: Paris, the city of artParis · In depth
    2. 2Musée du LouvreLouvre · Museum
    3. 3Musée d’OrsayLeft Bank · Museum
    See all 38

    Parks

    1. 1Jardin du LuxembourgLuxembourg · Garden
    2. 2Jardin des TuileriesTuileries · Garden
    3. 3Jardin du Palais-RoyalPalais-Royal · Garden
    See all 6

    Walks

    1. 1The Seine quays: Pont Neuf to the Eiffel TowerThe Seine · Walk
    2. 2Île de la Cité and Île Saint-LouisThe islands · Walk
    3. 3Montmartre: the village on the hillMontmartre · Walk
    See all 6

    Shopping

    1. 1Galeries Lafayette Paris HaussmannOpéra · Department store
    2. 2Printemps HaussmannOpéra · Department store
    3. 3Le Bon Marché Rive GaucheSaint-Germain · Department store
    See all 11

    Health

    1. 1Emergencies: call 112France · Emergency numbers
    2. 2SOS MédecinsParis · Doctors on call
    3. 3American Hospital of ParisNeuilly-sur-Seine · Private hospital
    See all 9

    Property

    1. 1Haussmann apartments and the notaire: buying in ParisParis · In depth
    2. 2The notaireFrance · Official step
    3. 3Property information (service-public.fr)France · Official guide
    See all 7

    Developments

    1. 1Grand Paris ExpressÎle-de-France · New metro
    2. 2Notre-Dame de Paris restoredÎle de la Cité · Restoration
    3. 3The Centre Pompidou transformationBeaubourg · Renovation
    See all 5

    Motoring

    1. 1G7 taxisParis · Taxi company
    2. 2Taxis in ParisParis · Licensed taxis
    3. 3Crit’Air sticker and the low-emission zoneParis · Driving rules
    See all 5

    Getting Around

    1. 1Six great termini: Paris by rail, from the TGV to the EurostarParis · In depth
    2. 2Paris-Charles de Gaulle AirportRoissy · Airport
    3. 3Paris-Orly Airport and metro line 14Orly · Airport
    See all 9