UltimateCity Guide Paris
Our favourites

The magazine

Stories from Paris, France

Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Paris City Guide, in one place.

Culture

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

Areas

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 SorbonneSunset over Paris and the Eiffel Tower from the Montparnasse Tower observation deckNeighbourhood 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

Practical

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 Coco Chanel Suite at the Ritz Paris, a white bed under a silk canopy and a crystal chandelierLuxury 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

Day trips

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 kingsReims Cathedral and the Palais du Tau from the eastBeyond 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

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 HaussmannA grey heron on a rowing boat on the Lac Inférieur of the Bois de BoulogneIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild ParisHerons, falcons and kingfishersFeatureParis, the classic and the newGrandeur, style, the table and the city after dark

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. FeatureParis on filmFrom The 400 Blows to Midnight in Paris
  2. EatParisian CuisineThe tradition baguette, the bouillons and the bistro classics
  3. The back storyThe city of artMuseums, opera and the new foundations
  4. The back storyEating in ParisNine three-star tables and the bouillons
  5. The back storyThe palace hotelsFrom the Ritz to the Golden Triangle

In depth

If you love the Marais…

Seven Paris neighbourhoods and their twins in our other guides, from Saint-Germain and Chelsea to the Canal Saint-Martin and the Navigli. Find your twin

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.