Paris

Paris sits on the River Seine, in north-central France. Around 2.2 million people live in the city of Paris, but this only represents the urban core within the Boulevard Périphérique. There are some 10 million people in the wider Métropole du Grand Paris (814 km2) and almost 13 million people living in the metropolitan area, making this one of Europe's largest.

Due to high expectations, a tight schedule, and language barriers, not to mention the large crowds and long lines at certain attractions during high season, the city also disappoints some visitors. Foreign visitors who have an idealized view of Paris might be shocked by the typical challenges of visiting any large city. They expect romance, beauty, and luxury, but they find street crime, traffic noise, pollution, garbage, and relatively high costs. In the worst case, visitors might experience the Paris syndrome, which is a state of severe culture shock and anxiety – sometimes, severe enough that it even results in a psychiatric emergency that requires hospitalization.

To enjoy the wonders of Paris, make realistic plans. The number of attractions and landmarks is overwhelming; visiting only the most famous ones (which are overcrowded during major holidays) can be time-consuming. The city also has more to offer for people who take time for a calm stroll along the back streets. If your time in the city is short, be selective, and save some attractions for your next visit.

Paris je t'aime. The website of the tourist office. (updated Jan 2024)

SPOT24, 101 quai Jacques Chirac, Paris 15th (Metro: Bir-Hakeim (line 6); RER: Champ-de-Mars—Tour Eiffel (line C); Vélib': station 7023). Daily 10:00-18:00. The City of Paris welcome centre also has an exhibition and shop. (updated Jan 2024)

History

Paris started life as the Celto-Roman settlement of Lutetia on the Île de la Cité, the island in the Seine now occupied by the Cathédrale de Notre Dame. It takes its present name from the name of the dominant Gallo-Celtic tribe in the region, the Parisii. At least that's what the Romans called them, when they showed up in 52 BCE and established their city Lutetia on the left bank of the Seine, in what is now called the "Latin Quarter" in the 5th arrondissement.

The Romans held out here for as long as anywhere else in the Western Empire, but by 508 CE they were gone, replaced by Clovis of the Franks, who is considered by the French to have been their first ki…

Charles de Gaulle Airport

1 Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG IATA), is the primary airport. Colloquially known as Roissy Airport, it is north of the city and is used mainly for long haul flights. The airport consists of three terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, connected by the CDGVAL people mover. It is connected to Paris by train, bus and taxi. See Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport for details.

RER line B serves central Paris and is the fastest and most economical option for most travellers. Most trains will stop at each station along the way to Paris. Express trains with fewer stops are available during off-peak hours. Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Luxembourg, Port-Royal, Denfert-Rochereau and Cité Universitaire are always served. A full-fare single ticket is €14 and trains run every 10 minutes. Your ticket will allow you to transfer to the Métro and other RER lines to complete your journey.

If you arrive at night you'll need a Noctilien bus to get to the city centre. The buses you'll need are N140 or N143. The buses leave every 30 min after 00:30.

This map shows you how you connect from the airport to the city.

Orly Airport

2 Paris Orly Airport (ORY IATA), is the secondary airport. It is south of the city and is used mainly by Air France for domestic departures, and for several international departures, mostly towards destinations around the Mediterranean. The airport consists of four terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3 and Terminal 4, connected by the Orlyval people mover. It is connected to Paris by Métro, train, tram, bus and taxi. See Paris Orly Airport for details.

Métro line 14 serves central Paris and is the fastest and most economical option for most travellers. A full-fare single ticket is €14 and trains run every 5 minutes. Your ticket will allow you to transfer to the RER and other Métro lines to complete your journey.

Orlyval people mover runs from the airport to Antony for onward connections to the city via RER line B. A full-fare single ticket is €14 and people movers run every 6 min. Journey time from the airport to Antony is 6 minutes.

Tram line T7 runs from the airport to La Fraternelle for onward connections to the city via RER line C. A full-fare single ticket is only €2.05 and trams run every 10 min. Journey time from the airport to La Fraternelle is 8 minutes.

If you arrive at night you'll need a Noctilien bus to get to the city centre. The buses you'll need are N22, N31, N131 or N144. The buses leave every 60 min after 00:30.

This map shows you how you connect from the airport to the city.

Beauvais–Tillé Airport

3 Beauvais–Tillé Airport (BVA IATA). 85 km (53 mi) northwest of central Paris, this airport is used by some low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and WizzAir. The airport operates a shuttle service to the Métro at Porte Maillot station. Buses run as early as 06:00. Buses leave 20 min after each flight arrives, and a few hours before each flight departs. A schedule can be found on the Beauvais Airport website. The journey will take about an hour in good traffic conditions, and costs €16.9 each way (Online) or €18 each way (Physically); there is no reduced price for children over the age of 2 years. Unless you hire a car this is t…

By public transport

Paris has an excellent public transport system that spans every inch of the city. It is well-known for its Métro (short for Chemin de fer métropolitain, "Metropolitan Railway"), RER (short for Réseau Express Régional, "Regional Express Network,"), and Transilien rail networks. The Métro, RER and Transilien are complemented by a large network of trams and buses.

Île-de-France Mobilités is the authority that controls and coordinates the different transport companies operating in the Île-de-France region, including Paris. The website and app can be used to plan journeys, track services, and purchase tickets.

RATP operates the Métro, trams, buses, and about half of the RER A and B. SNCF operates the rest of the RER, as well as the Transilien. Both companies take the same tickets, so the difference is of little interest for most people except in case of strikes. For example, RATP may strike without SNCF doing so or the other way around.

The Métro and RER move staggering numbers of people into, out of, and around Paris (6.75 million people per day on average), and most of the time in reasonable comfort. However, certain lines are operating at or near capacity, sometimes being so full that you'll have to let one or two trains pass before being able to board. If you can help it, avoid Métro lines 1, 4, and 13 and RER line A and B during rush hours as these are the most congested lines in the system.

Strikes, breakdown and construction are regular occurrences on the Paris public transit system. Generally during a strike, the Métro operates with reduced service and some RER lines may stop operating altogether. Visit the RATP or SNCF websites for information on which routes are affected. Beware that real-time traffic information and construction announcements are often available only on the French-language version.

By Métro

Look for the Métro stations, marked with a large "M" sign or with an old-styled sign saying "Métropolitain".

There are 16 Métro lines (lignes) (1-14, 3bis, and 7bis) on which trains travel all day at intervals of a few minutes. Trains usually come 2–3 minutes apart during rush hour and 5–10 minutes apart during other times, depending on the line. The service starts on each end of every line at 05:30, and the last Métro arrives on each end at 01:15 (service ends an hour later on Friday and Saturday nights, and the day before a holiday), stopping at all stations on the line. Some lines have rare trains that terminate at an intermediate station; if that happens, get off the train with the rest of the crowd and board the next train on the same track or on the other side of the platform (the driver will usually make an announcement in French). Lines 7 and 13 have a fork, so if you take line 13 north of La Fourche or line 7 south of Maison Blanche, make sure to board the train for the correct destination which is indicated by a lit arrow on the sign in the middle of the platform and on colour-coded binders in each carriage. Times for trains can be seen on an electronic scroll board above the platform. Scheduled times for first and last trains are posted in each station on the centre sign. Generally, except for early and late hours, travellers should not worry about specific Métro train times; just get to your station and take the next train.

Highlights are listed below. Detailed information can be found on each individual district page (click on the name of the sight).

Landmarks

1 Eiffel Tower. No other monument better symbolizes Paris.

2 Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. The Arc de Triomphe exudes grandeur and offers a central view of the city.

3 Champs-Élysées. Widely regarded to be one of the most recognizable avenues in the world (updated Jun 2018)

4 Notre Dame Cathedral. Impressive Gothic cathedral that was the inspiration for Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

5 Sacré Coeur. A church perched on top of the highest point in Paris. Behind the church is the artists' area, in front are spectacular views of the whole city.

6 Opera Garnier. Masterpiece of theatre architecture of the 19th century built by Charles Garnier and inaugurated in 1875 housing the Paris Opera since it was founded by Louis XIV.

7 Catacombes de Paris. Used to store the exhumed bones from the overflowing Paris cemetery. The bones of more than 6 million bodies lie here.

8 Grande Arche de la Défense. A modern office-building variant of the Arc de Triomphe.

9 Panthéon. Underneath, the final resting place for the great heroes of the French Republic including Voltaire, Victor Hugo, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie; above, a marvellous view of the city. (updated May 2023)

10 Père-Lachaise Cemetery. Unlike any cemetery in the world. Ornate grave stones, monuments set among tree lined lanes. See the graves of Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and Frédéric Chopin, among many others.

11 Sainte-Chapelle. Exquisite stained glass chapel. More beautiful interior than the gloomy Notre Dame Cathedral.

Museums and galleries

All national museums and monuments are free for all every first Sunday of the month.

12 The Louvre. One of the finest museums in the world of art and culture. Home of the Mona Lisa and innumerable others. Enormous building and collection, plan at least two visits..

13 Musée d'Orsay. Incredible collection housed in a former railway station. Works by the great artists of the 19th century (1848-1914) including Monet's "Blue Water Lilies, Renoir's "Bal du moulin de la Galette", van Gogh's "Bedroom in Arles", Whistler's "The Artists Mother", etc.

14 Rodin Museum. Collection and archives dedicated to the sculptor Auguste Rodin, in a charming home with garden.

15 Picasso Museum. Contains the master's own collection.

16 Musée Marmottan-Monet. Over 300 paintings of Claude Monet. Also, the works of Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. "Impression Soleil Levant" by Monet is on display.

17 Musée de l'Orangerie. [Jardin des Tuileries] Houses "The Water Lilies" (or "Nymphéas") - a 360 degree depiction of Monet's flower garden at Giverny. Also, impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings by Cézanne, Matisse, Modigliani, Picasso, Renoir, Rousseau, Soutine, Sisley and others.

18 Musée Delacroix. Housed in the home of painter Eugène Delacroix.

19 Centre Georges Pompidou. The museum of modern art. The building and adjoining Stravinsky Fountain are attractions in themselves. Closed for renovation until 2030.

20 Les Invalides. Very impressive museum of arms and armor from the Middle Ages to today. Also contains the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte.

21 Musée national du Moyen Âge. A medieval museum exhibiting the five "The Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries, housed in a part Roman, part medieval building.

Sports

1 French Open (Roland Garros). One of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments. It is scheduled for two weeks from the last Sunday in May. The event, on clay courts, features the world’s top-ranked tennis players.

Football: 2 Paris Saint-Germain play soccer in Ligue 1, the top tier, and often win it. But don't head for the central district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés! PSG play at Parc des Princes Stadium in the 16th arrondissement south of Bois de Boulogne. The club name derives from Saint-Germain-en-Laye 20 km west.

Paris FC have long been the poor relations, but in 2025 were promoted to Ligue 1. They play at Stade Charléty on the peripherique in the 13th arrondissement.

3 Stade de France (RER train D). France's national stadium has a capacity of 81,338, and hosts concerts and various events. Soccer clubs sometimes play here when their home stadium is unavailable.

Rugby: two clubs play rugby union (15 a side) in Top 14, the top tier:

Racing play at La Défense Arena (or U Arena) in Nanterre.

Stade Français play big games at Stade de France and others at Stade Jean-Bouin, next to Parc de Princes the PSG soccer stadium.

Events

It seems like there's almost always something happening in Paris, with the possible exceptions of the school holidays in August and February, when about half of Parisians are to be found not in Paris, but in the South of France or the Alps respectively. The busiest season is probably the fall, from a week or so after la rentrée scolaire or "back to school" to around Noël (Christmas) theatres, cinemas and concert halls book their fullest schedule of the year.

Good listings of current cultural events in Paris can be found in Pariscope or Officiel des spectacles, weekly magazines listing all concerts, art exhibitions, films, stage plays and museums. Available from all kiosks. Timeout is a good option for tourists, who don't speak French.

Even so, there are a couple of annual events in the winter, starting with a furniture and interior decorating trade fair called Maison & Object in January.

In February le nouvel an chinois (Chinese New Year) is celebrated in Paris as it is in every city with a significant Chinese and Vietnamese population. There are parades in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements and especially in the Quartier Asiatique (Asian Quarter) in the 13th south of Place d'Italie. Also in February is the Six Nations Rugby Tournament which brings together France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy.

The International Agricultural Show (Salon Internationale de l'Agriculture) usually takes place over a week around the end of February/beginning of March at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre. It is unmissable (not just for tourists but also French politicians wanting to appear in touch with rural France), and showcases large numbers of domestic animals as well as selling speciality food products from all over France and its former colonies in Africa. Particularly recommended are the food stalls from the overseas territories where you can try regional specialities that are hard to come by even in metropolitan France, and they will often also have performances from folk musicians/dancers. It's usually advised to buy tickets in advance as the queues for entry can be long.

Individual listings can be found in Paris's district articles

Paris is one of Europe's culinary centres, where the haute cuisine has flourished since at least the French revolution. It may however come as a surprise that Paris isn't considered the culinary capital of French cuisine; many people prefer the French cooking found in small rural restaurants, outside of the city, closer to the farms and with their focus on freshness and regional specialities. Even among French cities, Paris has long been considered by the French as second to Lyon for fine dining.

There have been other challenges in the last 20 years or so as restaurateurs in places like San Francisco and Sydney briefly surpassed their Parisian fore bearers, again with an emphasis on freshness of ingredients but also borrowings from other cuisines. Parisian cooks didn't just rest on their laurels during this time, rather they travelled, taught, and studied, and together with Paris's own immigrant communities, have revitalized the restaurant trade. Today you can find hundreds of beautiful restaurants with thoughtful (or just trendy) interior design and well-planned and executed cartes and menus offering a creative mélange of French and exotic foreign cuisines. It's safe to say that Paris is once again catching up with or edging ahead of its Anglophone rivals.

Of course there are also some traditional offerings, and for the budget conscious there are hundreds of traditional bistros, with their sidewalk terraces offering a choice of fairly simple (usually meat centred) meals for reasonable prices.

It is unfortunately possible to have a uniformly poor dining experience during a stay in Paris, probably because mass tourism attracts price gougers. It is frequent to hear people complaining of very high Parisian prices for very poor food and service. Since so many of the restaurants are sub-par, the best approach is to rely on a restaurant guide and personal recommendations. Do your research in advance if possible and be prepared to travel some distance. Don't just walk down the street expecting to find good food; you probably won't.

Many restaurants are tiny and have tables close together - square metres are at a premium and understandably restaurateurs need to make the most of limited space. In some cases when the restaurant is crowded, you may have to sit beside strangers at the same table. If that does not appeal to you, go to a more upscale place where you will pay for the extra space.

Trendy restaurants often require reservations weeks, if not months in advance. If you haven't planned far enough ahead, try to get a reservation for lunch which is generally easier and less expensive.

For an easy-to-manage eating budget while in Paris, consider: breakfast or "petit déjeuner" at a restaurant, possibly in your hotel, consisting of some croissants, coffee, and maybe a piece of fruit. Get a 'walking lunch' from one of Paris' many food stands—a panino in the centre of the city, a crepe from a crepe stand, a felafel pita or take-out Chinese in the Marais. Traiteurs serving Chinese and/or Vietnamese food are ubiquitous in the city and good for a cheap lunch and many pâtisseries sell inexpensive coffee…

The bars scene in Paris really does have something for everyone. From bars which serve drinks in baby bottles, to ultra luxe clubs that require some name dropping, or card (black Amex) showing, and clubs where you can dance like no one's watching, (although they will be). To start your night out right, grab a drink or two in a ubiquitous dive bar, before burning up the dance floor and spreading some cash, at one of the trendy clubs.

Canal St Martin. Many cozy cafés and other drinking establishments abound around the Canal St Martin in the 10th.

The Marais. The Marais has a large number of trendier new bars mostly in the 4th and to a lesser extent the 3rd with a few old charmers tossed into the mix. A number of bars and restaurants in the Marais have a decidedly gay crowd, but are usually perfectly friendly to straights as well. Some seem to be more specifically aimed at up-and-coming hetero singles.

Bastille. There is a very active nightlife zone just to the northeast of Place de Bastille centered around rue de Lappe, rue de la Roquette, rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine (especially the amazing Club Barrio Latino) and rue de Charonne in the 11th. Many of the bars closest to Bastille have either a North, Central, or South American theme, with a couple of Aussie places mixed in for good measure, and as you continue up rue de Charonne the cafés have more of a traditionally French but grungy feeling.

Quartier Latin - Odeon. If you're looking for the nouvelle vague (new wave) style, student and intellectual atmosphere of Paris in the 1960s and 70s, you'll find a lot of that (and more hip and chic) places in the quartier Latin and between place Odeon and the Seine. The neighbourhood is also home of many small artsy cinemas showing non-mainstream films and classics (check 'Pariscope' or 'l'officiel du spectacle' at any newspaper stand for the weekly programme).

Rue Mouffetard and environs. The area in the 5th on the south side of the hill topped by the Panthéon has a little bit of everything for the nighthawk, from the classy cafés of Place de la Contrescarpe to an Irish-American dive bar just down the way to a hip, nearly hidden jazz café at the bottom of the hill.

Châtelet. In some ways the Marais starts here in the 1st between Les Halles and Hôtel de Ville but with between all of the tourists and the venerable Jazz clubs on rue des Lombards the area deserves some special attention.

Montmartre. You'll find any number of cozy cafés and other drinking establishments all around the Butte Montmartre in the 18th, especially check out rue des Abbesses near the Métro station of the same name.

Oberkampf-Ménilmontant. If you are wondering where to find the hipsters (bobos for bohemian-bourgeois), then this is where to look. There are several clusters of grungy-hip bars all along rue Oberkampf in the 11th, and stretching well into the 20th up the hill on rue de Ménilmontant. It's almost like being in San Francisco's Haight-Fillmore district.

Bagnolet. There are a cluster of bar/restaurant/nightclubs along the southern end of the Père Lachaise cemetery in the 20th including probably the best place in Paris for nightly local and touring punk rock.

Rues des Dames-Batignolles. Another good place to find the grungy-chic crowd is the northern end of the 17th around rue des Dames and rue des Batignolles, and if you decide you want something a little…

Hotels

Being often declared the most popular travel destination in the world, Paris has far over a thousand hotels to choose from, and even more in the surrounding Ile-de-France region. The choice may be overwhelming, but should be made carefully. There are huge differences in standards and location is key to make your stay in Paris enjoyable and time used well. Be prepared to pay the price for Paris' popularity - even the cheap hotels are relatively expensive.

Despite the popularity with tourists, global hotel chains have relatively low penetration of the Parisian market. A notable exception is the French-based Accor, which boasts over 300 hotels in the Paris area, although with large swathes of central Paris largely uncovered. There is a fair number of Best Westerns as well, but most international chains limit their presence to very few exclusive (and expensive) hotels in key locations. Travellers loyal to a particular brand may find their loyalty challenged, be forced to pay for it (rather than be rewarded) or unable to find their hotel brand of choice in Paris.

Hotels in the central arrondissements tend to be expensive, although very cheap ones can also be found. With few exceptions, they tend to offer small rooms. In Paris, staying at a more expensive hotel will get you better standards of service and facilities, but will not necessarily get you a bigger room than a cheaper hotel. Rooms of 12-16 square metres (which is roughly half of standard hotels rooms e.g. in the USA) are the norm in central Paris, regardless of hotel standards.

Cheaper hotels in popular arrondissements tend to be older, less attractive properties, whose facilities and appointments may be very worn and outdated, far behind standards one would expect from the capital of all things pretty and fine. Even updated and restored hotels may exhibit wide variance in standards between room categories, and keep some of the rooms not refurbished or only minimally touched up to be able to offer attractive, eye-catching pricing for them and then upsell to more comfortable room categories. Always check out latest reviews, preferably with photos, to precisely determine what to expect from a given hotel and given room category.

Hotels outside of the city centre, or even outside of the Peripherique and Paris itself, can be far cheaper than ones in central Paris, while still having good transit links via Métro or RER. That said, some of the suburbs outside of Paris have a sketchy reputation (see the crime section below for which ones) and you will keep in mind the added costs, time and difficulty in getting around the city.

Because of local preferences, a bathtub in the bathroom is a norm in most hotels, even if it means squeezing it into a very small bathroom, further limiting space. If you prefer a walk-in shower, you need to look for a hotel that specifically offers those (called "douche italienne" by the French), and you should generally look at newer, purpose-built properties.

Paris hotels, almost without regard to category or price, observe high and low season pricing. These differ slightly from one hotel to another, but usually the high season roughly corresponds to late spring and summer, and possibly a couple of weeks around Christmas.

Crime

Paris is a relatively safe city. This does not stop it from being plagued by petty crime, especially pickpocketing, and muggings. Scams, of which there are many, are also prevalent, though the police are slowly cracking down on them. While not common, purse snatchings do happen. Violent crime is rare. However, watch yourself at ATMs and other places where your cash may be visible. Keep your money and your wallet in your front pockets, and avoid ATMs that are open to the outside, especially at night.

As a densely populated city with equally dense neighbourhoods, one would be remiss to generalise the safety of entire 'arrondissements' based on a few specific areas. Several arrondissements have their share of crime, however. The 18th, 19th, and 20th arrondissements are widely seen as the least safe areas of Paris, but safety levels vary dramatically from street to street. During the day, they're usually fine; you might have to watch out for pickpockets and scammers, but not much more. However, be on your guard at night. The 10th arrondissement (namely the areas bordering the 18th and 19th arrondissements) and the southeastern portion of the "périphérique" have also gained a reputation for being sketchy.

Several of the inner suburbs (commonly referred to as the banlieues) such as La Courneuve, Saint-Denis, Sarcelles, and Pantin are notoriously 'rough' by European standards, and you should be cautious when visiting these places. Unrest in those areas has made global headline news (as did the somewhat heavy-handed reactions of various French governments).

The police can be reached by phone by dialling 17. Not all police officers speak English, but those found around touristy areas almost always will. They are usually friendly and perfectly approachable should you have to.

Theft in public transit

The métro and RER are also a popular place for pickpockets. Hold things tightly and be aware of your surroundings. While trains are usually crowded, if someone is insisting and hovers over you, they are probably going through your pockets. It is important to know that a majority of these belong to a gang. These gangs usually use young children as young as seven, with groups of them going around the Métro stations pickpocketing tourists and locals alike. If there is a group of three or more suspicious looking people, be careful of your belongings. This is a notable occurrence on Métro line 13, tramways, and the RER B.

Common tactics are two of them blocking you as you try to board the subway, with two behind you quickly going through your bag. Seconds before the doors close, the two jump off, leaving you on the Métro without even realizing what has happened. Take note of what locals do. If someone warns you to be careful, there are probably some suspicious types hoping to steal from you. Also be aware that phone-snatching is the most reported crime, and avoid using your cellphone on Métro platforms and in the Métro itself.

Pickpockets are active on the rail link (RER B) from Charles de Gaulle airport to downtown Paris, which passes through the poor suburbs of Seine-Saint Denis. Try to take the trains which are nonstop between the airport and Paris proper (Gare du Nord) - EKLI/EKIL from Paris to CDG and KRIN/KROL from CDG to Paris. These are faster and are less crowded than the alternative.