Paris

🛎️ Best Hotels

French hospitality can be excellent despite Paris’s reputation as being a snobby city. Paris has hotels that offer warm welcomes for all budgets.

• Hotel de Crillon – This luxury hotel was once a noble’s house. Today, it provides top-tier service in the city center.
• L’Hotel – This hotel is on a small street in the St. Germain neighborhood. It’s a haven of calm in an exciting area.
• La Belle Juliette – This hotel in the 6th has the decor and amenities of a more expensive one–including a champagne bar!

🍽️ Best Restaurants

French cuisine is celebrated for a reason. From sidewalk cafés to Michelin-star restaurants, there’s something for every taste and budget in Paris.

• Restaurant Palais Royal – This 2 Michelin-star restaurant has a surprisingly affordable fixed-price lunch in a glamorous park.
• Café de Flore – Famous writers visited this café for years. It’s pricey now but worth a lunch for the people-watching.
• Cour de Vosges – This hidden patisserie has a small, but fresh and delicious breakfast and lunch menu.
• Le Procope – Le Procope is the oldest café in Paris. It offers multiple private rooms for intimate dinners.
• Parcelles – This bistrot provides new takes on classic dishes, but look out, it books up far in advance!

🚗 Best Day Trips

• The Loire Valley – You can get to the Loire Valley by train to tour its many castles and sample its world-famous wines.
• Giverny – Visit Monet’s country home to see the real water lilies that inspired his paintings in the Orangerie Museum.
• Champagne Region – Travel two hours by car from Paris to visit the world-famous sparkling wine region and taste its best local products.
• Barbizon and Fontainebleau – Visit the “artists’ town” of Barbizon, then tour the castles and forest at Fontainebleau, in less than a day.
• Normandy – See the D-Day beaches, eat fresh seafood, and even ride horses—just a 2-3 hours’ drive from Paris.

👉 See the full guide to the best day trips from Paris.

🏘️ Best Neighborhoods

• St. Germain-des-Près – This Left Bank neighborhood borders the Seine and features a musical church at its heart.
• Montparnasse – This bustling area was once home to famous writers including Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce.
• The Marais – This Right Bank area is famous for its galleries, boutiques, and small garden squares. 
• Montmartre – This area is far from the center of Paris and feels like a separate village with its cobblestoned hills.
• Champs Elysées – This neighborhood features expensive real estate, luxury designers, and the Arc de Triomphe.

👉 See the full guide to all neighborhoods in Paris.

🍸 Best Bars

• Little Red Door – This Marais bar is a fixture of Paris for its inventive cocktails and intimate atmosphere.
• Hemingway Bar – This bar is named after its most famous patron: the writer, Ernest Hemingway. Plan on spending a lot!
• La Fée Verte – This bar is famous for one of France’s most notorious drinks: absinthe.
• Chope des Compagnons – Chope is an inexpensive wine bar with many natural selections in an expensive area.
• Les Souffleurs – This inclusive LGBTQ+ friendly bar is an establishment in an area once known for its queer community.

🖼️ Best Museums

• The Musée d’Orsay – This museum is in an old train station and focuses on Impressionist artwork from the 19th century.
• Rodin Museum – The Rodin Museum features sculptor Auguste Rodin’s works in the extensive house and gardens.
• The Musée Carnavalet – This Paris history museum shows you how the city began and grew, with amusing artifacts.
• Cluny Museum – This medieval museum is housed in one of the oldest private houses in Paris and features famous tapestries. 
• The Museum of Hunting and Nature – Hunting fans will love this museum full of taxidermy and hunting implements.

🏞️ Best Parks

• Buttes Chaumont – Buttes Chaumont is in the 19th arrondissement, off the beaten path, and has rolling hills and stunning landscapes.
• Tuileries – These gardens in the 1st arrondissement feature fountains and sculptures that line its manicured paths by the river.
• Luxembourg Gardens – This large park in the center of the Left Bank area has hidden charms, such as the Medici Fountain.
• Place des Vosges – This garden square is perfect for picnicking surrounded by mansions, including the mansion of the writer, Victor Hugo.
• Parc Monceau – This peaceful park has small waterfalls and surprising features that make you feel like you’re outside the city.

⛪ Best Churches

• Sacré Coeur – The cathedral at the top of Montmartre is enormous and provides unparalleled views over Paris.
• Sainte Chapelle – This church full of stained glass art is also known for the Catholic relics it houses.
• Saint Germain-des-Prés – This church hosts classical music concerts, including free organ recitals at the end of each month.
• Saint-Roch – This large church in the 1st arrondissement interestingly blends a variety of architectural styles.

🛍️ Best Shops

• La Samaritaine – One of Paris’s original department stores. It was recently reimagined as a modern luxury shop.
• Shakespeare & Co. – This iconic Paris bookstore still offers a wide selection of English-language literature.
• Merci – This Marais institution may look small from the outside but has everything from fashion to used books inside.
• Bon Marché – This Paris department store has great sales several times a year, as well as an exceptional food hall.
• Officine Universelle Buly 1803 – This French apothecary is a modern revival of the classic 1803 shop that served France’s elites.

🍓 Best Markets

• The Marché aux Puces – You can find anything from antique clocks worth thousands to trendy clothing at this famous French flea market.
• The Marché d’Aligre – This market in the 12th arrondissement is inside a covered area but extends into the surrounding streets.
• The Marché des Enfants Rouges – This covered area in the Marais neighborhood is a historical monument and functioning market.
• The Paris Flower and Bird Market – This market on the island, Île de la Cité, is open every day. It will stop selling birds over the next few years.
• The Marché de Montorgueil – This combination of market/street in the 2nd arrondissement is the perfect place to go when you’re hungry.

👉 Tips & Things to Know

• 🇫🇷 – Practice politeness – Say “bonjour” (hello) when entering a shop or restaurant and “merci” or “au revoir” (thank you/goodbye) when leaving. 
• 🚬 – Sit inside to avoid smoke – Paris’s terraces are famous but often filled with smokers (and their smoke!). However, smoking is illegal inside restaurants.
• 🍷 – Choose wine – Wine is much better and cheaper than cocktails. In most places, you can get a good glass for less than a Coke.
• 🚇  – Avoid driving – Low city speed limits and one-way streets make driving in Paris slow. Public transport is faster.
• 🛴 – Don’t plan on scootering – Scooters are banned in Paris as of September 2023. Consider a bike-share like Velib’ instead.

🧳 What to Pack

• 👟 – Walking shoes – Paris is a very walkable city. You’ll want to bring some comfortable walking shoes! 
• 🌂 – Umbrella – Paris can be unexpectedly rainy in the spring and fall. Umbrellas can be expensive here, so pack a light foldable version.
• 💳 – Multiple cards – Inform your credit card company of your trip to France in advance, but bring a backup card if possible, just in case. 
• 🎒 – Foldable tote – Most shops charge a few cents for carrier bags. Do like the French do and bring a foldable tote with you for your purchases.
• 🧳 – Additional suitcase – Paris is a great shopping city. Avoid expensive shipping fees by bringing an empty duffle bag or suitcase with you.

🤓 Facts & Info

• Census Population (2020) – 2,148,271 (city), 11,017,000 (metro area)
• Time Zone – CET Time (UTC +1 / UTC +2 during Central European Summer Time)
• Area Codes – 33 (country code), 01 (Paris), 06 (cell phones)
• Airports – Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), Paris-Orly Airport (ORY), Paris Beauvais Airport (BVA)
• Nickname – City of Light
• Demonynm – Parisian(s)  
• Region – Île de France
• Country – France

💵 Costs & Budgeting

• 3 Star Hotel Room – $150-$250/night
• 1 Bedroom Apartment Rental – $100-$200/night
• Rental Car – $80
• Public Transit Ticket – $2.30 ($12.43 to the airport from the center)
• Ride Share from Downtown to Airport – $45+ (registered taxis have fixed prices)
• Take Out Meal for Two – $35
• Sit Down Dinner for Two – $50
• Draft Beer – $7