France
Paris
A compact, walkable capital where world-class art, cafe life and village-like quartiers sit a stroll apart.
Paris packs the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the world's most imitated cafe streetscape into a compact centre that rewards walking more than almost any other capital. Grand boulevards give way to village-like quartiers, each with its own market street, cafes and mood, and the riverbanks tie it all together. It is the rare icon city that actually lives up to the postcard.
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Language
French
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+2
Why you'll love Paris
Art some of the world's greatest museums, from vast palace collections to intimate artists' houses
Food boulangeries, markets and neighbourhood bistros make eating well effortless at any budget
Walking a compact centre of grand boulevards, riverbanks and covered passages made for wandering
Quartiers village-like neighbourhoods, each with its own market street and character
Best time to visit
Mar-Oct
Mild spring · 13-26° days
48.853° N, 2.348° E
UTC+2 · Europe/Paris
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Weather & when to go to Paris
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Mar-Oct
Conditions Jan Cold & grey · Feb Cold · Mar Mild spring · Apr Pleasant · May-Aug Warm · Sep Mild · Oct Cool autumn · Nov Cold & wet · Dec Cold & grey
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Paris
No dead season, but August is the classic trap: many neighbourhood restaurants and shops close while Parisians holiday, and the big sights are at their most crowded. Deep winter is short on daylight, though museums and cafes shine.
Top things to do in Paris
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Eiffel Tower - climb it, or picnic beneath it
scenic 👍 PopularThe iron icon rewards both the ascent and the view from the Champ de Mars lawns; book the summit ahead and go at dusk for the sparkle on the hour.
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Louvre - the palace of palaces
culture arts 👍 PopularThe world's most visited museum needs a plan: pick one wing, arrive at opening and let the Mona Lisa crowds surge past you toward quieter masterpieces.
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Musee d'Orsay - Impressionists in a railway station
culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedA Beaux-Arts station turned museum whose Monet, Van Gogh and Degas collections, and the clock-window view over the Seine, leave many visitors preferring it to the Louvre.
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Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur - the village on the hill
scenic 👍 PopularClimb the steep lanes to the white basilica for the classic city panorama, then lose the crowds in two turns among the vineyard, windmills and quiet squares behind the butte.
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Sainte-Chapelle - walls of stained glass
culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedA 13th-century royal chapel that is mostly window: on a bright morning the upper chapel glows like the inside of a jewel box.
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The Seine and its bridges - the city's front garden
scenicWalk the banks between the islands at golden hour, cross Pont Neuf, and join the riverside life that takes over the quays on warm evenings.
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Le Marais - pre-revolutionary lanes, modern life
historyThe aristocratic quarter the planners never straightened: grand hotels particuliers, the Place des Vosges, Jewish bakeries and boutiques in one compact, walkable knot.
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Pere Lachaise Cemetery - a city of the famous dead
historyCobbled avenues of tombs shelter Wilde, Piaf and Morrison; go with a map, or simply wander the hillside like an open-air sculpture park.
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Luxembourg Gardens - Paris at rest
scenicSailboats on the pond, chess under the chestnuts and the city's best people-watching chairs, five minutes from the Latin Quarter.
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Eat the classics - from morning croissant to late bistro
foodBuild days around the rituals: a counter espresso and croissant, a market-street lunch, an apero on a terrace and a slow neighbourhood bistro dinner.
Best areas to stay in Paris
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Le Marais
First-time visitors $$$Historic lanes, boutiques and cafe corners
Explore hotels in Le Marais →
Saint-Germain-des-Pres
Classic Paris $$$Classic Left Bank elegance and cafe history
Explore hotels in Saint-Germain-des-Pres →
Latin Quarter
Lively & central $$Student energy, bookshops and bistro streets
Explore hotels in Latin Quarter →
Montmartre
Village charm $$Village lanes on the hill above the city
Explore hotels in Montmartre →
Canal Saint-Martin
Local & lively $$Young, local, canal-side cafes and bars
Explore hotels in Canal Saint-Martin →
Bastille / Oberkampf
Budget & nightlife $Bar streets and everyday neighbourhood Paris
Explore hotels in Bastille →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Paris
Getting to & around Paris
Getting there
Fly into CDG or Orly; the RER B train runs direct from CDG into the centre
Flight
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
25 km northeast of the city. RER B trains run direct to Gare du Nord and the Latin Quarter; Orly, the second airport, connects via metro line 14.
Train
Gare du Nord
Eurostar from London arrives at Gare du Nord; TGV lines from across France and Europe use the six mainline stations ringing the centre
Coach
Bercy-Seine
Long-distance buses from across Europe use the Bercy-Seine coach station in the southeast of the city
Getting around
Metro & RER
Fourteen metro lines blanket the centre; the RER crosses the city fast and reaches the airports and Versailles
TBC
Walking
Central Paris is compact: the islands, the Marais and the Latin Quarter link on foot along the river
Free
Velib bikes
The city bike scheme plus a broad new lane network make cycling a genuine option
TBC
Bus & tram
Slower than the metro, but they show you the city while they work
TBC
Taxi & rideshare
G7 taxis and Uber are everywhere; at rush hour the metro is faster
TBC
Day trips from Paris
Versailles
Full dayPalace & gardens
The Sun King's palace demands stamina: the Hall of Mirrors early, then the real reward of the gardens, the Trianons and the queen's hamlet.
Getting there
train | tour
40 min by RER C or regional train
Giverny
Full dayMonet's gardens
The painter's lily pond and flower gardens at their best from late spring; pair them with lunch in the village.
Getting there
train | tour
45 min train to Vernon, then shuttle or bike
Fontainebleau
Full dayForest chateau
A royal palace with centuries more history than Versailles and a fraction of its crowds, ringed by a forest of boulder fields beloved by climbers.
Getting there
train | bus
40 min train, then a short bus
Reims & Epernay
Full dayChampagne cellars
A coronation cathedral, chalk cellar tours and tastings among the great Champagne houses and their vineyards.
Getting there
train | tour | car
45 min TGV to Reims, or guided tour
A little history of Paris
A Celtic river settlement the Romans called Lutetia grew into the seat of French kings, and by the Middle Ages Paris was already one of Europe's great cities, its university drawing scholars from across the continent. Revolution remade it more than once: 1789 toppled the monarchy from its streets, and the barricades returned in 1830, 1848 and 1871.
The Paris most visitors picture is the 19th-century city: Haussmann's boulevards, parks and uniform stone facades, crowned by a tower built as a temporary exhibit in 1889 that never left. Occupied and liberated in the Second World War, it has since layered glass pyramids, converted railway stations and reclaimed riverbanks onto its old bones.
Roman forces conquer the Celtic Parisii settlement and found Lutetia on the Seine
Work begins on Notre-Dame cathedral on the Ile de la Cite
The storming of the Bastille ignites the French Revolution
The Eiffel Tower opens as the centrepiece of the Universal Exposition
Paris is liberated after four years of occupation
The Olympic Games return to Paris a century after the 1924 Games
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / E
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+33
Mobile network & SIM card
Get an eSIM before you fly
A France eSIM installs in minutes and works the moment you switch off flight mode. No SIM swap, no roaming bill.
FAQs about Paris
▸ When is the best time to visit Paris?
Spring (Apr-Jun) and early autumn (Sep-Oct) hit the sweet spot of mild weather, long evenings and manageable crowds. Summer is lively but at its busiest, and many family-run places close in August. Winter is short on daylight but big on museums, and the city is at its quietest.
▸ How many days do you need in Paris?
Three full days covers the icons at a brisk pace. Five lets you slow down to the cafe rhythm the city is really about, and add a day trip to Versailles or Champagne.
▸ Is Paris expensive?
It can be, but it scales well: bakeries, market streets, prix-fixe lunches and free-to-walk neighbourhoods keep costs sane, and many museums have free or reduced days.
▸ Is Paris walkable?
Genuinely. The centre is compact and mostly flat, and walking between sights is often faster than the metro for short hops, and always better.
▸ Do people speak English in Paris?
In hotels, museums and most restaurants, yes. Opening with a bonjour before switching languages goes a long way.
More in France
Bordeaux
The wine capital of France also happens to be one of its handsomest cities - a Unesco-listed crescent of eighteenth-century stone with classified vineyards on the doorstep.
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