21 Incredible Things to See in Paris

The French capital of Paris is one of the world’s most famous and popular tourist destinations. When it comes to sightseeing, Paris is rich with fascinating historical sites, museums, and galleries.

If you’re planning a first-time visit to Paris, you might wonder where to begin when choosing which of the city’s sites to explore. From chic cafes to Parisian cool boutiques, food tours, and wine tastings, there is plenty to do in the City of Lights, but what about taking in the sights? 

This travel guide highlights Paris’s most popular must-see attractions to help you plan your itinerary.

1. The Eiffel Tower

• Address: Champ de Mars, 5 Av. Anatole France, Paris
• Website: toureiffel.paris/fr
• Opening hours: 9.30 am – 10.45 pm daily

A trip to Paris wouldn’t be complete without seeing the city’s best-known landmark — the Eiffel Tower. It was built for the 1889 World’s Fair and remained France’s tallest structure until 2004.

You can see the 1083-foot tower from a variety of viewpoints throughout the city, and it looks particularly spectacular at night when it is illuminated. You can also get incredible views of the City of Lights, as Paris is fondly known, when you climb the Eiffel Tower’s three levels at night.

2. The Arc de Triomphe

• Address: Pl. Charles de Gaulle, Paris
• Website: paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr
• Opening hours: 10 am – 10.30 pm daily

At the end of the renowned Champs-Elysées sits the iconic Arc de Triomphe which was erected to honor those who fell during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The structure was actually commissioned by Napoleon I himself before his death in the early 19th century. Not only is the Arc de Triomphe an impressive sight, but it also offers fabulous views of Paris from its observatory space.

3. Parc des Buttes Chaumont

• Address: 1 Rue Botzaris, Paris
• Website: paris.fr/lieux/parc-des-buttes-chaumont-1757
• Opening hours: 7 am – 10 pm daily

Chaumont has a complex and fascinating history. Not only has it witnessed several important battles since 885, but it was also the location of the city’s gallows during the middle ages and the basis for a gypsum mine in the 1700s. In the late 17th century it was transformed into a park in order to improve the impoverished area. Today, the Parc des Buttes Chaumont is one of the largest and most beautiful parks in Paris.

4. The Sacré-Cœur Basilica

• Address: 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, Paris
• Website: sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/english/
• Opening hours: 6.30 am – 10.30 pm

Montmartre is a quaint area on the outskirts of Paris that sits at the top of a large hill. It offers beautiful views of the city that are not to be missed.

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica, a Roman Catholic Church, crowns the area. This beautiful building is constructed of white stone, adorned with an iconic dome, and decorated with intricate mosaics.

5. Place de la Concorde

• Address: Place de la Concorde, Paris
• Website: parisinfo.com/transport/90907/Place-de-la-Concorde
• Opening hours: 24/7

Situated between the Champs-Elysées and the Tuileries Garden, Place de la Concorde is the largest square in Paris. It dates back to 1772 when it was originally named Place Louis XV. It was renamed after the French Revolution, during which Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed by guillotine here.

Today, the square is home to several luxury hotels, two impressive fountains, and the famed ancient Egyptian Luxor Obelisk that was erected at its center in 1836.

6. Palace of Versailles

• Address: Place d’Armes, Versailles
• Website: chateauversailles.fr
• Opening hours: 9 am – 5.30 pm daily

The Palace of Versailles is one of several structures at Versailles, which is around 12 miles outside of Paris itself. It originally served as a hunting lodge for Louis XIII in the 1600s, before being expanded by Louis XIV so that it could become the official royal court. 

It’s an incredibly opulent building with an extensive art collection that offers fascinating insights into French history. If you have the time, this is a day trip worth doing.

7. The Louvre Museum

• Address: Rue de Rivoli, Louvre, Paris
• Website: louvre.fr
• Opening hours: 9 am – 6 pm daily except Tuesdays

The Louvre is the world’s most-visited art museum, housed in what was once a medieval fortress. It’s as impressive a sight on the outside as it is inside, but its vast collection of art is impossible to see in just one day. If you’re short on time, prioritize the most famed works, such as the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo.

8. Notre Dame Cathedral

• Address: 6 Parvis Notre-Dame – Pl. Jean-Paul II, Paris
• Website: notredamedeparis.fr
• Opening hours: Check website for updated times. 

Notre Dame is one of the most famous Gothic monuments in the world. Construction began in 1163 and took almost 200 years to complete. It’s a masterpiece in medieval French architecture and one of the most popular tourist spots in Paris. 

In 2019 a fire tore through Notre Dame and it has since been closed to the public while restoration takes place. It’s possible to view the landmark without going inside, though, and the externals are an extraordinary sight and well worth a visit. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to explore the Île de la Cité, an island that sits in the middle of the River Seine.

9. The Orangerie Museum

• Address: Jardin des Tuileries, Paris
• Website: musee-orangerie.fr/fr
• Opening hours: 9 am – 6 pm daily except Tuesdays

Situated in the Jardin des Tuileries, the Orangerie Museum is home to several renowned impressionist and post-impressionist artists including Cézanne, Matisse, Modigliani, Monet, Picasso, and Renoir. The most famous works here are Monet’s water lily paintings which are displayed across two rooms. These eight canvases were the artist’s most ambitious final works and are spectacular to see in person.

10. The Rodin Museum

• Address: 77 Rue de Varenne, Paris
• Website: musee-rodin.fr/en
• Opening hours: 10 am – 6.30 pm daily except Mondays

The Rodin Museum is dedicated to the preservation of the work of master sculptor Auguste Rodin. Rodin, the creator of the renowned sculpture, The Thinker, was revolutionary in his style and technique.

The museum is housed in the Hôtel Biron which has a fascinating history and is beautiful in its own right. It was designed by rocaille architect Jean Aubert in 1727.

11. Hôtel des Invalides

• Address: 129, Rue de Grenelle, Paris
• Website: musee-armee.fr
• Opening hours: 10 am – 6 pm daily

Designed originally to house war veterans in 1670, the Hôtel des Invalides is a sprawling complex of buildings dedicated to French military history. Here, you can witness the various armor, canons, uniforms, artillery, and tactical scale models that have been used by military commanders throughout history. You can also pay a visit to Napoleon’s tomb which sits beneath the Dôme des Invalides.

12. Centre Pompidou

• Address: Place Georges-Pompidou, Paris
• Website: centrepompidou.fr/en
• Opening hours: 11 am – 9 pm daily except Tuesdays

The striking postmodern architecture of the Georges Pompidou Centre has always been controversial and it’s essential to see it for yourself.

The building is home to a huge library, the avant-garde music institute IRCAM, and the Musée National d’Art Moderne which is the biggest modern art museum in Europe. Its extensive collection includes works by Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Nam June Paik, Jeff Koons, Dalí, and many more 20th-century greats.

13. Disneyland Paris

• Address: Bd de Parc, 77700, Chessy
• Website: disneylandparis.com
• Opening hours: 9.30 am – 9 pm daily

Disneyland Paris is Europe’s most-visited theme park and a must-see for fans of the franchise. It is comprised of two parks — Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park — as well as several hotels, an entertainment complex, a shopping center, and a golf course.

Since Disneyland is quite some way from the city of Paris itself, you’ll have to take a day trip or stay in one of the resort hotels for a night or two.

14. Palais Garnier

• Address: Pl. de l’Opéra, Paris
• Website: operadeparis.fr
• Opening hours: 10 am – 5 pm daily except when afternoon performances take place.

Palais Garnier is a world-famous opera house that served as inspiration for the Phantom of the Opera. The building, which was built in 1875, features luxurious marble, onyx, and gilding, as well as several delicate frescoes.

Lovers of architecture will appreciate its elegant beauty, and those who are interested in opera, ballet, and theatre will be fascinated by the guided tours available here.

15. The Musée d’Orsay

• Address: 1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur, Paris
• Website: musee-orsay.fr/en
• Opening hours: 9.30 am – 6 pm daily with 9.45 pm closure on Thursdays

The Musée d’Orsay, housed in a train station on the Left Bank of the Seine, is home to an impressive collection of paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography created between the mid-1800s and early 1900s.

Works from Renoir, Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Degas, Manet, and Sisley can be viewed here. One of Van Gogh’s most famous works — Starry Night Over the Rhône — is what draws many visitors here.

16. Luxembourg Gardens

• Address: Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris
• Website: jardin.senat.fr
• Opening hours: Vary by season. Opens between 7.30 am and 8.15 am, closes between 4.30 pm and 9.30 pm

Marie de’ Medici conceived the Jardin du Luxembourg which surrounds the Luxembourg Palace where the French Senate now sits. The gardens were originally established in the early 17th century, and over the years they’ve been adorned by more than 100 statues of notable historical figures. Be sure to witness the impressive Medici Fountain which dates back to 1630.

17. Paris Catacombs

• Address: 1 Av. du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, Paris
• Website: catacombes.paris.fr
• Opening hours: 9.45 am – 8.30 pm daily

In the second half of the 18th century, the cemeteries of Paris were overflowing. The solution was to move six million bones from Les Innocents cemetery to a disused medieval limestone mine in the 14th Arrondissement. 

The bones were arranged in decorative patterns to create a beautifully eerie mausoleum that can be visited with a guide today. Make sure you stay with your group as it’s easy to get lost in the maze of bone-lined tunnels.

18. The Panthéon

• Address: Pl. du Panthéon, Paris
• Website: paris-pantheon.fr
• Opening hours: 10 am – 6 pm daily

The Panthéon, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, was constructed in the mid-to-late-1700s when it was intended to be a church. The Revolution saw it secularised and used as a mausoleum, and it is now the burial sight of notable French scientists and philosophers, including Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, and Louis Braille.

The structure, nestled in the charming Latin Quarter, looks out over the Seine and is an impressive sight to behold when witnessed from a Seine river cruise.

19. Père Lachaise Cemetery

• Address: 16 Rue du Repos, Paris
• Website: paris.fr/dossiers/bienvenue-au-cimetiere-du-pere-lachaise-47
• Opening hours: 8 am – 6 pm Monday – Friday, 8.30 am – 6 pm Saturday, 9 am – 6 pm Sunday

Père Lachaise Cemetery is one of the most coveted burial grounds in Paris. Since its opening in the early 19th century, it has become the final resting place of many important cultural figures, including Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Frédéric Chopin, and Edith Piaf.

The cemetery contains 70,000 plots across 108 acres, and you can easily spend hours exploring the memorial stones and mausoleums here, some of which are incredibly ornate.

20. Galeries Lafayette

• Address: 40 Bd Haussmann, Paris
• Website: haussmann.galerieslafayette.com
• Opening hours: 10 am – 8.30 pm Monday – Saturday, 11 am – 8 pm Sunday

Galeries Lafayette is the Parisian equivalent of London’s Harrods and New York City’s Macy’s. This huge department store is beautifully designed in art nouveau style.

It features a dramatic staircase inspired by that of the Palais Garnier and 140-foot stained glass windows in its domed roof. You can enjoy some of the best views of Paris from its roof terrace.

21. Moulin Rouge

• Address: 82 Bd de Clichy, Paris
• Website: moulinrouge.fr
• Opening hours: 9 pm and 11 pm shows daily

Close to the quaint area of Pigalle sits the Mouline Rouge, famous for its risque cabaret shows that have taken place here since the late 1800s. Housed in a bright red building adorned by a windmill, this a must-see sight from the outside if you happen to be passing on your way to nearby Montmartre.

To get the full experience, visit for dinner and a cabaret show to catch sight of the opulent interior and experience the club’s dazzling atmosphere.

Plan Your Itinerary for Paris, France

Now that you’ve been introduced to some of the best things to see in the heart of Paris, you can choose which sights to add to your itinerary on your upcoming trip. From the historied hallowed halls of Notre Dame to modern-day Disney Paris, there’s nothing like the City of Light!

Featured Image Credit: Taylor Miles