Things to see Tips for Paris

Look, here's the thing: the Eiffel Tower at sunset is a complete shitshow. I'm talking shoulder-to-shoulder tourists, aggressive vendors shoving keychains in your face every 15 seconds, and good luck getting any photo that doesn't have someone's selfie stick or crying kid ruining it.

You want an actual view? Sacré-Cœur around 7pm is where it's at. Same Paris skyline spread out below you, except the Eiffel Tower is actually IN your photos instead of you being stuck on it like some sardine. Take Line 12 to Pigalle (use the Rue Lepic exit), then either walk up the hill for 8 minutes — Yeah it's steep, deal with it — Or take the funicular if you're feeling lazy.

The steps are free, the view absolutely destroys anything from the tower itself, and you won't want to strangle every tourist around you. Pro move: grab a bottle of wine from the Monoprix at Pigalle station (€4-8 for something decent) before you head up. Just don't wave it around like some amateur — Cops don't care if you're discrete, but they'll hassle you if you're being obvious about it.

Bonus: stick around until about 9pm when they light up the tower. Same Instagram shot everyone wants, except you can actually breathe while taking it.

Notre Dame reopened December 2024 with mandatory timed entry slots, and it's actually brilliant for crowd control. Free 15-minute time slots available up to 2 days in advance through the official Notre-Dame de Paris website — No third-party booking fees.

Thursday and Friday evenings around 8:30pm are absolutely magical. Cathedral stays open until 10pm those nights, crowds thin dramatically after 8pm, and the interior lighting creates this gorgeous amber glow on the restored stonework. You can actually move around freely and appreciate the craftsmanship without being pressed against other visitors.

Without a reservation during peak summer months, expect 2-3 hour waits in direct sun. The new booking system post-restoration caught many guidebooks off guard, so this isn't widely known yet.

While you're on Île de la Cité, absolutely don't miss Sainte-Chapelle just 200 meters away. Those 13th-century stained glass windows — 1,113 individual scenes depicting biblical stories — Are arguably more spectacular than Notre Dame's rose windows. Most visitors skip it entirely because it's tucked inside the Palais de Justice complex. Entry is €11.50, but the light filtering through that glass will genuinely take your breath away, especially around 4pm when the western sun hits the windows directly.

Ok so everyone goes to the louvre during the day when its absolutely packed and you spend more time looking at peoples heads than actual art. But Wednesday and Friday nights it stays open until 9:45pm and its like a totally different museum

Way fewer people different lighting and you can actually spend time with paintings you want to see. Mona lisa is still crowded but everything else is manageable. Plus the pyramid looks incredible lit up from inside when you leave

Tickets are same price as day visits book on their website. Just dont expect cafes to be open most close around 6pm

Everyone knows Trocadéro for Eiffel Tower sunrise but it's getting crowded. Here are my secret spots:

Pont Neuf at 6:30am: Whole bridge to yourself, incredible Seine light hitting Île de la Cité. Classic Paris postcard without anyone else.

Place des Vosges: Red brick arcades glowing in morning light, shadows perfect for portraits. Coffee truck usually there by 7am at Rue de Birague corner.

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont: Temple de la Sibylle on the cliff, 360° city views from Belleville heights. Worth the trek from center via Line 7 bis for the drama.

Bring thermos coffee, dress warmly. Golden hour starts 30 minutes before actual sunrise, hits Haussmann limestone perfectly.

Everyone obsesses about getting to musée d'orsay at opening but honestly afternoon is way more chill and i don't have to wake up at 6am like some kind of masochist to beat tour groups

Went to musée d'orsay at 2pm on a Tuesday and it was half empty near the impressionist galleries. All the tour groups do morning visits so after lunch near solférino métro is perfect. Still had 3 hours before closing which is plenty for monet and renoir unless you're one of those people who reads every single placard

Same with rodin museum in 7th arrondissement — The sculpture garden is gorgeous in afternoon light hitting the invalides dome and way less crowded than morning. Plus you can actually sit on the benches without fighting some german tour group for space

Picasso museum in le marais is tiny anyway so afternoon visit works perfectly. Combine with shopping on rue de rivoli and coffee after at place des vosges

Only exception is louvre which is always insane but even there late afternoon means fewer school groups and crying children around mona lisa

Everyone talks about first Sunday mornings at Louvre but here's what actually works without fighting crowds around Pyramide entrance.

Palais de Tokyo — Always free for the permanent collection, €12 for special exhibitions. Contemporary art in gorgeous 1930s building near Trocadéro, never crowded. Perfect culture without Châtelet chaos.

Maison de Victor Hugo in Place des Vosges — Completely free, beautiful Marais square, takes 45 minutes max. Perfect between shopping Rue de Rivoli. The manuscripts are fascinating if you read French.

Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air — Outdoor sculpture park along Seine near Bastille and Gare d'Austerlitz. Free 24/7, great for evening walks. Combine with dinner in 12th arrondissement along the water.

Petit Palais on Champs-Élysées — Free permanent collection, paid exhibitions usually €10-15. The Belle Époque garden courtyard café is lovely and building itself is stunning art nouveau near Grand Palais.

Skip the first Sunday madness at Orsay and Pompidou. These smaller spots give you culture without the stress, and you can actually see the art properly without tour groups.

Everyone shoots the Eiffel Tower from Trocadéro at sunset. These spots give you better light without the tourist crowds around Champ de Mars.

Pont de la Tournelle — View of Notre Dame and Île Saint-Louis, gorgeous reflections in Seine near 5th arrondissement. Best light 30 minutes before sunset, bring a polarizing filter for the water.

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont — Rolling hills and Temple de la Sibylle overlooking 19th arrondissement. Climb to the top for 360-degree views over Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur. Golden hour here is magical, especially in autumn with Belleville backdrop.

Pont Neuf at dawn — Empty streets, soft morning light hitting Louvre across the water and Île de la Cité. Get there by 6:30am in summer for that dreamy mist over Seine near Place Dauphine.

Square du Vert-Galant — Tiny park at tip of Île de la Cité behind Pont Neuf. Perfect for sunset shots looking west along Seine toward 7th arrondissement. Hardly anyone knows about it, locals use it for picnics away from tourist zones.

Found this out by accident when walking along the river near pont neuf. There are these little electric boats you can rent for like €35/hour without needing a license or anything.

Way better than the tourist cruise boats because you can go at your own pace and actually stop places. The boats fit 5-6 people so split with friends its pretty reasonable. They give you a basic map and send you off.

You see paris from this completely different angle and can go under all the bridges tourists just walk over. Plus you feel like youre in some french movie or whatever. Just dont try to stand up while moving because apparently thats how you end up in the seine (not that i know from experience or anything).

Everyone rushes to pay €14 for the full museum, but the sculpture garden is only €4 and honestly contains all the best pieces. The Thinker, The Burghers of Calais, The Gates of Hell - they're all outside in this gorgeous setting.

Perfect for a picnic lunch between other museums. The rose garden is stunning in late spring, and there's something magical about seeing these iconic sculptures in natural light rather than under museum fluorescents.

Open until 6:45pm most days, so it's perfect for an evening stroll when other museums are closing. Much less crowded than the indoor galleries too.

Most walking tours hit the same spots. This route covers 2000 years of overlooked history in 3 hours, following the layers of civilization.

Start: Crypte Archéologique under Notre Dame — Actual Roman ruins beneath the cathedral. €7 entry, fascinating foundation stones. You can see the original Roman street grid.

Stop 2: Place Dauphine — Henri IV's planned city, first royal urban development. The triangular shape is intentional geometry based on Renaissance ideals of perfect urban planning.

Stop 3: Conciergerie — Where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned. The medieval hall is incredible, better preserved than Sainte-Chapelle next door. The original royal kitchens are haunting.

Stop 4: Tour Saint-Jacques — Lonely Gothic tower, all that remains of a massive church demolished in 1797. Pascal did barometric experiments here, proving atmospheric pressure changes with altitude.

End: Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont — Sainte Geneviève's shrine, the only surviving rood screen in Paris. Racine and Pascal are buried here. The architecture spans 300 years of styles.

Total walking: 2km through the heart of medieval Paris, each stop revealing different centuries.

This old railway viaduct turned into a garden walkway runs from Bastille to Bois de Vincennes — 4.7km of elevated green space above the city. Starts at Opéra Bastille and you can walk the entire length in 2 hours.

The first section from Bastille to Daumesnil is the most beautiful — You're walking through tree canopies level with apartment balconies. Much quieter than ground-level parks and gives you a completely different perspective of residential Paris.

Access points: stairs near Opéra Bastille, elevator at Daumesnil metro station, various points along Avenue Daumesnil. Free, open dawn to dusk. The eastern section leads into Bois de Vincennes if you want to extend the walk.

Bring water — There aren't many fountains along the route. Best in late afternoon when the light filters through the trees.

These aren't just parks - they're basically forests inside Paris. Bois de Boulogne is 2.5 times bigger than Central Park and has actual hiking trails, lakes you can rent boats on, and the Jardin d'Acclimatation for families.

Bois de Vincennes has a medieval castle (Château de Vincennes), a zoo, and trails where you forget you're in a major city. Both are perfect if you need a break from museum-hopping and crowds.

Metro access is easy - Line 1 to Château de Vincennes or RER C to Avenue Foch for Boulogne. Pack a picnic and spend half a day. Way better than fighting crowds in Luxembourg Gardens.

Most people don't know this exists — There's an actual museum in the sewers below the city near Pont de l'Alma. It sounds gross but it's actually clean and shows how Paris built one of the world's most advanced sewer system in the 1800s.

The history is wild — During Haussmann's renovation of Paris, they built 2,400km of sewers that are still functioning today. You walk through actual tunnels (not smelly ones) and see the engineering that made modern Paris possible.

Entry €4.40, open weekends and some weekdays. Takes about 45 minutes. It's genuinely educational and kids love the weirdness of it. Much more interesting than another church if you're into urban history.

Not for claustrophobic people — You're definitely underground in narrow spaces.

Most tourists don't realize Line 6 runs above ground between Bir-Hakeim and Dupleix, giving you perfect Eiffel Tower views from the train. Also above ground crossing the Seine at Pont de Bir-Hakeim.

The stretch between Pasteur and Montparnasse shows you rooftops and courtyards you'd never see otherwise. Sit on the right side heading towards Nation for Eiffel Tower views, left side for Sacré-Cœur views near Trocadéro.

Line 1 also goes above ground briefly between Bastille and Nation. Free sightseeing with your metro ticket.

Look, I know it sounds weird but this cemetery is like a massive outdoor sculpture garden. Jim Morrison's grave gets all the attention but the whole place is insane — Elaborate tombs, tree-lined paths, zero crowds. Free entry, open till 6pm. Way better than fighting for space at tourist photo spots.

Most Paris kid guides suggest same stuff that doesn't work with real children. Here's what actually kept our 3 kids happy for week around central arrondissements:

Skip: Long museum visits at Louvre (even kid-focused ones), multiple monuments per day around Châtelet, fancy restaurants in Saint-Germain where they have to sit still.

Worked: Jardin du Luxembourg playground (huge, gated, parents can relax), Seine boat trips from Pont Neuf (45 minutes max), Aquarium de Paris near Trocadéro (not crowded, interactive), parks between monuments for energy breaks.

Transport: Métro with stroller hell during rush hour around République. Walk or taxi between close attractions in Marais. Kids under 4 ride free on Métro Lines 1 and 4.

Food: boulangeries for snacks around Place des Vosges, McDonald's on Champs-Élysées for familiar options (yes really), crêpe stands for treats. Most République restaurants have kids menus but portions small.

Book family rooms with kitchenette in République or Marais — Eating out 3 meals daily with kids gets expensive fast around tourist areas.

If you need to escape the city properly, take RER B to parc de sceaux station. Huge park with the formal french garden section everyone photographs, but also kilometers of actual forest trails most people never see.

Château and gardens are nice but head past them into the woods for proper walking trails. There's a 5km loop that feels like you're in the countryside, not 30 minutes from central paris. Way better than the tiny jardin du luxembourg if you actually want to walk and breathe.

Everyone shoots Eiffel Tower from Trocadéro, but these spots give you unique Paris photos away from tourist crowds:

Pont Alexandre III at sunrise - ornate Belle Époque bridge with golden details, usually empty early morning with Invalides dome backdrop. Place des Vosges arcades create perfect frames for portraits in Marais. The covered passages like Galerie Vivienne near Palais-Royal have amazing natural light.

Rue Crémieux in 12th arrondissement has colorful houses that look like movie set near Gare de Lyon. Montmartre stairs around Sacré-Cœur (not just tourist viewpoint) create great leading lines. The modern architecture at La Défense contrasts beautifully with classic Haussmanian Paris.

Golden hour tip: shoot facing east in morning around République, west in evening near Seine. Paris limestone buildings around Marais glow beautifully in warm light.