City guide · France
Paris
Haussmann boulevards, museum masterpieces, and café-terrace rituals
April–June & September–October
Euro (EUR)
French
Europe
The guides
The best of Paris, by category
Paris compresses an outsized share of Western art, food, and fashion history into twenty arrondissements spiraling out from the Seine. It is a city built for walking, where a ten-minute stroll can take you from Gothic Notre-Dame to the bouquinistes' book stalls to a zinc-countered café that has barely changed since the 1920s.
The shortlist
If you only have time for the best
The single highest-rated picks across every category in Paris.
Hotels
See all 6- 1
The Ritz Paris
Place Vendôme, 1st arrondissement
4.7★3,000+ reviews
- 2
Le Meurice
Rue de Rivoli, 1st arrondissement
4.7★2,000+ reviews
- 3
Hôtel Plaza Athénée
Avenue Montaigne, 8th arrondissement
4.7★3,000+ reviews
Restaurants
See all 6- 1
Le Comptoir du Relais
Odéon, Saint-Germain-des-Prés
4.5★2,000+ reviews - 2
L'Ambroisie
Place des Vosges, Le Marais
4.6★1,000+ reviews - 3
Septime
Charonne, 11th arrondissement
4.5★1,000+ reviews
Bars
See all 6- 1
Bar Hemingway
Ritz Paris, Place Vendôme
4.6★1,000+ reviews - 2
Harry's New York Bar
Opéra, 2nd arrondissement
4.5★3,000+ reviews
- 3
Little Red Door
Haut Marais, 3rd arrondissement
4.5★1,500+ reviews
Attractions
See all 6- 1
Louvre Museum
1st arrondissement
4.7★250,000+ reviews
- 2
Eiffel Tower
Champ de Mars, 7th arrondissement
4.6★250,000+ reviews
- 3
Musée d'Orsay
7th arrondissement, Left Bank
4.7★75,000+ reviews
Where to base yourself
Paris neighborhoods, decoded
Pick your area first — it shapes everything else about the trip.
Le Marais
Medieval lanes, modern boutiquesThe aristocratic quarter the Revolution forgot retains its hôtels particuliers, now housing the Picasso Museum and concept stores, alongside the historic Jewish quarter on Rue des Rosiers. It is also the heart of LGBTQ+ Paris and one of the few districts lively on Sundays.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Literary cafés and galleriesThe postwar haunt of Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Miles Davis keeps its intellectual polish with the Café de Flore, Les Deux Magots, and a dense web of art galleries and rare-book dealers. Luxe food shopping runs along Rue de Buci and the covered Marché Saint-Germain.
Montmartre
Village Paris on a hillThe painters' butte of Renoir and Picasso still has its vineyard, windmills, and ivy-draped staircases once you escape the Place du Tertre crowds. Come for Sacré-Cœur, stay for the village streets around Rue des Abbesses and the views at dusk.
Canal Saint-Martin
Indie, youthful canalside coolIron footbridges and chestnut trees line the 1825 canal where young Paris picnics at dusk, surrounded by indie boutiques, coffee roasters, and natural wine bars. The locks famously featured in Amélie still operate for passing barges.
Beyond the city
Day trips worth the ride
Palace of Versailles
40 min by RER C trainLouis XIV's overwhelming palace of mirrors, gold, and 800 hectares of gardens; the Hall of Mirrors and Marie Antoinette's hamlet are the essentials.
Giverny
1 hr 15 min by train and shuttle from Gare Saint-LazareClaude Monet's pink-crushed house and the actual water-lily pond and Japanese bridge he painted for three decades, open April through October.
Champagne (Reims & Épernay)
45 min by TGV from Gare de l'EstTour the chalk cellars of grand houses like Veuve Clicquot and Moët & Chandon and see the Gothic cathedral where French kings were crowned.
Eat like a local
What to order in Paris
Croissant
The benchmark of French viennoiserie — shattering, lacquered layers around an open, buttery crumb.
Try it at: Du Pain et des Idées, Canal Saint-Martin
Steak frites
Seared steak under herbed butter sauce with an unlimited heap of thin fries, the bistro order that needs no menu.
Try it at: Le Relais de l'Entrecôte, Saint-Germain
Duck confit
Duck leg slow-cooked in its own fat until the skin crisps and the meat slides off the bone, served with garlicky potatoes.
Try it at: Chez Dumonet (Joséphine), 6th arrondissement
Macarons
Almond meringue shells with ganache centers, perfected in flavors from salted caramel to rose.
Try it at: Pierre Hermé, Rue Bonaparte
Good to know
Paris essentials, answered
Four days lets you cover the Louvre, Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, and Montmartre with unhurried café time, which is the point of Paris. Add a fifth day for Versailles, which deserves a full day on its own.
