🇫🇷 France · Places to discover

What to see in Paris?

24 places curated by Hozy - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities. Click to discover each address in detail.

Paris - Sainte-Chapelle
Wikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Paris functions by arrondissements, each with its own rhythm and residents who don't necessarily cross the Seine. The city carries several centuries of visible urban remaking in its stone, from the medieval Marais to the grand Haussmann boulevards. It's not a city to contemplate from the terraces of grand hotels, but to inhabit for the duration of a stay, métro map in hand.

September and October offer a more reasonable light and footfall than summer. Three to four days suffice for a serious first sweep, a week to begin understanding the neighbourhoods. The métro remains the most efficient way around. Don't concentrate your time around the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre: Père-Lachaise or the Canal Saint-Martin give a far more accurate reading of the real city.

Landmarks & heritage (8)

Sainte-ChapelleWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Landmark

Sainte-Chapelle

13th-century Gothic jewel often overshadowed by Notre-Dame, its 15 stained-glass windows reaching 15 metres high transform light into a cathedral of colours. Arrive early morning to avoid crowds and see the windows illuminated by the rising sun.

Opéra GarnierWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Landmark

Opéra Garnier

A temple of the Second Empire whose baroque interior—grand marble staircase, ceiling painted by Chagall, 8-tonne chandelier—often outshines the performances themselves. Visiting by day without a ticket remains a major architectural experience.

PanthéonWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Landmark

Panthéon

Neoclassical mausoleum in the Latin Quarter where Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie Curie and Victor Hugo are interred. The Foucault pendulum swinging within since 1851 demonstrates the Earth's rotation – a striking physical demonstration in a monumental setting.

Notre-Dame de Chartres CathedralWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Landmark

Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral

Masterpiece of French Gothic currently undergoing restoration following the 2019 fire, with its reopening in December 2024 a historic event. The western façade and its gargoyles remain among Europe's finest medieval sculptures.

Royal Palace and GardensWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Landmark

Royal Palace and Gardens

Former palace of Cardinal Richelieu now a secret inner garden in the heart of the 1st arrondissement, surrounded by 18th-century shopping galleries. The Buren columns in the courtyard and the timeless atmosphere make it an authentic Parisian refuge.

Musée Picasso ParisWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Landmark

Musée Picasso Paris

Hôtel particulier in the Marais housing the world's largest collection of Picasso's works, assembled in part through inheritance tax payments. The 17th-century Hôtel Salé building itself is as impressive as the artworks on display.

Landmark

Musée d'Orsay

Former railway station converted into a museum housing the world's largest Impressionist collection – Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas. The grand clock seen from the café on the fifth floor offers a view of Paris that merits a visit in itself.

Landmark

Musée de Cluny – National Museum of the Middle Ages

Housed in a Gothic townhouse built over 2nd-century Gallo-Roman baths, it contains The Lady and the Unicorn, one of the world's greatest medieval tapestries. An intimate museum, rarely crowded, of unsuspected richness.

Nature & parks (4)

Viewpoints (3)

Activities (4)

More to discover (5)

Belleville Village – Rue DenoyezWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Place

Belleville Village – Rue Denoyez

Street entirely covered in street art in the Belleville neighbourhood, heart of Paris's alternative artistic scene. Independent cafés, artist studios and multicultural grocers make up a popular and creative Paris, far from postcard clichés.

Arab World Institute – Panoramic TerraceWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Place

Arab World Institute – Panoramic Terrace

An architectural masterpiece by Jean Nouvel (1987) featuring a south façade with mechanical moucharabiehs that regulate light like photographic diaphragms. The 9th-floor terrace offers an unobstructed view of Notre-Dame and Île Saint-Louis – free entry.

Covered Passages of the 2nd Arrondissement – Galerie VivienneWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Place

Covered Passages of the 2nd Arrondissement – Galerie Vivienne

Network of 19th-century covered passages (Vivienne, Colbert, Véro-Dodat) with mosaic floors, glass roofs and antique shops. The Galerie Vivienne, the most elegant, houses an old bookshop and a tearoom frozen in time.

Rue CrémieuxWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Place

Rue Crémieux

A pedestrian street in the 12th arrondissement with pastel-coloured façades, built in 1865, resembling a quaint English village street or Notting Hill. Highly photogenic, but also a genuine place where residents actually live.

Père-Lachaise CemeteryWikipedia (fr) - CC BY-SA

Place

Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Paris's largest cemetery and a veritable open-air museum, where Chopin, Proust, Édith Piaf, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde are buried. Getting lost in its tree-lined avenues and 19th-century mausoleums is a melancholic and fascinating walk.

What to see in Paris - France? 24 places · Hozy