Should You Split Your Visit between Different Neighborhoods?

If you're visiting Paris for a week or more, should you consider splitting your stay between two or more neighborhoods so that you can experience different parts of the city?

In the Sunday edition of my free Paris Discoveries Newsletter, I answer reader questions about Paris travel. Recently, readers have asked whether it makes sense to move from one Parisian neighborhood and hotel to another when time permits.

This article is part of the Paris Discoveries Q&A Archive and brings together my answers based on my own experiences with staying in multiple neighborhoods on longer trips.

You'll find advice about whether splitting your stay is worth doing, how to choose best-for-you neighborhood combinations, hotel suggestions for several popular areas, and.

I've lightly edited, expanded, and updated my original answers, included a few practical tips for making the move from one hotel to another easier, and added photos to make this a more complete Paris travel resource.

Which Churches in Paris's Marais Neighborhood Host Classical Concerts in the Evenings?

The ticket line at the Orsay Museum in December — Sainte-Chapelle, photographed right before a concert

Carolyn's Question:

My husband and I will be staying in the Marais in April, and want to go to an evening concert We're thinking perhaps there is a church in our district that might fit the bill?

Susan's Answer:

You can find the April schedule (along with all other months) in this article about Paris concerts in historical churches.

Based on your dates, you might particularly consider a concert at Sainte-Chapelle (which is stunningly beautiful) on Ile de la Cité or Eglise Louis en l'Ile on Ile Saint-Louis, also quite beautiful.

Paris is quite compact and almost all of the classical concerts held in churches take place in the central part of the city, so whatever concert you choose is likely to be relatively convenient to reach by metro, bus, or on foot.

What Seine River Dinner Cruises Do You Recommend?

I will be visiting Paris in during the first half of May.

Are there any evening dinner cruises on the Seine River that you recommend?

We would want one that does not require "formal" attire and also guarantees window seating with the reservation. There are so many, but for the cost would like one with good, decent food.

Susan's Answer:

I've taken dinner cruises on just about every cruise line - it's one of my favorite things to do in Paris - so I'm happy to share my recommendation.

The dinner cruise that I've found best for the things you want - guaranteed window seating plus good food - is the Bateaux Parisiens "Seino Vision" cruise. They provide a number of seating options, which you won't fully see until you start the booking process.

I've taken this cruise at least 3 times in the past few years since the end of the pandemic - once solo, once with one of my daughters, and most recently, with my husband. It actually seems to get better each time. The views from the window are magical, the food and wine are terrific, and the service is seamless.

There has been a singer on the last two times that I've taken it, and although I was skeptical initially, I was surprised by how much I loved the music - a mix of French and English, from a variety of periods and genres.

They also time the cruises so that you watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle and glow for the last half hour or so.

About the "formal" dress requirement: you can actually dress quite casually - just no sports clothing (like for a workout in the gym), no clothing with sports teams' logos (they don't want fights breaking out on board), and they also stipulate no sports shoes, plus a couple of other things.

In reality, some people do wear stylish sneakers. Since I wear my most comfortable gym shoes for walking around Paris including getting to the cruise, they're not stylish by any stretch of the imagination so I bring a pair of flats in a bag to put on right before boarding. I'm not sure this is necessary, but bringing them is not any trouble.

My clothing is always on the casual side (black pants, black top, such as a Gap long-sleeved cotton t-shirt as I like to blend in by dressing like Parisians) but some people on board will be dressed quite nicely, even in semi-formal type dresses and jackets for men. It's all fine, as long as you avoid the kinds of things mentioned above. The mood on board is always mellow, with a dash of excitement.

To be sure of getting the seats and date you want, you should book as soon as possible, because the premium seating (such as window tables) gets reserved far in advance. If you book through Get Your Guide or Viator, you can always cancel or change your date up to 24 hours in advance, so there's no penalty for booking early.

I've missed being able to join this cruise a couple of times when I waited to long and they were fully booked, so I speak from sad experience.

My "Rule of Thumb" for Splitting a Paris Stay Between Neighborhoods & Hotels

Because changing neighborhoods always takes me a minimum of about 3 hours between packing, checking out of the hotel, getting to the new location, checking into the new hotel, and unpacking, I typically don't split my stay when my total time in Paris is 8 days or less because I'm unwilling to give up those 3 hours that I could spend enjoying the city.

On the other hand, there are also times when I book a trip close to the last minute, which makes finding hotel availability in the location I want for more than a few days in a row can be challenging. In those cases, I try to find reservations that give me at least three nights in one place.

Toinho's Question: Masked Ball at Versailles

Canal Saint-Martin, in Paris's 10th arrondissement — Attendees at the Masked Ball at Versailles

Toinho's Question:

When and where I can buy a ticket for the masked ball at the Palace of Versailles in June?

Susan's Answer:

As soon as I read your question in December, I did a quick web search and saw that unfortunately this event had sold out for 2026 just hours after the tickets went on sale a few hours earlier.

For anyone who's not familiar with the annual Masked Ball held at the Palace of Versailles in June, this is a costumed ball/all-night DJ party that's become extremely popular during the past few years. Tickets sell out within a few hours of being listed on Versailles' website.

I happened to attend Versailles' Fireworks show a couple of years ago on the same night as the Ball. Seeing hundreds of people strolling around the gardens in full Baroque costume was truly astounding. I ended up chatting with a bunch of them, and learned a lot of "insider tips" about how to get tickets, Facebook groups to track, etc.

I added this information to a section in my main article about Versailles (this link should take you directly to it) on the Paris Discovery Guide website, where I also add updates from time to time.

Marianne's Question: What to Do When Eiffel Tower Tickets Are Sold Out? [REPLACE PHOTO]

Marianne's question:

My husband and I will be in Paris the first week in April. I have gone on the official website for the Eiffel Tower, and all tickets are sold out. I also went on guided tour sites, and they have tickets, but we are not interested in a tour at this time. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Susan's answer:

Unfortunately, the Eiffel Tower prohibits third parties from selling just their tickets, so they are indeed the only source - and as you discovered, once they sell out, there's no other way to legitimately get just a ticket. The Eiffel Tower's website states that if you find someone offering only tickets, they're fradulent.

The Eiffel Tower does provide their authorized reseller partners (Viator, Get Your Guide, Tiqets, ClassicTic, and a few others) with tickets to include as part of a "value-added service" - in other words, a guided tour or a concert.

As you may have noticed on their website, they also offer a couple of "premium" services themselves; the one that's the most interesting if what you're after is just a ticket is the Ticket+Glass of Champagne combo for just an extra €10. That's a decent deal, even if you don't really want the Champagne.

Since the tickets are sold out and you're not interested in a tour or the stairs (the fall-back options, aside from Champagne, when tickets aren't available otherwise), another way is to try for reservations at one of the restaurants in the Tower. They're kind of pricey and get mixed reviews, but you can find more about that in this article, which describes 8 different ways to get tickets.

The only other option - and it's not a good one - is to stand in line in case they have any tickets available on the spot. Even in the best of times (ie, relatively non-touristy months such as March, November, or early December when the weather is pleasanter than January or February), trying this runs the risk of standing in line for several hours only to learn that they've filled all the open slots for the day. Unfortunately, you're there during Easter Week, when the city fills up with people from elsewhere in France and the rest of Europe, as it also coincides with school vacations. (I learned this myself the hard way).

So the other option is to enjoy views of the Eiffel Tower from various locations in the city - you'll find some suggestions in this article about where to find the best skyline views. Every single one of them is far better than standing in a non-ending ticket line for hours and hours.

In April, cherry trees will be in bloom so do go across the river to Trocadero Gardens for views like the one in the photo above. Also, check out the above Harold's question regarding river cruises as well as bars and restaurants with Eiffel Tower views.

Kathi's Question: What to Do Tickets to the Louvre Are Sold Out? [REPLACE PHOTO]

Kathi's question:

We live in St Louis, Missouri and are coming to Paris with another couple July 31-August 2.

We have been trying to reserve tickets to the Louvre for July 31 at 5:30 pm. Something is wrong with their web site and it won't complete the transaction.

Any ideas what we can do to get the tickets? Thank you.

Susan's answer:

In my experience, the Louvre's website can definitely be glitchy. I tried it myself a few moments ago and was able to get through the booking process for that date and time up to the point of paying for four tickets, which of course I didn't want to do.

Hopefully, you tried again soon after you sent your message to me and were able to get your tickets. If not - keep trying.

Louvre admission tickets used to be available on the large international booking platforms such as Get Your Guide and Viator. Once the decision to charge non-EEA (European Economic Area) visitors €32 vs €22 for EEA residents went into effect, those tickets were no longer available (at least not for now), which I'm sure has put even more pressure on the Louvre's somewhat disfunctional website.

According to the Louvre's website, you now must have reservations between July 1 and August 31, which is their peak season for visitors. That would be fine - if their website worked reliably. But it doesn't, so it's very frustrating.

The Louvre also appears to be no longer selling tickets at the entrance, at least not right now. Buying tickets at the door was never a good option anyway as you could wait in line for hours and still not get in.

If you have a Paris Museum Pass, it includes admission to the Louvre - but to use it, you must also reserve a date/time slot online.

How to Choose Your Own Paris Neighborhood Combination

Are you interested in splitting your Paris stay between two or more neighborhoods in order to get a broader sense of the city, but wondering which ones to choose?

One approach is to start with your interests, and combine neighborhoods where you'll a variety of experiences linked by a common theme.

For example:

For museums: Louvre/Les Halles + Marais + 7th arrondissement + Trocadéro (16th)
For art galleries: Upper Marais (3rd arr) + Saint-Germain + 7th arr
For a village vibe: Montmartre + Latin Quarter + Batignolles (17th arr) + Passy (16th)
For a trendier/contemporary vibe: Oberkampf (11th) + Canal Saint-Martin (10th)
For a medieval vibe: Latin Quarter + Marais
For food markets/cafés/shopping: Upper Marais + Sentier (2nd) + Saint-Germain + Ternes (8th)/Batignolles

Can I Order Tickets Through Apps While I'm in Paris?

Marianne's Question:

Am I able to order tickets through Get Your Guide while in Paris?

My husband and I would like to do the Pere Lachaise Cemetery tour, but I do not want to over schedule us before we get to Paris.

Susan's answer:

Yes, that works well - I do it all the time myself when I'm in Paris.

The Pere Lachaise Cemetery tours are usually easy to book - I'd probably do it a day or two in advance just to be safe and to have more choices.

The tours or tickets that you typically need to book much more in advance are for the Eiffel Tower, Sainte Chapelle, the Louvre, Versailles, food tours, some of the evening dinner cruises on the Seine River, Galerie Dior, and some day trips.

Galerie Dior reservations are typically the hardest to book - at times, they have zero availability.

How to Choose Your Own Paris Neighborhood Combination

Are you interested in splitting your Paris stay between two or more neighborhoods in order to get a broader sense of the city, but wondering which ones to choose?

One approach is to start with your interests, and combine neighborhoods where you'll a variety of experiences linked by a common theme.

For example:

For museums: Louvre/Les Halles + Marais + 7th arrondissement + Trocadéro (16th)
For art galleries: Upper Marais (3rd arr) + Saint-Germain + 7th arr
For a village vibe: Montmartre + Latin Quarter + Batignolles (17th arr) + Passy (16th)
For a trendier/contemporary vibe: Oberkampf (11th) + Canal Saint-Martin (10th)
For a medieval vibe: Latin Quarter + Marais
For food markets/cafés/shopping: Upper Marais + Sentier (2nd) + Saint-Germain + Ternes (8th)/Batignolles