Paris Attractions: Tips for Choosing What to See & Do

Paris has far more famous attractions and landmarks than you can possibly experience during one trip, and choosing among them isn't always as obvious as simply following a "Top 10 Must-See" list.  Why?  Because while all of these Paris attractions are worth visiting, not everyone will find them equally appealing.

So what should you choose to visit during your Paris visit? 

Your best choices depend on how much time you have, what interests you most, and the types of experiences you want from your trip.

Is going all the way to the Eiffel Tower Summit worth your time when you're in Paris for only two days?  What's the best way to explore Notre Dame?  If you want a spectacular Paris skyline view but only have the energy (or space in your itinerary) for one climb, should you choose the Notre Dame Towers or the Arc de Triomphe Rooftop?  And beyond the famous landmarks and monuments, where can you find special lesser-known places, beautiful views, and memorable spots that you might otherwise miss?

In the Sunday edition of my free Paris Discoveries Newsletter, I answer reader questions about specific Paris attractions and landmarks as well as places you might want to discover during your visit.  My focus is on helping you decide which ones are worth your time based on your interests, priorities, and how long you'll be in Paris.

This article, part of the Paris Discoveries Q&A Archive, brings together those real reader questions and my answers based on my own experiences exploring Paris. You'll find tips about iconic monuments, skyline vistas, hidden corners, and a few attractions that are simply fun or beautiful to experience.

I've lightly edited, expanded, and updated my original answers, and added photos and related resources where useful.

Top photo:  Notre Dame Cathedral, (c) Paris Discovery Guide

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Is the Eiffel Tower Summit Worth Your Time?

Mark's Question:

I'll be in Paris for 2 days in October 2027 for my first visit. Is the view worth the time spent in line to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower?

Susan's Answer:

The views of the city rooftops and famous monuments from the Eiffel Tower are wonderful, although in my opinion, they're better from the 1st and 2nd floors than at the very top ("summit") where everything looks tiny and blurry because you're so high up.

I personally find that while being at the top is exhilarating, the actual views are only so-so because it's hard to tell what you're looking at and many of the details blur in the distance.

Crowds (and therefore the wait time in line) are definitely smaller in October than during the summer months, but they're still hard to predict.  I recommend not waiting in line to buy a ticket.

Instead, book your ticket in advance for a specific day/time slot on the Eiffel Tower's website to dramatically reduce your wait time.

In my experience, you may still spend anywhere from half an hour (if you're extremely lucky) to over an hour waiting in lines - first to get your ticket validated, next for the security check, and finally for the elevator.  If you're lucky, you may be on the faster end of this spectrum - but you can't count on it.

Since you're in Paris only for 2 days and this your first visit, here's what I'd suggest: make a list of 10 or so things you want to do, including things like just walking along the Seine River, enjoying a late-afternoon drink at a sidewalk table in front of a cafe, or exploring a neighborhood by randomly walking around.  (You can find more top Paris attractions here.)  Then, once you have your list, rank each attraction or activity in order of priority, and see where going to the top of the Eiffel Tower lands.

If going to the top of the Eiffel Tower is in your top 6-7 priorities and you therefore feel certain* you want to do it, then book as soon as tickets become available for your date.

* Remember, Eiffel Tower tickets are non-refundable.

Otherwise, consider saving the Summit for your next visit - because if you love Paris during this first trip, you will be back.

Interested in viewing 2-day itinerary suggestions for other Paris Discoveries subscribers?  You can find them in this article about Paris Itineraries.

How to Tour Notre Dame on Your Own

Beth's Question:

We are arriving in Paris in late September for a 3-night stay.  Do you have any tips for touring Notre Dame Cathedral?

Susan's Answer: 

If you want to tour Notre Dame on your own, you no longer need to get an advance reservation because the "no reservation" line moves just as quickly - basically, almost as fast as you and everyone else in the line can walk. 

Once you're inside, you'll see signs pointing you to the left toward a wide aisle called   the "Ambulatory."  A row of columns surrounds the cathedral's central space, which is reserved for worshipers during services.  The Ambulatory allows visitors to walk around or visit the small chapels along the Cathedral's perimeter without disturbing the prayers of the devout.

According to Notre Dame's website, 29 chapels were added during the 13th century when the Cathedral was enlarged, with additional foundations and chapels appearing in the 14th century.  They have undergone numerous changes during the subsequent centuries, including looting during the aftermath of the French Revolution. 

Many of the chapels are dedicated to saints, bishops, archbishops, and other religious figures, including some who are buried in the chapels, which also contain statues, paintings, stained glass, religious relics, and other objects.

When you enter the cathedral, you'll see signs pointing toward the left where the visitor path through the Ambulatory begins; from there, people move in a clockwise pattern, typically lingering along the way to look at the chapels, light a candle (conveniently provided along the way for a couple of euros), and perhaps say a prayer.  If you want, you can rent an audio guide for a small fee (payable in euros), or you can just walk around and absorb everything on your own.  There's basic signage along the way.

If you want to see even more, you can enter (for a small admission fee) a special museum area called the "Treasury," which contains sacred objects, relics dating from the Middle Ages, manuscripts, and other religious treasures heroically saved from the 2019 fire.  In my experience, they are well worth seeing and definitely worth the time and money.  On Veneration Days (the first Friday of each month, from 3pm-5pm), you can even stand in a special line to see the Crown of Thorns which King Louis IX (who also commissioned the building of Sainte-Chapelle) acquired during the Crusades and brought back to Paris in the 13th century.

Of course, you can also choose to simply walk around the Ambulatory and take in the Cathedral's magnificent Gothic architecture, the gleaming walls and vaulted ceilings made from local Lutetian limestone, and the light streaming through the stained-glass rose windows. 

I like to do this when I have time (the full circuit usually takes me about an hour or longer, because I spend time looking at the chapels), but on other occasions when my time is more constrained, I go inside for just a few moments and stand in the back to appreciate the interior's new post-fire luminance.

If you visited pre-fire, when the interior was coated with a thousand years of grime and soot from candles and tobacco (banned indoors in public spaces in France only in 2007), you may be shocked by how white and gleaming it now looks. One of the wonders of the restoration is that you can once again experience the cathedral much as a 12th-century worshiper might have: as a light-filled space framed by arches reaching toward heaven.

Guided tours for small groups are now allowed inside the cathedral and from what I've heard, they're very informative.  If you decide to join one, this small-group tour includes both the interior and the exterior, gets high ratings, and is inexpensive.  You can also book it for the exterior only.

Notre Dame Towers vs Arc de Triomphe Rooftop:  Which View is Better?

Sharon's Question:

Have you walked up the Notre Dame tower?  I assume you can get a pretty good look at the gargoyles, but I'm not sure my legs are going to to want to do both Notre Dame & Arc de Triomphe.  Which would you recommend?

Susan's Answer: 

Hi Sharon, I have not been up to Notre Dame's Tower since the restoration, although for me, the stairs are not actually the deterrent.   

While I don't love the idea of walking up 424 steps, I have heard that the stairs have been improved post-fire.  That's good news because for comparison purposes, 424 steps equate to about 22 stories in a typical office building, or about 26 floors in a home with 10-foot ceilings.  However, post-fire, the stairs now have better treads and a solid handrail plus 7 rest stops along the way including the top level.  Despite warnings on Notre Dame's website about claustrophobic spaces, I've also heard that the actual experience doesn't feel that way. 

What is making me hesitate at the moment, though, is that unlike the pre-fire experience, others who have made the climb report that currently you are allowed only 5 minutes at the top.  That's a very short time to enjoy the truly spectacular views after a climb that takes most visitors about 40 minutes to reach the top and another 40 minutes to descend to ground level.  

Recent visitors report that due to current space constraints, only 18 people are allowed to go up at one time, and the next group of 18 must wait until the previous one comes down.  While the need to keep the groups moving quickly is understandable, being limited to a mere five minutes at the summit feels like a paltry ROI (return on investment) considering the total amount of time required.  Perhaps this will change in the future if additional viewing space becomes available.

Because I love to photograph the Paris skyline, I've concluded that for me, having only 5 minutes at the top isn't worth the time spent climbing, descending, and feeling frustrated by the time limitation.  But everyone is different - so decide if the climb is worth it to you!

The close-up views of the gargoyles and chimeras are fun to see, though, and the views are absolutely wonderful because you're at the historic center of the city - literally, a Point Zéro plaque in front of the Cathedral is the starting point for calculating distances between Paris and other places in France.  I have heard, however, that the viewing area has been moved back from its pre-fire location so you're no longer quite as close to the gargoyles.

However, views from the Arc de Triomphe's rooftop are also terrific, and reaching it requires only 284 steps.  And you can spend as long as you want at the top.  Because I like to take photos, I'm usually up there at least 45 minutes, and sometimes longer because it's such a mesmerizing experience.  I see others spending just as long up there, just enjoying the experience.

Whichever attraction you choose, keep in mind that you may be walking a lot more than perhaps you're used to during your trip.  And in some parts of the city, cobblestones can be hard to avoid.  If your legs and feet aren't used to that much walking including stints on rough surfaces, they may start sending you enough pain signals that climbing stairs of any quantity loses its appeal.  Fortunately, there are lots of other places in Paris to enjoy wonderful skyline views without so many (or any) stairs - you can check them out in this article.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your time in Paris!

Hidden Places in Paris for Artists to Paint

Ellen's Question:

I will be in Paris for the month of September. I am an artist and will be painting all the places I remember from my year as a student there and my current experience. 

Do you have any hidden sites I need to paint?

Susan's Answer:

That sounds like a wonderful reason to return to Paris.  I can think of so many spots that seem worthy of being captured in paint - some hidden, a few lesser-known, and others that are not at all hidden but that I didn't stumble upon in my own student days in Paris or they're new since that time.

Here's a list:

• Arenes de Lutece, the old Roman arena near Jardin des Plantes in the 5th arrondissement; I always feel transported back 2,000 years in time whenever I'm here
• The giant street art murals on the high-rise buildings along Boulevard Vincent Auriol, 13th arrondissement
• Eglise Saint-Médard Church and the nearby fountain at the end of Rue Mouffetard, 5th arrondissement
• The Roman baths around the Cluny Museum, 5th arr (although you can't paint inside the museum, seeing "Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries and other Roman and Medieval artifacts make a visit well worthwhile)
• Numerous spots along Promenade Plantée (officially named Coulée verte René-Dumont), an elevated linear park along former rail tracks, 12th arrondissement
• Paris skyline views from the pavilion at Parc de Belleville, 20th arrondissement
• La Conciergerie, as viewed from across the Seine River
• In Bois de Vincennes in the 12th arrondissement, rowboats on Lac Daumesnil, the Pavilion on Ile de Reuilly in the lake, and the Grande Pagoda (hidden in the woods, so follow the directional signs or pull it up on Google Maps in your phone)
• The arched bridges over Canal Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement - very picture-worthy!
• Various sculptures in Square Georges-Cain on Rue Payenne, 3rd arrondissement
• Many spots in the Quartier de la Mouzaïa neighborhood in the 19th arrondissement
• Daniel Buren's Columns in the inner courtyard across from Palais Royal Garden
• The arcades around Palais Royal Garden, always worth a stroll
• Square Saint-Gilles Grand Veneur - Pauline Roland rose garden, 3rd arrondissement - truly hidden so use a street map to find it
• Stravinsky Fountain behind Centre Pompidou
• The Les Halles area, between the Medici Column behind the old Bourse de Commerce (now housing the Pinault Collection) and the new Forum des Halles shopping center (look for its gold undulating roof) and Saint-Eustache Church, 1st arrondissement
• Le Dome Cafe in Montparnasse, 14th arrondissement
• The Miró sculpture on the site of his former studio on Rue Blomet, 15th arrondissement
• The various follies (Egyptian pyramid, Roman ruins, etc) in Parc Monceau, 8th arrondissement
• The carousel in front of Sacre Coeur

Where Is the Most Beautiful Carousel in Paris?

Joyce's Question:

Can you suggest the most beautiful carousel to ride while we are in Paris?

The one that was located by the Eiffel Tower was gorgeous (from the photos) but from all I have researched - it is no longer there.

Susan's Answer:

That's a tough question to answer. Even though the carousel near the Eiffel Tower is no longer there, there are plenty of others dotted across Paris, each with its own charms and worth seeing.

In the end, I narrowed my own choice for "most beautiful" down to not one, but three contenders for the title - see the photos below - partly because their wonderful locations also add to their beauty and charm. 

Then I posted photos on Paris Discoveries, the website's newsletter, and created a poll so that newsletter readers could decide. 

Here are the results, and what I love (and you may too) about each of them.

The Winner:  The Carousel in Front of Sacre Coeur

What I love about the Sacre Coeur Carousel:

The little horse (which has recently been painted gold) at the top, the "Venice in the 18th Century" theme, the unusual upper tier of horses, the flowers - and of course, Sacre Coeur in the background.

Where to find this carousel:  Montmartre, 18th arrondissement

The First Runner-Up:  The Carousel in Jardin des Tuileries

What I love about the Tuileries Garden Carousel:

The Belle Epoque (end of 19th century) style, its white and gold dome top, the little cherubs and bucolic scenes along the top edge, and plenty of gracefully galloping horses for young patrons to ride.

Location:  Tuileries Garden, near Rue de Rivoli entrance on the north side, 1st arrondissement

The 2nd Runner Up:  The Carousel in Parc Monceau

What I love about the Parc Monceau Carousel:

This Italian-made carousel's Jules Verne theme, the red and white striped top, and the turquoise submarine and other rides evocative of Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and "Around the World in Eight Days."

Where to find Parc Monceau:  Northern border of 8th and 17th arrondissements

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See Questions & Answers on Similar Topics

Do you have other questions related to Paris attractions?  You'll find these in the Paris Q&A archives here:

• Tickets for Paris attractions & activities: which ones should I book in advance?
• What's the best itinerary for my trip to Paris? - Planning tips

Paris Discoveries Q&A Archive - See Q&As on all topics

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