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. Top photo:  xxx, (c) Paris Discovery Guide

Paris Discovery Guide is a reader-supported publication.  If you purchase through our links, PDG may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.  Merci for your support!

Recommendations for Smaller Gardens & Parks for Seeing Spring Flowers

Elizabeth's Question:

I am traveling to Paris for nine days in March 2027. I've read where trees/flowers will be blooming and coming back to life for Spring.

Do you have guidance for smaller gardens or walks to be able to see this? Possibly less-known neighborhoods where there may be a park to enjoy?   I find your page to be so helpful and informative as this will be our first time traveling to Paris.

Susan's Answer: 

Hi Elizabeth,

March is an absolutely fantastic time to see spring flowers and flowering trees bursting into bloom all over Paris. I was there for the whole month of March last spring, which turned out to be an almost unbroken string of perfect-weather days. I was in the city's parks and gardens daily, since they're part of what I love about being in Paris.

There are three articles on the website that you might want to take a look at:

• Where to See Cherry Blossoms in Paris
• Where to See Rose Gardens in Paris
• Where to See Fall Foliage in Paris

The first one focuses on gardens where you'll see lots in bloom during March - cherry blossoms, as you can tell by the title, but also magnolias and spring bulbs. Most of the smaller gardens are in the "Hidden Gems" section, but do consider some of the larger gardens too, as they're the most spectacular. The flowering cherries and other spring flowers in Jardin des Plantes, for example, are so beautiful.

The second article on roses includes a few gardens where you can see spring roses as early as March, plus some of the other gardens also have spring flowers.

Finally, the third article about fall foliage (there's a surprising amount of it in Paris, and as the city plants more and more trees, the fall colors are going to increase) is the least applicable season-wise, yet many of these gardens also put on lovely spring displays.

My recommendation is to find the parks and gardens closest to where you're staying and start your explorations there.

You never know what you'll find! Have a wonderful and memorable first visit to Paris. Hopefully, it will be the first of many more to come.

Will Special Events, Plays, or Concerts Take Place during Our Fall Visit to Paris?

Catherine's Question:

Hi Susan, We are planning a trip to Paris for 6 weeks from mid-October to the end of November. 

Are there any special events, plays or concerts you would recommend during our stay?  Many thanks!

Susan's Answer: 

Yes, there's a LOT going on in Paris in October and November. 

You'll find lots of concerts, opera, and ballet, new art exhibitions and big art shows and festivals as the fall season gets underway, the huge Paris Motor Show which floods the city with visitors and will still be underway just as you arrive, Halloween (not a big deal in Paris but the decorations in the Marais and Montmartre are always fun to see), and All Saints Day.

Although Paris isn't renowned for its fall foliage, there's still plenty of gorgeous color to see and enjoy - perfect excuse to explore some of the city's leafy parks.

By the middle of November, you can see the beginning of holiday lights and decorations, eleborately decorated Christmas windows in the big department stores, and the arrival of the Christmas markets around the city.

You'll find all the details about these events and more in the Paris in October and Paris in November articles on the website.

Are Bastille Day Fireworks Cruises Still Available?

Tracy's Question:

I will be in Paris to celebrate my wedding anniversary and I have a special $500+ dinner cruise booked for that night.

However I am looking for another cruise just for Bastille Day to see the fireworks. (I don't like crowds!) The only ones I see that mention Bastille Day firewords are $225 per person. I see other less expensive cruises that may be 1–3 hrs long but they do not specify that the time will be to see the fireworks at 11pm.

Do you have any suggestions on a cruise guaranteed to run during that time? Or maybe another choice for a rooftop?

Susan's Answer: 

How wonderful to be celebrating your anniversary in Paris!  The dinner cruise is a perfect way to celebrate.

The special Bastille Day dinner cruises are indeed wonderful because you not only get to cruise past all the river-side famous monuments and enjoy a great dinner (usually along with Champagne and wine), but you also get a direct view from the river of the fireworks display at 11pm.

Unfortunately, though, you are right - they are quite expensive because the Bastille Day fireworks show is perhaps the city's biggest, most splashiest event of the year - these cruises even surpasses New Year's Eve cruises in both cost and popularity because of the Eiffel Tower fireworks show. There's even one Bastille Day cruise this year that includes a Cancan show by the Paradis Latin dancers and is $500+/person. Many of the large tour boats get booked up for private events, so there are never very many public cruises and they always sell out, despite the price, weeks before July 14th.

I post available Bastille Day cruises, including the one with the Cancan show, in my Bastille Day article on Paris Discovery Guide.

You're 100% right about the other less-expense cruises - they do not include the fireworks show.  The thing to look for in the descriptions is something like "watch fireworks show from the water," or close a variation.  If they don't explicitly state something like that, it's just a regular cruise taking place earlier on Bastille Day - which can be a great activity, but you won't see fireworks.

Also, the fireworks cruises usually start boarding soon after 7pm depart around 8pm for the actual cruise, and then return to somewhere near the Eiffel Tower around 10:30pm and get into a good viewing position. The fireworks start at about 11pm and last about half an hour, but the boat may not dock until around 12:30am - 1am. Traffic both on the streets and around the water is often gridlocked because there are a lot of street and metro blockages due to security precautions, so it's a good night to allow extra time for everything.  It's also a good night to be within walking distance of your hotel.

Rooftops will be packed on the night of Bastille Day; since you don't like crowds, they're a place to avoid. Plus many, maybe most of them "privatize" for the night, meaning they'll charge huge covers to enter or be closed to the general public.

The restaurants with the best views also typically charge special Bastille Day prices that make the dinner cruises with fireworks look cheap by comparison.

To keep this in perspective, though - you absolutely do not need to spend a ton of money to see the fireworks.

Instead, do what most Parisians do, and find a place to watch for free. 

I totally hear you about not liking crowds - I don't either.  That's why I usually watch the fireworks in Tuileries Garden, usually on the slightly elevated path between the garden and the Louvre because there are fewer trees blocking the views. It's still an obstructed view, but good enough to enjoy the magical display, and that's more or less where I took most of the fireworks photos on Paris Discovery Guide.  You can also find some other suggestions in my PDG article about where to watch the Bastille Day fireworks.

The key thing, in my opinion, is to find a spot within walking distance of where you're staying as the various metro closures will impact service.

If you do that, it's a mellow, laid-back night - one of my own favorite times to be in Paris. I also love the Firemen's Balls, which are also either free or almost free and usually take place a night or two before the actual holiday.   Whatever you decide, have a great time!

What Happens in Paris on Bastille Day?

Norciva's Question:

I am trying to decide whether or not to come to Paris for Bastille Day.

What goes on in Paris during this day?

Susan's Answer: 

Bastille Day, which is known in France as La Fête Nationale (French National Day), actually commemorates and celebrates the storming of the infamous Bastille Prison in Paris, the symbolic beginning of the French revolution which eventually led to the overthrow of the French monarchy. 

In the evening, free concerts on Champ de Mars, the large grassy lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower, followed by a half-hour fireworks show once the sky is dark at 11pm.

It's a really fun time to be in Paris!

You can find all the details in this article about Bastille Day on Paris Discovery Guide.

 

What to Enjoy during La Fête de la Musique?

Cassandra's Question:

My husband and I will be staying on Île Saint Louis in June 2026. We noticed the Fete de la Musique is happening on June 21, appropriately on the longest day of the year! Do you have any hints or suggestions for that occasion?

Susan's Answer:

The Fete de la Musique is truly a magical evening in Paris, with musicians playing free concerts all over the city in outdoor as well as indoor venues. So definitely plan to check out as many as you want.

You're in a wonderful starting point on Ile Saint-Louis, as a number of the concerts typically take place along the Seine River banks and bridges. The small bridge that joins the western end of Ile Saint-Louis with the eastern end of Ile de la Cité (where Notre Dame is located) is often a popular spot. You're also within easy walking distance to Hotel de Ville on the Right Bank, where the Paris Chamber Orchestra usually performs a wonderful concert for large crowds.

As part of this event, Saint Eustache Church in the Les Halles neighborhood, also on the Right Bank, hosts a 36-hour marathon on June 20-21 where a variety musicians, including some that are quite famous, take a piece liturgical music and re-create it from their own perspective. The marathon attracts large crowds but since it lasts so long, it's usually possible to squeeze into the church to catch part of it.

Finally, one additional exciting event takes place on the evening of June 21st: the return of the Paris Cauldron and its ring of "fire," which you may remember from the 2024 Paris Olympics. It launches from Tuileries Garden but goes high enough into the sky so that you can see it from many spots in the city.

You can find more information about all of these special June 21st events, including a link to the Fete's schedule on their website included in Paris Discovery Guide's article about June Events in Paris. Have a fantastic evening!!!

---

See Questions & Answers on Similar Topics

Wondering about specific neighborhoods for your Paris visit?  You'll find those Q&A archives here:

• Where to Stay in the Marais (placeholder: add links later)
• Where to Stay in Saint-Germain (placeholder: add links later)

Paris Neighborhoods & Hotels - Where to stay in Paris + choosing the right hotel

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

---