Paris was the first country I ever visited in Europe and I’m so glad I did! It’s beautiful and actually a lot more affordable than most people think.
And best of all, they have a great metro system. Seriously, you can get anywhere in the city within 20 – 30 minutes.
If you haven’t been to Paris, put it on your bucket list right away! There’s so many things to do from visiting historical sites, palaces, cathedrals, and even eating at great restaurants.
Here are the 11 must do things in Paris for first timers!
1. Notre Dame
Notre Dame is arguably the most well known cathedral in Paris. The Goth style architecture is Amazing. And best of all? It’s free to go in the cathedral!
Yep, Notre Dame is one of the best free things to do in Paris! 🙂
But be warned, during mid-day there will be a line that wraps around the front of the building. You can wait upwards of 30 minutes.
However, I promise you, the wait is WELL worth it!
The entire building is simply incredible. The iconic twin towers of the cathedral can be seen from miles away. Once you get inside, you are greeted with an incredible display of stained glass windows.
These things are a work of art and they were constructed over 700 years ago!
The cathedral is still in use today so you may see some people around praying.
Also, if you’re willing to pay, you can climb up to the top of the tower. I forgot how much it costs, but I didn’t get the chance.
The day I was at Notre Dame, they already sold out of tickets and the line was wrapped around the building. So I would recommend you buy your tickets ahead of time!
You can also visit the crypts underneath Notre Dame. There is a set of stairs you can follow down across the main courtyard (once you exit the cathedral).
Unfortunately, the crypt is closed on Monday (the day I was at Notre Dame), so I didn’t get a chance to go. But I’m sure it would have been amazing!
2. Sainte-Chapelle
While it’s not as famous as Notre Dame, I would argue that Sainte-Chapelle should also be on your list of sights to see in Paris.
Construction of this ancient cathedral began in 1238 and is considered the pinnacle of French Gothic architecture.
The building was commissioned by King Louis IX to house his Passion Relics.
If you’re a big fan of stained class in cathedrals, you don’t want to miss one of Paris’s top attractions! Sainte-Chapelle has one of the most extensive 13th century stained glass collections in the world!
Fifteen (that’s right, 15!!) huge glass stained windows fill the cathedral. Each window illustrates different scenes from the New Testament.
The windows are truly a sight to see!
3. Walk on the Seine River
The Seine River is a big river that cuts through the heart of Paris. In fact, during the summer you can often find people tanning along the river banks.
Walking along the Seine River is one of the romantic things to do in Paris with your date! The walkways along the river are well lit at night (Paris is the city of light after all)!
Now, the Seine River runs throughout Paris, so it would take quite the journey to walk along its entire length.
There are over 37 bridges in Paris and many of them are located along the Seine River. There are two bridges I would highly recommend you check out along the river:
Pont Alexandre III
This is absolutely my favorite bridge in Paris! The bridge connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower.
If you’re visiting the Eiffel Tower, you might as well cross the bridge to take some beautiful pictures!
Pont Alexandre III is widely regarded as the most beautiful bridge in the city. The bridge is designed with a number of lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses.
I must have spent a few hours around the area just admiring the architecture. It’s truly amazing 🙂
Pont Neuf
I will have to give Pont Neuf the runner up as the second most beautiful bridge in Paris. And this is the oldest still standing bridge over the Seine River!
4. Luxembourg Gardens
Luxembourg Gardens (or Jardin du Luxembourg in French) was created in 1612 by Queen Marie de’ Medici, wife of Henry IV.
Let me say, the gardens are HUGE! Expect to spend at least an hour just wandering around and exploring the park. It must cost a fortune to upkeep this place!
The gardens are so amazing. In the middle there’s this large fountain. There are also a lot of fancy statues sprinkled around the park.
One of my favorite parts of the gardens is just the stairs. They look so grand and fancy – it’s truly a garden fit for royalty!
Towards the southern end of the gardens are a large series of tall trees (not sure what kind they are). But they run for quite a bit and make for great Instagram pictures!
5. The Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles is without a doubt the favorite part of my Paris trip. In fact, I think it is THE place to visit in Paris!
I have never seen anything so vast and extravagant as this castle.
It really highlights just how rich royalty was back then. I still can’t believe anyone actually lived like that!
The Place is a short ride away from Paris (about 30 minutes). You’ll take the metro from the Gare Montparnasse station.
Once you get to the station in Versailles, it is about a 15 minute walk to get to the palace.
Be warned: there is usually a LARGE line to get into the place! I waited for 2.5 hours to get in! Luckily it wasn’t too hot that day in the summer, otherwise it would have been a lot worse!
However, the wait was well worth it. The palace is really out of this world and something you need to see for yourself. I can’t describe it with justice.
Pro Tip: If you pay up for a tour, you can skip the line to get in the palace!
Anyways, what can I say about this amazing palace? Well, it’s pretty much a symbol of French aristocracy. Everything here at the palace is fancy and extravagant and painted gold!
Here’s the main courtyard after you go through the entrance gates.
The palace is HUGE…in fact, there are probably over three dozen rooms! Here are some of the highlights Versailles:
The Gallery of Battles
Here you will see beautiful oil paintings depicting the great wars of France’s past.
There are over 30 paintings celebrating Frances achievement throughout the major dynasties.
The Hall of Mirrors
The Hall of Mirrors is as you guessed…a giant hall with some giant mirrors! It’s the most famous room in the entire palace.
The hall consists of 17 mirror-clad arches. Each arch contains twenty-one mirrors with a total complement of 357 used in the hall!
The palace building itself is just one small part of Versailles that you need to explore.
Once you get outside, you absolutely need to explore the gardens.
The gardens are actually my favorite part of the whole experience. It’s so beautiful and fancy. I just can’t believe something so beautiful exists.
There are probably over 30 – 40 small gardens throughout the Gardens of Versailles. Many of them have fountains and some of them even have water shows!
The gardens are very big so be sure to bring comfortable sneakers!
Once you get out of the gardens, they have a few restaurants around the area. Be sure to stop by some of the stands to get some gelato!
After you have walked around the gardens, the next spot you should check out is the Estate of Trianon.
The estate consists of three parts: (1) Grand Trianon, (2) Petit Trianon, and (3) Queen’s Hamlet.
P.S. Check out this post for my full guide to the Palace of Versailles!
6. Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is what people think about when they picture France. And for good reason! The Eiffel tower is incredible.
If you only have a limited time in Paris and are wondering what to see…the Eiffel Tower should be at the top of your list!
I would highly recommend going to the tower twice: one during the day and once at night.
To actually go to the base of the tower you need to go through security (they check our bags to make sure you don’t have anything dangerous).
Once you get inside, you can grab some overpriced food and line up to go up the tower. Personally, I didn’t see a need to go up the tower because the lines were very long and the best views of the Eiffel Tower are not at the Eiffel Tower.
But if you do want to go up, you’ll need to fight some big lines to get tickets!
I think the best way to experience the Eiffel Tower is to walk around the surrounding areas. At night, people often have picnics as they watch the light show of the Eiffel Tower at night.
7. The Louvre
On most people’s list of places to go in Paris is most likely the Louvre.
I know I’m going to probably get some serious heat, but I have mixed feelings about the Louvre. I’m not an art person so that’s probably why.
But I actually like the building better than the actual art itself.
Anyways, you should know that the Louvre is really, really big. Like super big! So be sure to plan out what you want to see as you could easily spend a day just wandering around inside.
Obviously, the most famous work of art in the Louvre is the Mona Lisa. But be warned, the painting is a lot smaller than you think it is.
Also, there’s always a huge crowd around the Mona Lisa so don’t expect to get many quality pictures or selfies.
Pro tip: If you line up at the Louvre first thing in the morning (and are near the front of the line), you can run/rush to the Mona Lisa and get some quality pictures before everyone else arrives.
8. Sacred Heart Cathedral
The Sacred Heart Cathedral (Sacré-Cœur in French) is a beautiful Roman Catholic church in northern Paris. I think it is one of the really fun things to do in Paris.
The basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Even if you’re not into churches or cathedrals, I would say a visit is still worth it based on the views.
You can see many of the major landmarks in Paris from the Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Unlike many of Paris’s top sights, the cathedral is actually relatively new (construction finished in 1914).
The cathedral can easily be identified by its white color in the distance.
The inside of the cathedral is beautiful. No, you won’t see large 13th century stained glass like Notre Dame or Sainte-Chapelle, but you will see beautiful illustrations of Jesus along the ceilings.
One of the best things to do at Sacré-Cœur is to climb to the top of the tower. To visit the cathedral is free, but it costs a few euros to go up to the tower.
Fair warning, it’s about 300 steps to the top so be prepared for a good workout! The views on the top are incredible. You can get some really great pictures of the Eiffel Tower from there!
Once you are done visiting the cathedral, the surrounding streets have great restaurants and bars. And there are always a bunch of artists around who are willing to draw your picture if you’re interested in that stuff.
Me? I decided to pick up some ice cream and walk around just admiring everything!
9. Paris Opera House
If you think about Paris sightseeing, an opera house wouldn’t be near the top of most people’s list of things to do.
But I’m super glad I visited the Paris Opera House (Palais Garnier). It is one of the most famous opera houses in the world.
The architecture and design is otherworldly beautiful. The opera house was famously used as the setting of The Phantom of the Opera.
I thought the opera house would be free to visit. But they do charge an entrance fee.
There are three different levels they allow you to visit in the opera house. The grand staircase connecting the three floors is one of the most beautiful step of stairs I have ever seen.
It actually looks like something you would see in a Harry Potter movie!
Note there’s also a bar on the third floor where you can get beer and wine! I decided to get a glass of beer and enjoy the sights.
On the third floor is also the balcony where you can get a good view of the city. During most of the day, the actual stages aren’t in use. However, you can still go into some of them (they’re unlocked).
The opera rooms are simply stunning!
10. Chateau de Fontainebleau
Versailles is without a doubt the best palace in France (and maybe the world). However, Chateau de Fontainebleau is also worth a visit.
If you’re looking for great stuff to do outside the city, the chateau is a great day trip outside of Paris.
It’s located about 35 km from the city and it’ll take about an hour to get there from the train.
The Chateau was used by several French monarchs from Louis VII to Napoleon III.
The good thing about Fontainebleau is that it’s a lot less crowded than Versailles – which means you can take much better pictures!
The place is very beautiful and you can get a great glimpse of how royalty lived back then.
Some of the highlights of the Chateau include:
- The Grand ballroom
- Napoleon’s throne room
- The king’s bedroom
- The queen’s bedroom
- and the Gallery of Diana (it was closed when I was there, but I snapped a few pictures from the distance).
Like many French chateaus, the Palace of Fontainebleau has a beautiful garden. Again, it’s not as fancy or big as Versailles, but it’s still worth a visit.
The Chateau does give horse drawn carriage rides throughout the garden grounds if that’s something you are interested in.
There’s also a small train they have that goes around the grounds as well.
And if you’re feeling hungry, the gardens is actually really close to the town (like literally one street away). So if you’re feeling hungry, I would go get a sandwich or something easy to eat and bring it to the gardens for a nice picnic.
11. Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe is one of Paris’ most famous landmarks (and for good reason!).
The was commissioned by Napoleon to honor those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. And the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces.
There are two ways to get to the Arc. First, you can run through traffic (be careful!) like I did the first time. Or you can take the easy route.
There’s an underground tunnel you can take from the southern side of the Arc. It will take you safely to the base of the Arc without having to deal with oncoming traffic!
To get to the top of the Arc you need to purchase a ticket. The ticket offices are underground from the underground passage I just mentioned.
There can be a line sometimes, but it moves very quickly.
The views from the top of the Arc are very nice and very Instagram worthy. The Arc should definitely be on your Paris sightseeing agenda.