PARIS FYI
What to See in Paris
The city we send every visitor out into.
This is the list we hand to people who ask what they should do with three days in Paris. It has the obvious things on it, because the obvious things are obvious for a reason, and it has the quiet ones we would not want you to miss.
If you only have a weekend, pick one landmark, one museum and one garden, and leave time to sit in a café between them. Paris rewards walking more than it rewards checking things off.
Book ahead where it matters. The Catacombs, Sainte-Chapelle and Versailles all sell timed tickets, and turning up without one can cost you hours in a queue. Many national museums are free on the first Sunday of the month, which is wonderful and also very crowded.
Landmarks and Monuments
- Eiffel TowerThe one everyone comes for
- Arc de TriompheMonument, climbable
- PanthéonMonument and crypt
- Napoleon’s TombLes Invalides
- Catacombs of ParisUnderground ossuary, book ahead
- Tour Saint-JacquesGothic tower
- Pont Alexandre IIIThe ornate bridge
- Pont des ArtsFootbridge over the Seine
- Place de la BastilleHistoric landmark
- Point ZéroWhere French road distances start
- Statue of LibertyThe Paris original, Île aux Cygnes
- Flame of LibertySculpture, Pont de l’Alma
Museums and Galleries
- Louvre MuseumArt museum
- Musée d’OrsayImpressionists, in a train station
- Grand PalaisMajor exhibitions
- Petit PalaisArt museum, free collection
- Carnavalet MuseumThe history of Paris itself
- Musée de MontmartreArt museum with gardens
- Musée Cognacq-JayArt museum
- Musée des Arts et MétiersScience and invention
- Musée GrévinWax museum
- Paradox Museum ParisOptical illusions
- Mineralogy MuseumMINES ParisTech
- Maison de Victor HugoWriter’s house, Place des Vosges
- Musée des Archives NationalesHôtel de Soubise
- Bibliothèque nationale de FranceRichelieu site
- Institut de FranceCultural institution
- Palais GarnierOpera house, tours available
- Hameau de la ReineMarie Antoinette’s hamlet
- Château de SceauxMuseum and park
- Museum of the Great WarMeaux, day trip
Churches and Sacred Sites
- Basilique du Sacré-CœurMontmartre, free to enter
- Sainte-ChapelleThe stained glass, go on a bright day
- La MadeleineNeoclassical church
- Notre-Dame du TravailChurch of Our Lady of Labour
- Mémorial de la ShoahHolocaust memorial and archive
Parks and Gardens
- Jardin du LuxembourgThe one to bring a book to
- Tuileries GardenBetween the Louvre and Concorde
- Place des VosgesOldest planned square in Paris
- Parc des Buttes-ChaumontCliffs, a lake and a temple
- Parc MonceauElegant and quiet
- Champ de MarsThe lawn under the tower
- Jardins du TrocadéroThe classic tower view
- Belleville ParkUnderrated view over the city
- Square du Vert-GalantThe tip of Île de la Cité
- Jardin de l’Hôtel de SullyHidden courtyard, Marais
- Monet’s House and GardensGiverny, day trip
Squares and Streets
- Champs-ÉlyséesAvenue
- Place de la ConcordeLargest square in Paris
- Place du TrocadéroFor the photograph
- Place VendômeJewelers and the column
- Place du TertreMontmartre painters’ square
- Place de la RépubliqueSquare
- La Maison RoseThe pink house in Montmartre
Châteaux and Day Trips
- Palace of VersaillesAllow a full day
- Petit TrianonOn the Versailles estate
- Château de FontainebleauQuieter than Versailles
- Château de Vaux-le-VicomteThe one Versailles copied
- Château de VincennesMedieval keep, reachable by metro
- Château de PierrefondsRestored fortress
- Château de Monte-CristoAlexandre Dumas’ house
Views, Shopping and Browsing
- Galeries Lafayette RooftopFree view over the rooftops
- Galeries Lafayette HaussmannThe dome is the attraction
- Printemps HaussmannDepartment store
- SamaritaineRestored art nouveau store
- BHV MaraisDepartment store
- Shakespeare and CompanyEnglish bookshop by Notre-Dame
- The Abbey BookshopCanadian English bookshop
- Apple Champs-ÉlyséesWorth it for the building
With Children
- Disneyland ParisRER A to Marne-la-Vallée
- Parc zoologique de ParisZoo, Bois de Vincennes
- La Ménagerie du Jardin des PlantesThe oldest zoo in the city
- Aquarium TropicalPorte Dorée
- Montmartre FunicularSkip the stairs to Sacré-Cœur
On the Water
- Bateaux-MouchesSeine river cruise
- Vedettes du Pont NeufSeine river cruise
Civic Paris
- Hôtel de VilleCity hall, free exhibitions
- Élysée PalacePresidential residence, exterior
- National AssemblyPalais Bourbon
Every place here is pinned on a Google Maps list you can open on your phone and navigate from.
Partner With the Mission
We are Baron and Jen Carson, missionaries to France since 2018. There is hope for Paris. There is hope for France. There is Hope Now.