Île-de-France · France
Paris
A city of two million people inside a ring road, arranged in twenty arrondissements that spiral out from the Seine, and small enough that most of what you came for is within an hour's walk of the rest. What survives is largely Haussmann's 1850s rebuild — the uniform cream façades and the long straight boulevards are a single 19th-century decision — laid over a medieval island and a Roman town.
Paris is a city of counters. You drink coffee standing at one, at a lower posted price than the same cup on the terrace; you buy bread at one twice a day, which is why there is a bakery on almost every block; and the city runs an annual competition for the best baguette de tradition, whose winner supplies the Élysée Palace for a year and is besieged for the following fortnight. The other thing to understand is bonjour: entering a shop without it is not shyness, it is a small rudeness, and a great deal of the coldness visitors report is that one omission being returned in kind.
Plan your trip
Paris Tour Itineraries
Timed, walkable day plans — plus the best season to go.
Where to shoot
Paris Photo Spots
Low crowdEntry Free
Canal Saint-Martin
- Best timeDusk on a summer evening, when the quays fill and the footbridge lamps come on over the water — a lock filling in low light is the shot
- ColorsDenim blueWhiteOlive
Medium crowdEntry Free
Jardin du Luxembourg
- Best timeEarly morning, just after the gates open, when the low sun is across the basin and the chairs are still in the rows the gardeners left them in
- ColorsCreamForest greenNavy
Medium crowdEntry Free
Marché des Enfants Rouges
- Best timeLate morning on a weekday, when the produce stalls are full and the lunch queues have not yet taken over the aisles
- ColorsRedCreamDenim blue
High crowdEntry Around €16, about €12 from 6pm on Thursdays, and free on the first Sunday of the month with a compulsory reservation
Musée d'Orsay
- Best timeThursday evening during the late opening, when the crowd thins out and the light behind the clock face goes from blue to black while you are still inside
- ColorsBlackIvoryOchre
High crowdEntry Free — the treasury is separately ticketed at around €12
Notre-Dame de Paris
- Best timeEarly morning, in the first hour after it opens, when the nave is nearly empty and the light comes through the south rose onto pale stone
- ColorsIvoryCharcoalDeep green
High crowdEntry Free to enter the basilica; the dome is around €8
Sacré-Cœur & Montmartre
- Best timeThe hour before sunset from the steps, when the sun goes down behind the city and the whole of Paris in front of you turns gold — the basilica itself is better photographed in the morning, when the light is on its west face
- ColorsWhiteCamelRust
For the feed
Trending Wear in Paris
Modern, Instagram-friendly looks
Layers for a city that changes its mind
€80–250
One layer that covers a cathedral and a dinner
€50–200
Shoes for twelve kilometres and 300 stations of stairs
€60–200
Rooted in the city
Paris Traditional Wear
Local, cultural, handcrafted outfits
Taste the city
Food to Eat in Paris
Trusted tables
Where to Eat in Paris
Bouillon Pigalle
Boulevard de Clichy, below Montmartre
Crémerie-Restaurant Polidor
Rue Monsieur-le-Prince, near the Luxembourg
Du Pain et des Idées
Rue Yves Toudic, by the Canal Saint-Martin
L'As du Fallafel
Rue des Rosiers, Le Marais
Stohrer
Rue Montorgueil, a short walk west of the Marais
Questions
Paris — FAQ
What is Paris famous for?
The Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay — all laid over Haussmann's 1850s rebuild of cream façades and long straight boulevards, with a bakery on every corner doing the daily saving.
How many days are enough for Paris?
Three or four: the tower and the museums, the two islands and the Seine, Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur, and a day of simply walking between them.
What is the best time to visit Paris?
April to June, and September to October.
How do I get around Paris?
Paris is spread out, but most of what you came for is within an hour's walk of the rest — and the metro fills the gaps.
Which sights in Paris are free?
Notre-Dame's entry is free — book the timed slot — and so are the churches. The Musée d'Orsay is free on the first Sunday of the month, and the parks and canal edges cost nothing at all.