Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Paris has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Crowded but irresistible, the Eiffel Tower is open 09h30–23h; from mid-June to end August, 09h–midnight. If that doesn't take your fancy, how about the 200-year-old Arc de Triomphe, one of France’s most iconic monuments and the epicentre of city-planner Baron Haussmann’s star of boulevards; it’s worth clambering up its many internal stairs to peer down the Champs Elysées and enjoy pleasingly photogenic panoramic views of the city. Open daily, 10h–22.30h (23h in summer), excluding 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Tickets cost €8 and must be bought 30 minutes before closing.
- Arts and culture
- The Louvre (www.louvre.fr) houses some of the world’s most famous art (open late on Mondays and Wednesdays; closed Tuesdays and some holidays). The Musée National d’Art Moderne is on level four of the Pompidou Centre (www.centrepompidou.fr). Musée National Picasso Paris is in an old house in the Marais, and is full of the artworks Pablo couldn’t bear to part with; the venue is as alluring as the art itself (www.musee-picasso.fr), also the case for Musée d’Orsay, a converted train station (www.musee-orsay.fr).
- Something for nothing
- Visitors can now make an excursion to the beach without leaving the city, thanks to the palm-tree-lined white sand of Paris Plage, a summertime addition to the right bank of the Seine (near the Pont Neuf and Hotel de Ville).
- Shopping
- Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is one of the city’s famous long streets full of designer boutiques; our favourite is Colette, a celebrated lifestyle shop with fashion, books and a café. There are lots of shops, cafés and restaurants in the Marais and Latin Quarter. Porte de Clignancourt market is a fleamarket for clothes and antiques, open Monday–Saturday until 19h. Or arrange to have a selection of Parisian vintage pieces brought to you by Ooh La La! (ring +33 684 765 865 ahead of your trip for details).
- Daytripper
- Live out your Louis XV/Mme de Pompadour/Marie-Antoinette/Sun King fantasies (delete as applicable) at the incomparable Château de Versailles, just outside Paris (www.chateauversailles.fr).
- Activities
- The Seine’s open-top Bateaux-Mouches riverboats are a popular way to see the sights; most depart from Pont de l’Alma. Word of advice: stick to a one-hour trip and give the touristy dinner cruises a miss.
- And...
- Crazy Horse on Avenue George V (www.lecrazyhorseparis.com) is a cabaret performance in a small theatre where drinks are brought to your seat, meaning you never have to tear your eyes from the semi-naked burlesque dancing girls. Bonheur at the legendary Lido Theatre on Avenue des Champs-Elysées (www.lido.fr) is another kitsch cabaret show that can be lots of fun.
Diary
21 June La Fête de la Musique – the start of summer sees streets lined with stages for live bands. May–June French Open tennis championship (www.fft.fr/rolandgarros/en). June–July Paris Jazz Festival – free concerts in the Parc Floral at weekends. 14 July Bastille Day. August– September Open-air classical music festival, in the Parc Floral every weekend.