By rail
Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon, the Eurostar and TGV hubs
Europe · France
Paris, France
Boulevards, bistros and the Eiffel Tower
Getting there
By air
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) or Orly (ORY), ~25 km
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October — mild
Don't miss
The Eiffel Tower
The Louvre
Notre-Dame
The Musée d'Orsay
Things to do
The Louvre
A Seine cruise
Montmartre
The Eiffel Tower lit up at night
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Yann Caradec from Paris, France · CC BY-SA 2.0
What to pack
Comfortable shoes, layers
A quieter corner
The Canal Saint-Martin on a sunny evening
Questions travellers ask
When is the weather mild in Paris?
April to June and September to October. Pack comfortable shoes and layers.
What should a first-timer see in Paris?
The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame and the Musée d'Orsay. Take a Seine cruise, explore Montmartre and see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night.
What are the food musts in Paris?
Croissants, bistro classics and a browse of the Marché des Enfants Rouges. On a sunny evening, head to the Canal Saint-Martin.
Which airports and train stations does Paris use?
Fly into Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) or Orly (ORY). By rail, Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon are the Eurostar and TGV hubs.
About Paris
- Riverside
Where it is
Paris, the capital of France, lies in northern central France at the centre of the Île-de-France region, on a north-bending arc of the river Seine in the heart of the Paris Basin.
History
Named after the Parisii, a Celtic people, the Roman town of Lutetia grew up around the Île de la Cité, and Clovis made it his capital in 508. The storming of the Bastille in 1789 became the symbol of the French Revolution, Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann rebuilt the centre with wide boulevards between 1853 and 1870, and the city has hosted the Summer Olympics three times, most recently in 2024.
People
Parisians speak French, and the city draws people from across France and the French-speaking world. Neighbourhood life revolves around cafés, bakeries and street markets, the booksellers (bouquinistes) keep their green boxes along the Seine, and on 14 July the Bastille Day military parade goes down the Champs-Élysées.
Known for
- The Eiffel Tower
- The Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay
- Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur
- Cafés, bistros and bakeries
Did you know?
Built as the centrepiece of the 1889 World's Fair and meant to be temporary, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world until the Chrysler Building in New York overtook it in 1930.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.