how to be a traveler in paris (22 things to do)

Here is everything we did in the 8 days we spent in Paris:

1. Marvel at the Eiffel Tower

I had to start with the obvious one. You can’t visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower! Even if you don’t visit the tower itself, you’re bound to see it from somewhere in the City of Love. The “Iron Lady” is 1,083 feet tall and is the most visited monument (with an entrance fee) in the world. There are different types of tickets you can purchase ahead of time online, which I highly recommend. They don’t sell the specific ticket we wanted online, which was stairs to the second floor + lift up to the top. So we lined up at 9:30 and after about half hour of waiting, the tickets we wanted were sold out. So we ended up just getting the stairs to the second floor tickets. It was maybe a 15 minute walk up the stairs to the second floor, and the views were still pretty amazing. Looking back, I don’t think it was worth it to wait on line for the tickets stairs + lift tickets, when we could have bought the second floor stairs tickets online and skipped the queue. The Eiffel Tower opens at 9, so I’m sure to get the stairs + lift tickets, people must have started lining up by at least 8:30 at the bare minimum.

And of course, you need to catch the Eiffel Tower at nighttime and watch it light up. It lights up everyday from sunset until 1 AM (2 AM during the summertime) and the lights show happens on the hour each hour and lasts for five minutes. Just take note of the time of year you go since the sun doesn’t set until almost 9 during summer.

2. Catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre

If this is what you are out for, make sure you go early and make a beeline for the painting because it only gets more crowded as the day goes on. Of course, this isn’t the only thing to see here. After all, the Louvre is home to over 35,000 works of art, and is the largest museum in the world. We bought tickets online for a 9:30 time slot, when the museum opens, and arrived at 9:15. There was a pretty big line but the system is very organized (unlike the Eiffel Tower), so it moves relatively quickly. We only spent about 3 hours there before we started getting tired but we felt like we saw everything we wanted to see. But if you wanted to see EVERYTHING, people say it takes two to three days.

If you plan to visit other museums, you’ll want to look into the Museum Pass. The Louvre is one of the participating museums, and you can still book a time slot online. So depending on what other museums you’d like to check out, the pass may be worth it for you.

The Louvre is another landmark you will want to visit at nighttime. It’s the perfect spot to catch the sunset.

3. Take a stroll through the Jardin des Tuileries

It’s one of the city’s largest and oldest public (read: free) gardens, and it’s right next to the Louvre. So if you’re not tired from walking around the Louvre, you can pop on over to the garden.

4. Be a kid again for a day at Disneyland Paris

Be a kid again for a day at Disneyland Paris. Or in our case, two days. There are two parks – Disneyland Park (the main one where Cinderella’s Castle is), and Walt Disney Studios Park (smaller park where the Avengers campus is). If you wanted to pack both parks into one day, you can totally do it and see everything – you’d just have to be there right before it opens at 9:30 and stay til closing at 11. But if you have kids, or you want a more leisurely experience, two days would be the better option, and you can hop between the two parks.

Tickets are cheaper than Disney World in Orlando. Quick food is considerably cheaper as well. The themed restaurants are expensive but if you love Disney, the restaurants are worth it for the experience. Just remember that you’re not really there for the food, but more the atmosphere. These require reservations, and you can book them through the app up to two months in advance. If the restaurant you have you eye on is unavailable, be sure to check the app often, as there are always cancellations. We didn’t even start looking at reservations until 2 weeks prior, and nothing was available. But we checked everyday after that and ended up getting all the restaurants we wanted – although some were at odd times.

The parks are about an hour outside of the city by train, depending on where you are staying. You need to take the RER A, which was convenient and easy to follow.

The chairs are giant champagne bottle caps

The turkey legs here are not as big as the ones in the U.S.

5. Admire all of the intricate details of the colorful stained-glass windows at Saint Chapelle

Construction started in 1238. If you are into Gothic architecture, this church is definitely one to check out

Note: Sainte Chapelle participates in the Museum Pass

6. Channel your inner John Wick in Montmartre

Remember the scene from John Wick: Chapter 4, where John Wick has to battle all these assassins while going up a series of staircases? Well these 222 steps lead up to the Basilique du Sacré Coeur, where he has his final duel at dawn. In the movie, there is no one around but in reality, it is super crowded – unless you really decide to come at dawn. We went at 5 in the evening and there was a massive line just to get into the church. It’s still a sight to see, and you’ll get some great views of the city

7. Stage a photo of the Sinking House of Montmartre.

It’s not really sinking into the ground, but it’s an optical illusion. All you have to do is tilt your camera 45 degrees, and it’ll look like the house is crooked, because of the steep hill that it sits on.

Tilt your camera to make the tilting house illusion

8. Get a 360 view of Paris by climbing the Arc de Triomphe

I actually didn’t even know this could be climbed. 284 steps is all that is standing between you and a view of the Eiffel Tower. We spent about 45 minutes between going up, taking pictures, and coming back down. This is another Paris landmark that reminds me of John Wick. It’s the scene where he has to fight off assassins, all while dashing oncoming traffic. In reality, the scene was shot at an abandoned airport in Berlin and then the Arc was digitally inserted. But I can tell you that the dashing of the cars is very real if you want to cross the street to get to the Arc. Of course, it wasn’t until after the fact that we found out there was an underground pathway to cross the street.

Note: Arc de Triomphe participates in the Museum Pass.

9. Have a picnic at Champ de Mars

It’s a grassy public area right next to the Eiffel Tower, so you will have that as your backdrop. It gets crowded after dark since everyone is there to see the lights show.

Ben doing the Leaning Tower of Pisa pose but with the Eiffel Tower

10. Cruise down the Seine River on a boat tour

It’s an hour-long cruise that starts near the Eiffel Tower. It’ll take you past landmarks like Notre Dame, and the Louvre, just to name a few. The views aren’t that great since the landmarks are much higher up but for $20 USD per ticket, it’s totally worth it if you have the time to spare.

11. Eat at the oldest covered market in Paris, Le Marché des Enfants Rouges

Opened in 1615, this translates to “Market of the Red Children” because of the red that the children wore in the nearby orphanage. You’ll find produce, and various restaurants here – mainly Lebanese, Moroccan, and Italian cuisine.

12. See where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned at Le Conciergerie

This was a former courthouse and prison. We actually stumbled upon this by accident because it was next to Sainte-Chapelle, and a part of the Museum Pass, so we decided to check it out. It was a cool interactive experience.

Note: Le Conciergerie participates in the Museum Pass

13. Check out the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

It translates to “Our Lady of Paris.” In 2019, a fire destroyed a large part of the roof, and the spire. This caused the church to close for five years for renovation. It was still closed at the time we went in August 2023 but is set to reopen in December 2024.

14. Learn about Foucault’s Pendulum at Le Panthéon

This demonstrates the earth’s rotation. Le Panthéon was modeled after the Pantheon in Rome. You can pay an extra €3 to climb to the rooftop but it was at capacity for the day that we visited.

Note: Le Panthéon participates in the Museum Pass

15. Explore the Palace of Versailles, where the King of France, Louis VIII built a hunting lodge

The palace is visited by over 15,000,0000 people each year. It’s about an hour outside of the city centre by public transportation. You can buy tickets online ahead of time, which I highly recommend doing. Tickets are timed so just be sure to arrive within your time slot. We went in the afternoon and it was crowded so if you can, try to purchase tickets for the first time slot. The Palace of Versailles is where you’ll see the Hall of Mirrors that you see all over Instagram, but as with most IG-worthy spots, the reality looks nothing like what you see online. The only way you’ll catch it as empty as possible is purchasing the first time slot, as I mentioned, and then making a beeline for the hall as your first stop. The layout of the palace isn’t like a regular museum, where you can wander as you please. It goes in one direction, so it can get chaotic, especially when the tour groups start showing up. Between all the travel and the visit, expect to spend at least a half a day there. Slot in another hour if you want to check out the gardens too (separate ticket), which we did not do.

16. Catch dinner and a show at Moulin Rouge

It’s a cabaret that opened in 1889, and is where the can-can dance originated from. It translates to ‘red mill’, which you’ll see right outside the venue. Even if you don’t do dinner and a show, which we did not, it’s still fun to see what it looks like. It’s located in the Pigalle neighborhood, which is Paris’s Red Light District. As you may have guessed, there are quite a few sex shops on every block so if you don’t want your kids asking any questions, you should probably skip this stop. If you do visit, I’d recommend combining it with your visit to Montmartre, since it’s the next neighborhood over.

17. See Monet’s water lilies at Musee D’Orsay

The museum is not only home to Monet’s paintings but houses the largest collection of Impressionist (and post-Impressionist) paintings.

Note: Musee D’Orsay participates in the Museum Pass, but you cannot book a time slot, so your best bet is to go early if you want to avoid waiting too long.

18. Visit Palais Royal

This was home to royal families until the Palace of Versailles was built. Today, there are several arcades that are filled with high-end shopping.

19. Check out where the Phantom of the Opera was set, at the Palais Garnier

This was the primary location of the Paris Opera and its ballet until 1989. Today, they hold concerts there, and you can buy tickets to tour the palace during the day