Paris

Café Kitsuné at Palais-Royal serves espresso, pastries and café drinks beside the gardens, an easy break during a walk through central Paris.

Notre-Dame stands on Île de la Cité, its twin towers, sculpted portals and flying buttresses forming one of Paris’s defining Gothic silhouettes. Inside, the nave and stained glass reward a slower look; pair the visit with a walk along the Seine and nearby historic island streets.

Booking recommended

Built in the thirteenth century to house royal relics, Sainte-Chapelle is best known for its upper chapel and soaring stained-glass windows. Visit in daylight, when the coloured panels are easiest to appreciate, and allow time for the lower chapel’s painted details as well.

Booking recommended

Shakespeare and Company is an English-language bookshop facing Notre-Dame across the Seine, with shelves devoted to literature, travel and writing. The present shop opened in 1951 and became a meeting place for anglophone writers; browse the upper rooms before continuing along the Left Bank.

Marché des Enfants Rouges gathers food counters, produce stalls and small eateries under one roof, making it a convenient lunch stop in the Marais.

The Louvre spans ancient civilizations and Western art, with the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace among its best-known works. Pick a few galleries before entering; the collection is too large to cover in one visit.

Booking recommended

The Tuileries Garden runs between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, with sculpture-lined paths and broad views across the historic axis.

The Palais-Royal combines arcaded galleries, a formal garden and Daniel Buren’s striped columns in the Cour d’Honneur. Walk through the courtyard before exploring the shaded paths and surrounding arcades; it makes a calmer link between the Louvre area and Rue Saint-Honoré.

Bouillon République serves familiar French brasserie dishes in a large, lively dining room near Place de la République. Its informal format suits a straightforward meal between neighbourhood walks; check the current menu and queue arrangements, especially at peak lunch and dinner times.

Booking recommended

Candelaria pairs a Marais taqueria serving tacos and tostadas with a cocktail bar and agave-spirit selection. The venue does not take reservations, so plan for a walk-in visit and allow for a wait at busy times.

Booking recommended

Order the Croissant Ispahan, a flaky pastry filled with rose almond paste and raspberry–lychee compote. Pierre Hermé lists it at its Bonaparte and Café Odéon boutiques in Saint-Germain; availability varies by shop and stock, so check before visiting.

Built for the 1889 Paris World’s Fair, the Eiffel Tower rises over the Champ de Mars. Choose stairs or lifts for the ascent and leave time for the panoramic views from its platforms.

Booking recommended

Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac presents art and objects from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas in a museum designed by Jean Nouvel near the Eiffel Tower.

Booking recommended

Musée d’Orsay presents nineteenth-century art, especially Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works, inside a former railway station on the Seine.

Booking recommended

Rue Saint-Honoré runs through central Paris past designer boutiques, jewellery houses and long-established fashion addresses. The street is most useful as a walking link between the Louvre, Palais-Royal and Place Vendôme, with luxury windows and smaller specialist shops along the way.

The Arc de Triomphe crowns Place Charles de Gaulle, where twelve avenues meet at the top of the Champs-Élysées. Look for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the arch, then climb to the roof for a clear view of the city’s radiating street plan.

Booking recommended

The Berges de Seine offer a pedestrian route along the river, with bridges and landmark views between the Eiffel Tower and the central embankments.

Frenchie is a modern French restaurant near Sentier, serving a seasonal menu in a small dining room. Reserve in advance for dinner.

Booking recommended

Danico is a cocktail bar in the Galerie Vivienne, reached through the Daroco restaurant. Its setting makes it easy to pair a drink with a walk through the covered passages near Palais-Royal.

Booking recommended

Choux à la crème are one of Mamiche’s standout bakery treats, alongside its chocolate-marble babka. A recent Paris pastry guide singled out Mamiche for its cream puffs; the shop bakes fresh products in-house every day, so ask what is available at the counter.

Sacré-Cœur rises above Montmartre in white stone, with a broad forecourt that opens onto one of Paris’s best-known city views. Step inside to see the large apse mosaic, then explore the surrounding hill streets; the area is busiest around the basilica and Place du Tertre.

Book ahead

Musée de Montmartre traces the neighbourhood’s artistic history through paintings, posters and studio interiors. Renoir’s former home and the adjoining gardens offer a quieter side of Montmartre beyond Place du Tertre.

Booking recommended

Charles Garnier’s nineteenth-century opera house is as notable for its grand staircase, marble foyers and painted ceiling as for its performances. A self-guided visit reveals the building’s theatrical interiors; check the official calendar and visitor access before planning around a show.

Booking recommended

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is a department store known for its ornate stained-glass dome and rooftop views over Paris. The building is as much a reason to stop as the shopping floors.

Jardin du Luxembourg pairs formal tree-lined paths and lawns with the Medici Fountain, a large pond and the Luxembourg Palace. It is an easy green pause between Saint-Germain and the Latin Quarter.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés centres on its medieval church and surrounding streets of bookshops, cafés, galleries and long-running restaurants. The neighbourhood is best explored as a loose walk between the church, Boulevard Saint-Germain and the Seine, with time for a café stop rather than a rushed circuit.

Book the Five-course lunch tasting menu and let the kitchen compose a seasonal sequence. Septime’s current autumn page lists this format at lunch; the chef’s menu changes with the market, so check the live booking page for dates, dietary requests and the current offer.

Booking recommended

38Riv is an intimate jazz club in a vaulted cellar near the Seine, hosting live sets that range from jazz standards to contemporary improvisation. Seating is limited and performances are ticketed, so check the calendar and reserve for a specific show rather than dropping in late.

Booking recommended