Book a bistro in the 11th a few weeks ahead, start the morning at a bakery by the canal, and give an afternoon to Rodin’s garden. Save the addresses you want, then walk between neighbourhoods.

Paris at a glance

Time zone
Central European Time, UTC+1; summer time, UTC+2, from late March to late October
Currency
Euro (€). Cards and phone payments are widely accepted; carry a little cash for markets
Language
French. Staff at museums and many central restaurants speak English; start with “Bonjour”
Airports
Charles de Gaulle (CDG): about 25 min to Gare du Nord by RER B; Orly (ORY): about 25 min to Châtelet by métro line 14
Best months
April to June, and September to October
Power
Type E plugs (two round pins), 230 V
Tipping
Service is included in the bill. Leaving a few euros for good service is common, not expected

Know who’s in Paris when you are

O is an invite-only community for people who travel. Post your trip in seconds and see who’s in Paris the same week. Apply to join.

Where to spend your time

  • Le Marais Start under the arcades of the Place des Vosges, then walk rue Vieille du Temple north to the galleries and shops of the Haut-Marais.
  • Saint-Germain-des-Prés Browse the galleries on rue de Seine and the shops on rue du Bac, then end in the Jardin du Luxembourg.
  • Palais-Royal Cut through the Palais-Royal garden, then the covered Galerie Vivienne, and on to the Bourse de Commerce.
  • Canal Saint-Martin Cross the canal’s iron footbridges, then try the bakeries and coffee shops on the streets off quai de Valmy.
  • Bastille and Charonne Book dinner around rue de Charonne and rue Paul Bert; walk to the Marché d’Aligre on a morning from Tuesday to Sunday.
  • Montmartre Climb to Sacré-Cœur early, then walk down the west side by rue Lepic to the Abbesses métro entrance.
  • Belleville Walk up rue de Belleville to the lookout at the top of the Parc de Belleville, then eat near the métro on the boulevard.

Where we’d send a friend

  • Du Pain et des Idées Canal Saint-Martin. Christophe Vasseur’s organic bakery, founded in 2002 in a listed shop with a painted ceiling. 34 rue Yves Toudic, 10e. Order: Pain des Amis, or an escargot pistache-chocolat. Closed Saturdays and Sundays. Open from 7 AM to 7:30 PM on weekdays. Website
  • Ten Belles Canal Saint-Martin. The original Ten Belles, open since 2012, with house-made sourdough. 10 rue de la Grange aux Belles, 10e. Order: Coffee and a sandwich on sourdough. No reservations. Open every day: from 8:30 AM on weekdays, 9 AM at weekends. Website
  • Holybelly Canal Saint-Martin. Pancakes, eggs and daily specials in a loud room with 100 seats. 5 rue Lucien Sampaix, 10e. Order: Pancakes, or eggs and sides. No reservations; its site shows the live wait. Food from 9 AM to 4 PM every day. Weekday rush from 11 AM to 2:30 PM. Website
  • Verlet Palais-Royal. A coffee house on rue Saint-Honoré since 1880, still roasting its own beans. 256 rue Saint-Honoré, 1er. Order: A single-origin coffee, or an œuf cocotte at lunch. Open Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 7 PM. Website
  • Le Select Montparnasse. A Montparnasse café and American bar that turned 100 in 2023, with a terrace on the boulevard. 99 boulevard du Montparnasse, 6e. Order: A coffee on the terrace, or a drink at the bar. Open every day from 7 AM to 2 AM, until 3 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Walk in, or book online. Website
  • Septime Charonne. A carte blanche menu that changes with the season, and a long list of natural-wine growers. 80 rue de Charonne, 11e. Order: The carte blanche menu: five courses at lunch, seven at dinner. Closed Saturdays and Sundays. Bookings open online every day at 10 AM for the next 21 days. Lunch about €85, dinner about €135. Website
  • Clamato Charonne. Septime’s seafood bar: oysters and small plates from the day’s catch. 80 rue de Charonne, 11e. Order: Oysters, then two or three small plates. No reservations. Open every day, noon to 2:30 PM and 7 PM to 10:30 PM. Website
  • Le Bistrot Paul Bert Charonne. A classic Paris bistro; its signature dish is steak au poivre. 18 rue Paul Bert, 11e. Order: Steak au poivre, then the soufflé or tarte Tatin. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Bookings by phone only: +33 1 43 72 24 01. Website
  • Bouillon Julien Faubourg Saint-Denis. An Art Nouveau dining room from 1906 serving French classics at low prices. 16 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 10e. Strasbourg Saint-Denis. Order: Œufs mayonnaise, then the house bouillon. Open every day, 11:45 AM to midnight. Walk in, or book online. Website
  • Le Baratin Belleville. Raquel Carena’s bistro on the slope of Belleville, open since 1987 and long a favourite of Paris chefs. 3 rue Jouye-Rouve, 20e. Order: The dish of the day, and offal if it’s on. Closed Sundays and Mondays. No website: book by phone, +33 1 43 49 39 70, and check the hours when you call. A lunch menu from about €25. Website
  • Little Red Door Le Marais. A cocktail bar open since 2012, with concept menus inspired by art and flavour. 60 rue Charlot, 3e. Order: A cocktail from the current menu. Open every day, 5 PM to 1 AM. Walk-ins welcome; tables can also be booked online. Website
  • Le Mary Celeste Le Marais. A bar that serves food late every night, open since 2013. 1 rue Commines, 3e. Order: A cocktail, then a few small plates. Open every day until 1 AM; from 3 PM Monday to Thursday, from noon Friday to Sunday. Bookings only for groups of 7 or more. Website
  • Le Baron Rouge Aligre. A wine bar beside the Marché d’Aligre, with oysters at weekends in season. 1 rue Théophile Roussel, 12e. Order: A glass of wine, and oysters on weekends from mid-September to April. No reservations. Open every day; Monday evenings only, Sunday until 4 PM. Website
  • Shakespeare and Company Latin Quarter. English-language bookshop facing Notre-Dame, with a café next door. 37 rue de la Bûcherie, 5e. Open 10 AM to 8 PM Monday to Wednesday, until 9 PM Thursday to Saturday, and noon to 7 PM on Sundays. No photos inside; large bags aren’t allowed. Website
  • Deyrolle Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Taxidermy, insects and natural-history wall charts on rue du Bac. 46 rue du Bac, 7e. Open Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 7 PM. Website
  • Merci Le Marais. Fashion and homeware, with the Used Book Café. 111 boulevard Beaumarchais, 3e. Open every day, from 10:30 AM on weekdays and 10 AM at weekends. Website
  • Marché d’Aligre Aligre. An open-air market on rue d’Aligre and the covered Beauvau hall beside it, for produce, cheese and bread. Place d’Aligre, 12e. Order: Fruit from the street stalls, then cheese in the covered hall. Closed Mondays. The street stalls run from 7:30 AM to about 1:30 PM, Tuesday to Friday, and until about 2:30 PM at weekends. Website
  • Bourse de Commerce Les Halles. The Pinault Collection in the old grain exchange, with a concrete cylinder by Tadao Ando inside the dome. 2 rue de Viarmes, 1er. Closed Tuesdays. Open 11 AM to 7 PM, Fridays until 9 PM. Book a timed ticket, about €15. Website
  • Musée Rodin Invalides. Rodin’s sculpture in the Hôtel Biron and its garden, The Thinker included. 77 rue de Varenne, 7e. Closed Mondays. Open 10 AM to 6:30 PM; last entry 5:45 PM. Tickets online or at the desk, about €14. Website
  • Musée de l’Orangerie Tuileries. Monet’s Water Lilies in two oval rooms, with Impressionist paintings downstairs. Jardin des Tuileries, 1er. Closed Tuesdays. Open 9 AM to 6 PM; last entry 5:15 PM. Book a time slot online to avoid the queue. Website
  • Musée Picasso Le Marais. The national Picasso collection in the Hôtel Salé, a 17th-century mansion. 5 rue de Thorigny, 3e. Closed Mondays. Open 9:30 AM to 6 PM. Book a time slot online for priority entry. Website
  • Fondation Cartier Palais-Royal. Contemporary art in the foundation’s new home on the Place du Palais-Royal, open since October 2025. 2 place du Palais-Royal, 1er. Closed Mondays. Open 11 AM to 7 PM, Fridays until 10 PM. Booking online is recommended. Website

A first week in Paris

  1. Day 1: Land and walk the Marais. After dropping your bags, walk the Place des Vosges and rue Vieille du Temple. Eat at Le Mary Celeste or another bar nearby rather than crossing the city again.
  2. Day 2: Palais-Royal and the Tuileries. Walk the Palais-Royal garden and Galerie Vivienne, then the Bourse de Commerce. End at the Orangerie, at the Concorde end of the Tuileries.
  3. Day 3: The Left Bank. Start at the Musée Rodin and its garden, then walk rue du Bac to Deyrolle and on to Saint-Germain. Finish at Shakespeare and Company, across the river from Notre-Dame, or with a drink at Le Select in Montparnasse.
  4. Day 4: The canal and Belleville. Breakfast at Du Pain et des Idées or Holybelly, walk the canal north, then climb to the Parc de Belleville lookout in the late afternoon. Dinner at Le Baratin, booked by phone.
  5. Day 5: Out of town. Choose one: Versailles for the château and gardens, or Reims for the cathedral and a champagne cellar. Both take most of the day.
  6. Day 6: Aligre and the 11th. Shop the Marché d’Aligre in the morning and have a glass at Le Baron Rouge. Lunch at Clamato, then dinner at a bistro you booked ahead.
  7. Day 7: Montmartre. Climb to Sacré-Cœur early, then walk down by rue Lepic to Abbesses. Spend the evening around Pigalle.

Where people meet

  • Wine bars Stand at the counter of a wine bar like Le Baron Rouge; ordering by the glass is normal.
  • Café terraces Order a coffee on a terrace; staying an hour over one cup is normal.
  • Markets The Marché d’Aligre runs Tuesday to Sunday mornings; weekends are the busiest.
  • Late openings Several museums stay open late one evening a week, such as the Fondation Cartier on Fridays. Check before you plan around one.

Eating in Paris

  • Book ahead Popular restaurants release tables online a few weeks ahead at a set time: Septime opens bookings 21 days out at 10 AM. Some bistros still take bookings by phone only.
  • Lunch is the deal Many restaurants serve a set lunch on weekdays for less than dinner. Kitchens often stop taking lunch orders around 2 PM.
  • Check the days Many independent restaurants close on Sundays and Mondays, or at weekends; each place in this guide lists its closed days.
  • Bakeries and bouillons Buy bread and pastries in the morning. For a cheap, quick sit-down meal, try a bouillon such as Bouillon Julien, open non-stop.

Getting around

  • Tap through Buy tickets in the Île-de-France Mobilités app and keep them on your iPhone, or load a Navigo Easy card at a station. A métro or RER ticket costs about €2.55; the airports need a separate ticket, about €14.
  • On foot or by métro Neighbouring arrondissements are often quicker on foot than by métro once you count the changes. Vélib’ bikes, including e-bikes, dock across the city; pay in the Vélib’ app.
  • After midnight The métro runs until about 1:15 AM, and until about 2:15 AM on Friday and Saturday nights. Noctilien night buses and taxis cover the rest.

Good to know

  • Say bonjour Greet staff with “Bonjour” (“Bonsoir” in the evening) when you walk into a shop, café or restaurant.
  • Ask for the bill Waiters bring the bill when you ask for it: “L’addition, s’il vous plaît.”
  • Stand on the right On métro escalators, stand on the right and walk on the left.
  • Keep it down late Residential streets are quiet at night; keep voices low on terraces and in stairwells late.

When to go

Late spring and early autumn are usually the most comfortable for walking. July and August can be hot, and some independent restaurants close for part of August. Winter is often grey, with shorter queues at the big museums.

March to May
Trees flower in the parks and days lengthen. Expect changeable weather; carry a layer.
June
Long evenings. The Fête de la Musique on 21 June brings free concerts to streets across the city.
July to August
Can be hot. Some independent restaurants and shops close for a few weeks in August; check before you book.
September
Restaurants and galleries reopen after summer. On the third weekend, the Journées du Patrimoine open buildings that are usually closed.
October to November
Cooler, shorter days. Plan around museums and long lunches, and carry an umbrella.
December
Department-store windows on boulevard Haussmann are decorated. Many places close on 25 December and 1 January.
January to February
Often cold and grey, with shorter queues at the big museums. The winter sales start in January.

Day trips and next stops

  • Versailles Take the RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, then walk about 10 minutes. Book a timed entry for the château. About 35 min.
  • Giverny Take a train from Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny, then the shuttle, about 20 minutes, to Monet’s house and gardens. Open from early April to early November; check this year’s dates. About 50 min.
  • Reims Take a TGV from Gare de l’Est for the cathedral and the champagne houses; book cellar tours ahead. About 45 min.
  • Fontainebleau Take the Transilien R from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon, then the bus to the château. Allow time for the forest and its sandstone boulders. About 40 min.

Questions people ask

Is Paris a good city for meeting people?

Try counter seats at wine bars, weekend markets and museum late openings. If you’re an O member, you can also see people who choose to share overlapping travel dates.

Where should I stay?

For easy métro links, stay in the Marais, Saint-Germain or near Palais-Royal. The 10th and 11th put you closer to many of the restaurants and bars in this guide.

How do I get in from the airport?

From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B reaches Gare du Nord in about 25 minutes and Châtelet in about 30. From Orly, métro line 14 reaches Châtelet in about 25 minutes. Both need the airport ticket, about €14. Taxis charge a fixed fare to the city; check the current rate.

Do I need cash?

Rarely. Cards and phone payments work in most cafés, shops and taxis; keep a little cash for markets.

When are things closed?

Many independent restaurants close on Sundays and Mondays, and some for part of August. Museums each close one day a week: the Louvre on Tuesdays, the Musée d’Orsay on Mondays.