TRAVEL FIELD NOTES · PARIS, FRANCE
Paris: 50 Visits and I’m Still Lost (In the Best Way)
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Paris more than 50 times. That’s not a brag, it’s the job.
This Paris travel guide mixes the landmarks with the living city I keep returning to for work. Explore parks, cemeteries, neighbourhood streets, food markets and café stops, then use practical advice on bookings, transport and pacing. Whether it is your first visit or your fiftieth, leave room for something unplanned.
Planning beyond this visit? Then use my France travel guide to choose your next stops and build a journey that fits your time.
Paris is either the start or the end of the Cities of Light cruise, which means several days of meeting and greeting guests before or after their time on the ship.
And here’s my confession: I haven’t seen anywhere close to all of it.
Sure, I’ve done the iconic highlights, and I’ve done them many times. But Paris is a living city, not a museum. It hands you something fresh on every visit, as long as you dare to wander off the beaten track.
So this Paris travel guide makes room for both: the sights you have come for and the places I’d send you when the postcards start to feel familiar.
See the famous Paris. You do not have to apologise for it
On a first visit, the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, Notre-Dame and a major museum may be exactly what you want. There is no medal for travelling all that way and refusing to look at the Eiffel Tower because other people have heard of it.
After so many visits, I still think the familiar sights deserve their moment. However, I would choose one main booked visit for a day, then build a manageable walk and a meal around it.
For the Louvre, start with the official visitor information. Reserve an appropriate time slot, check the galleries that interest you and accept that you will leave plenty unseen. Otherwise, the museum can become a very expensive endurance sport.
Likewise, check current arrangements directly with the Eiffel Tower before choosing an ascent. For Notre-Dame, cathedral admission is free; use its official site for current reservation arrangements. Separate visits, including the towers, have their own conditions.
Above all, distinguish seeing a place from entering it. A view from the riverbank can be a pleasure in its own right, especially when you would rather spend the afternoon elsewhere.
Find a park that is new to you
One of the pleasures of returning is finding a park I have not explored. After 50 visits, you might expect me to have exhausted that possibility. Fortunately, Paris has been keeping a few things back.
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
This hilly park has a lake, cliffs and the sort of landscape that can make you wonder whether somebody designed a film set and forgot to remove it. However, the familiar photographs need a practical footnote: the city currently reports renovation closures, including the central area with the little temple. Check access before going, and expect slopes.
Coulée verte René-Dumont
Meanwhile, the Coulée verte, also known as the Promenade Plantée, turns a former railway route into a green walk. Its elevated section lets you stroll above the streets while Paris gets on with its business below. Check entrances and accessibility before choosing your stretch.
Arènes de Lutèce
For a different surprise, investigate the Arènes de Lutèce, the remains of a Roman amphitheatre tucked into the 5th arrondissement. Ancient Paris and ordinary neighbourhood life meet here. Pair it with a manageable Latin Quarter walk rather than treating it as a cross-city detour.
Alternatively, Parc Montsouris offers a lake and mature trees in southern Paris. A quiet hour can be an entirely respectable sightseeing achievement.
The city of the dead—it’s better than it sounds
A curious stroll through a Paris cemetery is like opening a history book and discovering it has avenues. Famous names, ornate tombs and personal memorials give you a very different way to look at the city.
Père-Lachaise gets plenty of visitors. However, you do not need to turn it into a race between famous graves. Use the official city guide and map, choose a few points of interest and leave time to notice what lies between them.
Montparnasse and Montmartre cemeteries are also worth considering, particularly if they fit your day more naturally. They may offer a quieter walk, although that depends on when and where you go. As ever with Paris, “less busy” is more useful than “undiscovered.”
For me, the appeal is the mix of history and individual lives. Nevertheless, these are working cemeteries: leave mourners space, keep voices low and follow the rules. Save the picnic and glass of wine for somewhere appropriate afterwards.
Also, check opening times and your route. Père-Lachaise has uneven, sloping paths, and wandering in the best sense still requires finding an exit before closing.
Beyond the postcard: choose a neighbourhood, then stay awhile
My work brings me back to Paris repeatedly, but it does not hand me unlimited sightseeing time. Consequently, a useful approach is to choose one area and explore it properly instead of spending a free afternoon crossing the city three times.
These are ideas to consider alongside the landmarks, rather than a claim that nobody else knows they exist:
| Area | What to build the outing around | Make room for |
|---|---|---|
| Canal Saint-Martin | A waterside walk and surrounding streets | Coffee, lunch or an early evening drink |
| Butte-aux-Cailles | A village-like pocket of the 13th arrondissement | Street art, a slow stroll and a meal nearby |
| Belleville | Neighbourhood streets, food and a different view of Paris | Hills and a route that suits your walking ability |
| Covered passages | Galerie Vivienne or another public arcade | Shop opening times and a café stop |
| Bastille / Aligre | A market visit and surrounding food shops | The actual market day and time |
For a starting route, Paris’s tourism office has a Canal Saint-Martin walk, a guide to Butte-aux-Cailles and an introduction to the covered passages. Canal Saint-Martin brings footbridges, locks and café stops; the covered passages offer an appealing rainy-day change of scene. Meanwhile, Belleville combines street art and varied food options with a hilly walk. Then let your own interests decide which turn to take.
Of course, residential streets are not an invitation to peer through windows or enter private courtyards. A little curiosity travels better with a little consideration.
Eat and drink like you have time to live here
After so many visits, I still think food and drink belong in the sightseeing plan. You can learn quite a lot about a place while deciding what to have for lunch. At the very least, you learn that you should have stopped half an hour earlier.
A market lunch
Marché des Enfants Rouges belongs on many Paris food lists, including mine as a place to investigate. However, Paris’s tourism office reports it closed following the October 2026 fire. Do not plan a meal there until official information confirms access has resumed.
Instead, consider Marché Beauvau and the Aligre market, with covered food stalls and an outdoor market. Check trading hours: a market is much more interesting while somebody is selling something.
A bouillon, without a grand restaurant budget
A traditional bouillon can offer classic French dishes in a lively setting at relatively accessible prices. For example, investigate Bouillon Chartier, then check its current menu and arrangements. There may be a queue, so leave time rather than arriving with a museum booking breathing down your neck.
Coffee at the counter, or a terrace with a view
Try ordering your café crème at the bar if counter service is offered. It can cost less than sitting at a table, although the displayed prices decide that, not a universal Paris rule. Alternatively, pay for the terrace when sitting and watching the street is exactly what you came for.
A glass of wine and a little conversation
Choose a wine bar whose menu and prices appeal, then ask for a recommendation. Say what you enjoy and what you want to spend. Add cheese if it suits, and let the evening become something more than the gap between attractions. A chalkboard is charming; it is not, on its own, a quality guarantee.
Berthillon, followed by the river
For an Île Saint-Louis outing, Berthillon gives you an ice-cream stop to build into the walk. Check the shop’s current opening days, then enjoy the river afterwards. Research can be delicious.
Meanwhile, do not limit yourself to classic French dishes. Contemporary Paris includes many cuisines and many good ways to eat. My food tourism guide has more ways to follow that curiosity.
A pause counts as part of the visit
A café stop does not have to be the reward for finishing Paris. It can be the point of the next hour.
Order something you enjoy, check the price and let the street provide a little entertainment. Not every discovery needs an admission ticket.
The Paris day I would plan now
Spending several days welcoming guests or saying goodbye at either end of a cruise reminds me how quickly time in Paris can disappear. Therefore, I would protect some free time rather than treating it as space waiting to be filled.
My suggested pattern is one anchor, one nearby wander and one proper pause. For a first visit, the anchor might be a major museum. On a return visit, it might be a cemetery, a market or a neighbourhood you have never explored.
| Kind of day | Choose an anchor | Then add |
|---|---|---|
| First-time Paris | A booked landmark or museum | A walk in the surrounding area and a meal |
| A different side of the city | A neighbourhood, market or cemetery | A café stop and time to follow a side street |
| A gentler day | A suitable garden or short walk | One accessible indoor option if weather changes |
| A rainy afternoon | A museum or covered passage | A short route and somewhere inviting to sit |
For three full days, I would mix these approaches rather than schedule three museum marathons. With longer, add another neighbourhood or interest before automatically booking a distant day trip.
Above all, check the geography. Père-Lachaise, Montsouris and the Eiffel Tower do not become neighbours simply because they share a paragraph.
Getting around: walk the interesting bits, ride the gaps
Paris rewards walking, but it does not require you to walk every kilometre. After more than 50 visits, I still have plenty left to discover; exhausting myself is unlikely to speed up the process.
Use the Métro, trains or buses to connect areas, then explore a manageable stretch on foot. Start with Île-de-France Mobilités for journey planning, tickets and disruptions.
Ticketing has changed, so compare current tickets and passes, including how they are loaded onto a compatible phone or Navigo card. Also, check bus/tram coverage separately from Métro/train travel.
For Charles de Gaulle or Orly, confirm the airport journey specifically. A standard Métro-Train-RER ticket does not cover the airport rail journeys it excludes. Use the authority’s current guidance rather than assuming any ticket marked “Paris” will do.
Likewise, check step-free access for the whole route if you need it. A nearby Métro station does not automatically mean an accessible journey. For taxis or app-based cars, compare the actual fare and pick-up arrangement; neither is always cheaper.
Where to stay: choose the journey home as well as the view
Because my work brings me to Paris, I am often thinking about arrivals, departures and meeting guests. That practical side matters for a holiday too: the best-looking room is less appealing if every day ends with a difficult journey home.
Compare the precise hotel location, transport connections and evening atmosphere. Central areas around the Marais, Latin Quarter or Saint-Germain may suit a sightseeing stay, but the room, street and price matter more than a fashionable district name.
Alternatively, staying farther from the best-known sights can work if the connections suit your plans. Before booking, check luggage access, lifts, room size, cooling for summer and noise. Also, read recent information about the individual property.
I would budget from real accommodation prices for the dates, then add meals, admissions, transport and a little flexibility. A park or neighbourhood walk can keep part of the day inexpensive without making the trip feel like an exercise in deprivation.
For a method of bringing those figures together, see my travel budget guide.
A few practical habits leave more room for pleasure
First, book the experiences you would be disappointed to miss, using the venue’s official site. Then check opening days, entry conditions and any timed reservations. A pass may still require a booking.
Next, match the season to the kind of trip you want. Spring and autumn are worth comparing for walking; summer brings long daylight but can also bring heat and crowds. Winter suits a different rhythm, with indoor visits and shorter outdoor stretches. Weather remains weather, however persuasive the photographs.
For busy stations and attractions, keep valuables secure and pause before responding to an unsolicited approach. Also, use official transport information and legitimate taxi arrangements at the airport.
Finally, leave a route back to your hotel and a little energy for the evening. My travel logistics guide can help with those connections, while slow travel offers a useful argument for doing less.
Paris: still unfinished, thankfully
After 50 visits, my list of “places I still haven’t been” is longer than my list of places I have. And honestly, that’s the best reason to keep going back.
The familiar sights still have their place. Yet so does the park I have not walked through, the cemetery that catches my curiosity and the neighbourhood that tempts me off the route I know.
So see the highlights that matter to you, then leave a little room for Paris to surprise you. Being lost in the best way is less about having no idea where you are than discovering you are happy to be somewhere you had not planned.
Questions about visiting Paris
What should I see on a first visit to Paris?
Choose the landmarks that matter to you, then build manageable days around them. For example, combine one booked museum or attraction with a nearby walk and a meal, rather than racing between every famous sight.
What can I do in Paris beyond the major attractions?
Consider the Coulée verte, Arènes de Lutèce, a cemetery walk, Canal Saint-Martin, Butte-aux-Cailles or a covered passage. However, check access, opening times and the geography before combining them.
Is Buttes-Chaumont fully open?
The City of Paris currently reports renovation closures, including the central area with the temple. Therefore, consult its official park page before planning your route.
Can I eat at Marché des Enfants Rouges?
Paris’s tourism office currently reports the market closed following an October 2026 fire. Check official updates before visiting; meanwhile, consider Aligre for a market outing.
Is Notre-Dame free to visit?
Cathedral admission is free. However, check its official website for current reservation arrangements. Separate experiences, including the towers, have their own booking and admission conditions.
Can I use a standard Paris train ticket for the airport?
Do not assume so. Check your exact airport route and ticket or pass with Île-de-France Mobilités. Standard tickets have exclusions, and bus/tram coverage differs from Métro/train coverage.
How do I make Paris less expensive?
Start with accommodation prices for your dates, then mix paid attractions with parks, walks and markets. Also, compare menus and transport options before purchasing passes or committing to a restaurant.
What keeps bringing you back?
Which park, street, café or unexpected corner would you send me to next? After 50 visits, I am still taking suggestions. First-time visitors: what are you most looking forward to?
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