Heading to Paris for the first time? The headline sights are no secret, since everyone knows Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre. The harder part is logistics, like where to buy tickets, what to book ahead and how to dodge the longest queues. Below you’ll find the essentials for these four classics, plus a suggestion for how to start your stay.
Notre-Dame is open to visitors again
The cathedral reopened in December 2024 after five years of rebuilding following the fire. Inside, it looks different from before 2019. Crews cleaned centuries of grime off the stone, candle soot included, and the nave is now noticeably brighter. Entry is still free, and the cathedral’s official website lets you reserve a free time slot that gets you past the main queue. Slots only open about two days before your visit, so you can’t plan them far ahead. Be wary of sites selling “tickets” to the cathedral. As mentioned, going in costs nothing; only the tower climb is paid. That ticket costs 16 euros, and the 424 steps up have no elevator. You get a close look at the famous gargoyles and a panorama of the Île de la Cité, the island the cathedral stands on.
How to plan a visit to the huge Louvre museum?
The Louvre ranks among the largest museums in the world, with tens of thousands of works on display. You can’t see it all in one visit, so pick two or three sections and take them at an easy pace. Buy a timed-entry ticket online beforehand, and remember that the museum is closed on Tuesdays. Rather than queueing at the main entrance under the glass pyramid, try the entrance from the underground Carrousel du Louvre gallery, where the line is sometimes shorter. The Mona Lisa is least crowded right after opening. If paintings appeal to you more than antiquities, the Musée d’Orsay makes a good addition, with its rich collection of Impressionists.
How to buy Eiffel Tower tickets and avoid queues?
Book elevator tickets online as far ahead as you can, since slots fill up fast in high season. Taking the stairs to the second level is cheaper and often quicker, and those tickets can usually be bought at the ticket office even on the day. The tower looks best from the terrace at Trocadéro, across the Seine, while the Champ de Mars at its base is a good spot to rest. Try to fit in one evening walk here too. After dark the tower is lit up, and at the start of every hour it sparkles with thousands of tiny lights for five minutes.
A quiet afternoon in Montmartre
Leave the hill with the Sacré-Cœur basilica, home to artists for decades, for the second half of the day, once you’re done with the museums. The basilica is free to enter, and the square outside its doors has a panorama over the whole city. A funicular that accepts standard public transport tickets takes you to the top. Place du Tertre, with its portrait painters, can get crowded, but a turn into the side streets leads to a calmer Montmartre of small cafés. At the foot of the hill stands the Moulin Rouge, the city’s most famous cabaret.
A good start with a local guide
The first day in a new city is well spent getting to know its layout and history. A proven way to do that is a free walking tour of Paris, a stroll with a local guide. Walkative!, a guide network active since 2007, organizes tours like this. Its basic Welcome to Paris route lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes and is done entirely on foot, with no metro rides. Booking is free and required, and you get the exact meeting point after reserving. The walk has no fixed price, so at the end you decide how much to thank the guide with. Along the way you’ll also pick up recommendations for cafes, museums and districts worth seeing on the following days. If you stay in Paris longer, Walkative! also runs separate themed walks, including ones around Montmartre and in the footsteps of the French Revolution.
