Attractions in Paris: The Perfect Guide for 2026

My first rule for the Eiffel Tower: book a ticket on the official site the moment sales open, 60 days before your visit, at 08:30 French time. If the calendar says Sold Out, the tower itself isn’t full. The quota of online tickets has simply run out, and that’s when I switch to Tiqets. If you’re up for the effort, you can climb the 674 steps to the second floor. The line there is shorter and the ticket is cheaper (14.80 euros). From there you continue to the top by elevator.

Since the observation deck of Tour Montparnasse closed for renovation at the end of March 2026, the Arc de Triomphe is, in my opinion, the best panoramic viewpoint in the city center. Its big advantage is that from here you photograph the Eiffel Tower itself, instead of standing on it. You reach the rooftop, 50 meters up, by climbing 284 narrow spiral steps. There’s an elevator, but it’s reserved for people with disabilities, elderly visitors and strollers, and even from the elevator you have to climb another 46 steps. A ticket costs 16 euros from October to March and 22 euros from April to September (16 euros on Wednesdays in summer), and under-18s get in free. The most beautiful time to go up is at sunset.

My favorite view of Les Invalides is from the Pont Alexandre III. So I recommend getting off at Champs-Élysées Clemenceau (lines 1 and 13) and crossing the bridge on foot. Most visitors come for Napoleon’s tomb, but don’t miss the Army Museum (Musée de l’Armée), which needs at least two hours. Entry to the courtyard and the Soldiers’ Church is free, and in the courtyard you can see the collection of cannons. Entry to the tomb and the museums is paid, and it’s best to buy a ticket in advance.

I admit that Notre-Dame was never my favorite church in Paris. Still, since it reopened in December 2024, the line to get in has been longer than ever. Entry to the cathedral is free, but you need to book a time slot in the official Notre-Dame de Paris app. Some of the slots are released two days before the visit, and another batch is released at 09:00 on the day itself and gets snapped up within minutes. Climbing the towers needs a separate paid ticket: 424 steps, no elevator. Book it weeks in advance.

In my opinion, the Sainte-Chapelle is the church with the most beautiful stained glass in Paris, so before I buy a ticket I check the weather. Without sunshine, it loses a lot of its magic. You’ll find the important windows on the upper floor, where Louis IX (r. 1226–1270) and his family prayed. They tell the stories of the Old and New Testaments, including the stories of Judith and Esther. Look up at the blue ceiling as well. Of the 1,134 original stained-glass panels, 720 have survived. The nearest station is Cité (line 4).

Before you go into the Conciergerie, stop at the start of boulevard du Palais and look at the clock. It was built under Jean II (r. 1350–1364), and it was the first public clock in Paris. Inside, you’ll find a medieval royal palace that became a prison. During the Revolution, more than 2,200 prisoners left from here for the guillotine, and Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) spent her last weeks here. The building served as a prison until 1914. It’s open every day 09:00–18:30, and I recommend buying a ticket in advance.

Parisians don’t always love the Sacré-Cœur. Call me kitschy, but I actually like this white stone building that looks out over the city from the top of the Montmartre hill. Inside, notice the blue mosaic, which shows the triumph of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Entry to the basilica is free, but the climb to the dome is paid and involves close to 300 steps. If you want photos without the crowds, come early in the morning or late in the evening. The steps leading up to the basilica are also a good spot for a photo with the Paris skyline.

I really love the Opéra Garnier building, and the splendor that screams from every hall doesn’t bother me at all. What I find interesting is that the most important part isn’t the auditorium where the operas are staged, but the grand staircase and the magnificent foyer. The building was designed in the Napoleon III style and opened to the public in 1875. The Lord Mayor of London was invited to the opening ceremony, but somebody forgot to invite the architect, Charles Garnier (1825–1898). In the main auditorium, look for the ceiling painted by Marc Chagall (1887–1985).

The dome of the Panthéon, on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in the 5th arrondissement, is part of the Paris skyline. The building was designed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot (1713–1780) as a church, and over about 100 years its purpose changed several times. The final decision came with the funeral of Victor Hugo (1802–1885), which about a million people attended. Since then, only the nation’s great are buried here. Foucault’s pendulum swings beneath the dome, and in the crypt you can walk among the tombs, including that of Marie Curie (1867–1934).

I went down into the Catacombs on an autumn day, after a good meal on rue Daguerre. The place gives you a touch of claustrophobia, and yet I think it’s worth visiting at least once. You go down a spiral staircase to a depth of about 20 meters, to the remains of some 6 million Parisians. After a major renovation, the Catacombs reopened on April 8, 2026, and each tour has up to 15 people, so you have to book in advance. A ticket costs 31 euros and includes a new audio guide. It’s closed on Mondays.