There is no other place like Paris on earth. It is a great destination with a magnificent history, delicious food, incredible culture and lots of magic in its air. We understand that it can be very overwhelming to decide what all to see when planning your trip to Paris. Hence, here we are making it easier for you to plan your trip to the magical city of Paris! Let’s get started!
11 Best Things To Do in Paris
Paris is well known as cultural capital of Europe and probably of our world. Paris worked really hard to attract visitors ever since their street lights turned on some few hundred years ago, making it the City of Light! Here is a list of best things that one can do when in Paris.
1 – Have A Picnic Along The Seine River
If the weather is pleasant when you visit Paris you can picnic alongside the Seine river as the Parisians do. Most of the things in Paris require active involvement so taking a break to relax and enjoy the beautiful view while eating local delicacies is a great way to witness this grand city. Take a break from the extremely crowded tourist attractions and experience and witness Paris in its utmost beauty. Best places for picnic are on Lle de la Cité which is one of the small islands within Seine river and the Pont des Arts bridge. We recommend picnic at evening as you will probably hear musicians playing in the background. If you are not a picnic person then you can get a drink at one of their open boat restaurants or cafés that are docked alongside the river.
2 – Visit The Louvre With A Guide
Louvre is the largest museum in the world and here reside very fabric of western civilization that makes this museum extremely significant to society. The licensed tour guides and Louvre study all their lives in the tribute of great artists, sculptures and warlords who moulded our society. You can join a guided tour to dive into to the artwork and really understand the feelings and thoughts of these world renowned artists. Paris is so much more in its depth and this experience will definitely alter your perception of life.
3 – Take A Tour Of The Paris Catacombs
The City of Light stands above tunnels full of bones! That’s right, these catacombs in Paris although sound gross and spooky but are an integral part of Parisian history. In fact, it is one of the top things to do in Paris. People take tours to these creatively stacked tunnels that contain bones of more than 6 million people! Not only that, Paris catacombs are legit the largest grave of the world.
4 – Take A Trip To The Château De Versailles
The Palace of Versailles definitely counts as one of the most visited places in Paris and for all the good reasons. Although revolutionaries outed all the last French kings and queens but we have to agree that leaving this magnificent piece of architecture alone was a good thing after all. People can retrace footsteps of Mary Antoinette and other historical figures along with enjoying the grandeur of former royal palace. In their hall of mirrors, chandeliers reflect in more than 300 mirrors. Ensure that you also visit the magnificent gardens of Versailles. They are are meticulously manicured and occupy about 2,000 acres of land.
5 – Walk Through Montmartre
Montmartre is a Paris neighbourhood located on the top of a hill in in North part of this great City. It is also known as village due to its windings trees that gives off small town feels. Ensure that you visit their Sacre Coeur Basilica which is a religious monument that people often overlook. The best way to discover this part of Paris is getting off the nearby metro station and wandering through the beautiful streets of Montmartre. Instead of planning out every single detail of your visit, roam around freely to authentically discover this charming neighborhood of Paris.
6 – Watch The Eiffel Tower Twinkling At Night
How can your trip to Paris be complete without the Eiffel Tower?! Everyone visiting Paris plans to see the great Eiffel Tower during some point of their trip. And although it’s obvious that the tower is lit up every night but very few people know that it twinkles for straight 5 minutes every hour in the evening. We don’t have to tell you that it is a magical site. The tower looks even more magnificent if you’re standing quite close to it. The “twinkling time” varies depending on the time of year that you are visiting because it happens only after sundown. The gasps and exclamations of “ooh” and “aah” fill the crowd as soon as twinkling begins. It is indeed truly a mesmerizing scene.
7 – Explore Musee D’Orsay
Musee D’Orsay is one of the most famous museums within Paris. Its housed within former Gare d’Orsay which is a Beaux-Arts railway station which makes it a stunning location for the museum. It is house of French art from 1848 to 1949 and showcase the biggest collection of impressionist as well as post impressionist masterpieces that there is! Here you can see great work from masters such as Manet, Degas, Money, Renoir and Van Gogh. It is undoubtedly one of the most famous Paris museums.
8 – Wander through the Louvre
It is mostly well renowned for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. If you are visiting Louvre, you can expect a very crowded room where people are desperately trying to get the photo of this magnificent artwork which is guarded safely behind thick plastic barrier along with crowd distancing parimeter. Your trip to Paris should definitely have Louvre on the cards not only because it is on almost everyone’s bucket list but especially if you you are an artist or enjoy. Other than Mona Lisa, its iconic exterior is what makes it worthy of a visit too.
9 – Visit Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde is the biggest square within French capital Paris and measures around 7.6 hectares. It is on the eastern end of Champs-Elysees. In 1789, during French revolution, statue of Louis XV was torn down renaming the area Place de la Revolution. And the revolutionary government then erected a guillotine here. It was also here on 21st January 1783, King Louis XVI was executed.
Moreover, it was also where numerous notable public executions were held including Mary Antoinette! The centre is occupied by giant Egyptian obelisk which is decorated with the hieroglyphics which exalt the reign of Pharoah Ramesses II. These were two in number and was given to the French by the Egyptian government in 19th century. The roman numerals that are are present on the pavement are said to be the numbers of giant sundial and the shadow of its obelisk operates to tell time.
10 – Visit Disneyland Paris
Another fun way to spend your day at Paris is a trip to Paris Disneyland. It is a perfect idea for adults and little kids alike. Although other activities in Paris can take up a lot of your time but if you have a spare day then you can totally visit Disneyland and have a great deal of fun!
11 – Take a day trip to Versailles
If you wish to get out of the heart of Paris for a day then you can visit Palace of Versailles. The place offers great insight into the Paris history and is simply gorgeous. There are many places to explore so ensure you give enough time to all of them. We also recommend purchasing your tickets beforehand as their queue can be very long.
Conclusion
Paris is one city that almost everyone wish to visit at least once in their lifetime and we totally get it. Paris is a magnificent, grand city which offer not only intellectual sights but delicious food too. It is a unique blend of history and beauty.
If you are planning a trip to Paris it is quite important that you plan your trip wisely in order to gain maximum pleasure from your visit. You can start with the major tourist attractions that include museums, food places and gardens.
But in case you are someone who like to do things their own way, you can choose to sit around the river or take a personal tourist guide to witness the city more authentically. We hope that this article was useful. Thank you for reading!