Most Popular Sights & Places
Especially on a first trip to the city, most visitors will want to beeline to some of Paris’s top sights, attractions and monuments, from the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame to the winding, poetic streets of the Latin Quarter and Montmartre. And why not end the day with a scenic cruise on the Seine River? Keep reading for our full guides to the capital’s most iconic tourist sights and places, sorted by theme below based on your interests, budget & available time.
10 Best Things to Do in Paris (Especially on a First Trip)
Last Updated on September 24, 2026 Here at Paris Unlocked, we tend to focus on lesser-known corners of the French capital, and encourage readers to stretch well…
Top Tips for Visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris
A surprising fact about Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower: During its construction and prior to its unveiling for the Universal Exposition in 1889, it was decried and even…
Top Tips for Visiting the Louvre Museum in Paris
The Louvre Museum in Paris […]
The Best Modern Art Museums in Paris (& How to Enjoy Them)
Last Updated on May 13, 2026 The birthplace of countless artistic movements, Paris is also (unsurprisingly) home to some of the world’s finest modern art collections. From…
How to Plan a Trip to Paris: Our Full Advice & Travel Tips
Last Updated on July 1, 2026 For whatever reason, many first-time visitors to the French capital find themselves feeling a bit nervous during the trip-planning stage. Paris…
10 Best Day Trips From Paris (Most Accessible by Train)
Last Updated on September 3, 2026 Most guides to Paris include at least a brief section on day trips– but you might be wondering whether it’s really…
Most Beautiful Parks & Gardens in Paris (and a Bit of History)
Last Updated on April 16, 2025 Compared to London, Madrid, and other European capitals, Paris isn’t an especially “green” city. Only 9.5% of the capital is currently…
Best Small Museums in Paris: 10 Gems You Shouldn’t Overlook
Last Updated on September 17, 2026 The first time I set foot inside the Louvre Museum, I had already been living in Paris for three or four…
Best Places for Picnics in Paris, From Parks to Riverbanks
Last Updated on March 5, 2024 Like they do with pretty much everything else, Parisians make a true art of the spring or summer picnic. It’s not…
Most Beautiful Bridges of Paris: History & How to Visit
Last Updated on April 24, 2024 From “Last Tango in Paris” to “Amélie”, “Les Amants du Pont Neuf” to “Before Sunset” and “Midnight in Paris”, many well-known movies…
What to Do on a Rainy Day in Paris? Cozy & Relaxing Ideas
Last Updated on December 13, 2024 While most people prefer sightseeing against the backdrop of sunny skies and a cool breeze, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make…
The Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris: 8 Reasons to Love It
Last Updated on January 25, 2024 More than a museum, it’s a cultural touchstone Few places in Paris carry the sort of sentimental weight that the Centre…
Best Things to Do For History Lovers
Medieval Paris: A Self-Guided Tour of Sites From Middle Ages
Last Updated on December 9, 2024 During the 19th century, the Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann gutted much of what had been medieval Paris– forging the iconic skyline and…
History of the Paris Catacombs (& How to Visit Them)
Last Updated on April 16, 2025 Few places in the French capital inspire the kind of morbid fascination than the Paris Catacombs do– and that’s little surprise…
These Places in Paris Aren’t Usually Associated With Black American History. They Should Be.
Last Updated on August 15, 2025 “It’s a great city, Paris, a beautiful city––and––it was very good for me.” — James Baldwin, Another Country (1962) One of…
Looking for Roman Paris: Ancient Ruins From Lutetia
Last Updated on August 10, 2023 Hoping to see significant Roman ruins in Paris on your next trip? Probably not. Unlike Pompeii, Lyon (the former capital of…
Inside the Musée Carnavalet, a Museum Dedicated to Paris History
Last Updated on May 12, 2025 Anyone aiming to better understand the long and complex history of the French capital would do well to pay a visit…
The Tour Saint-Jacques: An Enigmatic Treasure in Central Paris
Last Updated on August 24, 2023 During my early years living in Paris, I passed a nondescript construction site in the city center on a semi-daily basis…
Seeking Josephine Baker in Paris: A Bit of History & Places to Visit
Last Updated on June 5, 2026 When most people think of Josephine Baker, they imagine her dancing in some glamorous Paris venue at the height of the…
Inside the Paris Wine Museum (M. Musée du Vin)
Last Updated on November 13, 2023 Aside from the humble baguette, there is perhaps no other staple more common in French homes than the bottle of wine…
Looking for a Good Virtual Tour of Paris? Start With These.
Last Updated on January 19, 2023 When the world was turned upside-down by a minuscule, spike-covered virus, in 2020, many of us who take joy in travel…
Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris: Walking Paths & Famous Graves
Last Updated on June 24, 2025 Montparnasse Cemetery, opened in 1824, sits on a site that was once occupied by three farms– in what was then a…
The American Revolution in France: Key Sites to Visit in Paris
Last Updated on March 28, 2025 Especially since I became a dual Franco-American citizen, I’ve been fascinated by the “dialogic” nature of the American and French Revolutions…
“Alchemist” Nicolas Flamel Built the Oldest House in Paris
Last Updated on May 3, 2024 The modest medieval house located at 51, Rue de Montmorency in Paris is off-radar for most tourists. Yet for a niche…
Seeking Edith Piaf in Paris? Visit These Places
Last Updated on June 10, 2026 Affectionately dubbed “the little sparrow” and “la môme” (the kid) in France, Edith Piaf is a musical legend who has (rather surprisingly?)…
Why to Visit Drancy, one of France’s Most Important Shoah Memorial Sites
Last Updated on January 27, 2026 In March of 2020, I made a short trip from Paris that was a long time coming. I boarded a train,…
Best Things to Do For Food Lovers
Most Beautiful Restaurants in Paris: Stunning Dining Rooms
Last Updated on June 19, 2026 Recent trends in the restaurant world have tended to de-emphasize the importance of the dining room from an aesthetic point of…
Where to Taste Delicious French Pastries in Paris: A Few Picks
Last Updated on May 13, 2026 The history of French pastry-making is, like almost everything else in the Gallic world, passionately debated. Some claim it starts with…
Best Street Food in Paris: Our Picks For a Cheap Bite
Last Updated on June 25, 2025 Growing up in a Los Angeles suburb well before the era of hipster food trucks, street food wasn’t much of a…
Some Of The Best Italian Restaurants in Paris: Our Picks
Last Updated on December 6, 2023 When I moved to Paris in the early 2000s, Italian cuisine was certainly not a notable feature or strong point in…
Some of the Best Places for Coffee in Paris: Roasters & More
Last Updated on December 12, 2023 It’s starting to feel like a routine to note that Paris has been getting significantly better at producing things it was…
Where to Taste Some of the Best Ice Cream & Gelato in Paris?
Last Updated on September 3, 2026 A small confession: I’m not someone you can really trust with a pint of decent ice cream left in the freezer…
Some of the Best Crepes in Paris: A Few Favorites
Looking for some decent crepes in Paris? You’re not alone. Crepes are one of the world’s great democratic foods. They’re inexpensive, often portable, and remarkably adaptable, ranging…
Paris’ Little Tokyo: Best Japanese Restaurants & Shops Around Rue Sainte-Anne
Last Updated on May 17, 2024 While most tourists with a taste for gourmet experiences come to Paris to try French food, a few know that the…
The Best Places for Afternoon Tea in Paris: Our Picks
Last Updated on May 13, 2026 While I’m more of a coffee lover than a tea person, the winter season in the capital demands an extra dose…
5 Classic French Desserts & Sweets to Try For Christmas
Last Updated on November 19, 2025 As soon as late November or early December comes around, I find myself craving a few classic French desserts and sweet…
The Weird, Winding History of French Macarons
Last Updated on October 30, 2024 The history of the French macaron is a strange and winding one, as I first discovered during a trip to the…
Le Potager de Charlotte: Simple, Flavorful Vegan Cuisine in Paris
Last Updated on May 17, 2024 For anyone who follows the Parisian food scene with interest, it’s no secret that there’s something of a vegetarian and vegan…
La Maison d’Isabelle: Superb All-Butter Croissants in Paris’ Latin Quarter
Last Updated on May 13, 2024 One of the great annual rituals of Parisian culture is the awarding of top prizes to local bakers and pastry chefs,…
