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.
The 10 Best Things to Do in Paris (Especially on a First Trip)
Last Updated on November 22, 2023 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 November 7, 2023 The birthplace of countless artistic movements, Paris is also– unsurprisingly– home to some of the world’s finest modern art collections. From…
Planning a Trip to Paris? Read Our Top Tips For First-Time Visitors
Last Updated on November 30, 2023 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 October 19, 2023 Looking for a good day trip from Paris? Some might ask why it would be necessary to plot a short excursion…
Most Beautiful Parks & Gardens in Paris (and a Bit of History)
Last Updated on November 21, 2023 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 October 10, 2023 The first time I set foot inside the Louvre Museum, I had already been living in Paris for three or four…
The Best Places for Picnics in Paris, From Parks to Riverbanks
Last Updated on November 4, 2022 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: Travel Guide & Some History
Last Updated on November 29, 2023 Think back to the films you may have seen– whether recently or not– that are partly or wholly set in Paris…
Rainy Day in Paris? These Are Relaxing & Cozy Things to Do
Last Updated on March 28, 2023 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 21, 2021 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 6 Intriguing Places
Last Updated on October 19, 2023 During the 19th century, the Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann gutted much of what had been medieval Paris– forging the iconic skyline and…
The Catacombs of Paris: History & How to Visit
Last Updated on November 29, 2023 Few places in the French capital inspire the kind of morbid fascination that the Catacombs of Paris do– and that’s not…
These 5 Places in Paris Aren’t Usually Associated With African-American History. They Should Be.
Last Updated on January 7, 2021 “It’s a great city, Paris, a beautiful city––and––it was very good for me.”– James Baldwin, Another Country (1962) One of the…
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…
The Musée Carnavalet, Dedicated to Paris City History, Finally Re-Opens
Last Updated on July 8, 2021 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 September 13, 2023 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 March 29, 2023 Opened in 1824, Montparnasse Cemetery sits on a site that was once occupied by three farms, in what was then a…
Seeking Belle-Epoque Paris in the Grands Boulevards District: My Full Guide
Last Updated on March 7, 2023 Technically, the tangled arrangement of wide, grandiose streets known as the Grands Boulevards in Paris stretch all the way from the…
The American Revolution in France: Key Sites to Visit in Paris
Last Updated on September 15, 2023 Especially since I became a dual Franco-American citizen, I’ve been fascinated by the “dialogic” nature of the American and French Revolutions…
The Oldest House in Paris Was Built by Famous “Alchemist” Nicolas Flamel
Last Updated on February 11, 2022 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 November 21, 2023 Affectionately dubbed “the little sparrow” and “la môme” (the kid) in France, Edith Piaf is a musical legend who has (rather surprisingly?)…
Voices from Drancy, one of France’s Most Important Holocaust Memorial Sites
Last Updated on February 8, 2022 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
Some of the Most Beautiful Restaurants in Paris: 5 Stunning Settings
Last Updated on August 29, 2023 Recent trends in food have tended to de-emphasize the importance of the dining room from an aesthetic point of view– or…
Where to Taste Delicious French Pastries in Paris: A Few Picks
Last Updated on November 22, 2023 The history of French pastry-making is, like almost everything else in the Gallic world, passionately debated. Some claim it starts with…
The Best Street Food in Paris: Our Favorite Spots For a Cheap Bite
Last Updated on November 22, 2023 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 May 16, 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 November 16, 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 October 19, 2023 A small confession: I’m not someone you can really trust with a pint of ice cream left in the freezer. If…
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…
Japanese Paris: The Best Restaurants & Grocers Around Rue Sainte-Anne
Last Updated on January 22, 2020 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 November 22, 2023 While I’m more of a coffee lover than a tea person, the winter season in the capital demands an extra jolt…
5 Classic French Desserts & Sweets for Christmas
Last Updated on November 29, 2023 As this goes to press, December has snuck up on us– and I find myself craving a few classic French desserts…
The Weird History of French Macarons: From Nunnery Cake to Parisian Trend
Last Updated on November 29, 2023 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 January 27, 2022 For anyone following the Parisian food scene, it’s no secret that there’s something of a vegetarian and vegan revolution underway in…
La Maison d’Isabelle: for Delicious All-Butter Croissants in Paris
Last Updated on September 13, 2023 One of the great annual rituals of Parisian culture is the awarding of top prizes to local bakers and pastry chefs,…
