This article was updated in June 2025.
Compared with London, Paris is a lot smaller, so walking between sites is a reasonable option. However, if you wish to use public transport, navigating the underground system – the Métro – is simplicity itself. If you plan on travelling a lot in the city, then the Paris Visite card is good, valid for 1,2,3 or 5 consecutive days.
Concert halls/opera houses
The two Opéra de Paris houses are chalk and cheese. The Palais Garnier is exquisite, its marble staircase, glittering foyers and gilded auditorium dazzling the eye. The colourful Marc Chagall ceiling depicts scenes from operas by fourteen different composers. Seating is comfortable, but finding your seats – in any Parisian theatre – can be an entertaining challenge. Seat numbers go up in twos… even numbered seats to the right of the house, odd numbered seats to the left. In the Stalls (Orchestre) at the Garnier, there are no row numbers, just numbered seats. Bonne chance!
The Opéra Bastille is much larger, therefore its increased capacity means it should be easier to get hold of tickets. However, it’s an ugly building – inside and out – with a cold atmosphere and a cloudy acoustic. Do try and get to the Garnier for a performance; if not, book a tour of the house during the day (I strongly recommend the audio guide).
The Philharmonie and Maison de la radio are superb concert halls, both circular with vineyard seating layout. Acoustics are wonderful in both. My preference for the Maison is down to preferring the warm wooden interior and the fact that seating in the Philharmonie – for a tall person like myself – is cramped, with the back of the seat in front rising to pin you in when the patron in front of you sits down. That you have to tip the usher guiding you to your seat is a modern myth – I know that ushers at the Philharmonie are forbidden from accepting tips.
Parisian gardens are formally laid out but not as colourful or lavish as English public gardens. However, head to the tropical house in the Jardin des Plantes (a small entrance fee) to take a step into the steamy jungle. It was here that Henri Rousseau studied the plantlife which he featured in his exotic paintings. “When I go into the glass houses and I see the strange plants of exotic lands, it seems to me that I enter into a dream.” There's something rather wonderful about spending a half-hour here, wandering through the hothouse, imagining Rousseau drawing inspiration for his naïve paintings.
Churches
Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur are de rigueur, of course, but likely to be extremely crowded. The views from Sacre Coeur are wonderful, and as good as I'll experience (love nor money would get me up the Eiffel Tower). I found Notre Dame by night very beautiful, but you need to visit during daylight to appreciate the rose windows. St Sulpice, in the Luxembourg Quarter, is the second largest church in Paris and contains some beautiful stained glass windows. Opera fans will also recognise it as the church where Manon tempts des Grieux to run away with her... I had Massenet swimming around my head as I strolled along the aisles!
Galleries and Museums
The Louvre itself is truly awesome – but don’t attempt to do it all in one go. If you feel compelled to see the Mona Lisa, head there (first floor of the Denon wing) at the start of the day to beat the crowds that flock there to get a view. Otherwise, pick your favourite periods and visit those sections at leisure. I loved the Egyptian sections and seeing the Venus de Milo, as well as the famous Marly horses.
However, I much preferred the d’Orsay which was less crowded, but has a stunning art collection, particularly its Impressionist gallery on the top floor, with amazing views across Paris through its clockface windows. Almost every room contained a painting I knew or fell in love with.
The Musée Jacquemart-André (Boulevard Haussmann in the 8th arrondissement) is a gem – a fine private collection of works in a series of apartments. It also boasts the most exquisite café which is on the pricey side, but is like stepping back in time by a century. The pâtisserie there are to die for!
Eating out
A few other words on my culinary experiences in Paris. I was advised, logically enough, to avoid bistrots and brasseries near the big tourist destinations – they’re expensive and the quality is not always great. Parisians tend to eat late – after a show rather than beforehand – but you might want to factor in that most concerts start at 8:30pm. If eating near the Philharmonie, my tip is to avoid the expensive Café des Concerts where service is speedy but unfriendly and nip down to Chez Arnaud (16 Rue Eugène Jumin) for a pizza – it’s small, but you’re assured of a warm welcome and good food.
Perhaps I shouldn’t reveal my favourite little restaurant, but the Bistrot des Vignes in Rue des Dames is a treasure. It opened just over two years ago, when I first discovered it (17th arrondissement). The food is excellent – it’s a popular venue for locals at lunchtime. The fixed price menu at its most expensive (a weekend evening) is just 27€. A two – or three! – course late lunch, plus a carafe of wine, won’t break the bank… leaving you more to treat yourself in Paris’ splendid pâtisseries!
