City guides
Paris
Paris is a compact, very walkable city of grand boulevards, riverside views, great museums and cafes on every corner. The big sights are crowded and need tickets booked ahead, but simply walking the old neighbourhoods and parks costs nothing. The metro is fast but full of stairs, so older travellers and families with prams should mix it with buses and walking.
Good for
- Couples
- Museums and art
- Walking
- Shopping
- Food lovers
- First Schengen trip
A good length: 5 days
Plan one big museum or monument per day, booked for the morning, and spend the afternoon walking a neighbourhood or sitting in a park.
Best months
April, May, June, September, October
Per person per day
- Budget
- US$95
- Mid-range
- US$200
- Comfort
- US$450
Per person per day, sharing a double room: a simple hotel bed, a bakery breakfast, one sit-down meal, metro tickets and one paid sight. Museum tickets for non-EU visitors went up in 2026.
Where to stay and spend time
Le Marais
Stay or visitNarrow old streets, the beautiful Place des Vosges, small museums and boutiques, and many shops stay open on Sundays. Central for walking to Notre-Dame and the Louvre.
For: Couples, walkers, shoppers
Watch out: Hotels are pricey and rooms small; old buildings may have tiny lifts or none.
Open in mapLatin Quarter and Saint-Germain
Stay or visitClassic Paris of bookshops, cafes and the Luxembourg Gardens, close to Notre-Dame and the river. The RER B from the airport stops here, at Saint-Michel and Luxembourg.
For: First-timers, older travellers
Watch out: The restaurant lanes near Saint-Michel push cheap set menus of poor quality; walk a few streets further.
Open in mapEiffel Tower and the 15th arrondissement
Good baseQuiet, safe residential streets with supermarkets and good prices for the area, a short walk to the Eiffel Tower. Rue des Entrepreneurs, Paris's small Persian street, is here.
For: Families, longer stays, anyone wanting Persian food
Watch out: Evenings are quiet, and the Marais and Montmartre are 30 to 40 minutes away by metro.
Open in mapLouvre and Opera
Stay or visitBetween the Louvre, the Tuileries garden, the Opera house and the big department stores, with many metro lines, so everything is close.
For: Shoppers, short stays
Watch out: Pickpockets and petition-clipboard groups target tourists around the Louvre and the stores.
Open in mapMontmartre
Worth a visitA village-like hill with the white Sacré-Cœur basilica, painters at Place du Tertre and one of the best free views over Paris.
For: Views, photos, artists' square
Watch out: Steep stairs, the bracelet scam at the bottom steps, and the Pigalle and Barbès streets below are rough late at night.
Open in mapChamps-Élysées and the 16th arrondissement
Worth a visitThe famous avenue runs up to the Arc de Triomphe; behind it are wide, calm streets and the Trocadéro terrace with the best photo of the Eiffel Tower.
For: Shopping, an elegant evening walk
Watch out: Cafes on the avenue charge high prices; eat in side streets.
Open in mapBelleville and Canal Saint-Martin
Worth a visitA lively, mixed area with cheap halal, North African and Asian food, a canal for walks and the hilltop Parc de Belleville with a view.
For: Budget eating, local life
Watch out: Some streets near the metro stations feel rough at night.
Open in map
Places worth your time
- Views
Eiffel Tower
7th arrondissement · 2 to 3 hours
Book on the official site weeks ahead, especially for the top. The stairs to the second floor are cheaper and less crowded than the lift. For photos, the Trocadéro across the river is free.
- Museums
Louvre Museum
1st arrondissement · 3 hours
Book a timed ticket online; from January 2026 non-EU visitors pay about 32 EUR. Closed on Tuesdays. The Mona Lisa room is packed, so also visit the quieter Islamic Art and Ancient Near East rooms with Persian treasures such as the Susa archers frieze.
- SightsFree
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Île de la Cité · 1 hour
Reopened after the 2019 fire and free to enter. The line moves fast, but a free online time slot saves waiting in busy months. Walk across to the Latin Quarter afterwards.
- Museums
Musée d'Orsay
7th arrondissement · 2 hours
Impressionist paintings by Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh in an old railway station. Smaller and easier than the Louvre. Closed on Mondays; book ahead.
- Sights
Sainte-Chapelle
Île de la Cité · 45 minutes
A small chapel whose walls are almost entirely stained glass. Go on a sunny morning, and book a time slot to skip the security line.
- ViewsFree
Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre
Montmartre · 2 hours
The basilica is free and the steps give a wide view of the city. Older visitors can ride the small funicular up with a normal metro ticket instead of climbing the steps.
- ParksFree
Luxembourg Gardens
Saint-Germain · 1 hour
Formal gardens with plenty of free green chairs, a pond where children push small sailboats, puppet shows and a playground. A perfect rest between sights.
- Views
Seine river cruise
Near the Eiffel Tower or Pont Neuf · 1 hour
A one hour boat ride past most big sights while sitting down, ideal for older relatives and tired children. Evening rides show the lit bridges.
- Sights
Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées
8th arrondissement · 1.5 hours
Walking the avenue is free; climbing the arch's 280 or so steps to the roof needs a ticket. Reach the arch only through the underground passage, never across the traffic circle.
- ShoppingFree
Galeries Lafayette rooftop
Opera · 1 hour
Look up at the glass dome of this grand department store, then take the escalators to the free roof terrace for a view of the Opera house and the Eiffel Tower.
- Sights
Grand Mosque of Paris
Latin Quarter · 1 hour
A 1920s building with a Moroccan-style garden courtyard and minaret; a small fee lets you tour it. Its cafe serves mint tea and pastries, and the Jardin des Plantes is next door.
- With children
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
La Villette, 19th arrondissement · 3 hours
Europe's largest science museum, with hands-on areas for young children, inside the big La Villette park. Good on a rainy day; closed on Mondays.
- Day trips
Palace of Versailles
Versailles, outside Paris · Full day
The royal palace and huge gardens, about 40 minutes by RER C. Closed on Mondays and very crowded on Tuesdays and weekends; book a timed ticket, and note that non-EU visitors pay more since 2026.
- Day trips
Disneyland Paris
Marne-la-Vallée, outside Paris · Full day
About 40 minutes on the RER A to the last stop. Dated tickets bought ahead are cheaper; weekdays outside school holidays have the shortest queues.
Getting around
From the airport
RER B trainabout 40 min
Trains leave Terminals 1 and 2 every 10 to 15 minutes for Gare du Nord, Châtelet, Saint-Michel and Luxembourg. Buy the airport ticket at the machines or counter in the station. Keep bags in front of you, and expect stairs when changing lines.
about 14 EUR for the Paris Région airport ticket (2026)
Taxi at a fixed priceabout 50 min
Take an official taxi from the signed rank outside arrivals. The fare to Paris is fixed by law, whatever the traffic: one price for the Right Bank and a higher one for the Left Bank. Taxis must accept cards and also take cash.
about 56 EUR to the Right Bank, 65 EUR to the Left Bank (2026)
Bus 9517 and metro line 14about 75 min
The old Roissybus stopped in March 2026. Its cheap replacement is bus 9517 from Roissypôle (reach it from any terminal on the free CDGVAL shuttle train) to Saint-Denis-Pleyel, where you change to the fast, step-free metro line 14 into central Paris. Slower, but much cheaper.
about 2.05 EUR for the bus plus about 2.55 EUR for the metro with a Navigo Easy card (2026)
In the city
Navigo Easy card
Paper tickets are gone. Buy this card for 2 EUR at a station machine or counter and load single tickets (about 2.55 EUR for metro, train and RER, 2.05 EUR for bus and tram in 2026) or a one-day Navigo Jour pass (about 12.30 EUR, airports not included). Each person needs their own card; pay with coins or at a staffed counter if you only have cash.
Navigo Découverte with a weekly pass
Best value for a stay of five days or more. Buy the card for 5 EUR at a ticket counter, stick on a small ID photo, then load a Navigo Semaine (about 32.40 EUR in 2026) for unlimited travel in all zones from Monday to Sunday, airport trains included. The week always runs Monday to Sunday, so it suits trips that start early in the week.
Phone tickets and contactless cards
The Île-de-France Mobilités and Bonjour RATP apps sell tickets onto an Android phone or iPhone, but you need a working bank card to pay. Tapping a contactless bank card works only on some buses and the Montmartre funicular so far; on the metro it is being added line by line from 2027.
Taxis and ride apps
Official taxis have a lit roof sign and a meter; G7 is the biggest company and has an app. Uber, Bolt and Heetch work well but need a card in the app. At the airport and big stations ignore anyone inside the hall offering a taxi; they overcharge heavily. Ask for a receipt if the fare seems wrong.
On foot
Paris is flat almost everywhere except Montmartre and Belleville, and most central sights are 15 to 30 minutes apart on foot along the river. The metro has many stairs and few lifts, which is hard with luggage, prams or older relatives; buses, the RER and metro line 14 are easier.
Food
Halal food: Easy to find. Belleville, Barbès and the Goutte d'Or, and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis have many halal butchers, North African, Turkish and Lebanese restaurants; halal kebab and grill shops are found across the city. In classic French bistros, ask about meat and choose fish or vegetarian dishes if unsure.
Persian food and community: The Iranian community in Paris is smaller than in London. Rue des Entrepreneurs in the 15th arrondissement, near Beaugrenelle, has the main cluster of Persian grocers and a few restaurants serving kabab and stews; a handful of other Persian restaurants are spread around the Latin Quarter and the 9th.
- Lunch set menus (formule) are much cheaper than ordering the same food at dinner.
- Ask for a free jug of tap water (une carafe d'eau) instead of buying bottled water.
- Service is included in the bill; leaving a euro or two for good service is enough.
- Bakeries sell cheap sandwiches and quiches for a picnic in a park.
Money and phone
Cash: Bring euros in clean notes, ideally 50s and smaller, since some shops refuse 200 and 500 notes. Exchange offices in the centre give better rates than airport kiosks; compare the final amount you get, not the advertised rate. Cash is still accepted in most shops, bakeries and markets. Entering the EU with 10,000 EUR or more in cash must be declared at customs.
Cards: Iranian cards do not work. Most museum and monument tickets are sold online and need a card, so ask family or friends abroad to book them, or plan to queue for the few with ticket desks. Some travellers bring a prepaid Visa or Mastercard bought before the trip; test it early and keep cash as a backup.
SIM and internet: Tourist SIMs are sold at operator shops (Orange, SFR, Bouygues, Free), Relay newsagents in the airport and stations, and some tabacs; bring your passport, as it is needed to register the line. Tourist packs cost roughly 15 to 40 EUR for 2 to 4 weeks with plenty of data (2026), and you can pay cash in a shop. Online eSIMs need a card.
What travellers say
Advice that travellers from many countries repeat, chosen for Iranian visitors.
- Book the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and Versailles online before you go; same-day tickets often sell out.
- Check closing days: the Louvre shuts on Tuesdays, Orsay and Versailles on Mondays.
- Start each greeting with 'Bonjour' in shops and cafes; it makes a real difference to how you are treated.
- Validate your ticket or card at the gate every time, including on buses; inspectors fine on the spot.
- Many smaller shops close on Sunday, while the Marais and the Champs-Élysées stay open.
- Sitting at a cafe table costs more than standing at the counter.
- August is quiet in the city but many family-run restaurants close for holidays.
- Street toilets (sanisettes) are free; in crowds carry a small bag in front of you rather than a backpack.
For Iranian travellers
- You need a Schengen visa; see our visa page. At your first entry the new EU Entry/Exit System takes fingerprints and a photo at the border, so allow extra time.
- Visitors from outside the EU can claim back VAT (détaxe) on purchases of over 100 EUR in one shop on one day; ask for the tax-free form and scan it at the airport before check-in.
- Persian groceries and restaurants are on Rue des Entrepreneurs in the 15th arrondissement.
- Iran's embassy is in the 16th arrondissement near the Trocadéro; keep paper copies of your passport and visa.
- Non-EU visitors pay higher prices at the Louvre and Versailles since 2026; free entry rules for young people apply only to EU residents.
- If relatives live in Paris, ask them to buy your Navigo Easy cards and online tickets before you land, which saves a lot of queueing.
- Older travellers find the metro stairs tiring; buses are slower but step-free and show the city on the way.
Stay safe
- Pickpockets are the main risk: on the RER B from the airport, metro line 1, and at the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Sacré-Cœur. Keep phones out of back pockets and off cafe tables.
- Say no and keep walking if someone ties a 'friendship bracelet' on your wrist, asks you to sign a petition, or 'finds' a gold ring near you; all are scams.
- Only take taxis from official ranks or apps, never from people approaching you in the airport hall.
- The areas around Gare du Nord, Pigalle and Barbès and the Stalingrad metro stop feel unsafe late at night; use main streets or a taxi.
- Emergency number 112; police 17, ambulance 15.
Checked 7 November 2026