32 must do’s in Paris

Paris is a 1.5 hours train ride away from Brussels. Lisa and I decided to have a girls’ weekend and go to Paris for 4 days! Here are my must do’s in Paris!

Check out my Instagram for more photos!

1) Sacré-Coeur

We start our tour at the Sacré-Coeur. The Sacré-Coeur is a church on the Montmartre, the highest point in the city. It’s the second most visited monument in Paris and has a nice view of Paris.

Entrance: Free, Crypt: €8

Fun Fact: You can’t see the Eiffel tower from this viewpoint. Just walk a bit to the left (facing the church). There, you’ll get a glimpse of the Eiffel tower.

Warning: Watch out for scammers! You don’t need a bracelet to go to the Sacré-Coeur. It’s a scam.

After that, I advise you to walk down the Montmartre and follow some rural streets to end up at the Moulin Rouge. You’ll encounter a courtyard filled with artists who can sketch your portrait.

2) Moulin rouge

The Moulin Rouge is the place to see a revue show where the French CanCan found the light. Prices start from €80 so you have to choose whether you want to do it or not. If not, the look on the building is already fascinating.

Entrance: €80

Fun Fact: There was once a wooden elephant in the garden.

3) Opéra Garnier

This opera is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. The size is already fascinating, but when seeing the facade, we were surprised by its beauty! We couldn’t see the interior unfortunately as it was closed that day. But I heard that the interior is a must-see!

Entrance: €14 >25y/o , €10 for 12-25 y/o

Fun Fact: From the Lafayette Galleries, you have a view of the backside of the opera.

4) Galeries Lafayette

The Galeries Lafayette is the Harrods of Paris. If you want to do some luxurious shopping, this is the place. You’ll find Cartier, Tiffany’s, Dior, and more in this department store!

Fun Fact: Make sure to look up and enjoy the ceiling!

Fun Fact 2: Go to the rooftop to have another view of Paris!

Sad Fact: You have to wait for 20 minutes before you can go on a platform to take a photo of the ceiling.

5) Centre Pompidou

During the day a lot of tourists are around the Centre Pompidou doing souvenir shopping and visiting the museum located in the Centre Pompidou. At night, it’s a place for the youth to go out! The building looks like it’s built inside-out.

Entrance: €14 >25y/o, €11 18-25 y/o

Entrance to Paris viewpoint: €5

6) Place des Vosges

Place des Vosges is the oldest square in Paris dating back to the 17th century.

7) Place de la Bastille

This used to be the Prison of Bastille. During the French Revolution, people stormed the Prison and destroyed it. The July Column on the Place de la Bastille can be climbed!

8) City Hall

The Hôtel de Ville (city hall) was built in the 16th century. If you don’t have the time to go to the Palace of Versailles, the city hall has a replica of the Galerie des Glaces. Definitely a must-see!

Entrance: Free

9) Notre Dame de Paris

The Notre Dame is very famous, especially since it’s been burned down. A national disaster. The Notre Dame is still in construction and it’s estimated the construction will last for 5 years at least.

Entrance: Closed for now

10) Sainte Chapelle

So if we can’t visit Notre Dame, we can visit the Sainte Chapelle! It’s most famous for its beautiful windows and is located in front of Notre Dame.

Entrance: €11.5, Free for 18-25 y/o from the EU

11) Pont Neuf

Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge in Paris. The bridge used to be the connection to the center of Paris (île de la cité, the island on which Notre Dame is located). The bridge also has a statue of King Henry IV.

Fun Fact: The bridge is more beautiful by night.

12) Pantheon

When Walking towards the Palace of Luxembourg, you’ll pass the Pantheon. It was originally a church but it’s now a burial place for famous french people like Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Marie Currie, & Voltaire.

Entrance: €11.5, Free for 18-25 y/o from the EU

13) Palace de Luxembourg

Palace de Luxembourg used to be the home of Queen Marie de’ Medici after the death of her husband (King Henry IV). The palace was built to resemble her childhood home Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy. The garden is now a park where lots of people enjoy the sun and the flowers. The palace is now used by the Senate.

14) Louvre

The Louvre is the biggest museum in the world and my feet can confirm it!

Entrance: €20 without an audio guide and with a fixed hour booked at GetYourGuide.

Read more about The Louvre in this special blog post!
» The Louvre| Paris

15) Seine

The Seine is a river in Paris. Alongside the river, you can see the Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre. I once did a boat trip on my school trip to Paris where we’d passed some beautiful bridges like the Pont Neuf, Pont des Arts, and Pont Alexandre.

Fun Fact: Don’t forget to walk alongside the Seine by sunset or in the evening!

16) Pont des Arts

This bridge is most famous for all the love locks on the railings. But due to too many padlocks, Paris has undergone a change to the bridge: No padlocks anymore!

Fun Fact: This is the bridge where a scene from “Now you see me” was taken.

17) Palais Royal

The Palais Royal used to be the royal palace but is now used for the Ministry of Culture, the Conseil d’État and the Constitutional Council.

18) Tuileries Garden

The Tuileries Garden lies just in front of the Louvre.

19) Musee d’Orsay

Just on the other side of the Seine is the Museum of Orsay. The museum used to be a train station and is turned into a museum with artworks from van Gogh and Monet.

Entrance: €14, €11 for 18-25 y/o from the EU

20) Place de la Concorde

The Place de la Concorde lies on the other side of the Tuileries Garden and is famous for its obelisk.

Fun Fact: That obelisk once stood in Luxor, Egypt.

21) Petit & Grand Palais

The Petit and Grand Palais are two separate museums. They are known for their special architecture.

22) Pont Alexandre III

I personally find this bridge the most beautiful one in Paris! Make sure to make a pitstop here!

23) Champs Elysees

Go shopping on this boulevard! You can shop in luxurious shops or even in regular shops like H&M. Watch out for pickpockets!

24) Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe was built in honor of the battle victories of Napoleon. When climbing the Arc de Triomphe, you’ll have an amazing view of the Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower!

Entrance: €13, Free for 18-25 y/o from the EU

25) Jardin de Trocadero

From Jardin de Trocadero, you’ll have the best view of the Eiffel Tower but you have to pay a price: lots of tourists! We decided to not do this as we saw the mass of tourists from the Eiffel tower beforehand. When you’re at Trocadero, you can also walk to the Princess Diana memorial.

26) Pont de Bir Hakeim

Ever seen the movie Inception? Well, this bridge is used in one of their scenes. As many bridges in Paris, this bridge gives you a great view of the Eiffel Tower.

27) Eiffel Tower

The icon of Paris! We booked our tickets in advance to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I’m so glad I did this because I always wanted to do this from when I was a child. We were also lucky with the weather because it allowed me to take these beautiful photos!

Entrance: €25.90 adult, €13 youth (<24 y/o)

28) Champs de Mars

Champs de Mars is the park right in front of the Eiffel Tower. I bet it is more beautiful in Summer. Now it was a bit of a bummer. Judge for yourself 😉

29) Dôme des Invalides

The Dôme des Invalides is the last resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte and is easily seen from all viewpoints in Paris. It’s also a museum about the history of the Military of France.

Entrance: €12, Free for youth (<26 y/o)

30) Paris Catacombs

Explore the underground tunnels of Paris during the Catacombs tour! First, you’ll pass several tunnels and after a while, you’ll enter the catacombs; a mass burial place as the cemeteries were over-occupied in the 19th century.

Entrance: €36 pp with audioguide and with a fixed hour booked at GetYourGuide.

Sad Fact: Some people wrote on the remainings which is just disrespectful.

31) Disneyland

It’s a 40-minute train ride from center Paris to Disneyland Paris, which makes it a perfect 2-day excursion trip!

Read more about my Disneyland Paris Guide in this special blog post!
» Disneyland Paris Guide

32) Versailles

The Palace of Versailles lies just outside of Paris in Versailles. It’s a 40-minute train ride from center Paris which makes it a good 1-day excursion!

Read more about Versailles in this special blog post!
» Versailles| Paris

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