Paris sits 3 hours and 20 minutes from my front door in Amsterdam, and it still took me years to make that trip for the first time. I have made up for it since. Several visits later I have 5 hotels I would book again, a restaurant list I keep editing and a firm opinion on which museums deserve a full day and which deserve 2 hours. If you collect French city trips like I do, my Lille city guide and my Alsace road trip pair well with this one.

Paris is the city of electric scooters, beautiful balconies, Moulin Rouge, little cosy wine bars, tiled subway stations, narrow streets, finger licking good restaurants, Eiffel Tower views and unique shops. After doing my research: googling night after night like a well developed obsessive-compulsive, to find the most special spots in the city, we step on board of the Thalys! And now it is time for my TIPS for your Paris trip!! Think boutique hotels, memorable restaurants, beautiful neighbourhoods, museums, bars, shopping, hidden gems and a few practical tips that make the whole trip smoother.

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There is soooo much to see and do in this beautiful city, but if you want the short answer: start with the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, a slow morning in Montmartre and a walk through Le Marais. Add a cruise on the river Seine and one day trip to Versailles or the Loire Valley. Reckon on 4 days minimum.

Getting to Paris by train

The comfortable Thalys takes you from Amsterdam to Paris in just 3,5 hours! We find our seats in the Premium Class, where we enjoy complimentary drinks and a tasty meal! The internet is a bit faster too in the Premium class. One of the biggest benefits of travelling by train is being able to work with WIFI. The meals are much better than the ones you get on board of a flight. We try the lentils with goat cheese and a delicious, authentic, French sausage. They even serve my favorite Cawston Press Rhubarb drink. When you book the Premium Class you can wait in the Thalys Lounge at one of the stations!

The Thalys route runs under the Eurostar name these days. Same tracks, same stations, same 3 hours and 20 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal to Gare du Nord. Book early and a return starts around 70 euro; leave it late and the same seat costs triple. I love travelling by train because it is a lot better for the environment than flying. Also, when you fly, there is a lot of waiting involved because of the check-in, luggage etc. When you travel by train you simply jump on board, store your luggage and off you go.

Le Marais

Best hotels in Paris

The best area to stay in Paris for a first visit is Montmartre or Le Marais: both are walkable, well connected, full of places to eat late and beautiful French gothic architecture. These are the 5 hotels I would book, from a 4 star opposite Gare du Nord to a 5 star with a garden and a rooftop bar!

We stayed at the perfectly located Maison Nabis by Happy Cultures. This stunning, small hotel, is located in Montmartre, one of my favorite areas in Paris. The hotel is close to a couple of subway stations that will get you anywhere in the city. The subway system here is really good and efficient. Our room was beautifully decorated! We even had a typical French balcony. I loved the shower too.

Our hotel: Maison Nabis in Montmartre

In the morning we start the day at Maison Nabis with a perfect French croissant, granola and fruit. After a long day of exploring Paris, we open the door to our room and find a little card on the floor. It offers us 2 glasses of champagne on the house downstairs! Yaaassss! I LOVE this place. Happy Cultures has a couple of hotels in the city and when you book a room in one, you can use the services at the other hotels too. You can get an umbrella when it starts to rain or leave your bags in one of the hotels if you can’t handle the weight of your new buys anymore…

Where to stay in Paris: my 2 boutique favourites

La Fantaisie is my favourite hotel in the city. It sits on Rue Cadet in the 9th, between the Grands Boulevards and Pigalle, and it is one of the very few 5 star hotels in central Paris with a real garden and a rooftop bar. The spa runs on hammams and mineral baths and the restaurant Golden Poppy belongs to chef Dominique Crenn. Rooms start around 300 euro a night, so this is the splurge.

Boudoir des Muses is number 2 on my list. A former theatre and convent on Rue de Saintonge in Le Marais, 28 rooms, open since 2024. In the evening the octagonal atrium fills up with poetry readings and drawing workshops, and there are 2 private spas in the basement you can book by the hour. Quiet street, 5 minutes from the Picasso Museum.

Best hotels in Paris if you arrive by train

25hours Hotel Terminus Nord stands straight across from Gare du Nord in the 10th, so you step off the train and you are in your room 5 minutes later. The rooms are compact, the design is loud in the best way and there are Schindelhauer bikes at reception with a route map. Breakfast at NENI is the reason to set an alarm. Reckon on 180 to 250 euro a night.

Drawing House sits on Rue Vercingétorix in the 14th, near Montparnasse. All 143 rooms carry work by contemporary French artists, and there is an indoor pool plus a small spa. That combination barely exists in Paris at this price. My pick if you want space and silence over a central address. Montparnasse tower is nearby and works well as an observation point if you want city views without staying in the center.

Best restaurants in Paris

Paris is also known for exceptional culinary experiences, and the 3 restaurants I would go back to tomorrow are Balagan for fusion, Caffè Stern for Italian and Pink Mamma for truffle. Le Train Bleu is an easy pick for iconic things if you want classic French dishes in a historic dining room. Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore are classic addresses if you want a famous café atmosphere rather than a full dinner reservation. Reckon on 30 to 50 euro for a main course at the first two and roughly half that at Pink Mamma.

The best spots for dinner

Balagan: This place is one of a kind. What a vibe! The kitchen likes to sing and dance and the fusion dishes with Moroccan, Israeli and French influences are absolutely delicious. Wow! When a chef with 3 Michelin Stars is having dinner next to you, you know you came to the right place. The playlist is one of the best I have ever heard at a restaurant and is a mix of Mmmbob by Hanson, The Backstreet Boys, Eastern music and a whole lot more. Having dinner at Balagan is an experience. An experience I would love to have again, when I go back! Balagan means ‘beautiful mess’.

Dishes at restaurant Balagan / Photo credits: Randy Fokke

Caffè Stern: run by the famous Alajmo family, who own restaurants with Michelin Stars in Italy. You find it inside Passage des Panoramas in the 2nd, a covered arcade from 1799 that most people walk past without looking up. I LOVED the Dill Tagliolini with Pistachio Sauce, shellfish and dentex (see photo below). Giovanni made us feel right at home.

Dishes at Caffè Stern / Photo credits: Randy Fokke

Pink Mamma: WOW! They don’t take reservations here, but at 18:45 the doors swing open with a loud: “Buena Sera!!”. Try to find a seat on the top floor! This place is HEAVEN for truffle lovers like me. Try the Double Truffle Pizza or the truffle pasta and you will hear the angels sing. Trust me. Everything is beautiful here. The prices are fair, just like the dangerously good cocktails. Loved it all. You find it on Rue de Douai in the 9th, at the foot of Montmartre.

Pontochoux: cute little Japanese restaurant.

Photos above: Pink Mamma / Photo credits: Randy Fokke

The best spots for lunch

Buvette: super fresh products and a local’s favorite. We had a lovely lunch here!
Holybelly: pancakes with bacon and maple syrup on Rue Lucien Sampaix in the 10th. No reservations, so go early or queue.
Benedict
Ob la di
Oultma: tea house
Miznon: Israeli food

Best coffee and cake

Coffee in Paris used to be an afterthought and is now one of the nicer things to do in Paris on a slow morning. Reckon on 3 to 5 euro for a flat white in the 10th and 11th, where most of the good roasters ended up.

Braun Notes
Soul Kitchen: close to the Sacre Coeur.
Comets: a great spot for a Latte & Laptop session! They sell vinyl records here. Close to Père LaChaise.
Alma the Chimney Cake Factory: unique and popular cakes from Transylvania. Savory and sweet options!

First photo: Comets. Last photo: Astier de Vilatte

The best bars in the city

Most of my bars sit in the 3rd, 9th and 10th, which keeps a night out walkable. Cocktails run 13 to 16 euro, a glass of wine 6 to 9 euro.

Le Comptoir Général: ahamaaaaazing place! I mean: the bar is a ship…Of course it is. The plants make you feel like you are in the heart of a jungle in Africa.
Pink Mamma: there is a ‘hidden’ speakeasy bar inside…
Gossima Ping Pong Bar: ping pong your heart out.
Kouto: excellent cocktail bar
Candelaria: taqueria at the front, cocktail bar behind the fridge door at the back.
Monkey: great wine bar
Lulu White Drinking Club: cocktail bar
Dirty Dick: cocktail bar

Travelling solo? The 3rd and the 9th feel calm at night and the metro runs until roughly 1:15 on weekdays and 2:15 on Friday and Saturday. I would take that last metro rather than a long walk around Gare du Nord after midnight. More photos of these places sit on my Instagram.

First photo: a handsome bartender at Pink Mamma / photo credits Randy Fokke. Last photo: Le Comptoir Général / photo credits Lionel Moreau

Best shopping

Concept stores are my favourites when collecting souvenirs. The 3rd and Montmartre hold the best of them and most open around 11:00, later than you expect.

Nature and Discoveries: huge concept store where I wanted to buy EVERYTHING.
SUPER Shop: beautiful jewelry! Concept store in Montmartre.
La Pistacherie: delicious Japanese Mochi!
Astier de Vilatte: unique handmade tableware, with a matching price tag.
Merci: big concept store with (expensive) clothes and items for your home. It sits at 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, a famous shopping street 5 minute walk from Boudoir des Muses.

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The Sacre Coeur and the view from the steps

Best things to do in Paris

The 4 sights I would keep on any first itinerary are the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, Père Lachaise and Le Marais. 2 of those cost nothing, which is the part most guides forget to mention.

Père LaChaise: special and beautiful cemetery with graves of many famous and important people like Jim Morrison and Edith Piaf.

Le Marais on a sunday (or any other day of the week): beautiful quarter in Paris, with narrow cobblestone streets, historic mansions, and a mix of shops and bars that shifts from medieval architecture by day to vibrant nightlife later on. This is also where I would do a guided food tour with tastings, because eating your way for a few hours through 8 addresses beats picking one.

If you want more rich history and culture, also spend time in the latin quarter, home to the Sorbonne. For something more local, head to Belleville for street art and the kind of spots locals actually hang out in. Rue Montorgueil is one of Paris’s oldest market streets, and its pedestrian feel comes from being closed to traffic.

European House of Photography: we visited an impressive exhibition of French photographer JR.
Atelier des Lumières: projected art in an old iron foundry in the 11th, around 20 euro.

Louvre museum tickets for the paid things to do in Paris

Since January 2026 the Louvre costs 22 euro for visitors from the EEA and 32 euro for everyone else, so budget accordingly if you travel on a non European passport. The Orsay is 16 euro online, the Musée de l’Orangerie 12,50 euro. Both open their doors free on the first Sunday of the month, with a timed slot you have to reserve. The Louvre does it differently: free on the first Friday evening from 18:00, except in July and August.

The Louvre: plan a full day for a visit, because the museum houses around 35,000 artworks and you can still miss almost everything if you rush. A guided tour past the Mona Lisa skips the pyramid queue, which is the longest part of the day, and also gets you to icons like the Venus de Milo faster.

Musée Rodin is also worth adding, especially for its sculpture garden, and it showcases over 8,000 of Rodin’s drawings.

Opéra Garnier: 15 euro for a self guided visit if you are from the EEA, 25 euro if you are not. The marble staircase alone earns the ticket. If you keep going to the monuments, remember the Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806.

More interesting sights

Musée D’Orsay: the impressionists, in an old railway station. 2 hours is enough.
Centre Pompidou: closed since 22 September 2025 for a renovation that runs until 2030. The collection travels to other venues in the meantime.

An electric bike tour past the hidden gems is how I would spend a first morning if I had to choose one thing. You cover the 1st, the 4th and the riverbanks in 3 hours and you know where everything sits for the rest of the week.

Free things to do in Paris

The Big Mosque of Paris: with a beautiful spa.
The Wall of Love
Climb the steps of the Sacre Coeur at sunrise or sunset.
The Notre Dame Cathedral: free to enter, though the walk up queue runs to 2 or 3 hours between April and October. Reserve a free timed slot on the cathedral website instead; those open 2 to 3 days ahead.
Jardin du Luxembourg: with 23 hectares of greenery, a pond, and more than 100 sculptures set among the trees, feels fit for royalty. It is also one of the best places in the city to relax or have a picnic.

Pont Alexandre III
The huge antique market in the North of Paris, with unique vintage shops.
See the Eiffel Tower and Arc du Triomph and you can also watch local life along the Seine, where a picnic by the river is a popular local pastime.

Fun things to do in Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower

Paris has 4 viewpoints that beat the postcard. The steps of the Sacre Coeur at sunset cost nothing, though this is a known spot for pickpockets so keep your bag in front of you. The rooftop terrace of Galeries Lafayette is also free and looks straight at the Opéra. The Arc de Triomphe costs 16 to 22 euro depending on the day, plus 284 steps and from that point you get some of the best views in the city.

And then there is the tower itself, the ultimate symbol of Paris, built for the 1889 World’s Fair. Second floor or summit access saves you a wait of an hour or more in summer. Prefer the water? A dinner cruise on the Seine with live music gives you the same monuments from below, and the river route passes many of the city’s major landmarks, with a plate in front of you. If you prefer to stay on land, walking along the historic Seine is also a scenic way to see the city.

Things to do in Paris when it rains

Rain in Paris is a museum day, and there are better options than the Louvre. The Musée de l’Orangerie holds 8 Water Lilies murals by Monet and takes an hour. Passage des Panoramas and the other covered arcades keep you dry for a full afternoon. If the drizzle is light, Canal Saint-Martin is a great way to enjoy a quieter walk, with picturesque settings for strolls or boat rides.

The hammam at the Big Mosque works when you have had enough of walking, and the dome of Galeries Lafayette is worth a look even if you buy nothing. Shakespeare and Company is a historic and iconic bookstore in Paris, and an easy indoor stop on a wet day if you like literary landmarks.

Best day trips from Paris

Versailles and the Loire Valley are the 2 day trips that justify giving up a day in the city. Versailles sits 45 minutes out on the RER C and, as a former royal residence, swallows a full day once you add the opulent Hall of Mirrors, the formal gardens, and the Trianon; a skip the line tour with transport removes the 2 queues that ruin it.

The Loire Valley is a bigger commitment at roughly 2 hours each way. Going with a castles day trip including wine tasting means you see 2 or 3 châteaux and nobody has to stay sober for the drive back.

Practical tips for Paris

Paper metro tickets have been phased out, so you load journeys onto a Navigo Easy card or straight onto your phone. A single ride costs 2,55 euro, a day pass 12,30 euro and a trip to or from the airport a flat 14 euro. The metro closes around 1:15 on weekdays and runs an hour later on Friday and Saturday.

Coming from CDG or Orly with luggage, I would book an airport transfer in advance rather than work out the RER B with 20 kilos. Want to stay online the moment you land? An eSIM activates before you leave home, no shop, no plastic card. And for a short city trip, travel insurance that covers short trips costs less than 2 cocktails at Dirty Dick.

You do not need a car in Paris. For the Loire Valley or Normandy on your own terms you do, and it pays to compare rental cars and collect the keys outside the centre instead of inside the ring road.

Don’t forget to buy some supplies at the pharmacy! I love Bioderma and Avène and bought Humex and Doliprane just in case I will get sick this winter and Donormyl, sleeping pills, for long flights. You cannot buy these in a pharmacy in Amsterdam without a prescription. Read the information leaflets before you try something.

Photo: selfie at The Wall of Love.

Best time to visit Paris

May, June, September and early October are the best months: mild weather, long evenings and gardens that look the way they do in the photos. July and August bring heat, crowds and a surprising number of small restaurants closed for the summer. Low season means shorter queues at the Louvre and cheaper rooms, and the lights on the Grands Boulevards in December make up for the cold.

If weather matters to you, Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle are especially rewarding in the brighter months: Notre-Dame was completed in 1345 after nearly 200 years of work, and Sainte-Chapelle was designed to immerse you in the story told across its 1,113 stained glass scenes from the Bible.

Where to go next in France

Staying longer in France? My weekend in Metz and Nancy works well as a train hop from Gare de l’Est, and Savoie Mont Blanc is where I would go for wine and mountains after a week of pavement.

Photo: Pont Alexandre III.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best things to do in Paris for first timers?

Paris offers an incredible blend of iconic historic buildings and world-class art, so for a first trip the top attractions are the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, Montmartre with its artistic legacy and cobblestone streets, Le Marais, and a cruise on the river Seine that shows off many of the major landmarks. Add Père Lachaise if you like cemeteries with famous residents, and the Musée de l’Orangerie for the Water Lilies, a masterpiece of immersive light and color.  Book the museum tour ahead, because the pyramid queue is the longest part of the day.

How many days do you need in Paris?

4 days minimum, and even that was too short for us. With 3 days you manage 2 art museums, 2 neighbourhoods and one evening on the water. With 5 days you can add Versailles or the Loire Valley without rushing anything.

What is the best area to stay in Paris?

Montmartre in the 18th for atmosphere, Le Marais in the 3rd for shops and bars, and the 9th around Rue Cadet for restaurants. The 10th opposite Gare du Nord is the practical pick if you arrive by train. Compare hotels in all 4 areas before you decide.

Are there free things to do in Paris?

Plenty. Place des Vosges is also a free stop in Le Marais, dating to 1605 as Paris’s oldest planned square, and it’s easy to get pleasantly lost nearby. The steps of the Sacre Coeur, the Wall of Love, Jardin du Luxembourg, Pont Alexandre III, the rooftop terrace of Galeries Lafayette and Père Lachaise all cost nothing. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is another larger free park option, spanning 61 acres. Bois de Vincennes is Paris’s largest park at 2,500 acres if you want even more space. Notre Dame is free to enter as well. The Orsay and the Orangerie are free on the first Sunday of the month, the musée du Louvre on the first Friday evening, and all 3 need a reserved slot.