Visiting Paris – Tips for Your City Break

Visiting Paris is the perfect way to spend a weekend or enjoy a short city break. This beautiful, historic city also makes a great starting point if you are planning to tour other areas of France.

I first visited Paris when I was 16 and was immediately smitten. Since then I have been lucky to make many return visits, most recently in May and June of 2023. On both these visits, I found Paris to be cleaner, friendlier, and even more beautiful than it has ever been.

Paris is getting ready to host the Olympics in 2024. While there is construction underway in many parts of the city, it is still quite easy to get around this small but impressive capital. Improvements are already visible, particularly along the Champs Élysées. The gardens around the Place de la Concorde at one end of the avenue are being restored, and sidewalks, benches, and terraces along it are being repaired. More trees are being planted and there will be more pedestrianised areas, particularly around the Arc du Triomphe at the other end of the avenue. The construction has, not surprisingly, increased the traffic exponentially, so I recommend walking or taking the métro where possible.

Visiting Paris – How to Get There

Eurostar

If you live in or are visiting the UK, the Eurostar train from St Pancras Station in London is definitely the easiest way to travel when visiting Paris as you can be in the city in under 3 hours. You clear French customs at St Pancras and your luggage is with you the whole time so you can just walk off the train and be on your way.

As always, I recommend travelling the best class of travel you can afford as a comfortable journey can make for a much more relaxing trip. I recommend Eurostar’s Business Premier class. Although there is no pre-boarding, the seats are more comfortable and food and beverages are included in the price of your ticket. It is a great way to get your trip off to a good start.

Flying

Travelling by air is my second choice, but on the whole it takes longer. Not only that, but you have to clear customs on arrival in Paris and there are often long queues. (A friendly warning, when we travelled by air in June 2023, the restrooms at Charles de Gaulle airport were after customs and the queue was very long!) If you have checked baggage you need to wait for it, and then there is the journey into the city itself. This takes about an hour or longer by car or bus depending on traffic. You can also take the RER (train) which takes about 40 minutes.

Ferry

I would only recommend taking the ferry from Dover to Calais if you were planning to tour more of France by car after visiting Paris. Otherwise it can be challenging and expensive. First you have to get to Dover, and then while the ferry itself takes under two hours, there is still the onward journey from Calais to Paris. Driving from Calais to Paris takes about three and a half hours and parking in Paris can be hard to find as well as costly. For foot passengers, the train from Calais to Paris can take even longer than the actual Eurostar journey, meaning you have a minimum journey of five hours, even if you are already in Dover before you begin your journey.

Where to Stay when Visiting Paris

These are the unbiased recommendations that I give to my friends for hotels where my husband and I have stayed at our own expense. It is regularly updated as we try new hotels and revisit old favourites.

Intercontinental Paris Le Grand

Located opposite The Opéra in Paris, this elegant hotel has a long and interesting history. We were given a warm welcome when we stayed here in May of 2023. Our suite overlooking the Opéra was beautiful, comfortable and really well laid out. We even had a little balcony. You can occasionally feel the vibrations of the métro, which is located directly under the hotel, but after a little while you hardly notice. The area around the Opéra is relatively crowd-free and fairly quiet at night which meant we slept really well.

Hotel du Collectionneur, 51 – 57 Rue de Courcelles

We had a lovely stay here in 2016 in a deluxe room which was lovely. We enjoyed the restaurant and bars too. More recently we have been staying in Intercontinental Hotels as we are part of their members’ loyalty scheme. However, when one of our favourite hotels let us down recently (see below), we moved to the Hotel due Collectionneur for the Saturday evening of our weekend stay.

We were delighted by the warm welcome, the beautiful surroundings in the public areas of the hotel and the beautiful suite my husband booked. We even had a large balcony with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Drinks in the bar Saturday evening were fun and convivial.

The only disappointing thing was the breakfast. Service was very disorganised and although my omelette was delicious, the bread and baked goods were dry and the yogurts were at room temperature bordering on warm. That said, breakfast is a very small thing, and I would simply not include it next time. Other than that our stay was excellent so we plan to stay here again.

The Intercontinental Champs Elysées – Etoile

This pretty boutique hotel is ideally located just a stone’s throw from the Champs Elysées. In the past I recommended it as a great hotel to stay in if you plan to explore Paris on foot. The staff were very friendly and in the past we have lovely stays in our favourite suite here.

However, on a recent visit, instead of the suite we thought we had booked, we were given a different one. It appeared to us, in our experience, to be more the standard of an Executive or Deluxe room. The hotel was fully booked so we were given free breakfast and addition IHG loyalty points to try and make up for our disappointment. However the vibe of the hotel has changed, and things got very noisy in the early hours of the morning, so despite having prepaid, we moved to another hotel for the second night.

The hotel is clean and conveniently located, and most of the staff are very friendly and helpful, so you may well want to give The Intercontinental Champs-Elysées a try. Sadly our disappointment means we are unlikely to stay there again.

Places to Visit

There are so many interesting things to do and see in Paris. These are just a few of my favourites. I will continue to keep this post updated as I discover new ones.

Visiting Paris – Historic Sites

Eiffel Tower

There is a new layout and fencing as you approach the Eiffel Tower. Perhaps due to this, the crowds were much bigger this time than I have ever encountered. Luckily we had not planned to actually go up the tower as we have done it so many times before. If you do plan to visit, I would recommend planning to go in the early morning and pre-booking your tickets.

Arc du Triomphe

Located at the Western end of the Champs Elysées, a climb to the top of this historic monument will reward you with an incredible view over Paris. The climb is fairly gentle, split across several staircases with floors you can wander around on the way up. So you can climb to the first floor, have a little look around, then climb to the second, etc. Walking around under the Arc is also very interesting, and it’s hard not to be moved by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Palais Garnier – L’Opéra de Paris

I have visited before but was never able to go beyond the great staircase. On our most recent visit, we were able to tour the whole building, including the theatre itself where you can see the famous ceiling painted by Chagall. The opulence in this incredibly historic building is almost overwhelming. It’s definitely a must-see, and a bargain at 14 Euro each (at time of writing).

Church of The Madeleine

This beautiful example of Neo-Classic architecture is reminiscent of a temple. When you walk through the grand doors, the interior seems lit from within. Soaring ceilings, huge Corinthian columns and gorgeous artwork make this a must-see. The church has a lovely, welcoming feel to it as well if you fancy sitting down and staying a little while.

Visiting Paris – Museums

The Louvre

Perhaps the most famous of Paris’ museums, this former palace houses both the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. The Louvre is a former palace and just walking around outside is impressive, before you even begin to peruse the thousands of important historic items, sculptures and works of art contained inside. The Louvre is almost always busy and queues from early in the day, so again, I recommend getting there early in the day.

Le Musée d’Orsay

Built in a former train station, this museum is beautiful from an architectural perspective in its own right, before you even begin to look at the collection it contains. From art, architecture and the decorative form to sculpture and photography, there really is something for everyone here. They also have an impressive collection of Impressionist art. It is definitely worth a visit but be sure to check the website and buy your tickets in advance for the best experience.

Le Musée Marmottan Monet

We stumbled on beautiful museum on a walk in Paris a few years ago and visited again in June of this year. They have an unrivalled collection of works by Monet, Berthe Morisot, Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro and more. The collection is housed in a former home, giving the unique experience of viewing some of the paintings as if they were simply being used for decoration.

Petite Palais

This lovely museum (above) includes lots of wonderful paintings, art exhibits and history. The building is absolutely gorgeous and there is a beautiful courtyard. It is a lovely place to while away a couple of hours.

La Galerie Dior

If you love fashion and its history, or are a fan of the Apple TV series The New Look, you may enjoy a visit to La Galerie Dior at 11 rue François 1re in the 8th arrondissement. In addition to the beautiful clothes and accessories on display you can also visit Christian Dior’s office and look down through a glass floor into the workrooms from years gone by. Our visit was enhanced by a private tour arranged by my consultant who helps me at Dior in London, but I would definitely return on my own. The exhibit is apparently updated regularly. Be sure to book in advance or you will have to stand in long queues. If you would like a sneak peek at La Galerie Dior, check out my Instagram reel from our visit to Paris.

Visiting Paris – Shopping

There some wonderful places to shop in Paris, including the lovely little avenue in the 8th arrondissement pictured above.

Galleries Lafayette

Even if you are not interested in shopping, it is worth visiting Galleries Lafayette just for its beautiful Art Nouveau architecture. This huge department store is composed of three buildings and sells just about everything you can possibly think of buying from high end designer fashion and homewares to souvenirs. There is also gourmet department – a sort of very high end food hall – where you can buy everything from snacks to a weekly shop. Enjoy a meal or snack at one of their many cafés and restaurants in the Galleries Lafayette and visit the 8th floor for an amazing view from The Terrace.

Avenue Montaigne

This is one of the most prestigious avenues in Paris featuring high-end shopping at its best. Flagship stores for brands like Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and more vie for the attention of well-heeled shoppers. Whether you are window shopping or in the market for something very special, the Avenue Montaigne is a great place to visit. It is also the home of the Plaza Athénée, one of Paris’ most famous hotels.

The Champs Elysées

The Champs Elysée is home to the flagship stores of many luxury brands as well as some lovely independent shops. It is best to visit early in the day as it can get very crowded indeed.

Visiting Paris – Recommended Restaurants

Food is a huge part of any visit to Paris, but there are so many wonderful places to eat it can be daunting knowing where to go. Click here for a list of My Favourite Paris Restaurants.

Top Tips For Visiting Paris

Wear comfortable shoes. With so much to discover, Paris is a wonderful city to explore on foot. However cobbled streets can make walking in heels a challenge.

The weather can be capricious, so I recommend layering so you are comfortable. Take a light rain coat and do not forget your umbrella.

The French take good manners very seriously. When you enter a place of business, staff will greet you with a polite “Bonjour, madam/mademoiselle or monsieur”. It is customary to return the greeting, or even initiate it. If you are going up to a counter to purchase something, greet the staff member before placing your order. Omitting this step is considered extremely rude. Always say please (s’il vous plaît) and thank you (merci).

If you try to speak French and the person you are speaking to responds in English, do not be embarrassed. They are only trying to make you feel more comfortable. If you want to practice your French, just explain and most people will happily carry on in French.

Technically you are supposed to carry your identification documents with you, but a driving license will suffice. Ideally your hotel room will have a safe in it so you can leave your passport there. Do not carry your passport with you unless it is absolutely necessary.

Be careful with your possessions. Carry the smallest handbag you can, preferably a cross-body bag that you can hold on to easily. Stay alert and try not to allow yourself to be distracted in crowded places. Pickpockets are very creative. Avoid the touts selling in the streets around tourist attractions.

Do not purchase fake designer goods or bring them with you. Buying or possessing counterfeit goods in France is punishable by stiff fines and even time in prison. Be sure any designer goods you wear or carry are completely authentic, and keep the documentation to prove it with you.

I hope you enjoy this beautiful city as much as we do on our visits there!

Disclaimer: This post contains my honest opinions and the advice I give to friends. None of our experiences were gifted and we paid all our own expenses. Information is correct to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing and I accept no responsibility for, nor can I be held liable for, your experience of any of these venues. Always book your accommodation before arriving in Paris for best prices and availability. Most of the restaurants mentioned will need to be booked in advance. To avoid disappointment, be sure to visit restaurant and venue websites for opening times, their full terms and conditions, and to check prices, availability and payment terms.