Paris attractions

Without any family to pass his work along to, French Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau bequeathed his estate and all the artwork in it to the state of France. The Gustave Moreau Museum (Musée Gustave Moreau)—located at the foot of Montmartre in the 9th arrondissement—is stuffed to the rafters with Moreau’s work and personal effects, offering insight into the artist’s life during the 19th century.

This humble apartment in Paris’ peaceful Saint-Germain-des-Prés quarter was where French Romantic artist Eugène Delacroix lived and worked until his death in 1863. Now a museum devoted to Delacroix’s art, the Musée Delacroix (Musée National Eugène Delacroix) is packed with more than a thousand paintings, drawings, prints, and writings by the artist himself, affording a rare insight into his life, as well as personal effects and furniture.

Note: The museum is closed for renovations until 2027. \ More portal to the past than a typical museum, Paris’ Nissim Camondo Museum (Musée Nissim De Camondo) contains a premier collection of decorative arts from the 1700s. It’s housed in the former residence of banker and art collector Comte Moïse de Camondo. Here, the avid collector painstakingly replicated an 18th-century Parisian home, from the exterior architecture to the interior decorations. Today, the house museum offers a glimpse of life in the early 20th century and 18th-century French design.

In the heart of the Latin Quarter, Rue Mouffetard is one of Paris’ busiest and most beloved market streets. The thoroughfare hosts cheese sellers, vegetable vendors, bakeries, and other artisanal food outlets, as well as numerous bars and cafés. Its proximity to the Sorbonne makes it popular among local students. Go there in the morning to purchase picnic items or food for self-catering, or later in the day to eat at a restaurant.

Originally known as the Jardin du Roi, the Jardin des Plantes was founded in 1626 as King Louis XIII’s personal herb garden. Today, the expansive botanical garden is the largest and most important in France, and it includes thousands of plant species, museums, a zoo, and more. It’s also one of the world’s oldest and grandest gardens; it has been delighting the public for almost 400 years.

France’s largest museum of its kind, the Museum of Jewish Art and History (Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme) traces the history, art, and cultures of Jewish communities in France, Europe, and North Africa. The Parisian museum explores more than 2,000 years of the Jewish presence in France.

From its neoclassical facade to its rich interior, the Odéon-Théatre de l'Europe radiates Parisian grandeur in the heart of the Left Bank (Rive Gauche). Inaugurated by Marie-Antoinette, this is where Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro premiered in 1784. Destroyed and reconstructed twice, it remains a premier destination for a wide range of theatrical performances, whether classic or avant-garde.

Located in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise northwest of Paris, the Maison de van Gogh was where Vincent van Gogh spent the final 70 days of his life—renting a humble room in its attic and producing nearly 70 works. Today, the landmark has been restored to its 19th century appearance—you can see van Gogh’s room, plus the room of another contemporaneous artist, Anton Hirschig.

Famed for its romantic ambiance and tranquility, Buttes-Chaumont Park (Parc des Buttes-Chaumont) may not be one of Paris' most-visited green spaces, but it is all the better for it. Commissioned by Napoleon III and constructed in a disused quarry, the park features a lake, waterfalls, and ornamental gardens, as well as architectural follies such as the Temple de la Sybille.

Smack-bang in the center of Paris, the 1st arrondissement stretches along the Right Bank and the western part of the Île de la Cité. It’s home to some of the city’s oldest monuments and most famous attractions, from the iconic Louvre Museum and the flower-filled Tuileries Garden (Jardin des Tuileries) to the medieval Sainte-Chapelle with its magnificent stained-glass windows.

Walking the quaint cobbled streets of Butte-aux-Cailles, it’s easy to forget that you’re in Paris. With its rows of petite painted townhouses, family-run brasseries, and tiny boutiques, this atmospheric neighborhood feels like a rural village, despite being not too far south of the city center along the Seine River. In recent years, it has built a reputation for street art.

Choco-Story Paris (Musée du Chocolat) is a delectable museum dedicated to the history and production of chocolate. An ideal stop for sweet treat lovers of all ages, the museum includes exhibits dedicated to chocolate history and lore as far back as the Mayan and Aztec civilizations, vintage packaging, chocolate memorabilia, virtual demonstrations by chocolatiers, towering chocolate sculptures, hands-on workshops, plus plenty of samples to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Housing the world’s largest collection of works by Claude Monet, the Marmottan Monet Museum (Musée Marmottan Monet) is a premier destination for art lovers. While the Monet paintings—among them Impression, Sunrise and a collection of Water Lilies—take center stage, the museum boasts a long list of Impressionist artists, including Rodin, Delacroix, Manet, Boudin, Morisot, Gauguin, Pissarro, Chagall, and many more.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of France’s largest châteaux, the magnificent Château de Fontainebleau boasts a rich resume of royal inhabitants, including Henry IV, Louis XV, and Napoleon. Built in the 12th century, the palace displays a remarkable variety of architectural styles, and the interiors are covered in frescoes, paintings, and tapestries, along with gilded touches. The grounds span 321 acres (130 hectares), including courtyards, gardens, and parks.

Housed in a Frank Gehry-designed building, La Cinémathèque has one of the largest collections of films and movie memorabilia in the world. Trace the history of film, from its infancy to the modern age, via impressive exhibitions of costumes, props, posters, and cult objects—then catch a screening of a classic flick in the roomy theater.

The Fragonard Perfume Museum (Musée du Parfum), situated just steps from the iconic Opéra Garnier in Paris’s 9th arrondissement, offers an immersive and multisensory journey into the world of fragrance. Housed in a beautifully restored 19th-century townhouse, the museum is sponsored by Maison Fragonard, a legendary French perfume house established in Grasse—the historic capital of perfume—in 1926. Inside, visitors are treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the art and science of perfume-making.

The Musée du Luxembourg holds an important place in Parisian cultural heritage: It was the first public painting gallery in the capital and, later, its first museum of contemporary art. The museum is housed within the Orangery, a standalone building in the Luxembourg Gardens (Jardin du Luxembourg), and hosts temporary exhibitions twice a year, making it a must-visit for traveling art lovers.

Montparnasse Cemetery (Cimetière du Montparnasse), Paris’ second-largest cemetery, sprawls across 47 acres (19 hectares) of gravesites that range from simple to elaborate, and cluster around elegant boulevards lined with linden, maple, and ash trees. Visitors come to pay their respects to greats, including Charles Baudelaire, Serge Gainsbourg, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir; some leave gifts and mementos on plots that have become unofficial public memorials.

Located on the same site as the ruins of the Port-Royal des Champs Abbey in Magny-les-Hameaux, the eponymous national museum houses a collection of artworks from the 17th and 18th centuries. In addition to the abbey ruins and museum, the grounds feature an orchard, gardens, and an old farmhouse.

Paris’ business district is home to office buildings and other high-rise structures, developed in this area just outside the city limits to preserve the historical landscape of central Paris. Not many visitors make it out to La Défense, but those who do are rewarded with modern art and architecture that provide a new perspective on the city. Here, you’ll also find an open-air museum with 50 works of contemporary art.

Over 3,000 years old, the Luxor Obelisk (Obélisque de Louxor)—which stands 75 feet (23 meters) high and is decorated with hieroglyphic carvings—was gifted to France by Egypt in 1829. Situated in Place de la Concorde, where guillotine executions were carried out during the French Revolution, the obelisk has since become a symbol of peace for the country.

Memphis Slim, Wild Bill Davis, Sidney Bechet, and Lionel Hampton are among the legendary jazz musicians who have taken the stage at Le Caveau de la Huchette over its more than 75-year history. The intimate jazz club remains one of the liveliest music venues in the Latin Quarter, hosting nightly live jazz every night of the week. Grab a seat in the basement to check out Paris’ jazz and swing scene.

Elton John, Elvis Presley, Edith Piaf, and Shirley MacLaine all graced the stage of the Théâtre du Lido over the years, accompanied by the cabaret’s famous burlesque dancers, the Bluebell Girls. While the legendary cabaret closed its doors in 2022, you can still watch a show at the original 1940s venue along Paris’ Champs-Élysées. Reimagined for the post-cabaret era, the Lido 2 Paris theater swaps classic Parisian entertainment for international musical performances and shows.

A more recent addition to the Parisian artistic landscape, La Seine Musicale opened its doors in 2017 and has fast become a celebrated performance venue. Housed in a futuristic glass dome shielded by a gigantic solar-paneled sail, it’s as notable for its impressive architecture and beautiful setting—on a small island along the Seine in Paris’s western suburbs—as it is for its eclectic mix of classical, jazz, ballet, and other performances.

Admire a wide array of contemporary and modern art at the Louis Vuitton Foundation, which epitomizes the luxury brand’s commitment to art and culture. Designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry (of Guggenheim Museum Bilbao fame), the innovative, glass-paneled structure is a work of art in itself. One of the top examples of contemporary buildings in Paris, it’s a must-see for architecture buffs.

The Musée des Arts et Métiers is one of Paris’ most unusual and fascinating cultural institutions. Housed in the former priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs, the museum holds more than 80,000 scientific instruments and inventions that range from an original version of Foucault’s Pendulum to some of the world’s first planes.

Located amidst the bustle of Place de la Bastille, the Bastille Opera House (Opéra Bastille) has been an important cultural landmark for more than three decades. One of Paris’ two primary opera houses and home to Opéra National de Paris, it’s renowned for its modern, cutting-edge looks. Designed by architect Carlos Ott and unveiled in 1989, the striking building is a premier cultural venue and a must-see for fans of modern architecture.

Located within the Cité de la Musique with its white walls and Colosseum-like curves, the Musée de la Musique has a collection of thousands of rare instruments and artistic objects, and hosts daily concerts in its galleries. From long halls housing rows of intricately crafted concert harps to a lively percussion room with painted drums hanging from the ceiling, the exhibits at the Musée de la Musique explore traditions of music from around the world.

With a highly distinctive focus, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs in Paris is home to a collection of 3-dimensional military scale models (known as plans-reliefs), some of which date back to the mid-17th century. Set inside the Hôtel des Invalides, the museum lets you experience how fortified towns in France and beyond once looked.

From the island monastery of Mont Saint Michel to the Palace of Versailles, the France Miniature theme park on the outskirts of Paris is home to all of France’s most beloved tourist attractions and historical monuments—in miniature! More than a hundred 1:30 scale models are displayed in the park, laid out in a map of France, along with plenty of fun, interactive games and rides for children.