The Trocadéro is a hard-to-beat Paris neighborhood. Home to some of the French capital’s most recognizable monuments, top museums, and iconic views, it offers the best of Paris in one package. Some of the best things to do in Trocadéro include visiting the Palais de Chaillot—built for the 1937 International Exhibition and home to the National Marine Museum (Musee National de la Marine), Museum of Man, and other cultural institutions), strolling Trocadéro Gardens, exploring Paris Aquarium (Aquarium de Paris), and admiring prime Eiffel Tower views from the Trocadéro Esplanade.
The Trocadéro is a popular tourist attraction throughout the year, and it draws sizable crowds in summer. It’s a major destination for Bastille Day (celebrated on July 14), when it hosts an evening fireworks show, and in the lead-up to the holidays (when you can visit an on-site Christmas market and skating rink). For a calmer experience, visit in spring and autumn and arrive early in the morning for a sunrise photoshoot on the Esplanade.
Trocadéro is located in the 16th arrondissement in western Paris. It’s easy to reach via public transportation: Trocadéro station, served by Metro lines 6 and 9, is at the central Place du Trocadéro. Passy, served by line 6, is also nearby, as is Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel, served by the RER C commuter train. Numerous bus lines frequent the neighborhood, as do taxis and rideshare services. And many Seine river cruises board and disembark in the area.
It may sound like an unconventional attraction compared to Trocadéro’s museums and gardens, but the Passy Cemetery (Cimitière de Passy) is a key landmark in its own right. The final resting place of numerous luminaries, including composer Claude Debussy and artists Berthe Morisot and Édouard Manet, the cemetery is also lined with leafy chestnut trees, making it a tranquil place to explore in this otherwise busy area.