Must-See Sights in Paris

The first question most people ask is what are the must-see places in Paris. This, of course, varies according to your interests. Here are some of the things we particularly enjoy and you may want to think about visiting some of them.

Must-See in Paris (for the two of us and perhaps for you)

Place des Vosges, the most beautiful square in Paris (4th arrondissement)
Place Igor Stravinsky with the Stravinsky Fountain and the Pompidou Center
Place du Tertre with tourist mania, cafés and street artists
Parks: Jardin des Tuileries and the Luxembourg Gardens are gorgeous public gardens
Museums: the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Rodin, the Picasso, the Cluny or Musée du Moyen Age. Many other museums according to your interests.
Churches: Notre Dame, St. Sulpice, Sacre Coeur and St. Pierre in Montmartre, Ste. Chapelle with gorgeous stained glass
The Eiffel Tower
The Arc de Triomphe
Take a BatoBus ride on the Seine
Eat Berthillon ice cream on Ile St. Louis

Some useful web sites for the above:
The Louvre web site in English
Musée d'Orsay web site in English
Rodin Museum web site in English
Picasso Museum web site in English
Cluny Museum web site in English
Eiffel Tower web site in English
Arc de Triomphe web site in English (not listed as a secure web site)
Ste. Chapelle web site in English
Batobus web site
Paris Museum Pass web site
Paris L'Open HOHO Bus Tour web site
Paris BigBus HOHO Bus Tour web site (Check both sites.)

To do all this without getting lost, consider getting Paris Pratique par arrondissement a map booklet of all Paris. It has streets, sights, gardens and parks listed along with all the subway, train and bus lines and is fully indexed. Invaluable and available at FNAC, news stands, tabacs and lately at tourist souvenir shops. It also makes a great souvenir when you get home. (You can order it ahead from amazon.com but be sure it is an edition 2021 or later because some of the Metro lines have changed and you want to be sure you have the correct ending stations on your map.)

Some people do not enjoy museums or like to keep them at a minimum and Paris is famous for its museums. However, if you want to visit Paris and skip the museums entirely, it is possible to spend a glorious holiday and never set foot in a museum. One time in Paris we didn't go to one museum (unusual for us). There is a lot to do without entering a museum. My favorite place in Paris is the Tuileries Gardens and we never miss that. The Luxembourg Gardens are equally fun and completely different. Here's a list of non-museum things to do.

(1) Tuileries Gardens (summer fair with Ferris wheel, carousel, etc.)
(2) Ste. Chapelle (gorgeous stained glass; go on a sunny day)
(3) Luxembourg Gardens (people and fun)
(4) Notre Dame Cathedral & the great park behind it
(5) Batobus ride on the Seine (use it for transportation one day)
(6) Eiffel Tower and area (you can get the Batobus here for a river tour)
(7) A show at the Geode by the Museum of Science and Industry in Parc Villette
(8) Ile St. Louis and some Berthillon ice cream (closed in August)
(9) Latin Quarter walk
(10) Place des Vosges and walk in the Marais
(11) Place Igor Stravinsky with its cafes and fountains. Fun and charming
(12) The very touristy Place du Tertre up by Sacre Coeur is noisy and fun

There are also many marvelous churches, shops, parks you can enjoy. Even though you don't like museums, you might enjoy the Musee d'Orsay. It's a bit different from your ordinary museum. The building itself is wonderful. It's a converted train station and has great views of Sacre Coeur through the huge clock upstairs. They also have a terrific restaurant.