Eiffel Tower
Iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars, finished in 1889 for a world fair. Visitors can go up by lift or stairs for views over the city, and the lights sparkle after dark.
Paris
Known for the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, riverside walks along the Seine and fashion shopping.
Attractive locations
Louvre Museum
One of the world's largest art museums, set in a former royal palace beside the Seine. Its collections range from ancient Egypt to 19th-century painting, and include the Mona Lisa.
Notre-Dame de Paris
Gothic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, famous for its twin towers, flying buttresses and stained glass. It reopened in 2024 after the 2019 fire, and the square outside is open to all.
Musée d'Orsay
Art museum in a former railway station on the Left Bank. It holds a famous collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, and the old station clock is a feature in itself.
Arc de Triomphe
Monumental arch at the top of the Champs-Élysées, built to honour French soldiers. A viewing platform on top looks down the twelve avenues that spread out from the square.
Sacré-Cœur
White-domed basilica on the summit of Montmartre, with sweeping views across the city from its steps. The nearby streets have artists' squares, cafés and small shops.
Sainte-Chapelle
Medieval royal chapel on the Île de la Cité, known for its tall walls of stained glass. On a bright day, the upper chapel glows with deep red and blue light.
Jardin du Luxembourg
Elegant park beside the Senate, with gravel paths, a central pond, statues and shaded chairs. Parisians come to read, stroll and watch children sail small boats.
Catacombs of Paris
Underground tunnels lined with the bones of millions of people, moved from overcrowded cemeteries in the 18th and 19th centuries. The visit follows a one-way route and involves many steps.
Palais Garnier
Lavish 19th-century opera house with a grand marble staircase, gilded decoration and a painted ceiling in the auditorium. Visitors can tour the building or attend an opera or ballet.
Palace of Versailles
Vast royal palace outside Paris, with the Hall of Mirrors, grand state apartments and formal gardens full of fountains. It was the seat of French kings and their court for over a century.
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Large hillside cemetery of tree-lined paths and ornate tombs, the resting place of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf and Chopin. It is a calm, atmospheric walk away from the busy streets.
Airports
Paris-Orly Airport ORY
It is about 14 km in a straight line from Paris.
Charles de Gaulle International Airport CDG
It is about 22 km in a straight line from Paris.
Beauvais-Tillé airport BVA
It is about 69 km in a straight line from Paris.
Getting around
From Paris airports
According to Visit Paris Region, RER line B takes about 25 to 35 minutes between Charles de Gaulle airport and Paris. For Orly it lists RER B with the Orlyval shuttle, RER C or tram line T7, taking about 30 to 35 minutes, as well as taxis, chauffeur-driven cars and direct buses. It also notes that Metro line 14 runs between Saint-Denis-Pleyel and Paris-Orly Airport, calling at stops such as Saint-Lazare, Châtelet and Gare de Lyon, about 25 minutes from the centre.
- Source: Visit Paris Region: Getting around Paris Region (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Visit Paris Region: Coming to Paris Region (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Metro, RER and buses
The Paris metro has 14 main lines, or 16 counting branches, and almost 300 stations. Five RER lines, lettered A to E, serve around 250 stations and connect central Paris with the suburbs and both main airports. Buses and trams round out the network. Works can affect lines, so look at the Ile-de-France Mobilites site for live disruption information.
- Source: Visit Paris Region: Getting around Paris Region (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Navigo passes and tickets
Tickets can be bought one at a time or in a pack of ten, says Visit Paris Region. It describes the Navigo Pass as a rechargeable card for people who live or work in the region. Visitors are pointed to the Discovery Navigo, a personal contactless card used with a photo card for daily, weekly or monthly travel, and to the Easy Navigo, a single card holding several tickets, with one needed per traveller. The IDF Mobilites app can also buy and validate tickets.
- Source: Visit Paris Region: Navigo Pass in Paris Region (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Visit Paris Region: How to get around (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Scams and safe taxis
Recognising a Paris taxi
To recognise an official taxi, the City of Paris lists a roof light, a meter, a clock on the rear shelf and a numbered plate on the front right wing. Green on the light means free and red means occupied. You can wait at a taxi station, hail a cab on the street, or phone a taxi company. Suspected illegal taxis should be reported to the Prefecture de Police, the city asks.
- Source: City of Paris: Taxis (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Visit Paris Region: Taxis in Paris Region (checked 4 Nov 2026)
VTC apps in Paris
Uber, Bolt and Marcel are named by Visit Paris Region as VTC services, meaning chauffeur-driven cars with a mobile app for reserving and paying. A VTC has to be booked in advance, and the fare is fixed beforehand, it says. For traditional taxis, the City of Paris lists booking centres including Alpha Taxis, Centrale Belem Taxis 7000 and Taxis G7.
- Source: Visit Paris Region: Taxis in Paris Region (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: City of Paris: Taxis (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Metro and RER theft
Several serious assaults on RER line B, which serves Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports and Gare du Nord, are reported in UK travel advice. The same advice says thieves and pickpockets operate on the Paris Metro, on RER lines and at mainline stations, and can work in gangs where one person distracts you while another dips into your bag. Keep valuables in separate pockets, use inside compartments and carry your bag across your body.
- Source: UK FCDO travel advice: France, safety and security (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan3.0 °C54 mm
- Feb3.6 °C50 mm
- Mar6.7 °C52 mm
- Apr10.3 °C39 mm
- May13.8 °C64 mm
- Jun17.4 °C60 mm
- Jul19.3 °C55 mm
- Aug18.9 °C59 mm
- Sep15.6 °C42 mm
- Oct11.6 °C57 mm
- Nov6.9 °C61 mm
- Dec3.6 °C69 mm
Driest months: Feb, Apr, Sep. Wettest months: May, Nov, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 77% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
sport
Roland-Garros (French Open tennis)
Grand Slam tennis on clay.
Who can help
Emergency
112 works across the EU for police, fire and ambulance.
local government
Police emergency number 17 (Police secours)
Helps with: France's police emergency number, for road accidents, public disorder or crimes needing a fast response. The same page lists 112 as the European emergency number, 15 for medical and 18 for fire.
Who qualifies: Anyone in France who needs the police urgently.
Phone: 17
ngo
French Red Cross (Croix-Rouge française), national headquarters
Helps with: France's national Red Cross society. It gives emergency social support, helps people search for relatives, runs a listening line for psychosocial support, offers first-aid courses and runs health facilities.
Who qualifies: People in France who need its social, health, family-links or first-aid services.
Phone: 01 44 43 13 00
Address: 21/23 Rue de la Vanne, 92120 Montrouge
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) France
Helps with: The UN migration agency, present in France since 1981. Its work covers resettlement and movement, protection and assistance for vulnerable migrants, and migration and border management.
Who qualifies: Migrants in France, especially vulnerable migrants, and government partners. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +33 (0) 140 44 06 91
Address: 31 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 75009 Paris, France
embassy
Foreign diplomatic missions in France (France Diplomatie directory)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The French foreign ministry's directory lists foreign embassies, consulates and honorary consulates in France, each with a detail page.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or consulate.
local government
Paris Police Prefecture tourist reception
Helps with: A Paris city hall page says the Police Prefecture has tourist reception with bilingual officers and complaints taken in 20 languages. The 20 central district police stations are said to open around the clock.
Who qualifies: Foreign visitors to Paris who are victims of crime or need police help. Dial 17 in an emergency.