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The Paris city guide by Parisians

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Paris city guide with up to date information to best prepare for a trip. Paris facts and news. Paris fashion facts. Monuments. Sights. History. Maps. Paris Digest is edited by Parisians since 1997. News, questions and answers on Facebook.

Trip to Paris

This guide helps you make the best of your trip to Paris: things to do, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, sport, maps.

Sightseeing

Endless sightseeing is the top reason why Paris is year after year the number one tourist city in the world.

Shopping

Shopping and fashion are the second top reason so many people the world over love the city, a shopper paradise.

Visit France

Visit France on a memorable day trip from Paris: wine tours, Normandy beaches, Loire Castles, French Riviera.

Paris Olympics 2024

Paris Summer Olympics 2024 are a top occasion to come to the city. Tickets. Schedule. Maps. Venues. Hotels.

Paris maps

Check and print Paris map, metro map, monument map, museum map, restaurant map, shopping map.

Paris apartment and hotel map

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Stay in top Paris boutique hotel

Hotel D'Aubusson is a 17th-century private mansion set in the heart of the left bank. The five star hotel offers an interior courtyard with a fountain. Guest rooms feature original beams, antique furniture and a fireplace made of Burgundy stone. Some suites feature a four-poster bed and a view of the courtyard with its marble statues. Each room at Hotel D'Aubusson has a marble bathroom, a coffee machine and high-speed WiFi. English breakfast is served every morning.

33, rue Dauphine
Paris 75006 France

This city guide has a selection of the best hotels in Paris.

Paris hotels left bank: Hotel d'Aubusson
Paris hotels left bank: Hotel d'Aubusson

Experience the Seine dinner cruise

If you stay just one night in Paris, the Seine dinner cruise is a must. Board a panoramic restaurant aboard a glass topped vessel. Enjoy the romantic atmosphere of the city and admire the illuminated bridges and beautiful monuments.

The boat passes along the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Grand Palais, Palais de Chaillot and the many beautiful Seine bridges.

Dinner cruise information and booking.

The top Seine river cruises

Seine river cruise
The Seine dinner cruise is a must do

Try top restaurant

William Ledeuil is a very talented French cook. His fusion food, inspired by Asia, is so tasty you will remember it for ever. Different yet complementary, united by the same audacious vision, his two restaurants are in the left bank and are some of the bests in town.

His cuisine is derived from the dialog between his passion for Asia and his respect for French cuisine tradition. The ingredients and the flavors are decisive. He combines them in total freedom, depending on his inspiration. For William Ledeuil, food is a game of extreme rigor which means he can’t take himself seriously. Set menu start from 29 (KitchenTer(re)) to 41 euros (Ze Kitchen Gallery. One Michelin star) at lunchtime. We are regulars.

4 rue des Grands Augustins
Paris 75006 France

This city guide has a selection of best restaurants in Paris.

Ze Kitchen Galerie is a first choice restaurant
Ze Kitchen Galerie is a first choice restaurant

Visit Normandy beaches from Paris

In one day from Paris, visit the famous Normandy beaches on a coach tour. This popular tour helps relive the important hours of D-Day landing in 1944. You will see Pointe du Hoc, the American Cemetery of Saint Laurent, Omaha Beach, Arromanches, the Caen Memorial. Various tour options.

Tour information and booking

On June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, the Allies opened a new European front against the troops of the Third Reich during the Second World War. It was the largest military operation in history, which marked the beginning of the Battle of Normandy and would lead to the end of the Second World War.

Bus tour Paris to Normandy: Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc is a famous D-Day beaches sight

Enjoy a ballet performance

Opéra Garnier is both an incredible 19th century monument and a magical venue for live performances. You will not forget a ballet performance there by the Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris. The beauty of music and dancing resonates with the magnificent theater room and its Chagall ceiling. After the performance, you may have dinner in one of the restaurants open very late into the night in this very animated district.

8, rue Scribe
Paris 75009 France

This city guide has a selection of nightlife and concert venues.

Opéra Garnier
Opéra Garnier is a beautiful concert venue

Visit top museum in Paris

The Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Picasso Museum and Centre Pompidou are the most famous museums of art in the city.

A relatively new comer in the city, the Picasso Museum opened in 1985 with 203 paintings and 156 pieces of sculpture from the Picasso heritage, paid as death duties.

Housed in the spectacular 1900 Orsay train station on the Seine river banks, Musée d'Orsay is the 19th century art museum of Paris. Musée d'Orsay is a must. Its impressionist painting collections are worth the trip. Monet, Van Gogh, Manet, Renoir, Gauguin and Sysley are specially well represented. Musée d'Orsay, Marmottan Museum and Giverny Monet's Gardens together turn Paris into the impressionism capital of the world.

Paris Air and Space Museum in Le Bourget Airport is one of the best air and space museums in the world. It is well known for its amazing collection of old airplanes with a special focus on French airplanes and pioneer aviators

This city guide has a selection of the best Paris museums.

Mona Lisa is in Louvre Museum
Mona Lisa is in Louvre Museum

Visit Disneyland Paris with kids

Disneyland Paris is the second most visited sight in the city and the most visited theme park in Europe. It is a must for families with children and entertains all ages. An off season visit is hightly recommended as the park is often crowded.

Disneyland Paris is connected to downtown by metro. To best visit Disneyland and the city, book a hotel or apartment in Paris. Book a convenient Disneyland shuttle from the city.

Alternatively, if your trip focuses on Disneyland, you can stay at one of the many budget hotels and appartments near Disneyland Paris.

This city guide has a selection of attractions for kids including Disneyland, Parc Asterix, Musée Grévin and Aquaboulevard.

Disneyland Paris
Disneyland is the most visited European theme park

Admire modern architecture

Created and financed by Louis Vuitton, the famous handbag designer, the Fondation Louis Vuitton encourages and promotes artistic creation internationally. In 2006, the Fondation Louis Vuitton commissioned a spectacular monument located in Jardin Acclimatation, a lovely amusement park in Bois de Boulogne.

Fondation Louis Vuitton was designed by architect Franck Gehry, a Pritzker prize winner living in Los Angeles. Franck Gehry is most of all known in Europe for the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum. He has also designed the Cinématheque Francaise in the city.

8, Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi
Paris 7511604 France

This city guide has a selection of the top Paris monuments.

Fondation Louis Vuitton
Fondation Louis Vuitton is a Franck Gehry masterpiece

Best time for a trip

The city has so much to offer that each season is great.

Plan your trip in fall or winter if you want to best enjoy city life. December, Christmas and New year add the magical illuminations on Champs-Elysées. Shopping is top during the sales season in January and June.

Outdoor sightseeing is best in May, June and September, when the weather is normally rather sunny and dry.

In the summer, the weather is warm and traffic less intense, specially in August when many Parisians are on vacation. But touristic sights are crowded and life in the city is at a minimum, specially between August 1 and 15.

Champs-Elysées in winter
The Champs-Elysées are illuminated in winter

Top sport events 2023 2024 in Paris

Be ready for Paris Olympics 2024 and the Rugby World Cup France 2023, wonderful occasions to come to Paris.

The top annual sports events in the city are Roland-Garros Tennis Tournament in June, one of the top ATP tennis competitions and the traditional final circuit of the last stage of Tour de France in Champs-Elysées end of July.

The Paris Marathon in April is one of the most scenic urban marathons in the world. Register early as it is always fully booked in advance. The semi-marathon and the 20km race are also very popular. Check Paris Marathon page.

The Paris Masters, also called Rolex Paris Masters, are a top ATP competition taking place in Accor Arena.

There are two world class racecourses, Longchamp and Auteuil, in Bois de Boulogne, where some of the most prestigious races including Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Prix du Jockey Club, Prix de Diane, Grand Steeple Chase de Paris, are run. Information on France Galop web site.

Sport in Paris

Sports in Paris: Paris Marathon
The Paris Marathon is very scenic

Paris facts

From the Romans who conquered it in 52 BC to today's 6th Republic, the city has a rich 2000 year history.

The French Kings, who governed France, from 448 until 1848, commissioned famous monuments, such as the Louvre Palace, the Invalides and Versailles Palace.

In 1806, Emperor Napoléon commissioned the Arc de Triomphe at the top end of the Champs-Elysées. The Eiffel Tower was designed for the 1889 world exhibition to celebrate the progress of technology.

Over the centuries, faithful Parisians built beautiful churches, including Notre-Dame Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle in 13th century and Sacré-Coeur in 19th century.

The original Statue of Liberty in New-York City was a gift from France to America in 1886, designed and moulded in Paris.

Paris facts
Paris history facts

Paris history: construction of Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889

Paris fashion facts

French fashion sets the trend worldwide for men and women. Paris remains the capital of fashion it has been since the 18th century. Iconic brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès perpetuate the Parisian style that turns all women into models. All these fashion brands are based in Paris. Many lesser known French fashion brands such as Cyrillus, Armor Lux, Tara Jarmon, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Sézane, turn Paris into one of the most creative fashion cities in the world. Find the best French fashion.

Paris fashion facts.

Paris fashion is world famous
Paris fashion is world famous

Paris economy and business

The city with the surrounding Grand Paris metropolitan area, is a major business city with diversified industries. La Défense Business district, Rungis wholesale market, Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles are among the hubs of this intense business activity. The Paris Motor Show and the Paris Air Show are world class business shows.

Paris business.

La Défense is the top business district in the city
La Défense is the top business district in the city