Sightseeing in Paris. Top sights tours

Sightseeing tours

A Paris sightseeing tour is a great way to see the top sights: the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Elysées, the Invalides, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Opera, Notre-Dame.

Combine a sightseeing tour and a visit to the Eiffel Tower with priority access. Some sightseeing tours include lunch on the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower. A cruise on the Seine river is an original way to admire the monuments along the Seine. A romantic outing for two or a fun trip for families, visiting Paris by boat is a fantastic way to admire the capital. There are night sightseeing tours in a panoramic bus and night cruises on the Seine. An atypical and magical evening in the city.

Book sightseeing tour or Seine cruise

Sightseeing in Saint-Germain-des-Près

The city has a number of delicious districts where pedestrians are kings: old streets, beautiful houses, many shops, cafés and restaurants. In between the Seine river banks and the Luxembourg Gardens, the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district on the left bank is one of the best known in town. Dominated by the tower of Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church, the remain of the prestigious Saint-Germain-des-Prés Abbey, Saint-Germain-des-Prés is famous as the intellectual district of the City of Lights. Many visitors have a drink at Café de Flore or Deux Magots, the two most famous literary Cafés in Paris.

The rue de Sèvres district has many French fashion stores, including Hermès (17, rue de Sèvres) and Le Bon Marché.

Locate Saint Germain-des-Près on Paris map.

Sightseeing in Tuileries Gardens

The many gardens contribute to the beauty of the city. A few of them including Luxembourg Gardens and Les Tuileries are very old. They are also welcome oasis in the heart of a busy city. The Tuileries Gardens are very central. They stretch their French style alleys lawns along the river, on the right bank in between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. In 1559, Queen Catherine de Medicis moved her residence to the Louvre Palace. She decided to build the Tuileries close-by, a new palace with a garden modeled after the gardens of her native Florence. Catherine commissioned a landscape architect from Florence, Bernard de Carnesse, to build an Italian Renaissance garden, with fountains, a labyrinth and a grotto. The Tuileries were the largest and most beautiful gardens in the city at the time.

Sightseeing in Montmartre

Topped by the Sacré-Coeur Basilica, Montmartre is the highest hill in the city at 128 meters. Rural until 1900, Montmartre became famous in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the arrival of pennyless artists such as Auguste Renoir, Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. In spite of the affluence of tourists from all over the world, most Montmartre streets, almost free of car traffic, keep their village-like atmosphere, which set them apart in town.

The Sacré-Coeur is the most famous Montmartre sight and a flagship monument. It is also a vibrant 24/24 catholic church. The oldest church in the city, Saint-Pierre de Montmartre near Sacré-Coeur was built in 1147. It was the church of the prestigious Montmartre Abbey until the revolution in 1790. The Place du Tertre is the most crowded tourist spot. The lovely village square, Place du Tertre is shared by artists who paint tourist portraits and restaurant terraces. Painted by Renoir, Van Gogh and other famous artists, the Moulin de La Galette is Montmartre last windmill. The animated staircases in front of Sacré-Coeur provide one of the best views of the city. Try the lovely Montmartre walk.

Guided sightseeing tours in French

If you speak French, we highly recommend the interesting and various thematic sightseeing guided tours by licenced lecturers proposed in Officiel des spectacles.

Explore Paris advertizes unusual and inexpensive guided walking tours with local guides to explore the alternative attractions and secret spots of the capital city: cruises on the canals and rivers, exotic food tours, bike rides. The tours are perfect to explore the cosmopolitan culture of Paris by yourself, with friends or family.