Paris Holidays 2026/2027

Montmartre: Cobbled streets climb past artists' squares to Sacré-Cœur, with panoramic views over the rooftops below that stretch out on a clear day, and the funicular saves the legs on the climb back down toward the metro.

Le Marais: Former aristocratic mansions now house galleries, boutiques and some of the city's best falafel stalls, tucked along streets too narrow for buses and best explored without any fixed plan or map.

Latin Quarter: Student energy, second-hand bookshops and the Panthéon sit within a few streets of the Sorbonne, close enough to wander between all three in under an hour without checking a map once.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés: Literary cafés and antique dealers line streets that once hosted Sartre and Hemingway, and several still keep their original nineteen-twenties fittings behind unchanged, well-preserved shopfronts.

Île de la Cité: Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle occupy this small island at the very centre of the city, with the flower market adding colour on weekend mornings and river views lining every side of the island itself.

Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe: Grand shopping avenues lead up to one of Europe's largest roundabouts, best viewed from the monument's rooftop terrace once the evening traffic below has properly thinned out.

Seine river walk: The quays between the Louvre and Notre-Dame make one of the best free evening strolls anywhere, especially once the streetlamps come on and the day-trippers head back toward their hotels for dinner.

Musée d'Orsay: The former railway station now holds one of the finest Impressionist collections in the world, and the clock-face window alone is worth the visit even before reaching any of the paintings inside.

Luxembourg Gardens: Locals picnic, sail toy boats and play chess here on any warm afternoon, and the fountains draw a relaxed weekend crowd that lingers long after most tourists have moved on.

Canal Saint-Martin: A quieter, younger stretch of water lined with bars and independent shops, popular for a slow Sunday brunch and an afternoon spent people-watching from one of the footbridges.

Passage des Panoramas: One of the covered nineteenth-century arcades, ideal on a rainy afternoon and lined with stamp dealers and old-school restaurants that have barely changed appearance in decades gone by.

Centre Pompidou: Modern art inside a building famous for wearing its pipes and escalators on the outside, with a rooftop view thrown in that rivals any paid viewing platform anywhere in the city.

Place des Vosges: The oldest planned square in the city, ringed by arcaded townhouses and shaded by rows of mature trees that make it a natural stop between two busier sights.