This Paris Travel Guide contains everything you need to help you plan for your next trip to Paris. This includes the best things to do in Paris, when to visit Paris, where to stay in Paris, how to get around the city, as well as food and drink recommendations for your next visit.
Paris Travel Guide Contents
How to get from the Airports in Paris
Orly Airport
Orly Airport is the closest to the city, around 14km South of the city centre and the one we often choose to fly into when we visit Paris.
Metro
Work has recently been completed on modernising the line 14 metro route, meaning you can get to Gare de Lyon in around 20 minutes using this method.
Cost: €10.30
Bus
Orly has a shuttle bus that runs to the City Centre throughout the day, last departure goes at 00:30.
Cost: €11.20
Frequency: Every 10-15 minutes
Journey Time: 30 minutes
Uber/Bolt
Uber is quite a common way to get into the city from Orly and the method we used last time we visited. One thing to note is that it can be quite difficult to find the pick up point (at least in our experience) so it is worth getting there first before ordering the Uber.
Cost: €30-35
Orly to Disneyland
If you're going to Disneyland, there is a shuttle bus that goes directly to the resort.
Pick Up Points:
• Paris-Orly 1-2 : Level 0 - Stop 15 - Exit 15a
• Paris-Orly 4 : Bus station - Stop 3 - Exit 47d
Frequency:
• Every 30 minutes
Cost (Single Ticket):
• Adults (Includes children over 12) - €24
• Children (Age 3-11) - €11
• Children under 3 travel for free
Beauvais Airport
The best ways to reach the city centre from Beauvais are to either take the bus or train. The journey into the city takes at least 1 hour so we would not recommend using taxi services where it can be avoided.
Bus
There are 4 main shuttle bus routes you can take from Beauvais to the city centre:
Train
The Beauvais SNCF station is accessible by regional express train (“TER”) from the Gare du Nord station in Paris.
Note: plan your trip well and remember that the travel time and fare between the Beauvais SNCF train station and the airport (bus or taxi) must be added to the train ride time (about 1 hr 15 min from Paris) and fare.
Charles Du Gaules Airport
CDG airport offers numerous options for getting into the city with a variety of public trasnport options available:
Bus
The RoissyBus shuttle provides a direct link between Paris (Paris-Opéra in 60 minutes) and Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.
Journey time: approx. 60 minutes.
Cost: €16.60 (Navigo, zones 1-5 accepted)
Collection Points at Paris-CDG airport:
Terminal 1 - Terminal 3 - Terminal 2AC - Terminal 2D - Terminal 2EF.
Collection Points in Paris:
Paris-Opéra (Corner of "rue Scribe" and "rue Auber").
Frequency:
From Paris (Opéra) >> Charles de Gaulle:
• 5:15 am to 8:00 pm, evry 15 minutes
• 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm, every 20 minutes
• 10:00 pm to 00:30 am, every 30 minutes
From Charles de Gaulle >> Paris (Opéra):
• 6:00 am to 8:45 pm, every 15 minutes
• 8:45 pm to 00:30 am, every 20 minutes
Train
The RER B is the main method that tends to be used for getting to the city.
Journey time:
• Approx. 25 minutes from Gare du Nord
• Approx. 28 minutes from Châtelet-Les-Halles
• Approx. 35 minutes form Denfert-Rochereau.
Frequency:
Every 10-15 minutes on weekdays
Cost:
€11,80 (forfait Navigo, zones 1-5 accepted)
How to get around Paris
Public Transport
If you are planning to spend at least one week in the city the Navigo Decouverte pass allows you to travel throughout zones 1-5 using public transport for around €30 per week. This can be purchased at the majority of metro or train stations.
You can also get a Navigo day pass covering zones 1-3 for €11.60 per day.
Alternatively, the Paris Visite package allows access to all transport networks: metro, tram, bus, RER and train (SNCF Transilien). This package, valid for 1, 2, 3 or 5 consecutive days, allows unlimited travel in Paris (zones 1 to 3) or Paris and the Île-de-France region (all zones, with access to airports including Orlyval, Disneyland Paris and Château de Versailles). The visite pass also provides discounted prices for numerous attractions around the city.
Duration | Adult | Child (4-11) |
1 Day | €13.95 (Zone 1-3) €29.25 (1-5) | €6.95 (Zone 1-3) €14.60 (1-5) |
2 Days | €22.65 (Zone 1-3) €44.45 (1-5) | €11.30 (Zone 1-3) €22.20 (1-5) |
3 Days | €30.90 (Zone 1-3) €62.30 (1-5) | €15.45 (Zone 1-3) €31.15 (1-5) |
5 Days | €44.45 (Zone 1-3) €76.25 (1-5) | €22.20 (Zone 1-3) €38 (1-5) |
Where to Buy
This can be purchased in any station or else online at https://parisjetaime.com/eng/tickets
Taxi
The main apps used for taxi services around the city are Bolt or FreeNow - it is beneficial to download each of these apps if you need to grab a taxi but we would suggest using public transport wherever possible.
Hop On/Hop Off Tour
If it is your first time visiting the city, one of the best ways to get a feel for the city and to see all of the major sites is to take the hop/hop off bus tours. This allows you the flexibility to pick and choose where and when you want to go somewhere, without having to worry about how to get there.
When to visit Paris
Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world every year, with around 16 million visitors annually (based on 2024 stats) so it is important to take this into consideration when deciding when to visit. With that in mind, we would recommend avoiding July & August as much as possible to avoid peak crowds, peak heat and ultimately, peak costs.
Outside of that, there are advantages to most of the other periods throughout the year, but we would recommend shoulder season (April/May or September/October) where the temperatures are great (17 to 22 Celsius average highs and 7-8 days rainfall), the crowds are smaller and you can enjoy the colours of Spring, with views of the Eiffel Tower lined with Cherry Blossoms and similarly, the colours of Autumn are the perfect backdrop to an already romantic location.
One other time we would recommend is Christmas time. While it is quite cold, with temperatures regularly below 10 degrees Celsius, the city is decorated beautifully and there is a nice atmosphere. It is also well worth visiting Galeries Lafeyette Hausmann, where you will get to see their incredible Christmas display inside the building. You can also get amazing 360 views of the city from the rooftop of this centre so it is a great place to get a sense of your surroundings within the city.
Where to Stay in Paris
This will all depend on your budget but we tend to suggest the 5th, 8th or 12th Arrondissements - if you are flying in to Orly the 15th Arrondissement is also a good option and you can get to the city centre from there in less than 20 minutes.
Hotels recommendations in Paris for every budget:
Hotel | Price Range |
€80-120 per night (Double Room) | |
€120-180 per night (Double Room) | |
€150-200+ per night (Double Room) |
Note: Please note that for any bookings made via the affiliate links included within this post, we will receive a small commission from the supplier but this will not affect the price you pay.
How long should you stay in Paris
Paris has a huge variety of options to cater for any length of stay - if you really want to get to know the city you could easily spend weeks there but equally if you just want to see the main highlights that is possible in 1-2 days. Ideally, with any major city, you should stay for 3-4 days to allow yourself enough time to explore each area, without feeling the need to rush to the next location. When you visit Paris, we would suggest choosing one area of the city for each day and only visiting the attractions there for the day before choosing another area of Paris for the next day. That approach means you will avoid spending too much time hopping on and off trains and buses to get from one location to the next within the day.
Best areas to visit in Paris
Naturally, when you are visiting Paris for the first time, it is easy to be drawn directly to the Eiffel Tower and the many great places around the city to get the perfect photo with the iconic landmark. For us, though, there is one area that should be top of your list when you visit Paris and one you could easily spend the whole day in - Montmartre. Filled with street art, cobbled streets, great areas to sit with a drink and watch the world go by, Montmartre is the perfect place to relax and soak up the atmosphere in the city. In this area, you can visit the beautiful Sacre-Coeur; grab a drink at Place du Tertre, see the Wall of Love and admire the work of the street artists, as well as the incredible views of the city.
Where to get the best photos in Paris
Any trip to Paris wouldn't be complete without having some incredible photos to capture your memories. Below are just some of our favourite places to get photos around the city:
Maison Rose
The Sinking House of Montmartre
Place du Tertre
Sacre-Coeur
Place du Trocadero
Pont Alexandre III
Arc de Triomphe
Port Debilly
L'Howea
Galeries Lafayette
Palais Garnier
Avenue Camoens
Rue L'Universite
Best Places to see the Eiffel Tower
Rue l'Universite
Pont d'Lena
Pont d'Alma
Avenue de Camoens
Galeries Lafayette Rooftop
Arc de Triomphe Rooftop
Number 6 Metro
Port Debilly
Place du Trocadero
l'Howea
Best attractions to visit in Paris
Entry Fee Costs to main attractions in Paris
Eiffel Tower €28+
Louvre €24.99+
Arc de Triomphe €15.50+
Opera Garnier €15+
Disneyland €72+
River Seine river cruise
One thing to note is that a number of the attractions in Europe are free to enter if you are under 26/Students and Teachers who are EU Citizens.
You can check out some of the best activities Paris has to offer through the links below.
Note: Please note that for any bookings made via the affiliate links included within this post, we will receive a small commission from the supplier but this will not affect the price you pay
Best Cafes to visit in Paris
Cafe Creme
Immersion
Cafe Kitsune
Cafe Loulou
Candle Kids Coffee
Kozy
5 Pailles
Angelina
Season
Marcelle
Maison Fleuret
Dreamin Man
Cuppa Cafe
Boot Cafe
Pinky Bloom
Best Restaurants to visit in Paris
Pink Mamma (€20-40pp)
Le Petit Bouillon (€10-20pp)
Brasserie Rosie (€20-30pp)
Daroco (€20-50pp)
Maslow (€20-30pp)
Brasserie Rosie (€20-30pp)
Joya (€20-30pp)
Alcazar (€50+pp)
Le Choupinet (€20-30pp)
Daroco (€50+pp)
Perruche (€50+pp)
Gigi (€100+pp)
Best Bars to visit in Paris
Little Red Door
Bisou
Tiger Paris
Moonshiner
Danico
Lavomatic
Maison Reva
Sources:
Unsplash Images
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