There’s something about Paris. The City of Lights enchants with a joie d’vivre that you can taste in its cafes, hear in an accordion’s lilt and see from the left or right bank of the Seine. Here are 12 of our favorite things to do in Paris in photos.
Notre Dame
At over eight centuries old, the sturdy cathedral doesn’t seem to require the support of its famed flying buttresses. Walk its circumference to count balancing chimera and gargoyles or stand in its nave to contemplate the cast of historical characters crowned and canonized here from Napoleon to Joan of Arc.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
Gardens
We know the well-walked ones like Jardin du Luxembourg and Le Tuilleries, but it’s the gardens that you stumble upon during a mid-day stroll that tend to surprise and delight the most.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
Macarons
Parisians have perfected these sweet cream or jam-filled circles of pillow-y merengue. Whether at the mecca of macarons, Ladurée, or its rival patisserie, Pierre Hermé, it could only be love at first bite.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
Louvre
Everyone wants to jockey for a glimpse of Mona Lisa’s smile, but you may want to hit this landmark at night when the Louvre’s pyramid is aglow and the crowds are light. Give yourself enough time to get lost in its wide galleries, as you inevitably will.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
Musée d’Orsay
Turns out an old train station is a perfect place to peruse the work of French masters like Degas, Cézanne, Gauguin and Monet. Stare closely at each paint stroke and be transported to another place and time.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
Place de la Concorde
People pool around the gold-tipped obelisk at the end of the Champs-Élysée in the line of sight of the Louvre and L’Arc de Triomphe. It’s a perfect location for panoramic views of iconic sites. The ornate fountains nearby are a plus.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
Outdoor Cafes
Paris is a collection of corner cafes. They are your best chance to meet locals over a quick café au lait or lingering Bordeaux. These places have a way of making you feel a little more Parisian, too.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
Paris Shopping
Paris has given us fabulous designers from Chanel to Louis Vuitton and put them all under one stunningly-designed roof in a mega shopping destination known as Galeries Lafayette. While Galeries Lafayette may be impressive to the shopaholics of the world, the Champs-Élysée is the stuff of retail legend.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
Boeuf Bourguignon
Could there be a better offering to the culinary world than tender bits of beef slow-cooked in red wine? Thank you, Paris.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
Versailles
The gilded gates of Versailles capture the eye upon approach from the RER train station – a tale tell sign of the opulence behind them, including an exquisitely manicured garden and Marie Antoinette’s personal estate. A “commented visit” gets you a guided behind-the-scenes look at the palace.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
La Seine
One of the most celebrated waterways in the world, La Seine offers its own perspectives of the City of Lights from bridges that link left and right banks to lazy cruises, even from along a manmade beach in the summer.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
Eiffel Tower
No landmark represents a city better than the Eiffel Tower. It evokes wonder and romance all at once, whether craning your head up to inspect its beamed architecture or scanning the Parisian landscape from its pinnacle. But it may be most breathtaking at night shimmering in the distance, a beacon of light across the city.
(Photo: Steven Williams)
SEE ALSO: Where to Find the Best Éclair in Paris
