Iconic Paris stops split travelers—here’s what experts say

Are iconic – Paris travel experts who live in the city say some “must-dos” are worth it—others are better from a distance, and several can be skipped if you don’t match the crowd. From Eiffel Tower sightlines and Louvre time limits to Notre-Dame’s reopened climb rules and

For months, people dream about Paris the way they dream about a once-in-a-lifetime trip. The reality starts the moment the tickets come out and the lines begin—when every “iconic” sight suddenly feels like a choice, not a guarantee.

Paris-based travel experts say the best way to enjoy the City of Lights isn’t to chase every headline attraction at full steam. It’s to match the landmark to how you actually want to see the city—whether that means climbing for a view. planning your timing. or stepping aside for a quieter neighborhood.

Paris is one of those places people dream about visiting their whole lives. strolling along the Seine River and snacking on pastries. In 2025. millions of travelers made that dream real. helping make France the most visited country worldwide. according to the country’s official tourism development agency. Atout France.

So where should first-timers spend their time?. Two Paris travel experts—Jay Swanson. creator of the Paris in My Pocket travel guide and author of two memoirs. including the upcoming “Desert of the New. ” about building a life in Paris over more than a decade; and Lily Heise. a writer and Paris expert for Love and Paris (and a Paris resident for 25 years)—offered time-tested takes on five iconic attractions and where you may want to go instead.

Heise’s stance on the Eiffel Tower is the kind that makes people pause even before they book: it’s a must-see, but the decision is whether you need to go up it.

“The Eiffel Tower is definitely a must-see. but you have to ask yourself if you must go up it. ” Heise said. “I tend to recommend that people admire it from unique vantage points … like the Towers of Notre Dame, the free viewing platform at Galeries Lafayette … or even just along the Seine. There are so many places that you can see the Eiffel Tower without actually going up it.”.

Swanson agrees that the tower’s best role may be as part of the city’s wider skyline—yet he still argues for climbing at least once. “The best views of the city have the Eiffel Tower in them. ” Swanson said. adding that he thinks it’s worth going up at least once in your life. If you do. he recommends going to at least the second level. warning that the top level is so high that the landscape below loses some definition.

Cost, timing, and accessibility matter too. Eiffel Tower ticket prices vary by age. how high visitors want to go—whether the second level or all the way to the top—and whether visitors climb stairs. take lifts. or use a combination. Taking the stairs up to the second floor costs nearly 15 euros for adults over age 24. about 7.5 euros for youth ages 12 to 24. and under 4 euros for children ages 4 to 11 or visitors with disabilities. Taking lifts all the way to the top costs nearly 37 euros for adults. about 18.5 euros for youth. and a little over 9 euros for children or visitors with disabilities.

The tower’s website notes that “the top of the tower and the stairways are not suitable for people with reduced mobility.” It also posts operating dates and hours. and says tickets can be purchased on site for immediate use if they sell out online. Heise suggests waiting until evening for lower wait times. “That’s the best time to go, especially in summer. It gets dark so late in Paris,” she said. “A little bit before dusk is magical.”.

For sweeping views, both experts point visitors toward Tour Saint-Jacques—though it’s currently closed for renovation. The Flamboyant Gothic tower is all that remains of a once-centuries-old medieval church, Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie.

“It’s wonderful because it’s not obstructed. You’re right next to the gargoyles,” Swanson said. “There are no chain link fences around.”

And for photos that don’t require climbing, Heise and Swanson disagree just enough to feel personal. For ground-level pictures, Place du Trocadéro is a common destination, but Heise recommends Port Debilly just below it.

“It’s literally right across the river from the Eiffel Tower, and you can get all kinds of nice pictures there,” she said.

Another popular spot is along Avenue de Camoëns, but Heise warns it’s jammed with Instagrammers. Instead, she suggests Square Rapp, near 29 Avenue Rapp. “There’s this beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower with two historic buildings on either side.”

If you want the tower after dark, Heise suggested seeing the nighttime lights from afar, like from the ornate Alexander III bridge. The lights twinkle on the hour after dark, for five minutes.

The conversation gets sharper when the focus shifts from views to time. For the Louvre, Swanson says the museum can swallow your day—but you can stop it from doing that.

Swanson highly recommends visiting the Musée du Louvre on once-in-a-lifetime trips, while noting it can be overwhelming. If you do it, especially if it’s your first time, plan for no more than like an hour and a half to two hours tops, he said.

“Just give yourself a hard limit and don’t feel guilty for checking out earlier than you think you should,” Swanson said.

Visitors can navigate the museum on their own. but Swanson says hiring a guide can be worthwhile if you want someone to take you where you actually want to go. “If you just follow the crowd, you’ll end up in front of the Mona Lisa,” he said. He added that other wings of the massive museum can be nearly empty. and “if you just take a little time to get away from the crowds. you’d be surprised what gems you’ll find.”.

The Louvre is open every day—except Tuesdays, Jan. 1, May 1 (France’s Labor Day) and Dec. 25 (Christmas). It runs until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, when Heise said it’s less crowded.

Admission for non-European Economic Area adults costs 32 euros. Children under age 18 and visitors with disabilities may enter for free. Swanson notes the Louvre’s elevators don’t always work, but the museum is working on improving its accessibility.

Entry is free for all on July 14 (Bastille Day) and after 6 p.m. on the first Friday of every month except July and August. Heise said advance tickets are critical. and the museum’s website warns: “Do not purchase any tickets that supposedly allow you to jump the queue. and never buy your tickets from illicit street vendors.”.

Even when Swanson’s enthusiastic, Heise is more selective. “Heise said the Lourvre is worth visiting but doesn’t consider it a must. ” the source material states. and she doesn’t treat it like a non-negotiable stop. “It was the palace of the royals. so it’s very beautiful inside and really important to Paris’ history. but if you’re not a big art fan. you might want to skip the Louvre. especially on your first trip. ” she said.

Both experts recommend the Musée d’Orsay, also described as very popular. “There are so many beautiful paintings and honestly, it’s just a beautiful space,” Swanson said. He also loves the Musée Rodin. But when something feels too niche, he points visitors back toward d’Orsay, adding that Rodin is there.

For hidden gems, Heise suggests Le Petit Palais, an opulent Beaux-Arts museum that’s free to enter and has a picturesque outdoor cafe. “If you want to feel like you’re just taking in some art, I would recommend that fullheartedly.”

She also loves Musée Jacquemart-André, which houses the “finest private collection of artworks in Paris” according to its website, and the free Paris history museum, Musée Carnavalet.

The question of whether to go up the cathedral’s towers returns with Notre-Dame. Both Heise and Swanson say Notre-Dame de Paris reopened to the public in December 2024, five years after a devastating fire gutted the historic site.

For those who can climb, the route is part of the payoff. “If you’re able to go up (the towers). the route that they’ve created through there now after the fire is incredible. ” Swanson said. “Everything’s very beautiful. very clean. very. very. very well done. so highly recommend that if you’re able to hike all those stairs. And even if you’re not, the free entrance to the main section of it is gorgeous.”.

Going up the Towers of Notre Dame Cathedral comes with rules. There is a fee to go up the Towers, and tickets are only available online and not sold on site. It typically costs 16 euros for non-European Union adults. Admission is free on the first Sunday in January, February, March, November and December. Admission is also free for children under age 18 and visitors with disabilities, among others.

Visitors should note there are 424 steps to the top and no elevator. Entry to the actual cathedral is always free, and it’s open daily. Masses are held daily.

To manage queues, visitors can make a free same-day reservation for shorter entry waits or wait in a typically longer standby line. Heise advises arriving before 9:30 a.m. to skip crowds, or visit on Thursday nights, when it’s open later.

Swanson also recommends the former church of Sainte-Geneviève, which became the Panthéon. “It was the tallest building in France until the Eiffel Tower,” he said. “If the panoramic view from that is open, absolutely go do that.”

Montmartre’s Sacré-Cœur comes with a different kind of advice—one that depends on whether visitors are willing to wander.

Heise may be partial because she lives in Montmartre, but she still pushes visitors to go. “Right up in front of Sacré-Cœur. of course. there’s the beautiful view of the city. and the artists’ square. Place de Tertre. is worth seeing. but then wander the back streets and the quiet cobbled lanes of Montmartre. ” she said.

That’s where she says you find “the real side” of the neighborhood. “There you’ll take in the real side of the neighborhood, and there are lots of hidden gems to discover.”

Swanson agrees the church and less touristy neighborhoods are worth visiting. He suggests approaching the church from the side stairwells a few blocks away.

“I’d go around behind it. One of my number one tips for going up there is there’s a park behind it that everybody misses because they just follow the crowds,” he said. “If you follow the crowd, you probably end up with the scam artists.”

The Basilica is open daily, and masses are held daily. Visitors are asked to “dress appropriately and remain silent,” and photography is not allowed in the nave. Admission to the Basilica is free, but there is a fee to climb its iconic dome for sweeping views of Paris.

The Dome Tour costs 8 euros for visitors over age 15 and 5 euros for children younger than that. There are 280 steps to the top and no elevator. There is an elevator to the Basilica for visitors with mobility needs or disabilities.

By the time visitors reach the Arc de Triomphe, the experts diverge more clearly. Heise and Swanson are split on whether it’s worth it.

Swanson says it is for one main reason: the view. “I would say that the Arc de Triomphe is really, really worth it for the view,” he said. “It’s (a) really fun and beautiful structure. but if you had to pick between that and Notre Dame. I’d definitely do Notre Dame. because Notre Dame’s more central.” He called the Arc “the only part of that area of town that’s worth visiting” and suggested skipping the adjacent Avenue des Champs-Élysées unless you “really just want to see the giant Louis Vuitton suitcase outside its flagship store.”.

Heise doesn’t think the Arc de Triomphe is an absolute must but agrees it’s an impressive monument with unique city views. She also steers people away from the famed Champs-Élysées. “It is filled with international chain shops, fast food restaurants,” she said. “There are some luxury shops on and near the Champs-Élysées. Every single one of them has a branch somewhere else in the city that’s less busy.” She noted scam artists also frequent the area.

Practical details help decide. It’s easy to visit the Arc de Triomphe, right above the Metro. The Arc is open daily except on May 1, May 8 (WWII Victory Day), the morning of July 14, and the morning of Nov. 11 (Armistice Day). It may also close for official ceremonies or due to weather.

It’s free to visit the ground-level Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Admission to the rest of the monument—including its interior rooms and terrace with panoramic views—ranges from 16 to 22 euros for non-European Union adults. depending on the day and time of year. Wednesdays are cheaper from April through September.

Children under 18 and visitors with disabilities may enter for free. It’s also free to everyone on the first Sunday in January, February, March, November and December.

Visitors should note there are 284 steps to the top-level terrace, but elevators are available for visitors with disabilities. “It’s a very accessible monument if everything’s working,” Swanson said.

Beyond the five landmark debates, both experts add the neighborhoods that don’t always make it onto postcards. Both Heise and Swanson recommend visiting Canal Saint-Martin.

“That’s a great place to go for a stroll. It’s a bit kind of hip and trendy. It makes you feel local because it’s definitely more of a local place,” Heise said. “The streets around it have lots of great shops and cool cafes and great restaurants, modern bakeries.”

Swanson said many of his favorite restaurants are within a stone’s throw of the canal. “Most of the creative stuff that’s happening in Paris when it comes to food is happening in places where younger people can afford to open a restaurant and can afford to try something new. ” he added. “When you get up into like the 10th. the 11th. the 19th to 20th (arrondissements or districts). that’s where you’re going to find so many fun new things that are happening that are going to be 10 times better than what you’re going to find near. especially Arc de Triomphe. Eiffel Tower. or even Notre Dame.”.

Heise also recommends the historic Jewish quarter Le Marais. “It’s, for me, the one neighborhood you shouldn’t miss when you come to Paris,” she said.

As for choosing among the rest of the sights, Swanson offers the simplest rule in the entire package. “Most of the stuff you’ve heard about in Paris is actually worth your time,” he said. “I think that it’s more of a question of looking into it in advance to see what is here that would interest me?”

Taken together. the experts’ advice lands on a shared message: the city’s most famous places don’t just demand patience—they demand decisions. Whether that means watching the Eiffel Tower from Port Debilly instead of buying a top-level ticket. limiting the Louvre to “no more than like an hour and a half to two hours. ” or using Notre-Dame’s free main section if the 424 steps feel like too much. the trip becomes less about checking boxes and more about spending your energy where it pays off.

Paris travel Eiffel Tower Louvre tickets Notre-Dame reopening Sacré-Cœur Arc de Triomphe Canal Saint-Martin Le Marais travel tips tourism