Eco Hotels in Paris
Sustainable stays in the City of Light. Best-price guarantee, 1 tonne CO₂ removed per booking. €5 free credit + 5% cashback in IMPT tokens.
Why Stay in Paris
Paris is not simply the capital of France — it is, by almost any measure, the cultural capital of the Western world. With over 30 million international visitors per year, it consistently ranks as the most visited city on the planet. But the numbers alone don't begin to capture what makes Paris extraordinary. This is a city where 2,000 years of continuous civilisation are layered into every street, every building, every bridge across the Seine. From the Roman arena of Lutetia — the city's ancient name, still visible in the 5th arrondissement's Arènes de Lutèce — to the soaring glass pyramid that I.M. Pei inserted into the courtyard of the Louvre in 1989, Paris has never stopped reinventing itself while honouring its past.
The city's 20 arrondissements spiral outward from the centre like a clockwork snail, each with its own distinct personality. The Seine River divides the city into the Right Bank (Rive Droite) to the north — historically the commercial, financial, and fashionable side — and the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) to the south, traditionally the intellectual and bohemian quarter. Two natural islands, Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis, sit at the geographical and historical heart of Paris. Île de la Cité is where the Parisii, the Celtic tribe that gave the city its name, first settled around the 3rd century BC. Today it holds Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Conciergerie (where Marie Antoinette awaited execution), and Sainte-Chapelle with its breathtaking Gothic stained glass.
Paris is a city of superlatives. It has more than 130 museums — the Louvre alone holds 380,000 works of art and receives 9.6 million visitors per year, making it the most visited museum on earth. The city boasts over 120 Michelin-starred restaurants, more than any other city in the world, alongside thousands of bistros, brasseries, and wine bars that collectively define French gastronomy. Paris is the undisputed global capital of fashion, home to the headquarters of Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Saint Laurent. It is a city of 6,100 streets, 37 bridges crossing the Seine, 450 parks and gardens, and approximately 1,800 boulangeries — one for roughly every 1,200 residents.
The 2024 Paris Olympics left an extraordinary legacy for the city. The Athletes' Village in Saint-Denis has been converted into a model eco-neighbourhood, the Seine — cleaned to swimmable standards for the first time in a century — now hosts open-water swimming events, and infrastructure upgrades across the city improved cycling networks and pedestrian access. For the eco-conscious traveller, this represents a city actively transforming itself: Paris has planted 170,000 new trees since 2020, expanded its network of protected cycling lanes to over 1,000 kilometres, and banned through-traffic from the banks of the Seine, turning former expressways into riverside promenades. By booking through IMPT, you ensure that 1 tonne of CO₂ is removed per booking, at the same price you'd pay on Booking.com — with an additional €5 free credit on your first stay and 5% cashback in IMPT tokens.
Beyond the famous landmarks, Paris rewards curiosity. Lose yourself in the covered passages of the 2nd arrondissement — glass-roofed arcades built in the early 19th century that shelter vintage bookshops, stamp dealers, and tiny restaurants. Wander through the Père Lachaise Cemetery and pay respects at the graves of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, and Frédéric Chopin. Watch the sunset from the steps of the Sacré-Cœur as all of Paris spreads below you. Sit at a zinc-topped bar in a neighbourhood bistro and eat steak frites with a carafe of Côtes du Rhône. Discover that the real magic of Paris isn't in any single monument — it's in the accumulated texture of a city that has been perfecting the art of living for two millennia.
Paris at a Glance
Getting the Most from Your Trip
Paris has one of the finest public transport systems in the world. The Métro — opened in 1900 — runs 16 lines covering 225 kilometres with 308 stations. You are almost never more than 500 metres from a Métro station in central Paris. The system runs from approximately 5:30 AM to 1:15 AM on weekdays and until 2:15 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. A single t+ ticket costs €2.15 and covers one journey including transfers between Métro lines (but not between Métro and RER within Paris). The Navigo Easy card (€2 for the card itself) can be loaded with individual tickets or the Navigo Jour (day pass), while the Navigo Découverte weekly pass (€30.75, zones 1–5) is exceptional value if you're staying Monday to Sunday and plan to use the RER for airport transfers or day trips — it covers the entire Île-de-France region including CDG and Orly airports, Versailles, and Disneyland Paris.
The RER (Réseau Express Régional) is the suburban rail network with five lines (A, B, C, D, and E) that cross Paris and extend far into the suburbs. RER B connects CDG Airport to central Paris (35 minutes to Châtelet–Les Halles, €11.80). RER C reaches Versailles (35 minutes from Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame). Within central Paris, the RER functions like an express Métro and is covered by the standard t+ ticket. Beyond the city, Vélib' — Paris's bike-sharing system — offers 20,000 bicycles (including electric-assist models) at 1,400 stations across the city. A day pass costs €5 for mechanical bikes, and the first 30 minutes of each trip are free. The protected cycling lanes along the Seine, Canal Saint-Martin, and major boulevards have been dramatically expanded in recent years, making cycling one of the most enjoyable ways to explore Paris.
The best area to stay depends on your interests. Le Marais (3rd–4th) is ideal for culture, historic architecture, art galleries, and vibrant nightlife. Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th) offers literary heritage, intellectual café culture, and proximity to the Luxembourg Gardens. Montmartre (18th) has a village atmosphere, artist studios, budget-friendly options, and the best panoramic views. Opéra (9th) provides the most central transport connections and major department stores. Latin Quarter (5th) is the student district — bookshops, the Panthéon, and affordable restaurants. Champs-Élysées (8th) is the luxury shopping and grand-hotel district. For day trips, Versailles is just 25 minutes by RER C from Saint-Michel. Fontainebleau is 40 minutes by Transilien train from Gare de Lyon. Monet's Giverny is 75 minutes by train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon. The Champagne region (Reims and Épernay) is 90 minutes by TGV from Gare de l'Est — making a day trip to tour the cellars entirely feasible.
The Paris Museum Pass is outstanding value for dedicated sightseers. Available for 2 days (€55), 4 days (€70), or 6 days (€85), it covers more than 50 museums and monuments including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Sainte-Chapelle, Arc de Triomphe rooftop, and the Château de Versailles. Crucially, it also grants skip-the-line access at many sites — at the Louvre in particular, this alone can save hours. The Batobus Seine river shuttle (€19 for a day pass) stops at nine points along the river from the Eiffel Tower to the Jardin des Plantes, and is both a practical transport option and a scenic way to see the city's most beautiful bridges and embankments.
Where to Stay — Areas
Le Marais — 3rd & 4th Arrondissements
The Marais is Paris at its most characterful — a tangle of medieval streets that escaped Haussmann's 19th-century demolitions, preserving the oldest domestic architecture in the city. Place des Vosges, built in 1612 under Henri IV, is the city's most beautiful square. The neighbourhood is home to the Musée Carnavalet (Paris's history museum, free entry), the Musée Picasso, the historic Jewish quarter along Rue des Rosiers with its legendary falafel shops, and a thriving LGBTQ+ scene centred on Rue des Archives. Boutique shopping, art galleries, and some of the city's best cocktail bars make Le Marais equally appealing by day and night.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés — 6th Arrondissement
The intellectual heart of Paris, where Sartre and de Beauvoir argued existentialism at Café de Flore, Hemingway drank at Les Deux Magots, and the entire French publishing industry still clusters around Boulevard Saint-Germain. The Luxembourg Gardens — 25 hectares of formal French gardens, orchards, and tree-lined promenades — are a five-minute walk from anywhere in the neighbourhood. Art galleries line Rue de Seine and Rue des Beaux-Arts. The atmosphere is literary, elegant, and unmistakably Parisian. This is the Left Bank at its most refined, with excellent bistros, independent bookshops, and the École des Beaux-Arts.
Montmartre — 18th Arrondissement
Perched on the highest hill in Paris (130 metres), Montmartre retains a village atmosphere that feels worlds away from the grand boulevards below. The Sacré-Cœur Basilica crowns the summit, and the surrounding streets still echo with the bohemian spirit of Toulouse-Lautrec, Modigliani, and Picasso — all of whom lived and worked here. Place du Tertre's portrait artists, the last vineyard in Paris (Clos Montmartre), the Moulin Rouge cabaret, and steep cobblestoned lanes make this one of Paris's most photogenic quarters. Hotels and restaurants are notably more affordable than central arrondissements, making it ideal for budget-conscious travellers who don't mind a short Métro ride.
Opéra — 9th Arrondissement
The 9th arrondissement is Paris's commercial and transport hub, centred on the magnificent Palais Garnier opera house — a Beaux-Arts masterpiece completed in 1875 with a gilded auditorium, grand marble staircase, and Marc Chagall's stunning ceiling painting. The grands magasins (department stores) Galeries Lafayette and Printemps are here, both worth visiting for their architecture alone — Galeries Lafayette's Art Nouveau glass dome is breathtaking. The neighbourhood offers excellent Métro connectivity from several major stations (Opéra, Havre-Caumartin, Chaussée d'Antin), making it a practical base for exploring the city. The Musée de la Vie Romantique and SoPi (South Pigalle) restaurant scene add cultural depth.
Latin Quarter — 5th Arrondissement
Named for the Latin once spoken at the Sorbonne, the Latin Quarter is Paris's oldest student district and one of its most atmospheric neighbourhoods. The Panthéon — France's secular temple to its greatest citizens, housing the remains of Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, Zola, Curie, and Dumas — presides over the neighbourhood from the top of the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève. The streets are packed with bookshops (including the legendary Shakespeare and Company, founded in 1951), affordable restaurants, arthouse cinemas, and the stunning Jardin des Plantes botanical garden. The Arènes de Lutèce, a Roman amphitheatre from the 1st century, sits quietly in a residential block.
Champs-Élysées — 8th Arrondissement
Paris's grandest address. The Avenue des Champs-Élysées stretches 1.9 kilometres from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, lined with luxury boutiques, flagship showrooms, and grand cafés. The 8th arrondissement is home to Paris's finest palace hotels — the Plaza Athénée, Le Bristol, The Ritz, and the Four Seasons George V all cluster within a few blocks along Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The Grand Palais (reopened after extensive renovation) and the Petit Palais face each other across Avenue Winston Churchill. This is the district for those who want Paris at its most opulent, with world-class dining and shopping steps from their door.
Hotels
Handpicked sustainable stays across Paris — from legendary palace hotels to eco-conscious boutiques and design-led hostels. All bookable through IMPT at the same price as Booking.com, with 1 tonne of CO₂ removed per booking.
One of Paris's legendary palace hotels, the Plaza Athénée has graced Avenue Montaigne — the city's most fashionable street — since 1913. Its signature red geranium-draped façade is instantly recognisable. The hotel houses Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (a Michelin-starred restaurant reimagined around natural, sustainable cuisine), a Dior Institut spa, and 208 rooms and suites decorated in a style that balances Art Deco heritage with contemporary Parisian elegance. Christian Dior himself chose this hotel for his fashion shows.
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Le Bristol has been the quiet epicentre of Parisian luxury since 1925. Its restaurant Epicure, led by chef Eric Frechon, holds three Michelin stars — one of the highest-rated hotel restaurants in the world. The hotel features Paris's only rooftop swimming pool with views over the city's zinc rooftops, a 1,200-square-metre garden (rare in central Paris), and 190 rooms furnished with genuine 18th-century antiques. Fa, the hotel's resident Birman cat, has his own Instagram following. Located steps from the Élysée Palace.
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A stylish boutique hotel from the Experimental Group, set in an 18th-century building on the Grands Boulevards. The 50 rooms blend Art Deco flair with Italian-inspired touches — terrazzo floors, hand-painted headboards, brass fixtures. The star attraction is the rooftop bar and terrace with panoramic views over Parisian rooftops, open to guests and the public. Downstairs, the Grand Restaurant serves seasonal French-Italian cuisine in a vaulted dining room. A short walk from Métro Grands Boulevards (lines 8 and 9), Bonne Nouvelle (lines 8 and 9), and the covered passages.
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Hôtel Henriette embodies the new wave of eco-conscious Parisian hospitality. Owner Vanessa Scoffier designed every detail with sustainability in mind — vintage furniture sourced from flea markets, organic toiletries, locally sourced breakfast, and a commitment to reducing waste. The 32 rooms are individually decorated with a warm, lived-in aesthetic that feels more like a stylish friend's apartment than a hotel. The peaceful courtyard garden is a hidden oasis. Located in the authentic 13th arrondissement near the Butte aux Cailles village and the Manufacture des Gobelins.
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The Paris outpost of the Generator chain of design-led hostels occupies a striking building near Place du Colonel Fabien, a short walk from the Canal Saint-Martin's tree-lined banks, iron footbridges, and independent cafés. With 918 beds across dorms and private rooms, the Generator offers bar, café, movie room, and a rooftop terrace with views across Paris. The location in the 10th arrondissement — one of Paris's most dynamic and multicultural neighbourhoods — puts you near Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est, and the vibrant restaurant scenes of Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis.
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A refined four-star boutique hotel in the heart of the Latin Quarter, Hôtel Monge combines contemporary design with warm Parisian hospitality. The 30 rooms feature a blue-and-gold colour palette inspired by the Luxembourg Gardens, and several upper-floor rooms offer views of the Panthéon's dome. Located on Rue Monge — one of the Left Bank's great market streets — the hotel is minutes from the Jardin des Plantes, the Grande Mosquée de Paris (with its beautiful tearoom), the Arènes de Lutèce, and the Rue Mouffetard market street.
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Hidden in a restored 19th-century mansion at the foot of Montmartre, Maison Souquet is one of Paris's most theatrical boutique hotels. Designed by Jacques Garcia — the interiors maestro behind Hôtel Costes — the 20 rooms are lavishly decorated with silk wallpapers, velvet drapes, and antique furnishings that evoke the pleasure houses of Belle Époque Pigalle. The basement spa features a candlelit swimming pool beneath vaulted stone ceilings. The location on the border between the 9th and 18th arrondissements places you minutes from both the Pigalle nightlife scene and Montmartre's hilltop village charm.
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citizenM redefines the hotel concept — no check-in desk, no minibar markups, no room categories. Every room is the same generous size with a king-size bed, rain shower, free movies, and tablet-controlled lighting, blinds, and temperature. The living room-style lobby doubles as a co-working space with art books, complimentary coffee, and a 24/7 canteen bar. Located beside Gare de Lyon — one of Paris's major railway stations with direct TGV connections to Lyon, Marseille, and the Riviera — and a short walk from the Promenade Plantée (the elevated park that inspired New York's High Line).
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Eiffel Tower
The iron lady of Paris needs little introduction — Gustave Eiffel's 324-metre tower, built for the 1889 World's Fair, remains the most visited paid monument in the world with approximately 7 million visitors per year. Originally intended as a temporary structure and widely criticised by artists and intellectuals during construction (Guy de Maupassant famously ate lunch at the tower restaurant because it was the only place in Paris where he couldn't see it), the tower was saved by its usefulness as a radio transmission mast. Today it has three levels: the first floor (57 m) features a glass floor and restaurants, the second (115 m) offers the best balance of views and proximity, and the summit (276 m) provides a breathtaking 360-degree panorama extending up to 80 km on clear days. Book tickets online in advance — queues without reservations can exceed two hours.
Musée du Louvre
The world's largest art museum and the most visited museum on the planet, the Louvre holds approximately 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works across 73,000 square metres of gallery space. The collection spans from ancient Mesopotamian artefacts to 19th-century French painting. The three most famous works — Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Hellenistic sculpture Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace — draw enormous crowds, but the Louvre's depth is staggering: the entire Egyptian department, the French crown jewels, Vermeer's Lacemaker, Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, and Hammurabi's Code of Laws are all here. The glass pyramid entrance designed by I.M. Pei (1989) is itself an icon. Allow at least 3–4 hours for a focused visit. Closed Tuesdays. Tickets €17; free first Sunday of the month (October–March).
Notre-Dame Cathedral
The masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, Notre-Dame de Paris was built between 1163 and 1345 on the Île de la Cité — the spiritual and geographical heart of Paris. The cathedral's flying buttresses, twin bell towers (69 m), rose windows (13 m in diameter), and sculptural programme represent the pinnacle of medieval engineering and artistry. After the devastating fire of 15 April 2019, which destroyed the 19th-century spire and much of the roof, an extraordinary five-year restoration effort culminated in the cathedral's reopening on 7 December 2024. The new spire faithfully recreates Viollet-le-Duc's original design. Entry is free. The cathedral's setting — surrounded by the Seine, facing a square with Kilometre Zero (the point from which all distances in France are measured) — is one of the most moving in European architecture.
Sacré-Cœur Basilica
Crowning the summit of Montmartre — the highest point in Paris at 130 metres — the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. Constructed between 1875 and 1914 in a Romano-Byzantine style using Château-Landon travertine stone that bleaches white when exposed to rain, the church seems to glow against the sky. The interior houses one of the world's largest mosaics (475 square metres) depicting Christ in Majesty. But for most visitors, the real draw is the view from the parvis: a sweeping panorama across all of Paris that on clear days extends 30 kilometres. The surrounding Place du Tertre, with its portrait artists and café terraces, retains the bohemian atmosphere of the Montmartre that attracted Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Picasso. Entry free; dome access €7.
Musée d'Orsay
Housed in a magnificent former railway station — the Gare d'Orsay, built for the 1900 World's Fair — this museum holds the world's greatest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. The converted station's soaring iron-and-glass nave provides a dramatic setting for works by Monet (including several Waterlilies), Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh (Starry Night Over the Rhône, his bedroom at Arles), Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Manet (including the scandalous Olympia and Déjeuner sur l'herbe). The museum covers art from 1848 to 1914, bridging the gap between the Louvre (pre-1848) and the Centre Pompidou (post-1914). The fifth-floor terrace behind the giant clock face offers stunning views of the Seine and Montmartre. Tickets €16; free first Sunday of the month.
Sainte-Chapelle
Built in just seven years (1241–1248) by King Louis IX to house the Crown of Thorns and other relics of the Passion, Sainte-Chapelle is the supreme achievement of Rayonnant Gothic architecture. The upper chapel is essentially a cage of stained glass: 15 windows rising 15 metres high contain 1,113 individual scenes depicting the biblical narrative from Genesis to the Resurrection. When sunlight streams through the glass, the entire chapel becomes a jewel box of sapphire blue, ruby red, and emerald green — an effect that has moved visitors to tears for nearly 800 years. Located within the Palais de Justice on the Île de la Cité, Sainte-Chapelle is often overlooked by tourists rushing to Notre-Dame nearby, but it is arguably the more astonishing interior. Tickets €11.50; combined ticket with the Conciergerie €18.50.
Centre Pompidou
Europe's largest museum of modern and contemporary art occupies one of the most radical buildings of the 20th century. Designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, the Centre Pompidou (opened 1977) famously wears its infrastructure on the outside — colour-coded pipes, ducts, and escalators in transparent tubes criss-cross the façade, leaving the interior column-free. The collection spans from 1905 to the present with over 120,000 works, including major pieces by Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, Duchamp, Pollock, Warhol, and contemporary artists. Note: the Centre Pompidou is closed for major renovation work and is scheduled to reopen in 2030. Until then, a temporary exhibition space at the Centre Pompidou x Jersey in Metz and satellite shows across Paris present selections from the collection.
Luxembourg Gardens
The Luxembourg Gardens (Jardin du Luxembourg) are Paris's most beloved park — 25 hectares of formal French gardens, English-style landscaping, orchards, and tree-lined allées centred on the grand octagonal basin where children have sailed toy boats for generations. Created in 1612 by Marie de Médicis as the grounds of the Luxembourg Palace (now home to the French Senate), the gardens feature the romantic Medici Fountain, over 100 statues, a puppet theatre (the Théâtre du Luxembourg, running since 1933), free chess tables, pétanque courts, and an apiary that offers beekeeping courses. Parisians come here to read, run, play tennis, or simply sit in the iconic green metal chairs and watch the world go by. Free entry; open dawn to dusk.
Père Lachaise Cemetery
The world's most visited cemetery, Père Lachaise spans 44 hectares across a wooded hillside in the 20th arrondissement. Opened in 1804, it holds approximately 70,000 burial plots and one million burials. The roll call of residents reads like a history of civilisation: Jim Morrison (whose grave remains the most visited, often decorated with flowers, notes, and empty wine bottles), Oscar Wilde (with his Jacob Epstein angel sculpture), Frédéric Chopin, Édith Piaf, Marcel Proust, Molière, Colette, Gertrude Stein, Isadora Duncan, and hundreds more. The cemetery is also a remarkable green space — ancient chestnuts, limes, and maples shade the cobblestone paths, and the diverse tomb architecture ranges from simple headstones to elaborate Gothic chapels and Art Nouveau monuments. Free entry.
Marais Walking Tour
The Marais rewards wandering without a fixed plan, but a natural circuit might begin at Place des Vosges — Paris's oldest planned square, built 1605–1612, with its elegant red-brick and stone arcaded townhouses surrounding a central garden. From here, walk north along Rue des Francs-Bourgeois (named for the medieval almshouse that exempted its residents from taxes) past the Musée Carnavalet (free), through the Rue des Rosiers — the heart of Paris's historic Jewish quarter, where L'As du Fallafel serves what many consider the best falafel in Europe — and continue to the Musée Picasso in the Hôtel Salé, a stunning 17th-century mansion. The Marais is also the centre of Paris's LGBTQ+ community, with bars and cafés concentrated around Rue des Archives.
Seine River Cruise
A Seine cruise remains one of the essential Paris experiences. The Bateaux Mouches — the original sightseeing boats, operating since 1949 from the Pont de l'Alma — offer one-hour cruises (approximately €16) that pass beneath 13 bridges and alongside nearly every major monument: the Eiffel Tower, Musée d'Orsay, Louvre, Notre-Dame, Conciergerie, and the ornate Pont Alexandre III (widely considered the most beautiful bridge in Paris). For a more intimate experience, the smaller Vedettes du Pont Neuf depart from the Île de la Cité. Dinner cruises are available but pricey; the best value is a standard daytime or twilight cruise when the monuments are illuminated. The Batobus hop-on-hop-off river shuttle (€19/day) is also a genuinely practical way to travel between major sites.
Palais Garnier
The Paris Opera House — designed by Charles Garnier and inaugurated in 1875 — is one of the most opulent buildings in the world. The grand staircase, made of white Carrara marble with a balustrade of red and green marble and onyx, sets the tone for an interior that drips with gold leaf, crystal chandeliers, mosaics, and painted ceilings. The auditorium itself seats 1,979 beneath a ceiling painting by Marc Chagall (added in 1964 at André Malraux's request, replacing the original by Jules-Eugène Lenepveu). Garnier's building inspired Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera — and yes, there really is an underground lake beneath the building, used to stabilise the foundations. Self-guided tours (€15) allow access to the public areas, grand foyer, and auditorium when not in rehearsal. Guided tours offer access to additional spaces.
Walks & Guides
Seine Left Bank Literary Walk
5 km · 2 hours · Easy (flat)
Begin at Shakespeare and Company, the legendary English-language bookshop at 37 Rue de la Bûcherie, directly across the Seine from Notre-Dame. Browse the shelves, then walk west along Quai de la Tournelle and cross to the Left Bank via Pont de l'Archevêché. Continue along Boulevard Saint-Germain to Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots — the twin temples of Parisian literary café culture where Sartre, de Beauvoir, Camus, and Hemingway all held court. Turn south down Rue de Rennes and enter the Luxembourg Gardens through the Rue de Vaugirard gate. Cross the gardens to the Medici Fountain, exit at the southern end, and finish at the Closerie des Lilas on Boulevard du Montparnasse — Hemingway's favourite writing spot and still a working literary bar.
Montmartre Art Walk
3 km · 1.5 hours · Moderate (hills, staircases)
Start at Métro Abbesses (the deepest station in Paris, with an original Art Nouveau entrance by Hector Guimard). Walk through Place des Abbesses, pass the Mur des Je t'aime (Wall of Love) garden, and climb Rue Lepic — where Van Gogh lived at number 54 — past the Moulin de la Galette. At Place du Tertre, watch portrait artists at work, then continue to the Sacré-Cœur for the panoramic view. Descend via Rue du Mont-Cenis past the Clos Montmartre vineyard (Paris's last remaining vineyard, harvested each October), and wind through the narrow lanes to finish at the Moulin Rouge on Boulevard de Clichy.
Marais to Bastille Walk
4 km · 1.5 hours · Easy (flat)
Begin at Place des Vosges in the heart of the Marais. Walk through the arcades, visit the Maison de Victor Hugo (free) on the southeast corner, then head east along Rue de Birague to Rue Saint-Antoine. Turn north on Rue de Turenne to reach the upper Marais, crossing Rue de Bretagne to the Marché des Enfants Rouges — Paris's oldest covered market (founded 1615), now a food hall with Japanese, Moroccan, Italian, and French stalls. Head east to the Canal Saint-Martin, follow the tree-lined quays south past the iron footbridges and locks, and finish at Place de la Bastille — where the fortress-prison once stood and the July Column now commemorates the 1830 revolution.
Tuileries to Arc de Triomphe
3.5 km · 1.5 hours · Easy (flat)
Start in the Jardin des Tuileries — the formal French garden that stretches from the Louvre to Place de la Concorde, created by Catherine de Médicis in 1564. Walk west along the central allée, passing the octagonal Grand Bassin and the Musée de l'Orangerie (home to Monet's monumental Nymphéas murals). Exit into Place de la Concorde — Paris's largest square, where the 3,300-year-old Luxor Obelisk stands at the centre. Look up the Champs-Élysées: the 1.9-kilometre avenue stretches straight ahead to the Arc de Triomphe. Walk up the avenue, passing the Grand Palais and Petit Palais (both free exhibitions regularly), through the commercial upper section with its cinemas and cafés, to the Place Charles de Gaulle. Climb the 284 steps inside the Arc de Triomphe (€16) for a stunning view down twelve radiating avenues.
Nearby Cities
Louis XIV's extraordinary palace — 2,300 rooms, the Hall of Mirrors, and 800 hectares of formal gardens. One of the most visited monuments in France.
A favourite royal residence for eight centuries, Fontainebleau's château and its 25,000-hectare forest offer a quieter, equally rewarding alternative to Versailles.
Monet's cathedral city. Half-timbered medieval streets, the place where Joan of Arc was executed, and the gateway to Normandy's coast and D-Day beaches.
Home to one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in the world, with 176 stained-glass windows (most original 12th–13th century) and a medieval old town.