Eiffel Tower. Gustave Eiffel's 1,050-foot iron landmark is the defining symbol of Paris, offering panoramic views from three levels above the city. Summit lift tickets sell out within hours of the 60-day release window, so book at midnight Paris time on your target date.
Louvre Museum. Home to 35,000 works including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, the Louvre is the world's most-visited museum housed in a former royal palace. Timed online entry is mandatory June through August — book the 9 AM slot to beat the midday surge.
Musée d'Orsay. A breathtaking collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterworks — Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas — displayed inside a converted Beaux-Arts railway station overlooking the Seine. Timed entry is now mandatory; Thursday evenings offer reduced prices and smaller crowds.
Notre-Dame de Paris. Paris's Gothic masterpiece reopened in December 2024 after the 2019 fire, its restored nave and great organ once again welcoming visitors free of charge. The towers — including a new visitor itinerary — reopened in September 2025.
Sainte-Chapelle. This 13th-century royal chapel on the Île de la Cité replaces solid walls with 600 square metres of floor-to-ceiling stained glass in 15 lancet windows — one of the most dazzling interiors in Europe. Arrive at 9 AM on a sunny weekday for the south windows in sharp morning light.
Versailles — Palace and Gardens. The Sun King's extravagant 17th-century palace, 20 km outside Paris via RER C, anchors 800 hectares of formal gardens, canals, and the Petit and Grand Trianons. The Passport ticket (€35 for non-EU visitors) covers the entire estate including the Hall of Mirrors.
Sacré-Cœur Basilica and Montmartre. Perched atop the city's highest hill, the white-domed Sacré-Cœur offers sweeping 40-km views over Paris and houses one of the world's largest mosaics. The surrounding Montmartre neighbourhood — with its winding lanes, artists at Place du Tertre, and legendary cabarets — retains a genuine village character.
Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées. Napoleon's monumental 50-metre arch crowns the western end of the Champs-Élysées, and climbing its 284 steps rewards visitors with a 360-degree panorama of 12 radiating avenues. Each evening at nightfall the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is rekindled.