IO things to do in Paris
The question isn’t what to do in Paris, but rather how to decide. Here’s where to start …
1 Shop in style
Established in 1870, La Samaritaine is one of Paris’s oldest department stores. After a major facelift, the Art Nouveau and Art Deco landmark reopened in 2021 as an emporium that blends old-world glamour with innovation – and gorgeous architecture. Grab a snap on the grand oak staircase decorated with 16,000 gold leaves.
2 Meander in a museum
As the most visited museum in the world, the Louvre hardly needs an introduction. The former royal palace is the magnificent home of some of the world’s most iconic artworks (ever heard of the Mona Lisa?) from prehistory to the 21st century. There’s more to appreciate at Paris’s second-most-visited museum, Musée d’orsay, showcasing Impressionist art from the likes of Degas, Cézanne, Manet, Renoir and Monet.
3 A night at the opera
Commissioned in 1875 at the behest of emperor Napoleon III, the resplendent Le Palais Garnier opera house is opulent from every angle. Inside and out there’s velvet, gold leaf, statues of cherubim and nymphs, intricate ornamentation and busts. Visit on a tour, or purchase a ticket to watch the ballet.
4 Enjoy park life
Along much of the Seine’s Right Bank, Jardin des Tuileries began its life as an aristocratic playground in the 16th century and today is a glorious swathe of public green space. When flowers are in full bloom, the city is even more charming and romantic says mycruises.com.au. Keep an eye out for Auguste
Rodin’s Le Baiser (The Kiss) marble statue on the West Terrace.
5 Take to the tower
It would be remiss to visit Paris and not gaze up at Gustave Eiffel’s once controversial (today beloved) wrought-iron lattice tower, built for the 1889 World Fair. You don’t need to open your purse to appreciate the Eiffel Tower’s significance – views dazzle from around the city. But if you venture up, you can opt to dine at numerous restaurants, including Michelin-starred Jules Verne; sip bubbles in the Champagne Bar; or head straight to the tippety-top for unrivalled vantages over the French capital.
6 Pay your respects
Père Lachaise Cemetery offers a fascinating peek at an A-list line-up of graves: you can pay your respects to Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein and Jim Morrison. Pick up a map or download with a QR code.
7 Dine back in time
Paris has its fair share of storied dining institutions, but if you want to dial up historic drama, make a beeline for Café de Flore. Any visit to this Art Deco landmark is like stepping back in time, to an era when Jean-paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir wrote during the Nazi occupation, and Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway lingered over coffee and cigarettes. The interior remains all lipstick-red booths, mahogany and polished brass railings – best seats in the house are those along Boulevarde Saint-germain. Peoplewatching perfection. 8
Follow the lead of locals and enjoy a leisurely stroll along the banks of the Seine. Along both sides of the river are the city’s charismatic bouquinistes, independent sellers of used and antiquarian books, old maps, postcards and all sorts of mementos.
River ramble 9 Calling literary lovers!
On Paris’s Left Bank, Shakespeare and Company is like a slice of literary history. From the moment it opened in 1951, the who’s who have browsed its antique bookshelves.
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Jazz Club Etoile has held mythical status on Paris’s music scene for four decades. Today, the clientele descends for the music, the cocktails, the food, the vibe and the Art Deco design.