PARIS TOP SIGHTS, AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

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1 Welcome to Paris PARIS TOP SIGHTS, AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES Paris is a city that transcends time, infused with the energy of generations of artists, writers and philosophers who ve strolled its boulevards and cobbled lanes, debated on its cafe terraces, and shopped at its street markets. La Ville Lumière (the City of Light) was so named because of its leading role in the Age of Enlightenment, and the name is as apt as ever today. The metropolis is awash with world-class landmarks that need no introduction the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame among them along with a trove of specialist museums and galleries. The city s creamy-stone, grey-metal-roofed apartment buildings, lamp-lit bridges and geometrically laid-out formal parks are also an integral part of its fabric. Yet contrary to its magnificently preserved cityscapes, Paris has never stood still, but has constantly evolved throughout the eras, leading the way in industrial, artistic, scientific and architectural endeavours. And this innovation continues today, with pioneering green transport initiatives, dazzling new architectural projects including the glittering metallic façade encasing the Philharmonie de Paris concert hall and the translucent rainforest-inspired canopy covering the former-wholesale-marketsturned-shopping-mall Forum des Halles and visionary creativity evident everywhere from neobistro kitchens to fashion ateliers and radical street art. Welcome to Paris. OV contrary to its magnificently preserved cityscapes, Paris has never stood still THIS EDITION WRIT TEN AND RESE ARCHED BY Catherine Le Nevez, Christopher Pitts, Nicola Williams Paris skyline from the Arc de Triomphe S.BORISOV/SHUTTERSTOCK -title-opener-bo-par.indd 3/6/26 4:6:23 PM

2 y, e in Se PA R I S e (Map p256) St-Germain & Les Invalides Literature lovers and fashionistas flock to this fabled cafe- and boutique-filled Left Bank neighbourhood. Basilique du Sacré-Cœur Ü Palais Garnier ChampsÉlysées ChampsÉlysées & G Boulevards Champs-Élysées & Grands Boulevards Paris grandest avenue, art nouveau department stores and a 9th-century opera house. Eiffel Tower Hôtel des Invalides á Musée d'orsay â Stately boulevards Eiffel flank the city s signa&w ture spire and major museums. Tower Paris Market streets fan out around the mighty Louvre and the cutting-edge Centre Pompidou. Jardin du Luxembourg Gare Montparnasse (Map p248) -title-opener-bo-par.indd 2 Gare de Lyon Les Catacombes Bastille & Eastern Paris Latin Quarter Jardin des Plantes Home to beautiful botanic gardens and packed with vibrant student haunts. Gare d'austerlitz Latin Quarter Notre Dame dominates the larger Île Thelittle Islands de la Cité, while Île St-Louis is graced with elegant buildings. (Map p25) Montparnasse & Southern Paris The Islands Cimetière du Père Lachaise SainteChapelle Brasseries from the Montparnasse mid-2th-century and re-energised & S Paris backstreets buzzing with local life. Musée Ü National du Notre Moyen Âge â Dame Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville Hip boutiques, bars and restaurants squeeze alongside a celebrity-filled cemetery. (Map p25) Canal St-Martin Ü Musée Rodin Eiffel Tower & Western Paris Louvre & Les Halles Jardin des (Map p25) Tuileries Centre Louvre â â â Pompidou Seine (Map p248) Louvre & Les Halles Gare St- Lazare Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville (Map p248) Arc de Triomphe Bastille & The Parisians Paris, Paris with fabulouse markets, intimate gourmet bistros and lively drinking and dancing venues. 2 km mile Montmartre s enchanting hilly streets Montmartre adjoin the red-light N Paris Pigalle district,& home to the Moulin Rouge. Montmartre & Northern Paris St-Germain & Les Invalides Lonely Planet s Paris Plan Your Trip Dining Out...5 This Year in Paris...4 Need to Know... 8 Top Days in Paris... 2 Hotspots For...28 What s New... 3 For Free... 3 Family Travel...32 The Best Eiffel Tower & Western Paris... 2 Champs-Élysées & Grands Boulevards... 2 Louvre & Les Halles...22 Montmartre & Northern Paris...25 Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville...27 Bastille & Eastern Paris... 3 The Islands...33 Latin Quarter St-Germain & Les Invalides Montparnasse & Southern Paris... 4 Top Experiences...35 Eiffel Tower Arc de Triomphe Notre Dame The Louvre...52 Sacré-Coeur...58 Musée d Orsay...62 Musée Rodin Jardin du Luxembourg The Seine Centre Pompidou...76 Cimetière du Père Lachaise... 8 Street Markets Day Trip: Versailles Exploring Canal St-Martin... 9 Musée National du Moyen Âge...92 Strolling the Champs-Élysées Jardin des Tuileries Sainte-Chapelle Les Catacombes... Palais Garnier...2 Walking Tour: Seine-Side Romantic Meander...4 Hôtel des Invalides...6 Jardin des Plantes...8 Day Trip: Maison et Jardins de Claude Monet...2 Treasure Hunt The Best Eiffel Tower & Western Paris...48 Champs-Élysées & Grands Boulevards...48 Louvre & Les Halles...49 Montmartre & Northern Paris... 5 Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville...53 Bastille & Eastern Paris...55 The Islands Latin Quarter...57 St-Germain & Les Invalides...59 Montparnasse & Southern Paris... 6 Bar Open The Best Eiffel Tower & Western Paris Champs-Élysées & Grands Boulevards Louvre & Les Halles...7 Montmartre & Northern Paris...72 Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville (Map p254) 3/6/26 4:6:3 PM

3 PARIS PLAN YOUR TRIP 3 Bastille & Eastern Paris The Islands...79 Latin Quarter...79 St-Germain & Les Invalides... 8 Montparnasse & Southern Paris... 8 Showtime The Best Eiffel Tower & Western Paris...86 Champs-Élysées & Grands Boulevards...86 Louvre & Les Halles...86 Montmartre & Northern Paris...87 Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville...89 Bastille & Eastern Paris... 9 Latin Quarter...92 St-Germain & Les Invalides...93 In Focus Paris Today History Architecture Arts Survival Guide Directory A Z Transport Language Index Paris City Maps Symbols & Map Key Active Paris...95 The Best Spectator Sports...98 Swimming Pools...98 Inline Skating Parks Forests...22 Guided Tours...23 Rest Your Head...25 Accommodation Types...28 Need to Know...29 Where to Stay... 2 LEFT: CHICUREL ARNAUD/HEMIS.FR, KISZON PASCAL, STUART DEE/ ROBERTHARDING, DANIEL HAUG, PAWEL LIBERA, FRANZ MARC FREI, FRANK WING, STÉPHANE OUZOU, GODONG/ROBERTHARDING/GETTY IMAGES

4 4 Plan Your Trip This Year in Paris 27 MATT MUNRO/LONELY PLANET Art fairs, music festivals, open-air cinema and epicurean events are just some of the highlights of Paris calendar in 27, with many more in the works: check for updates. Above: River cruise along the Seine; Top right: Maria and the Diamonds on stage, Rock en Seine; Far right: French pâtisserie; Right: a Parisian cafe terrace -this-year-in-bo-par.indd 4 3/6/26 :55:35 AM

5 THIS YEAR IN PARIS PLAN YOUR TRIP 27 6 June Paris is positively jumping in June, thanks to warm temperatures and long daylight hours. Come evening, twilight lingering until nearly pm is the stuff of midsummer-night dreams. 3 June 3 July 3 Paris Jazz Festival Free jazz concerts swing every Saturday and Sunday afternoon in June and July in the Parc Floral de Paris during the Paris Jazz Festival ( Park entry for adults/under 25s of 6/3 applies. June 3 Festival de St-Denis Book ahead for this prestigious cycle of classical-music concerts ( at the Basilique de St-Denis and nearby venues held throughout the month. Late June z Gay Pride March Late June s colourful Saturday-afternoon Marche des Fiertés ( through Le Marais to Bastille celebrates Gay Pride Day with over-the-top floats and outrageous costumes. 3 La Goutte d Or en Fête Raï, reggae and rap feature at this threeday world-music festival ( on square Léon in the 8e s Goutte d Or neighbourhood in late June. 2 June 3 Fête de la Musique This national music festival ( on the summer solstice offers staged and impromptu live performances of jazz, reggae, classical and more all over the city. Gay Pride March OLGA BESNARD/SHUTTERSTOCK

6 42 TOP EXPERIENCES Arc de Triomphe If anything rivals the Eiffel Tower as the symbol of Paris, it s this magnificent 836-built triumphal arch commemorating Napoléon s 85 victory at Austerlitz, which he commissioned the following year. Great For vga Charles de Gaulle Étoile Charles de Gaulle Étoile Arc de Triomphe Kléber ri Av de F edland Av de sc ha mp George V s-élys ées 8 Need to Know place Charles de Gaulle, 8e; adult/child 2/free; hampm Apr-Sep, to.3pm Oct-Mar; mcharles de Gaulle-Étoile 8-top-experiences-bo-par.indd 42 7/6/26 ::52 AM

7 ARC DE TRIOMPHE 43 y Don t Miss Some of the best vistas in Paris from the top of the arch. PETER UNGER/GETTY IMAGES 8-top-experiences-bo-par.indd 43 7/6/26 ::53 AM

8 44 TOP EXPERIENCES History Accessing the Arch Napoléon s armies never did march through the Arc de Triomphe showered in honour. At the time it was commissioned, his victory at Austerlitz seemed like a watershed moment that confirmed the tactical supremacy of the French army, but a mere decade later, Napoléon had already fallen from power and his empire had crumbled. The Arc de Triomphe was never fully abandoned simply laying the foundations had taken an entire two years and in 836, after a series of starts and stops under the restored monarchy, the project was finally completed. In 84 Napoléon s remains were returned to France and passed under the arch before being interred at Invalides. Don t try to cross the traffic-choked roundabout above ground! Stairs on the Champs Élysées northeastern side lead beneath the Étoile to pedestrian tunnels that bring you out safely beneath the arch. There is a lift/elevator at the arch, but it s only for visitors with limited mobility or those travelling with young children, and there are still some unavoidable steps. Beneath the Arch Beneath the arch at ground level lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Honouring the.3 million French soldiers who lost their lives in WWI, the Unknown Soldier was laid to rest in 92, beneath an eternal flame that is rekindled daily at 6.3pm. La Marseillaise by François Rude 8-top-experiences-bo-par.indd 44 7/6/26 ::54 AM