Paris Travel Guide 2026: Know Before You Go
Paris Travel Guide 2026: Know Before You Go
Paris pays off fast when you book the right things before you land, and turns into a queue-and-scramble mess when you don’t. Four sights now run on timed tickets only: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Catacombs, and Sainte-Chapelle. None of them sell same-day walk-up entry anymore. Give the city 4 to 5 days for the big names, add a couple more if Montmartre and the Marais pull you back for a second coffee, and aim for April to June or September to early October if you want the postcard version without the August crush.
Paris in one table
| What | Answer |
|---|---|
| Days needed | 4 to 5 for the highlights, 7+ for a relaxed pace |
| Best months | April to June, September to early October |
| Daily budget | EUR 90 to 140 per person, mid-range |
| Book before you land | Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Catacombs and Sainte-Chapelle: timed-entry only |
Want the day-by-day version instead of the overview? Start with our 5-day Paris itinerary and adjust the length from there.
Things to do in Paris that actually earn the hype
Start with the Louvre, but go in with a plan: reserve your slot at louvre.fr , pick two wings instead of trying to see everything, and go early or late in the day. Tickets run EUR 22 for EEA residents and EUR 32 for everyone else in 2026, the museum is shut every Tuesday, and from July through August this year advance booking is mandatory for every visitor, no exceptions. Budget three hours minimum, and book skip-the-line access the moment your dates are fixed.
The Eiffel Tower is the one everyone underestimates. Book the second-floor lift (EUR 23.50) or push to the summit (EUR 36.70) through toureiffel.paris , and grab a sunset slot if you can, those sell out first. Stair tickets now stop at the second floor (EUR 14.80); the old stairs-all-the-way-to-the-summit ticket no longer exists.
Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 after more than five years of restoration, and walking back into that nave is the single best free thing in the city. Entry costs nothing. A free timed slot exists through the official site to skip a second queue, but it only opens 72 hours ahead, so don’t plan around it weeks out. Our full Notre-Dame visit guide covers the tower ticket separately from the free nave entry.
Climb Montmartre for the Sacré-Cœur and the Place du Tertre’s street artists, but keep your wrist to yourself on the steps up, the bracelet scam runs hard there. Our Sacré-Cœur guide has the full workaround. Round out your first day or two with Sainte-Chapelle (EUR 16 EEA / EUR 22 non-EEA, 30-minute mandatory slots via monuments-nationaux.fr ) for the stained glass, and the Catacombs (EUR 31, released exactly 7 days ahead at 10am Paris time via catacombes.paris.fr , zero walk-up capacity) if crowds under the city sound more interesting than crowds above it.
Then give the Seine an evening: a one-hour Bateaux Parisiens cruise runs about EUR 19 from Port de la Bourdonnais near the tower, and the whole stretch it covers is a single UNESCO World Heritage listing . Our River Seine guide has departure points and better alternatives if you’d rather walk it for free. Book the cruise before an evening slot fills up.
Is the Louvre worth planning your whole day around?
Yes, if you go in with two or three galleries picked out ahead of time rather than trying to see the entire museum. The building alone would take a week to cover properly, so first-timers who wander in without a plan usually end up exhausted at the Mona Lisa scrum and skip the far calmer Objets d’Art and Northern European wings, which are consistently excellent and comparatively empty.
Do you actually need to book the Eiffel Tower ahead?
Yes, every ticket is timed entry now, bookable up to 60 days out, and summit and sunset slots sell out first in peak months. Showing up without a reservation means either a long stand-by line or paying more for a guided skip-the-line add-on. Book the moment your travel dates are fixed rather than waiting until you land in the city.
Getting around: the transit rules that changed
Paris flattened its fares in 2025: a Metro, Train or RER ride is a flat EUR 2.55 regardless of zone, and a bus or tram ride is EUR 2.05. Load them onto a Navigo Easy card (EUR 2, reusable, no photo needed) instead of hunting for paper tickets, because paper carnets stopped being sold and stopped working after 31 December 2025. A Mobilis day pass, roughly EUR 17.80, covers unlimited rides if you’re moving around a lot in one day. From either airport, a flat EUR 14 rail ticket covers CDG’s RER B (about 34 minutes to Gare du Nord) or Orly’s Metro Line 14.
The Paris Museum Pass, roughly EUR 90 for two days, EUR 109 for four, EUR 139 for six, covers the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and dozens more, but not the Eiffel Tower, and nine of its included sites still need a separate timed-slot reservation on top of the pass. It earns its price on a day hitting three or more paid sights, not on a single museum visit.
Where to eat without paying the view tax
Skip anything within sight of the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre pyramid or directly on the Champs-Élysées; those kitchens price for footfall, not flavor. The menu or formule, a fixed two-course lunch, runs roughly EUR 18 to 28 in central arrondissements and is the best value move in the city. Service is already built into the price by French law, so tipping a percentage isn’t expected; rounding up for good service is a nice gesture, not an obligation.
Where to stay: the Marais or Saint-Germain, not the avenue
Le Marais puts you next to Place des Vosges, Rue des Rosiers and some of the only shops open on Sundays; Saint-Germain-des-Prés gets you the historic cafes and the Luxembourg Gardens on your doorstep. Compare stays in both neighborhoods before booking further out just to save on the nightly rate; you’ll spend it back on transit anyway.
Paris month by month
April to June and September into early October are the sweet spot: mild, walkable weather and noticeably thinner lines than peak summer. August empties out the small independent restaurants and shops for two to three weeks, though the major sights, chains and department stores keep running, so the streets feel quieter while the monuments stay just as busy. If you’re building a 2026 summer trip around day trips, note that engineering works hit several RER, Metro and Transilien lines from mid-July through mid-August, with lines H and K especially reduced between 25 July and 16 August. If you’re in town on 12 August 2026, look up around 8:17pm: a partial solar eclipse crosses Europe, with Paris seeing roughly 92% occultation.
Scams worth actually watching for
The bracelet scam concentrates hard at the Sacré-Cœur steps: someone grabs your wrist and starts tying a friendship bracelet before you can pull away, then demands payment. Say no and keep walking. The gold-ring trick and the clipboard petition scam show up near every major monument for the same reason, both are distraction plays for a pickpocket working with the person talking to you. Metro lines 1 and 6 and the Châtelet-Les Halles interchange see the heaviest pickpocket traffic; keep bags zipped and worn in front.
Quick answers before you go
Is Notre-Dame actually open in 2026? Yes, fully, since 7 December 2024. The nave is free to enter with no ticket required, and it has now been open well over a year; the towers run on a separate ticket, so check current access for those specifically before you plan around them.
Is the Paris Museum Pass worth buying? Only if your itinerary hits three or more paid sights on the same day; the Louvre, Orsay and Sainte-Chapelle alone nearly cover a two-day pass. It doesn’t skip booking-slot requirements though: nine of its sites still need a timed reservation even with the pass in hand.
Do I need cash in Paris? Barely. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, including the Metro and most bakeries, though a little cash helps at small markets and some older cafes that still run card-minimum policies.
What etiquette rule do first-timers always miss? Open every interaction, a shop, a cafe, asking for directions, with “Bonjour” before switching to English. Skipping straight to English reads as rude regardless of your French, and most central Paris staff speak good English once you’ve said hello properly first.
Land with your Louvre and Eiffel Tower slots already booked, load a Navigo Easy card the moment you’re off the train, and you’ll spend your first afternoon in the city instead of standing in a ticket line for it.