The Ultimate Paris Bucket List: 10 Experiences For First Timers

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On a first time visit to Paris, the biggest challenge you’ll face is what experiences and attractions to see. You are probably familiar with the icons, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Louvre, but what are the ultimate Paris bucket list items everyone should see and do on their first trip?

I’m talking about shopping on the Champs-Elysées, munching on mmacarons and sipping hot chocolate in classic French cafes, and enjoying a sunset cruise down the Seine River.

How can you visit the City of Lights without missing something essential?

To make sure you don’t miss out and come down with a serious case of FOMO, these are the must-see bucket list experiences in Paris that you should add to your itinerary.

The Paris Bucket List

1. Climb the Stairs up the Eiffel Tower

Of course, it wouldn’t be a first-time experience of Paris without visiting the Eiffel Tower. This iconic structure was built in 1887 and is 330 meters high. At the time it was created, it was the tallest structure in the world.

Today, it’s famous for its wrought-iron engineering and lattice work, which is best seen by climbing the steps which take you under the tower to see the iron up close.

Of course, it will be some of the best views of Paris!

2. Cruise along the Seine River

Paris is along the water, on the Ile de la Cité, and the best way to get a sense of the city is from the river that slices through it: the Seine River.

Even if you’re not much of a cruiser and this feels a bit touristy, do it once, and do it early in your visit: this is the best way to discover Paris for the first time. 

Many of the city’s best attractions are along the water, and you’ll float by everything from the Eiffel Tower to the Musée d’Orsay and the Grand Palais, and the remains of the Notre Dame Cathedral – all the while passing under the city’s legendary bridges, like the impossibly gorgeous Pont Alexandre III.

A number of companies offer Seine cruises, which typically last an hour, unless you’re on a longer dinner cruise. You can catch boats from several points, depending on the company: 

• The Pont de l’Alma (the Bateaux-Mouches)
• The Port de la Bourdonnais near the Eiffel Tower (Bateaux Parisiens)
• Pont Neuf (Canauxrama)
• The Port de Suffren near the Eiffel Tower (Vedettes de Paris). 

These are among the most popular but by no means the only ones.

If you’re traveling in the high season, make sure you get your tickets ahead of time, and confirm your departure point, because each company’s boats leave from different wharves.

3. Visit the Lourve

Paris has more than 200 museums and many of them have world-class reputations.

Visiting Paris for the first time means heading to one of them (at the very least), and if you only have time for one, make it the Lourve.

The Louvre is the most famous art museum in the world, and is known for housing the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and the Venus de Milo by Alexandros of Antioch.

For a bit of fun and if you have some time in Paris, you could try one of the more unusual museums in Paris, the tiny Museum of Counterfeiting, for example, the Arts et Métiers for industry and inventions, or the Musée des Arts Forains, or Fairgrounds Museum.

Also, head for Musee l’Orangerie to see Monet’s Water Lilies.

While our girls chose not to do museums on our Paris trips, they absoultey loved these Paris attractions for older kids.

4. Go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is probably the second biggest landmark in the city. Located on the western end of the Champs-Élysées, this iconic archway represents the legacy and endurance of those who died during the French revolution.

As well as marvel at the architecture, it’s also worth climbing the 282 steps to the top for panoramic views of the city, which are simply breathtaking.

You can read more about how to climb the Arc de Triomphe steps in our complete guide.

5. Explore Montmartre

The beauty of Paris is its organization into neighbourhoods.

Some of these have numbers – from 1 to 20, called arrondissements – while others are better known by their names: the Marais, Pigalle, Belleville…and of course, Montmartre, possibly the most famous of all.

Once a village of its own, today Montmartre is part of Paris, even though it still retains that village feel.

You may sense some déjà vu here, if only because the area has been photographed so often you are bound to be familiar with some of its more popular corners.

There are plenty of walking tours of Montmartre, and you can either indulge and take a tour, or you can simply stroll around and wander, heading uphill with map or app in hand.

You’ll of course see the Sacré-Coeur Basilica (which you can also access by funicular), watch the portrait painters on the Place du Tertre, follow in the footsteps of Amélie Poulin, or embrace the artistic vibe that has been part of Montmartre since the 19th century, the same vibe that so attracted the likes of Renoir, Matisse and Toulouse-Lautrec.

At the foot of Montmartre is the Moulin Rouge, the famous (adults only) cabaret revue where the French can-can was invented.

Montmartre Food Walking tour of Montmartre

We joined a food walking tour of Montmartre, which was fantastic and included six food stops (mix of savory and sweet) and natural wine tasting.

We also learned a lot about the Montmartre neighborhood. You can read more in our Guide To A Montmartre Food Tour In Paris. It was our favorite thing to do in Paris.

See rates and availability here.

6. Shop along Passage des Panoramas

Paris is famous for its covered passages, which are shopping boulevards with beautiful architecture.

The oldest in the city is The Passage des Panoramas, located in the 2nd arrondissement.

It’s known for its tiled flores, triangular skylight, and archways.

Another beautiful one to check out if you have more time is Galerie Vivienne, known for its beautiful design and mosaic flooring, which attracts more than 6.4 million visitors a year.

7. Visit Palace of Versailles

Paris has many beautiful palaces to admire, from Palais Garnier to Palais Royal, but our favorite is Palace of Versaille, located outside the city center.

The opulent Palace of Versailles takes you back in time to Marie Antoinette days, showcasing the grandeur side to French history.

Located about an hour out of the city center, this is an easy day trip and a wonderful way to spend a day relaxing outside the hustle and bustle of the city.

We biked out to the Petit Trianon – her second palace – and the Queen’s Hamlet, a farm village she created to escape and forget she was the Queen.

You can read our full guide on how to spend a day in Versailles with loads of essential tips on how to get there and what to see etc.

8. Enjoy Parisian Café and Culinary Culture

If there’s one experience everyone needs to try when visiting Paris for the first time, it’s sitting in a proper Parisian café and watching the world go by.

Whether you’re trying to recreate the bygone era of Left Bank intellectuals like Oscar Wilde or George Orwell, or simply out to gauge the proverbial abruptness of Parisian waiters for yourself, a few hours spent Paris-watching in a café is something you simply cannot miss.

But which café? Paris has nearly 1500!

Start with the most famous ones – you can work your way out from here: 

• Les Deux Magots, known for its literary associations
• La Rotonde, because it’s a sophisticated classic
• Café de Flore, one of the oldest cafes in the city
• The iconic Café de la Paix, known for its French dishes and opulent 19th century decor and views of the Opera House
• Le Procope, THE oldest Parisian café
• Le Consulat, in Montmartre, which has got to be the city’s most Instagrammed café known for its artistic clientelle and classic French cuisine, such as escargots (snails), onion soup, and more

Beware that many cafés are also restaurants, and prices change dramatically at mealtimes. Go mid-morning or mid-afternoon to sit and people watch at reasonable prices.

When it comes to dinner, you could eat your way through Paris for a year and still not taste it all, but while you’re here, be sure to tick some culinary delights off your bucket list!

Some things you must try in Paris are macarons from Hermé or Ladurée on Champs-Élysées, and hot chocolate from Angelina.

Parisian breakfasts aren’t particularly sexy – usually a slice of baguette with butter and jam spread lightly on top – but what you must do is grab a coffee and delicious croissant at least once during your stay.

Stand in line at a boulangerie just like Parisians do.

Of course you can have lunch in a restaurant, but why not save that for dinner and do something a bit different at midday?

A very Parisian experience is to grab the makings of a picnic from a grocery store or food market and go eat it along the Seine.

You’ll hobnob with plenty of Parisians grabbing a few rays of sunshine, armed with their jambon-beurre, a baguette filled with butter and ham. 

And yes, you can bring your bottle of wine and drink it with your picnic but beware, rules are getting stricter and in quite a few areas, glass bottles are no longer allowed.

For a light lunch, head for the nearest crêperie, where you can have a thin French pancake with a savory filling to start – like cheese or ham or mushrooms – followed by a sweet one stuffed with fruit or jam for dessert.

Top it all off with an ice cream cone from Berthillon, which you’ll find scattered throughout Paris.

If you’d like to try some typically Parisian specialties, a food walking tour is the best way to explore the culinary secrets of Paris if you’re not familiar with the capital.

9. Visit the Catacombs in Paris

They may sound dark and lugubrious, but the Catacombs of Paris are fascinating, full of surprises, and history. 

Paris already has an amicable relationship with its dead, as you’ll see if you visit the famous tombs of the cemeteries of Père Lachaise (like Jim Morrison or Edith Piaf) or Montmartre (some of France’s most famous writers).

But the catacombs are more than a cemetery.

Yes, they are wallpapered with the skulls and bones of six million Parisians, but the history of Paris is etched into these underground tunnels.

Used as quarries ever since Roman times, the first bones were transported to the catacombs in 1786 and this would continue for nearly a century, until the ossuary was too full to take in any more.

The feeling is more one of cool and quiet rather than of death, and Parisians being Parisians, many an unauthorized party has taken place in the catacombs’ hidden corners.

This may be a relatively unusual of things to do in Paris for first time visitors, but seeing something unusual should be part of the Parisian experience, even if it is your very first time.

10. See the stained glass paintings in Sainte-Chapelle

Saint-Chapelle doesn’t require a lot of time, but it’s still worth adding to your Parisian bucket list.

The Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral is famous for its beautiful 13th century stained-glass windows, which depict scenes from the Bible and cover almost the entirety of the walls – reaching up to 40 meters in height.

The light that streams through the windows casts beautiful rays of light in various colors throughout the cathedral, making feel truly magical and Holy.

It is one of the most beautiful places in Paris, you can find ticket availability here.

Where to Stay in Paris

It can be challenging finding a place to stay in a city, so here are some top rated hotels in Paris for you to save you time researching.

• Novotel Paris Centre Gare Montparnasse: We stayed at this 4-star hotel located in the city center of Paris within a 5-minute walking distance to Montparnasse Tower and train station. They have rooms for a family of four. See rates and availability.
• Relais Christine: This boutique hotel is set in a 17th century mansion in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, just 2,300 feet from Noter-Dame Cathedral. Book your stay here.
• Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel: This 4-star hotel is set at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero. Decorated in a contemporary style, the bright guest rooms offer panoramic views of Paris. Book your stay here
• Ibis Paris Tour Eiffel Cambronne 15ème: Located in the 15th district of Paris, just a 15-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower Book your stay here

If you’re looking for other accommodation in Paris you can use the map below to compare hotels and short-term rental options.

Final Thoughts

You could spend a lifetime in Paris and not see everything worth seeing, but we hope this guide gave you 10 unmissable places to add to your bucket list.

I believe these are the most essential experiences you must have on your first trip to Paris, France to get better acquainted with its culture, history, art and beauty.

Read the tips below, then don’t miss our tips on what to know before going to Paris and a guide for what to do in Paris in 4 days.

Tours of Paris

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