Why visit Paris?
World-famous monuments
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you envision Paris? Most likely, it’s one of its many monuments. A trip to Paris would hardly be complete without a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. It’s one of several attractions that have become synonymous with Paris – others being the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame cathedral and the Champs-Elysées, which stretches for over 1,000 feet through the 8th arrondissement.
Museums
France’s capital city has some of the country’s most interesting and fabulous museums. The Louvre houses 38,000 different artefacts, including da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Fans of Impressionist art can ogle over the collection at the Musée d’Orsay, and the National Museum of Natural History is another popular museum in the city.
River Seine
Running for 18 miles through the centre of the city, the River Seine is an excellent place to soak up the Parisian lifestyle. Watch the artists on the shores or take a boat trip to get a duck’s eye view of the French capital, spotting the Parisian bridges as you go.
Music and arts venues
A definite city of culture and an influential hub for arts movements like Cubism and Impressionism, Paris’ music and arts venues are world-renowned. To take some of it in for yourself, visit the 19th-century Opera Garnier and the Centre Pompidou, which has artwork by Picasso and Duchamp.
Disneyland Paris
With its own Sleeping Beauty castle, roller coasters and water rides, Disneyland Paris has been creating family-friendly thrills since 1992. It’s only 45 kilometres from the centre of Paris, so it makes an easy day trip from the city. Whether you take the kids to meet Mickey, Minnie and other characters or brave the big roller coasters like Big Thunder Mountain, there’s plenty to impress little and big kids, as well as adults.
Family-friendly attractions
Paris may be known as the city of love, but it also has a great selection of family-friendly attractions. Disneyland Paris aside, kids can also let off steam on the vintage carousel and fairground rides at the Jardin d’Acclimatation or visit the traditional puppet theatre in the Jardin du Luxembourg. Further out, Bois de Vincennes has a treetop adventure park and botanical gardens for kids.
Unexplored Paris
Paris Catacombs
There are over 200 miles of tunnels beneath Paris. Once used as limestone quarries by miners in the 13th century, they became a tomb for the city’s excess dead in the 17th century. That tradition ended years ago, but the city’s ghoulish catacombs now make for an exciting and historical tour of the labyrinth in underground Paris.
Explore Paris’ bookstores
Paris is often seen as something of a fashion capital, but it also has an impressive selection of bookstores. Along the left bank of the Seine, literary fans can pick up page-turners in vintage book shops such as Shakespeare and Co, the Abbey Bookshop and Librarie Delamain.
Visit the Montmartre Vineyard
You don’t need to visit Bordeaux to explore French vineyards – there’s a small hillside vineyard in the 18th arrondissement. While you can’t go inside, it makes a scenic addition to any walking tour and it's an excellent photo opportunity. It also hosts an annual harvest party.
Here’s how
With so many unique places to stay in Paris, you might be scratching your head over where to stay and how to narrow down your search. The first thing to do is to weigh up your many options.
If you like your little luxuries, but still want to stay in the outdoors, you might want to try out a glamping break, caravan pitches or motorhome pitches. Meanwhile, campsites in Paris will help you add a healthy dose of fresh air to your city break. They range from simple budget-friendly tent pitches through to well-equipped parks with things like swimming pools and cafés on site.
Use our tick-box filters to help you choose the style and facilities that matter to you, or see some of our popular collections below
A Paris city break not the one for you? Try neighbouring regions such as Essonne and Seine-et-Marne.
