Paris

Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous attractions of Paris. For the last 130 years since it was built, it has been the face of the city of Paris and by extension, of France. Rising to a height of 330 meters, it can be seen from all over Paris, and beyond, day and night until 1 am thanks to its lighting, the twinkling illumination at fixed times and its beacon that reaches out to 80 km, at 360 degrees.

How to Reach

The closest station to the Eiffel Tower is Champ de Mars/Tour Eiffel. You can take Metro or RER services to this stop but we suggest you go to the Eiffel Tower by metro to Trocadero station. The view from here is mesmerizing and you will be able to take good photographs. Eiffel Tower is just 10-15 minutes walk from the metro station.

Timings

9:30 am - 10:45 pm everyday.

Time to Spend

Keep at least 3-4 hours for Eiffel Tower.

Tickets

There are 5 types of tickets available for the Eiffel Tower. They are explained below in order of increasing cost:

2nd floor via Stairs: Access to only 1st & 2nd floor via Stairs. (No lift & no summit access) - Cheapest. 11,30€
2nd floor via Lift: Access 1st & 2nd floor via Lift. (No summit access) 18,10€
Summit Access via Stairs: You can go to the 1st and 2nd floor via stairs and then to the summit via lift. - Recommended if on a budget and physically fit. 21,50€
Summit Access via Lift : You can go to all the floors of the Eiffel Tower including the topmost floor (summit) via lift. - Value for money if you don't want to take the stairs. 28,30€
Summit access with Champagne : You can go to all the floors of the Eiffel Tower including the summit via lift and you get a glass of Champagne at the top. This is the most expensive ticket. 50,30€

Tickets can be purchased from the official Eiffel Tower website https://www.toureiffel.paris/en

Tips

Buy skip the line summit access tickets well in advance. Better to go late evening as you can witness sunset and also see the tower lit up in the dark. (check sunset timings online)

Reach two hours before your scheduled entry time. Click Pictures and walk to the Eiffel tower.

Get on the lift and hit the Summit first. Then on your way back you can visit 2nd and 1st floor. Although you will have to change the lifts at the 2nd floor.

Château de Versailles or Palace of Versailles

Book Tickets

A former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about 19 kilometers (12 mi) west of Paris, France. The estate of Versailles consists of the palace, the subsidiary buildings around it and the gardens. It has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

How to Reach

Metro - The Versailles Château Rive Gauche station is the closest to the Palace (a 10-minute walk). Accessible from the centre of Paris.

Bus/ Tram - Bus no. 171 runs between Pont-de-Sèvres in Paris and the Palace of Versailles.

Timings

Palace of Versailles opens up at 9 am and is open till 6:30 pm everyday except on Monday.

Time to Spend

It will take around 2-3 hours to cover the Palace and then a couple of hours more for the Gardens & Trianon estate.

Tickets

Although many ticket options are available but it is recommended to book Passport tickets (28,50€) which give access to the Palace & the gardens including Trianon estate, you can do so by visiting the official site of the palace i.e. https://en.chateauversailles.fr/

Tips

Plan for a complete day for the Palace of Versailles and try to reach early morning (around 9 am) so that you have your evening free for other activities.

Wear walking shoes. Carry your own water bottle and snacks. You can also look for guided tours at getyourguide.com or viator.com or any such similar sites if required.

Louvre Museum

Book Tickets

The Louvre or Louvre Museum, the national art museum in Paris is home to some of the most famous artworks in the world, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Virgin of the Rocks. The museum also has a vast collection of sculptures & artwork from ancient civilizations.

How to Reach

Bus : Routes 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, and 95 can be taken to reach this landmark. Get off at the Louvre Rivoli or the Palais Royal Musée du Louvre

Metro : Lines 1 & 7 can be used to get to the Museum. The Museum has a metro station by its own name and you get off right underneath the landmark.

Timings

9:00 AM to 6:00 PM everyday and uptill 9:45 pm on Friday. The museum is closed on Tuesday.

Time to Spend

It will take up to 65 days to see everything in the Louvre if you wanted to take a minute in front of every one of the paintings. Since that is not practical, we recommend to give at least 3 hours to the museum to see all the famous artworks.

Tickets

Ticket can be booked in advance from their official website https://www.louvre.fr/en and cost about 17€.

Tips

Get your photo clicked with the glass pyramid after you exit the museum.

Disneyland

Book Tickets

Disneyland is located in Chessy, France, 32 km (20 mi) east of Paris. It includes two amusement parks, resort lodgings, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, feasting and diversion complex, and a golf course.

How to Reach

From Paris, the quickest and easiest way to get to the heart of Disneyland Paris is to hop on the RER A train and get off at Chessy.

Timings

9:30 am to 11 pm (Fire and lighting shows start around 10:30PM)

Time to Spend

If you want to have the whole experience then you need at least 3 days. You can visit one park in one day so two parks can be visited in two days and you can also stay at one of the resorts if you want to stay more number of days. It incorporates 7 hotels

Tickets

The cheapest ticket is for entry to 1 park and it costs about 55-60€ if booked well in advance. Official site is https://www.disneylandparis.com/en-int/

Tips

Wear walking shoes. Carry your own water bottle and snacks. Download the Disneyland App on your phone and navigate using the map in the app.

What to expect? Exciting rides, extraordinary dance shows, meetups with your number one Disney characters.

Other Attractions & Things to do

Sienne River Cruise - Tickets can be booked online as well as on location.

Catacombs - The Catacombs of Paris are underground ossuaries in Paris, France, which hold the remains of more than six million people in a small part of a tunnel network built to consolidate Paris's ancient stone quarries. Tickets cost about 10€

Champ-Elysees The Champs-Élysées is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long and is the most beautiful and well-known avenue in Paris. It connects Arc de Triomphe with the Place de la Concorde and is considered one of the world's most famous commercial streets.

Notre Dame is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France.

Visit the Panthéon : A monument in the 5th arrondissement.

Take a walk in the Luxemborg Gardens

Visit Latin Quarters

Evening walk on Montmartre : Montmartre is primarily known for its artistic history, for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur on its summit, and as a nightclub district.

Tour Montparnasse

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. Every evening, under the Arc de Triomphe, you can attend a free, silent ceremony in tribute to the soldiers who died for France. At 6.30pm, the Flamme de la Nation, on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, is rekindled to burn endlessly. Ticket costs about 17€ and can be booked from the official website https://www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/en

Paris Cabaret

Attend the most famous cabarets in Paris such as the Moulin Rouge, the Lido, the Paradis Latin or the Crazy Horse.

Les Invalides

An extensive complex of 17th-century structures and courtyards in Paris designed for the care and housing of disabled veterans and as a place of worship. Parts of Les Invalides were later converted into museums and into tombs for Napoleon I and others. The Saint Louis Cathedral, courtyards, and gardens of Les Invalides complex are all free to visit. But if you want to get inside the Musée de l'Armée, Museum of the order of the Liberation, or see Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb, you will need an entrance ticket which costs about 16€

2. Transport Guide

Paris has an amazing transport network and almost all the places can be reached via public transport. There are 4 modes of public transport available:

RER - The RER trains connect Paris city center to the outlying suburbs and popular destinations such as CDG Airport (RER B), Disneyland Paris (RER A) and Versailles (RER C). There are 5 RER lines from RER A to RER E. The fare ranges from 2.10€ to 14.10€ Some example trip RER fares are as given below:

CDG Airport to central Paris (from Zone 5): 11 - 13 €

Paris Zone 1 to Disneyland Paris: 5€

Paris Zone 1 to Versailles: 5€

METRO - Paris Metro hours run from roughly 05:30 to 00:40 (5:30am – 12:40am) Sunday thru Thursday and 05:30 – 01:40 on Fridays, Saturdays and on days before a holiday. Times between trains range from 2 minutes during rush hours to 13 minutes during late nights, depending on the route.
TRAM
BUS

Types of Tickets for METRO, BUS & TRAM

Tickets can be purchased from ticket windows inside stations or through automated ticket vending machines accepting Euro coins and credit/ debit cards. The various options that are available are explained below:

Ticket t+ - Basic Paris Metro tickets are known as “Ticket t+”. These tickets are valid for a single continuous journey. Costs about 2.10€. These tickets are sold as single one-way fares or in books of 10

Carnet of tickets - Books of ten, are sold at a discount for 19.10€ (paper tickets) or 16.90€ (Navigo Easy). Children from ages 4 to 9 years old (inclusive) can use reduced fare tickets, which are available only in books of 10, for 9.55€ per book of ten. Children under 3 years of age ride free

Navigo Easy card holds digital single-use Paris Metro tickets. Holding up to 30 Paris Metro tickets, a Navigo Easy ticket card can be reloaded and used over a period of ten years. Navigo Easy also holds Navigo Day Passes and tickets for Roissybus and Orlybus.

Ticket Mobilis is a type of ticket which can be used for unlimited rides on a particular day. The cheapest version is valid for Zone 1-2 i.e. covering central Paris and costs 8.45€

Paris Visite - These tickets are valid for multiple days and are aimed at tourists They are available in 3 zone and 5 zone versions, for 1, 2, 3 or 5 day lengths . Price varies from 13.55 € to 74.30€

Navigo Pass - Navigo pass is valid for travel strictly from Monday till Sunday i.e. it will expire on Sunday even if it is bought on any weekday. Cost of the Navigo card is 30€ plus 5€ for the plastic card itself which is non refundable. It is acceptable on all modes of transport.

3. Apps to Download / Related Sites

Bonjour RATP, Disneyland App, Google Translate with French language pre downloaded.

Getyourguide and Viator offer guided tours and entry tickets to various attractions. You can download the apps if needed.

Navigate using google maps and save Paris map for offline use.

Download the Paris metro map.

4. Recommended Areas to Stay

Paris is divided into 20 Arrondissements (districts). Starting with the 1st Arrondissement (where The Louvre is located) they are numbered in a spiral in the clockwise direction.

Most of the attractions are in 1st to 7th Arrondissements so they are the most sought after, thus more expensive. If your are not willing to spend much and can travel in public transport, then you can look for a budget hotel in the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 15th arrondissement or the La Defence area. These locations are not very far and well connected to all the attractions via public transport.

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