Boulevards, a river, and galleries that would each be another city's main event. Best treated as a bench, a bakery and whatever you walk into next.
Free things to do
Free
Walk along the Seine
The riverside road has been a park since 2016. Start at Pont Alexandre III and walk down to Île de la Cité with the traffic somewhere above you.
Free
Enter Notre-Dame cathedral
Free to enter since it reopened in December 2024. Book a free time slot on notre-dame-de-paris.fr a day or two ahead, or come at opening. The towers are the ticketed part.
Free
Explore Montmartre
Climb from Abbesses rather than queueing for the funicular. Sacré-Cœur costs nothing to walk into; the streets behind it are quiet before ten.
Where to stay
from $58
The People - Paris Bercy
Dorm bed · per night · This brand-new purpose-built hostel is now open in the charming and safe 12th district, just a couple metro stops from the Gare de Lyon.
from $69
The 3 Ducks Eiffel Tower by Hiphophostels
Dorm bed · per night
from $159
Eklo Paris Porte de Versailles
Private room · per night
from $134
Caulaincourt Montmartre by Hiphophostels
Private room · per night
Trips that take it in
Europe · 16 days · loop · 4 nights in Paris
The Western Loop
London → Paris → Amsterdam → Berlin → Bruges → London