Shirk the guilt over doing touristy things. Here’s how to do it properly, clichés and all
Everyone has an idea of Paris, the City of Love, whether they’ve visited or not. Wide boulevards flanked by Haussmannian buildings, bistros with matching awnings and chairs, and the Seine flowing through the city, a witness to a thousand proposals along its banks and bridges. For me, Paris is all of this and more.
No Paris itinerary skips the Louvre. But once you’ve spent half a day fighting the crowds for a glimpse of the Mona Lisa – or just to stand in the Galerie d’Apollon, scene of the 2025 jewel heist – it’s worth spending your attention elsewhere. Across the river sits Musée d’Orsay, a grand building that is a work of art in itself. Originally a railway station built for the 1900 World’s Fair, it was converted into a museum in 1986 and now houses one of the world’s finest collections of Impressionist art, including Claude Monet’s Poppies and Édouard Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass.
One of the building’s best features is the giant clock windows on the fifth floor, which offer an unbeatable view across the Seine to the Tuileries Garden and up to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre. Further down the river, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais round out the museum trail, each with permanent and temporary exhibitions and admission prices that vary by show.
Those with a sweet tooth will fight to snag tables at the ever-popular Angelina or Carette, or settle for the simpler Mamiche. Seek out any bakery that has been crowned best butter croissant of the year by the Greater Paris Bakers’ Union; in 2026, that’s Boulangerie du Sentier. All are worth the queue, but my favourite is Du Pain et des Idées in the 10th arrondissement. Pick up a pain au chocolat or their signature escargot pistache-chocolat, then walk three minutes and sit on the banks of Canal Saint-Martin to people-watch.
A trip to Paris is incomplete without a little bit (or a lot) of shopping. From the luxury brands on Avenue Montaigne to the niche boutiques along Rue du Faubourg, the vintage shops in Le Marais and the city’s famed department stores, walking away empty-handed takes real discipline. Most visitors flock to the flagship Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann, a solid choice for its panoramic rooftop views and the stunning Art Nouveau stained-glass dome in the central atrium. If your budget allows, try La Samaritaine by the Seine or Le Bon Marché on the Left Bank instead. Each department store has its own personality, so find the one that matches yours.
Once you’ve shopped and eaten your way through the city and all you want is a break, grab a café au lait, another pastry, maybe a book, and sit in one of the public squares or parks scattered around Paris. Place des Vosges and Jardin du Palais-Royal are my personal favourites. No one will judge you, and if they do, c’est la vie!
