Paris, France
The most planned city that still feels improvised
Haussmann drew the boulevards, but Paris is lived in the gaps between them — the quartiers, the cafés, the markets. The trick is to treat it as a set of villages that happen to share a skyline.
Paris is small. That is the first thing to know and the last thing visitors believe. The city proper — the twenty arrondissements inside the Périphérique ring road — is about a hundred square kilometres, roughly the size of a mid-sized American suburb, and two million people live in it. Everything the postcards show is walkable from everything else. The other ten million Parisians live outside the ring, in the banlieue, and that division — inside and outside the Périph — explains more about the city's politics, prices and rhythms than any other fact.
The city you walk through is largely one man's project. Baron Haussmann, under Napoleon III in the 1850s and 60s, drove the boulevards through the medieval city, standardised the cream-stone buildings with their zinc roofs and wrought-iron balconies, and laid in the parks, sewers and stations. The result is a place of extraordinary visual coherence — you can be anywhere in Paris and know it — that also destroyed most of what came before. What survived Haussmann is what you go looking for: the Marais, the Latin Quarter's lanes, the passages, Montmartre's village on its hill.
The arrondissements spiral outward from the Louvre like a snail's shell, and Parisians navigate by them. The 1st to 8th are the grand centre. The 5th and 6th are the old Left Bank of universities and publishers; the 3rd and 4th the Marais; the 9th, 10th and 11th the younger, denser east where the food and bars have moved; the 16th and 17th the bourgeois west; the 18th, 19th and 20th the working-class and immigrant north-east that is where the city is actually changing. Learn the numbers and the map organises itself.
Daily life runs on the café, the boulangerie and the market. A coffee at the bar is a small ritual and a cheap one; a table on the terrace costs more and buys you the street. Bread is bought daily, and the neighbourhood boulangerie is a genuine institution with a legally protected name. The covered and street markets — Aligre, Bastille, Raspail — are where Parisians actually shop. The famous restaurants are worth it; the neighbourhood bistro with a chalkboard menu is the culture.
For a longer stay the calculus is space against location. Apartments are small and old, rents are high, and the good neighbourhoods are the ones with a market and a metro stop rather than a monument. Public transport is superb — the Métro reaches everywhere and a Navigo pass makes it cheap — and a car is a liability. What you buy with the compromise is a city built for walking and looking, where the ordinary Tuesday errand takes you past something beautiful. Parisians complain about it constantly and almost never leave.
Where People Live
Le Marais (3e/4e)
The medieval and aristocratic quarter that Haussmann missed — hôtels particuliers, the Place des Vosges, the old Jewish street of Rue des Rosiers, and the city's gay village. Beautiful, expensive and crowded on weekends.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6e)
The Left Bank of the publishers and the famous cafés, now more luxury than literary. Still the loveliest streets to walk, and the Luxembourg Gardens are the city's best park.
Montmartre (18e)
The village on the hill — stairs, vineyards, artists' studios and Sacré-Cœur. Tourist-thick at the summit, genuinely local on the north and west slopes around Lamarck and Abbesses.
Canal Saint-Martin & the 10e
Iron footbridges over a working canal, and the neighbourhood that became the centre of the city's newer food and bar scene. Young, mixed and still affordable at the edges.
Belleville & Ménilmontant (19e/20e)
The multicultural, hilly north-east — Chinese and North African Belleville, street art, Père Lachaise cemetery, and the best cheap eating in Paris. Where the city's energy has moved.
Latin Quarter (5e)
The Sorbonne's district since the Middle Ages: bookshops, the Panthéon, Rue Mouffetard's market street. The lanes near Saint-Michel are tourist traps; the ones toward the Jardin des Plantes are not.
Major sights
Eiffel Tower
Better as a landmark to orient by than a queue to climb — the view of it from the Trocadéro or Champ de Mars beats the view from it. Sparkles on the hour after dark.
Louvre
Too big to 'do' — pick a wing and go at opening or on a late-night Wednesday/Friday. Book a timed ticket; the Mona Lisa is a scrum, the rest often empty.
Notre-Dame & Île de la Cité
The Gothic cathedral, reopened after the 2019 fire, on the island where the city began. Sainte-Chapelle nearby is the stained-glass one to book.
Musée d'Orsay
The Impressionists in a converted Beaux-Arts railway station — a more manageable and arguably more rewarding museum than the Louvre.
Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur
Hilltop village of stairs and studios topped by a white basilica, with the best free panorama in the city. Touristy at the summit, lovely on the back lanes.
Le Marais
The best neighbourhood to simply walk — medieval streets, the Place des Vosges, falafel on Rue des Rosiers, and small museums (Picasso, Carnavalet).
When it rains
Musée de l'Orangerie
Monet's Water Lilies in two oval rooms built for them, plus a jewel-box Impressionist collection below. Small enough to do in an hour.
Covered passages
19th-century glass-roofed arcades — Galerie Vivienne, Passage des Panoramas — for dry wandering, old bookshops and tea rooms.
Centre Pompidou
Modern art behind the inside-out façade; the top-floor escalator gives a rooftop view. (Note: due to close for a long renovation — check ahead.)
A grand café
The civilised rainy-day move: nurse a coffee or a glass of wine at a marble table and watch the street. That is the culture, not a detour from it.
Restaurants & places to go
Huîtres Amélie Paris
oysters · . Probably one of the best oysters in the world 🌠ðŸ“Paris | Milano | Rome | Barcelona | Madrid | London | Geneva | Ibiza | Monaco 👇 Shop… · huitresamelie.com
Harry's New York Bar
Sidecar martinis, sidecars, cocktail lounges, cocktails · harrysbar.com
Le Trianon Theatre
theatres · letrianon.fr
Airports
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) 23 km to the centre
Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise), IDF, FR — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 108 airlines (Air France, Alitalia, easyJet, Delta Air Lines…) · direct flights to 237 destinations incl. New York, Chicago, Miami, Toulouse, Casablanca… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 108 airlines, 237 direct destinations
- Air France AF (A320, A319, A321, 318, 777-200, 777-300ER…) · 164 routes: Aberdeen, Abidjan, Abu Dhabi*, Abuja, Algier, Amman, Amsterdam, Antananarivo, Athens, Atlanta, Baku*, Bamako, Bangalore, Bangkok, Bangui, Barcelona, Beijing, Beirut, Belgrade*, Berlin, Bilbao, Billund, Birmingham, Bogota, Bologna, Bordeaux, Boston, Brasilia, Brazzaville, Bremen, Brest, Bucharest, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Calvi, Caracas, Casablanca, Chicago, Cincinnati* … +124 more
- Alitalia AZ (A320, Embraer 170, A321, 318, A319, 777-300ER…) · 68 routes: Aberdeen*, Abidjan*, Atlanta*, Bangkok*, Berlin*, Bilbao*, Billund*, Bologna*, Bordeaux*, Boston*, Bremen*, Brest*, Catania*, Clermont-Ferrand*, Copenhagen*, Dakar*, Detroit*, Dubai*, Dublin*, Duesseldorf*, Edinburgh*, Florence*, Genoa*, Gothenborg*, Hamburg*, Hannover*, Hanoi*, Ho Chi Minh City*, Hong Kong*, Houston*, Johannesburg*, Lima*, Lisbon*, Los Angeles*, Manchester*, Marseille*, Mexico City*, Miami*, Milan, Montpellier* … +28 more
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 31 routes: Agadir, Ajaccio, Barcelona, Bari, Bastia, Belfast, Biarritz-bayonne, Bologna, Bristol, Budapest, Casablanca, Catania, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Krakow, Lisbon, Liverpool, London, London, Madrid, Malaga, Marrakech, Milano, Naples, Nice, Porto, Prague, Tenerife, Toulouse, Venice
- Delta Air Lines DL (A330-200, 76W, A319, A320, A380, 757-200…) · 24 routes: Abuja*, Atlanta, Boston, Casablanca*, Chicago*, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston*, Los Angeles, Lyon*, Miami*, Minneapolis, Montreal*, New York, Newark, Niamey*, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Francisco*, Seattle, Toronto*, Toulouse*, Washington*
- XL Airways France SE (A330-200, A330-300, 737-800, 737-300, 767-300) · 11 routes: Amilcar Cabral, Boa Vista, Cancun, Fort-de-france, Gran Canaria, Marseille, New York, Palermo, Pointe-a-pitre, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (330, A319, 777, A320, 737, 747…) · 10 routes: Abuja*, Algier*, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires*, Casablanca*, Douala*, Monrovia*, Mulhouse*, Niamey*, Punta Cana*
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A320, A319, 767-300, A321, 777-300ER, 737-300…) · 9 routes: Berlin, Chicago*, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Montreal*, Munich, Newark*, Toronto*, Washington*
- American Airlines AA (767-300, A319, A320, A321, A330-200, A330-300…) · 8 routes: Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Kuala Lumpur, London*, Miami, New York, Philadelphia
- Iberia Airlines IB (767-300, A320, 757, 777) · 7 routes: Aviles*, Barcelona, Chicago*, Dallas-Fort Worth*, Miami*, New York*, Santiago*
- US Airways US (767-300, A321, A330-200, A330-300, 757, 777) · 7 routes: Athens*, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, New York, Philadelphia
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A320, A319, A321) · 6 routes: Algier*, Casablanca*, Lyon*, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Toulouse*
- Air Europa UX (Embraer 190, 737-800, 32S) · 6 routes: Barcelona*, Bilbao*, Gothenborg*, Malaga, Valencia, Vigo*
- Flybe BE (ARJ, Dash 8-400, EMJ, Embraer 195, Embraer 175) · 6 routes: Aberdeen*, Birmingham, Edinburgh*, Exeter, Manchester, Newcastle*
- British Airways BA (767-300, A319, A320, A321, 757, 777) · 5 routes: Chicago*, Dallas-Fort Worth*, London, Miami*, New York*
- Finnair AY (767-300, A319, A320, A321, 757, 777…) · 5 routes: Chicago*, Dallas-Fort Worth*, Helsinki, Miami*, New York
- Malaysia Airlines MH (767-300, A321, 380, 777) · 5 routes: Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Helsinki*, Kuala Lumpur, Miami
- Aegean Airlines A3 (A320, A321) · 4 routes: Athens, Heraklion, Rhodos, Thessaloniki
- AeroMéxico AM (A319, A320, 787, 76W) · 4 routes: Atlanta*, Lyon*, Mexico City, Toulouse*
- Air Algerie AH (737-800, 330) · 4 routes: Algier, Annaba, Constantine, Oran
- Japan Airlines Domestic JL (A319, A320, 777-300, 787-8) · 4 routes: Lyon*, Tokyo, Tokyo, Toulouse*
- Servicios de Transportes A FS (A319) · 4 routes: Djerba, Monastir, Sfax, Tunis
- United Airlines UA (767-300, 757-200, 767-400) · 4 routes: Chicago, Newark, San Francisco, Washington
- Vueling Airlines VY (A320, A319) · 4 routes: Aviles, Barcelona, Madrid, Santiago
- Aigle Azur ZI (A319) · 3 routes: Algier, Faro, Oran
- Air One AP (A320, A319, 32S) · 3 routes: Catania, Milan*, Palermo
- Air Transat TS (310, 330) · 3 routes: Montreal, Quebec, Toronto
- China Eastern Airlines MU (A330-200, 737, 777-200, 777-300ER) · 3 routes: Amsterdam*, Beijing*, Shanghai
- Croatia Airlines OU (A319, A320) · 3 routes: Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb
- Etihad Airways EY (A320, A340-600, 767) · 3 routes: Abu Dhabi, New York*, Toulouse*
- Jet2.com LS (737-300) · 3 routes: East Midlands, Leeds, Manchester
- Nouvel Air Tunisie BJ (A320, A321) · 3 routes: Djerba, Monastir, Tunis
- Pakistan International Airlines PK (777) · 3 routes: Islamabad, Lahore, Milano
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (736, 737-700, 737-800, 737-700, A319, A320…) · 3 routes: Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm
- Aer Lingus EI (A320, A319) · 2 routes: Cork, Dublin
- Air Canada AC (777-300ER) · 2 routes: Montreal, Toronto
- Air China CA (330, 777-300) · 2 routes: Beijing, Shanghai
- Air Mauritius MK (A340-300, ATR 72) · 2 routes: Mulhouse*, Plaisance
- All Nippon Airways NH (777) · 2 routes: Tokyo, Tokyo
- Egyptair MS (A320, A330-300) · 2 routes: Cairo, Luxor
- Ethiopian Airlines ET (767-300) · 2 routes: Addis Ababa, Brussels
- Meridiana IG (A319, A320, MD-80) · 2 routes: Olbia, Palermo
- Montenegro Airlines YM (Fokker 100) · 2 routes: Podgorica, Tivat
- Qatar Airways QR (A340-600, 767-300, 777-300ER) · 2 routes: Doha, New York*
- Saudi Arabian Airlines SV (A330-300, 777) · 2 routes: Jeddah, Riyadh
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (A319, A320, 318, A321, AR1, A320) · 2 routes: Geneva*, Zurich
- TACV VR (757-200) · 2 routes: Praia, Santiago Island, Sao Vicente Island
- TAM Brazilian Airlines JJ (777-300) · 2 routes: Beijing, Sao Paulo
- Travel Service QS (737-800, A319, 737-700) · 2 routes: Ostrava, Prague
- Turkish Airlines TK (737-800, A320, A321, 330, A330-200, 777-300ER) · 2 routes: Istanbul, Istanbul
- Uzbekistan Airways HY (767-400, 767) · 2 routes: Tashkent, Urgench
- Varig Log LC (757) · 2 routes: Brazzaville, Pointe-noire
- Vietnam Airlines VN (777) · 2 routes: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City
- Adria Airways JP (A319, CRJ-900, CRJ-200) · 1 route: Ljubljana
- Air Armenia QN (A320) · 1 route: Yerevan
- Air Austral UU (777-300ER, 777-200LR) · 1 route: St.-denis
- Air Baltic BT (737-300, 735, 73C) · 1 route: Riga
- Air Berlin AB (A320) · 1 route: Vienna*
- Air India Limited AI (787-8) · 1 route: Delhi
- Air Lituanica LT (Embraer 175) · 1 route: Vilnius
- Air Madagascar MD (A340-300) · 1 route: Antananarivo
- Air Malta KM (A319, A320) · 1 route: Malta
- Air Serbia JU (A320) · 1 route: Belgrade
- Air Tahiti Nui TN (A340-300) · 1 route: Los Angeles
- Arkia Israel Airlines IZ (757-300) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Asiana Airlines OZ (777-200) · 1 route: Seoul
- Austrian Airlines OS (318, A320, A321) · 1 route: Vienna*
- Azerbaijan Airlines J2 (A320) · 1 route: Baku
- Belavia Belarusian Airlines B2 (737-300) · 1 route: Minsk 2
- bmibaby WW (A320) · 1 route: Keflavik
- Brussels Airlines SN (A319, A320) · 1 route: Brussels
- Bulgaria Air FB (A319, Embraer 190) · 1 route: Sofia
- Camair-co QC (767) · 1 route: Yaounde
- Cathay Pacific CX (A340-300, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Hong Kong
- China Southern Airlines CZ (A330-200) · 1 route: Guangzhou
- Cyprus Airways CY (A320) · 1 route: Larnaca
- Czech Airlines OK (A319, A320) · 1 route: Prague
- El Al Israel Airlines LY (737-800, 737-900, 747-400, 767-300, 777-200) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Emirates EK (A380, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Dubai
- Eurolot K2 (Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Wroclaw
- EVA Air BR (777-300ER) · 1 route: Taipei
- Flybaboo F7 (S20) · 1 route: Leipzig
- Georgian Airways A9 (735) · 1 route: Tbilisi
- Germanwings 4U (A319, CRJ) · 1 route: Hamburg
- Gulf Air Bahrain GF (A320) · 1 route: Bahrain
- Harmony Airways HQ (A320) · 1 route: Izmir
- Icelandair FI (75W) · 1 route: Keflavik
- Kenya Airways KQ (767-300) · 1 route: Nairobi
- Korean Air KE (A380) · 1 route: Seoul
- Kuwait Airways KU (340) · 1 route: Rome
- LOT Polish Airlines LO (Embraer 175, Embraer 195) · 1 route: Warsaw
- Luxair LG (ERJ-145, Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Luxemburg
- Maastricht Airlines W2 (A320) · 1 route: Keflavik*
- Maldivian Air Taxi 8Q (A320) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Mauritania Airlines International L6 (737-700) · 1 route: Casablanca
- Middle East Airlines ME (A330-200) · 1 route: Beirut
- Niki HG (A320) · 1 route: Vienna
- Olympic Airlines OA (A320, A321) · 1 route: Athens*
- Oman Air WY (A330-200) · 1 route: Muscat
- Royal Jordanian RJ (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: Amman
- Singapore Airlines Cargo SQ (A380) · 1 route: Singapore
- Skynet Airlines SI (AT4) · 1 route: Jersey
- SriLankan Airlines UL (A330-200) · 1 route: Colombo
- SunExpress XQ (737-800) · 1 route: Izmir
- Tarom RO (318, 737-700) · 1 route: Bucharest
- Thai Airways International TG (380) · 1 route: Bangkok
- Ukraine International Airlines PS (737-800) · 1 route: Kiev
- Ural Airlines U6 (A320) · 1 route: Yekaterinburg
- Yemenia IY (330) · 1 route: Cairo
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Paris Orly Airport (ORY) 14 km to the centre
Paris (Orly, Val-de-Marne), IDF, FR — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 30 airlines (Air France, Transavia France, Iberia Airlines, Vueling Airlines…) · direct flights to 119 destinations incl. Lisbon, Porto, Palma de Mallorca, Cayenne, Djerba… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 30 airlines, 119 direct destinations
- Air France AF (A319, A320, A321, CRK, ATR 72, 777-300ER…) · 28 routes: Ajaccio, Bastia, Biarritz-bayonne, Bordeaux, Brest, Calvi, Cardiff*, Cayenne, Clermont-Ferrand, Fort-de-france, Hyeres, London, Lyon, Madrid*, Malta, Marseille, Milan*, MLH, Montpellier, Nantes, Nice, Palma de Mallorca*, Pau, Pointe-a-pitre, Southampton*, St.-denis, Strasbourg, Toulouse
- Transavia France TO (737-800, A320) · 28 routes: Agadir, Antalya, Athens, Bodrum, Budapest, Catania, Djerba, Dubrovnik, Essadouira, Faro, Heraklion, Ibiza, Istanbul, Lisbon, Malaga, Malta, Marrakech, Monastir, Naples, Oujda, Palermo, Pisa, Porto, Prague, Sevilla, Tel-aviv, Tunis, Venice
- Iberia Airlines IB (A320, A321, A319, 757-200) · 21 routes: Alicante*, Barcelona*, Bilbao*, Bologna, Florence*, Gran Canaria*, Ibiza*, Lisbon*, London*, Madrid, Malaga*, New York*, Newark*, Palma de Mallorca*, Porto*, Rabat*, Rome, Sevilla*, Tenerife, Tenerife, Valencia*
- Vueling Airlines VY (A320, A319) · 15 routes: Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Bologna, Florence, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lisbon, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Porto, Rabat, Rome, Sevilla, Valencia
- Aigle Azur ZI (A320, A319) · 14 routes: Algier, Annaba, Bamako, Bejaja, Biskra, Constantine, Djerba, Funchal, Lisbon, Moscow, Oran, Porto, Setif, Tlemcen
- Airlinair A5 (ATR 42, CRJ-700, BEH, CRK, ATR 72) · 12 routes: Agen, Aurillac, Brive, Caen, Castres, La Rochelle, Lannion, Lorient, Perpignan, Quimper, Rodez, Tarbes
- easyJet U2 (A320, A319) · 12 routes: Athens, Berlin, Faro, Geneva, Milan, Naples, Nice, Palermo, Pisa, Rome, Toulouse, Venice
- Air Algerie AH (736, 737-800, 330) · 9 routes: Algier, Annaba, Batna, Bejaja, Biskra, Constantine, Oran, Setif, Tlemcen
- Corsairfly SS (A330-300, 747-400, 330, A330-200) · 9 routes: Abidjan, Cayenne*, Dakar, Dzaoudzi, Fort-de-france, Montreal, Philipsburg*, Pointe-a-pitre, St.-denis
- Royal Air Maroc AT (737-800, 747-400, 767-300, 737-700) · 9 routes: Agadir, Casablanca, Essadouira, Fes, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat, Tanger
- Air Caraïbes TX (A330-300, A330-200, 747) · 7 routes: Cayenne, Dzaoudzi*, Fort-de-france, Philipsburg, Pointe-a-pitre, Port-au-prince, St.-denis*
- Norwegian Air Shuttle DY (737-800, 737-300) · 5 routes: Bergen, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm
- Corse-Mediterranee XK (A319, A320) · 4 routes: Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi, Figari
- Tunisair TU (736, A320, A319, A320) · 4 routes: Djerba, Monastir, Tozeur, Tunis
- British Airways BA (757-200, A319, A320) · 3 routes: London, New York*, Newark*
- Air Berlin AB (A319, A320, 737-800) · 2 routes: Berlin, London*
- Air Europa UX (737-800, Embraer 190) · 2 routes: Madrid, Palma de Mallorca
- American Airlines AA (757) · 2 routes: New York*, Newark*
- CityJet WX (F50) · 2 routes: Cardiff, London
- TAP Portugal TP (A319, A320, Fokker 100, A321) · 2 routes: Lisbon, Porto
- Twin Jet T7 (BEH) · 2 routes: Limoges, Perigueux
- Air Malta KM (A319, A320) · 1 route: Malta
- Alitalia AZ (A320) · 1 route: Milan
- Cubana de Aviación CU (IL9) · 1 route: Santiago De Cuba
- Flybe BE (Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Southampton
- Hex'Air UD (BEH) · 1 route: Le Puy
- Iran Air IR (AB6) · 1 route: Tehran
- Pegasus Airlines PC (737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
- SATA International S4 (A320) · 1 route: Ponta Delgada
- Transaero Airlines UN (737-800) · 1 route: Moscow
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Paris-Le Bourget International Airport (LBG) 14 km to the centre
Paris, IDF, FR — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather.
Toussus-le-Noble Airport (TNF) 21 km to the centre
Toussus-le-Noble, Yvelines, IDF, FR — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Pontoise-Cormeilles Aerodrome (POX) 35 km to the centre
Cormeilles-en-Vexin, Val-d'Oise, IDF, FR — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Melun-Villaroche Airfield 37 km to the centre
Moissy-Cramayel, Seine-et-Marne, IDF, FR — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Regional airports
Further out, but often the cheapest way in — the airports the low-cost carriers use. Each links to its own town's guide for getting from there into the city.
Beauvais–Tillé Airport (BVA) 69 km to the centre
Beauvais, HDF, FR — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 4 airlines (Ryanair, Wizz Air, Air Moldova, Eurolot) · direct flights to 59 destinations incl. Vilnius, Alghero, Alicante, Arrecife, Barcelona… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Feeder airport · 69 km from Paris · Ryanair, Wizz Air, Air Moldova · Getting around Beauvais →
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 4 airlines, 59 direct destinations
- Ryanair FR (737-800) · 46 routes: Alghero, Alicante, Arrecife, Barcelona, Bari, Bergamo, Beziers, Bologna, Bratislava, Brindisi, Budapest, Cagliari, Dublin, El Aroui, Faro, Fes, Gerona, Gothenborg, Krakow, Lisbon, Madrid, Malaga, Manchester, Marrakech, Oujda, Palma de Mallorca, Pescara, Pisa, Porto, Pula, Rabat, Rome, Ronchi De Legionari, Rygge, Sevilla, Shannon, Stockholm, Tanger, Tenerife, Trapani … +6 more
- Wizz Air W6 (A320) · 12 routes: Belgrade, Bucharest, Cluj-napoca, Gdansk, Katowice, Poznan, Sofia, Timisoara, Tirgu Mures, Vilnius, Warsaw, Wroclaw
- Air Moldova 9U (Embraer 190) · 1 route: Chisinau
- Eurolot K2 (Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Rzeszow
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Ferry terminal · 0.6 km from the centre · Batobus
Notre-Dame
Ferry terminal · 0.8 km from the centre · Batobus
Louvre
Ferry terminal · 0.9 km from the centre · Batobus
Hôtel-de-Ville
Ferry terminal · 0.9 km from the centre · Batobus
Musée d'Orsay
Ferry terminal · 1.3 km from the centre · Batobus
Jardin des Plantes
Ferry terminal · 1.8 km from the centre · Batobus
Saint-Germain-des-Prés – Notre-Dame
Ferry route · Batobus
Hôtel-de-Ville – Louvre
Ferry route · Batobus
Musée d'Orsay – Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Ferry route · Batobus
Notre-Dame – Jardin des Plantes
Ferry route · Batobus
Batobus : Tour de Paris
Ferry route · Batobus
Batobus : Tour de Paris via Beaugrenelle
Ferry route · Batobus
Invalides – Musée d'Orsay
Ferry route · Batobus
Louvre – Place de la Concorde
Ferry route · Batobus
Local transit
RATP
Metro, bus, tram, RER · The Métro, buses, trams and RER lines within Paris. · Fares: Navigo card or Navigo Easy · Airport: RER B from Charles de Gaulle; Orlyval and Metro 14
Les Canards de Paris
Public transit · Schedules & GTFS data
Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM)
Public transit · Schedules & GTFS data
Le Titus
Public transit · Schedules & GTFS data
Trains & rail
Lyria
Rail operator
SNCF Voyageurs
Rail operator
Société nationale des chemins de fer français
Rail operator
Transilien
Rail operator
Eurostar ← London, England (UK)
High-speed trains London–Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam through the Channel Tunnel. · London, England (UK) guide →
Coaches & shuttles
FlixBus → Brussels/Bruxelles
About four hours from Paris Bercy; Eurostar does it in 80 minutes. · Brussels/Bruxelles guide →
BlaBlaCar Bus
Intercity coach
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Air Charter Service
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
ExecuJet
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Flexjet
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Global Jet
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Jet Aviation
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.
Tours & experiences
Christopher's Paris Guided Tours
Sightseeing
Pinky Tour - Paris
Sightseeing
Paris Food & Wine Experience
Food & Wine · 4 hours · from €89/pp
Tour Saint-Jacques
Sightseeing
Living Here
Getting about
- Sixteen Métro lines reach almost everywhere inside the Périphérique, rarely more than a few minutes' walk from a station. The Navigo pass (weekly or monthly, on a card) is the way to pay; single tickets are being phased into the same card. The RER suburban lines link the airports, Versailles and Disneyland.
- Buses are slower but scenic, and Vélib' bike-sharing works well along the river and the new cycle lanes. Paris has spent a decade taking road space from cars, and it shows.
- Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is 35–50 minutes out by RER B; Orly by Métro line 14 or the Orlyval. Six mainline stations serve the rest of France and Europe — London is two and a quarter hours from Gare du Nord.
- Driving in Paris is possible and pointless. Parking is scarce, the ring road is a permanent jam, and the centre is progressively closing to through traffic.
Health
- AP-HP runs the public hospitals — Pitié-Salpêtrière in the 13e is the largest, Hôtel-Dieu beside Notre-Dame the oldest, and Necker the children's hospital. Care is excellent; waits in emergency departments can be long.
- Dial 15 for SAMU (medical emergency) or 112. Pharmacies carry a green cross and pharmacists give real advice; a rota keeps some open all night, posted on the door.
- EU visitors use the EHIC card; others should carry insurance. Seeing a GP (médecin généraliste) is inexpensive and usually same-week; Doctolib is the app everyone books through.
Work & study
- The Sorbonne's successor universities, Sciences Po, the grandes écoles and the PSL research cluster make the Left Bank one of the densest academic districts in the world. Students keep the 5e and 6e cheap to eat in, if not to live in.
- La Défense, the skyscraper district beyond the western ring, is the corporate centre; the ministries and the great institutions are in the 7e and 8e. Station F and the 13e are the start-up quarter.
- Fashion, luxury, publishing, film and food are the industries Paris still leads in. Expect the working week to be genuinely 35 hours and August to be genuinely absent.
Money & manners
- Euro. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, including at the bakery. Service is included in restaurant prices by law; leaving a few coins is a courtesy, not an obligation.
- Say bonjour when you enter a shop and au revoir when you leave — it is not optional, and the difference in how you are treated is remarkable. Start in French even if you finish in English.
- Sunday is quiet and Monday closes many museums and restaurants. Most shops shut for at least part of August, when Paris hands itself to visitors.