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The Eiffel Tower framed by blossoming trees in spring

No. 1 Top 100 City Destinations 2025

Paris

France

The City of Light: world-class art, grand boulevards and café life along the Seine.

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Photo: Jorge Royan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Paris, the capital of France, is No. 1 in Euromonitor International's Top 100 City Destinations Index 2025. It is the fifth year in a row the city has taken the top spot. Euromonitor says Paris welcomed over 18 million international visitors in 2025, and the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris was one of the year's highlights.

The Seine divides the city into the Right Bank (Rive Droite) and the Left Bank (Rive Gauche). Paris is organised into 20 numbered districts, or arrondissements, that spiral out from the centre. The riverbanks between the Pont de Sully and the Pont d'Iéna are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Museums, monuments, markets and neighbourhood cafés are packed into a compact centre that is easy to explore on foot.

West façade of Notre-Dame de Paris in 2025
West façade of Notre-Dame de Paris in 2025. Photo: The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Basilica of Sacré-Cœur on the hill of Montmartre
Basilica of Sacré-Cœur on the hill of Montmartre. Photo: Giò Terra (Terragio67), CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Best time to go

Spring (April to June) and early autumn (September and October) have mild weather and long days for walking.

July and August are the busiest months and can be hot. Many small family-run shops and restaurants close for part of August. Winter is cold and grey but quieter, with shorter queues at the big museums and festive lights in December.

Top sights

  • 1

    Eiffel Tower In our Top Landmarks

    Gustave Eiffel's company built the 330-metre wrought-iron tower for the 1889 World's Fair. Lifts and stairs lead to viewing platforms on three levels. Book timed tickets online to cut the wait.

  • 2

    Louvre Museum In our Top 100 Museums

    The world's most visited museum fills a former royal palace. It holds the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Booking a timed entry slot in advance is strongly recommended.

  • 3

    Notre-Dame de Paris In our Top Landmarks

    The Gothic cathedral on the Île de la Cité reopened in December 2024 after five years of restoration following the 2019 fire. Entry to the cathedral is free.

  • 4

    Musée d'Orsay In our Top 100 Museums

    Set in a former Beaux-Arts railway station on the Left Bank, the museum has one of the world's great collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, with works by Monet, Renoir, Degas and Van Gogh.

  • 5

    Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur

    Artists such as Picasso once lived in the hilltop village of Montmartre. At the top stands the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, completed in 1914 and consecrated in 1919, with sweeping views over the city.

  • 6

    Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées

    Napoleon commissioned the Arc de Triomphe in 1806 to honour his armies. Climb to the roof terrace for a view down the Champs-Élysées and along the twelve avenues that radiate from the Place Charles-de-Gaulle.

  • 7

    Sainte-Chapelle

    This 13th-century royal chapel on the Île de la Cité is famous for its soaring walls of stained glass, some of the finest of the period.

Getting there

Paris has two main international airports. Charles de Gaulle (CDG), about 25 km north-east of the centre, is linked to the city by the RER B suburban train and the Roissybus. Orly (ORY), to the south, is served by Métro line 14, which has reached the airport since June 2024, and by the Orlyval shuttle.

High-speed trains arrive at the city's six big rail terminals. Gare du Nord handles Eurostar trains from London, Brussels and Amsterdam, and Gare de Lyon serves south-east France and Switzerland.

Getting around

The Métro has 16 lines and is the fastest way around. The RER suburban rail network, buses and trams fill in the rest. Tickets can be loaded onto a contactless Navigo Easy card or bought in the Île-de-France Mobilités app.

Central Paris is very walkable. The Vélib' bike-share scheme and a growing network of cycle lanes make cycling easy too.

Practical tips

Currency
Euro (EUR). Cards, including contactless, are accepted almost everywhere.
Language
French. English is widely spoken in hotels, at the major sights and in tourist areas. A polite "Bonjour" when you walk into a shop goes a long way.
Safety
Paris is generally safe, but pickpocketing is common on the Métro, at busy sights and around the big stations. Keep valuables zipped away. The EU-wide emergency number is 112.
Visa & entry
France is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) now records non-EU travellers' entries and exits at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to follow. Check the official EU site travel-europe.europa.eu and your own government's travel advice before you go.
Power
230 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and E.

Official information: Paris je t'aime (official tourist office). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

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