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Travel Guides

Summer in Paris: The Best Things To Do in the City of Light This Season

Summer in Paris: 

The Best Things To Do in the City of Light This Season

The Eiffel Tower needs no introduction, but visiting it at sunset during summer is a genuinely magical experience that even the most seasoned Paris visitor will not forget. As the light shifts from gold to pink to deep blue and the city below begins to twinkle, the view from the upper platforms is breathtaking. Book your tickets well in advance for summer visits, and consider arriving at least an hour before sunset to take your time on each level. The Champ de Mars gardens below are equally beautiful in the evening light and perfect for a post-visit picnic.

The Louvre is one of the greatest museums in the world and an essential Paris experience at any time of year, but summer brings a particular energy to its vast galleries and spectacular courtyard. Beyond the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, take time to explore the less-visited wings, the ancient Egyptian antiquities, the Mesopotamian collections, and the extraordinary decorative arts galleries, which are often far quieter than the main attractions. Book timed entry tickets online well in advance and arrive early to make the most of your visit.

One of the most quintessentially Parisian summer activities is picking up supplies from a local market or boulangerie, a bottle of wine, some cheese, a baguette, perhaps some charcuterie and fruit, and settling in for a long, lazy picnic on the banks of the Seine. The stretch of riverbank between the Pont des Arts and the Pont de la Tournelle is particularly popular and atmospheric, and on summer evenings it fills with locals and visitors alike in a wonderfully convivial spirit. The Ile Saint-Louis is also a beautiful spot to sit by the water and watch the river barges drift slowly past. 

Housed in a magnificent converted 19th-century railway station on the Left Bank, the Musée d'Orsay is home to the world's greatest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, including masterworks by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, and Cézanne. The building itself is as much a draw as the collection, with its soaring glass roof and dramatic clock faces framing the galleries beautifully. Summer mornings are the best time to visit, before the afternoon crowds arrive. The museum's rooftop cafe offers superb views over the Seine and the Sacré-Coeur.

Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 75007 Paris, France

The Jardin du Luxembourg is one of Paris's most beloved green spaces and a perfect summer destination. Locals come here to read on the famous green metal chairs beside the central fountain, play boules, watch puppet shows, rent toy sailboats, and simply enjoy the pleasure of being outside in one of Europe's most beautiful formal gardens. The orchard, the beehives, the rose garden, and the shaded tree-lined paths all reward slow exploration. On a warm summer afternoon, there is no better place in Paris to simply sit, watch the world go by, and feel completely at ease.

Seeing Paris from the water is one of the most enjoyable and romantic ways to experience the city, and a summer evening cruise along the Seine is particularly memorable. The famous bateaux mouches and other river boats pass beneath the city's beautiful bridges, past the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Louvre, and dozens of other landmarks, all beautifully illuminated as the light fades. Both sightseeing cruises and dinner cruises are available, and the latter, enjoyed as the sun sets over the Parisian rooftops, makes for an extraordinary summer evening.

Every summer, the banks of the Seine are transformed into a series of temporary urban beaches as part of the Paris Plages festival, one of the city's most popular and joyful summer traditions. Stretches of sand, sun loungers, palm trees, outdoor showers, and a wide range of free activities including yoga classes, concerts, and sports are set up along the riverbanks, creating a festive seaside atmosphere in the heart of the city. Paris Plages typically runs from mid-July to late August and is completely free to enjoy, making it one of the best summer experiences the city has to offer.

The hilltop village of Montmartre is one of Paris's most atmospheric and charming neighborhoods, and summer is a wonderful time to explore its winding streets, hidden squares, and vine-covered cottages. Climb to the white domes of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica for panoramic views over the entire city, wander through the Place du Tertre where artists set up their easels, discover the last remaining vineyard within the city limits, and linger over a coffee or a glass of wine at one of the neighborhood's many characterful cafes. Montmartre rewards slow, aimless exploration more than almost anywhere else in Paris.

Just 40 minutes by train from central Paris, the Palace of Versailles is one of the most spectacular royal residences in the world and an unmissable day trip from the city. The vast gilded State Apartments, the legendary Hall of Mirrors, and the breathtakingly formal gardens designed by André Le Nôtre are all extraordinary, but summer adds an extra dimension with the famous Les Grandes Eaux Musicales, a spectacular event in which the palace's hundreds of fountains are set to classical music on selected weekends. Book tickets well in advance as summer demand is exceptionally high.

10. Eat and Drink Your Way Through a Parisian Market

Paris has some of the finest food markets in the world, and visiting one on a summer morning is one of the most pleasurable and authentic experiences the city has to offer. The Marché d'Aligre in the 12th arrondissement, the Marché Bastille, and the Marché des Enfants Rouges in the Marais are among the best. Pick up seasonal fruit, artisan cheese, freshly baked bread, olives, charcuterie, and flowers, chat with the vendors, and soak up the atmosphere of everyday Parisian life at its most vivid and sensory.

The Centre Pompidou is one of the world's great modern and contemporary art museums, and its striking inside-out architecture, with all its pipes, ducts, and escalators on the exterior, makes it one of the most recognizable buildings in Paris. Inside, the vast collection spans from Picasso and Matisse to the most cutting-edge contemporary artists working today. The rooftop terrace offers one of the best free views over the Parisian rooftops, and the surrounding Beaubourg neighborhood is full of excellent cafes, galleries, and independent boutiques to explore before or after your visit.

Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004 Paris, France

Every summer Paris hosts a wonderful programme of open-air cinema screenings in parks, gardens, and public squares across the city, with the Cinema en Plein Air at the Parc de la Villette being the most celebrated and atmospheric. Bring a blanket, a bottle of wine, and a sense of occasion, and settle in for a film under the stars in one of Europe's most beautiful cities. Screenings typically run from late July through August and cover a wide range of classic and contemporary films. Many screenings are free or very affordably priced.

Paris in summer fills up fast, and securing the right accommodation early is essential for making the most of your trip. We recommend booking your Paris hotel through 

. With a huge selection of properties across every neighborhood and price point, competitive rates, genuine guest reviews, and the Hotels.com Rewards program that earns you a free night for every 10 nights booked, it is the easiest and smartest way to find your perfect Paris base.

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