Getting To, From & Around Paris
Planning Your Trip to Paris
Paris is filled with magic no matter when you visit.
The busy season in Paris spans from mid-May to mid-September, when the city is filled with tourists. Expect high hotel and airfare prices during this time and be sure to make reservations for tours and dining well in advance.
The ideal time to visit Paris is in April to early May and late September through late October; late November and December in Paris bring holiday cheer as the city is dressed up in glimmering lights and shop windows feature chic and festive displays.
Contrary to what one might expect, Paris experiences relatively steady rain year-round, with bursts of heavy rain in the afternoon. Rainfall is heaviest in the spring and fall. We recommend you bring a small packable umbrella and a pair of shoes that you don’t mind getting wet as you will likely encounter rain of some kind during your travels.
Getting to & Around Paris
As a general matter, Paris is extremely easy to navigate. The most efficient way to get around the city is typically by using a combination of the Metro and walking, but buses, taxis, ridesharing apps (including Uber) and bikes are also popular.
Metro Tickets: You can purchase paper Metro tickets at any Metro or train station using an automated machine or by approaching the agent at the window. However, Paris is phasing out physical paper tickets for plastic Navigo cards which may also be purchased at any Metro or train station—once you purchase the card, you can refill using the Ile-de-France Mobilites app on iPhone or Android. Apparently, ability to purchase the card via the phone in the first instance is in the process of development and is expected later this year.
Ticketing and Tours
Purchasing Tickets in Advance: Nearly all museums and monuments offer the option to purchase tickets online (and some with reserved entry times) in advance of your visit directly from the attraction’s website at no additional cost. Indeed, a few even require purchase of timed-entry tickets in advance including the Louvre, Orangerie, Sainte-Chapelle and Versailles. While advance tickets are not required for other museums and monuments, for anything listed in the “Classic Attractions” category, we’d recommend purchasing timed-entry tickets in advance to avoid long ticket purchase lines and ensure you are able to visit on your preferred day and time, especially if you are visiting during busy season.
Paris Museum Pass: The Paris Museum Pass (buy it here) allows admission to many of the Classic Attractions listed above for a flat fee over the course of two (62€), four (77€) or six (92€) consecutive days. This is important to note, as many sites are closed on Monday and/or Tuesday, so it may not make sense to buy the buy and use the pass for these days. If you have purchased a Paris Museum Pass and would like to reserve a specific time slot to visit a site, you can do so by following the instructions here.
Listed below are the major sites included in the Paris Museum pass, as well as the price of a standard adult ticket, so that you may determine whether the pass makes sense for you:
Arc de Triomphe – 23.50€
Pompidou Center - 15€
Conciergerie – 11.50€
Archaeological Crypt - 9€
Hotel de la Marine - 23€
Museum of Jewish History - 10€
Musee D’Orsay - 16€
Cluny Museum - 12€
Army Museum + Tomb of Napoleon - 15€
Institute of the Arab World - 8€
Orangerie Museum – 12.50€
Louvre - 22€
Quai Branly Museum - 14€
Delacroix Museum - 9€
Picasso Museum - 14€
Rodin Museum - 14€
Pantheon – 11.50€
Sainte-Chapelle - 13€
Notre Dame (currently closed for renovations)
Tours: Many of the sites offer small group tours that you may book directly on the website—several are included below.
In addition, nearly all offer audioguides corresponding with important works—we have included suggested walking tours of many of the museums and monuments in the applicable neighborhood guide section and have highlighted the sites we think are best explored with the help of an in-person tour guide.
If you would like to book an expert-led private or small group tour, we recommend Context Travel which offers walking tours led by specialists in 60+ cities worldwide.