Things to do

In the neighbourhood

Museums

• Musée Carnavalet, 13 min. The history of Paris from Roman times to today, in two beautiful mansions. Free entry to the permanent collections, a gem most tourists miss.
• Musée Picasso, 9 min. The world’s largest Picasso collection, in a 17th-century mansion. Book online to skip the line.
• Musée des Arts et Métiers, 13 min. Science and inventions, home of Foucault’s original pendulum. Kids love it.
• Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, 10 min. Contemporary art meets natural history, quirky and surprising.
• Maison de Victor Hugo, 16 min. Where Hugo lived, on the Place des Vosges.

Walks

• Place des Vosges, 13 min. The oldest planned square in Paris (1612). Sit on the grass, pure magic at sunset.
• Canal Saint-Martin, 12 min. Iron footbridges, tree-lined banks and quirky shops, the most local Parisian walk there is.
• Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 12 min. The main shopping street of the Marais, fashion, concept stores and galleries, open on Sundays.
• Rue de Bretagne, 4 min. Your local high street, cheese shops, butchers and florists. It feels like a village in the middle of Paris.

Shopping

• Merci, 6 min. The coolest concept store in Paris, fashion, design and books, with the Used Book Café inside.
• Haut Marais boutiques. Rue de Turenne, Rue Charlot and Rue de Poitou are full of independent designers.
• Marché des Enfants Rouges, closed. The oldest covered market in Paris, still in every guidebook, was ravaged by a fire on the night of 11 to 12 October 2026.
• BHV Marais, 19 min. The Parisian department store. At 1 Rue des Archives, a private lift goes up to the Mikuna rooftop bar, open in season, with a great view of the Hôtel de Ville.

Beyond the monuments

• Palais-Royal gardens. Quiet, elegant gardens behind the Louvre, with arcades and tiny antique shops.
• The Marais itself. Wander with no plan and get lost in the side streets. That is how you find the real Paris.
• Along the Seine. Walk the banks from Notre-Dame to the Eiffel Tower, about an hour. At sunset it is the most romantic walk in the world.
• Père-Lachaise. A cemetery that is really a beautiful garden. Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf, Chopin. Free, with a map at the entrance.

Paris tips

• For getting around, Citymapper is often better than Google Maps for the Paris metro.
• On Sundays many shops close, but the Marais is one of the few neighbourhoods where they stay open.
• Watch your bags in the metro and at tourist spots, and keep your phone in a front pocket. Nothing dramatic, just be aware.

Day trips

Some of France’s greatest treasures are a short train ride away, most of them doable in a day and back for dinner. Book trains early on sncf-connect.com for the best prices.

Versailles, the palace of kings

About 1 hour by metro and RER C. The Hall of Mirrors, the gardens, Marie-Antoinette’s estate, as grand as you imagine. Route and prices are on the Monuments page.

• Getting there. RER C to Versailles Château Rive Gauche, a regular ticket each way.
• Tip. Book a timed ticket online and arrive at the 9 am opening, Tuesday and weekends are the busiest days. Closed on Monday.
• Don’t miss. The Grand Trianon and Marie-Antoinette’s estate, perfect for the afternoon.

Giverny, Monet’s gardens

About 1h15. The house and gardens that inspired the Water Lilies, like stepping into an Impressionist painting.

• Getting there. Train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Vernon (about 50 min), then the shuttle bus to Giverny (15 min).
• Tip. Open from April to early November. Go on a weekday morning and head straight to the water lily pond at the back while it is quiet. May and June for the flowers, September for the water lilies.

Mont-Saint-Michel

About 3h30. A medieval abbey on a rocky island, surrounded by some of the most dramatic tides in Europe.

• Getting there. TGV from Gare Montparnasse to Rennes, then a bus. Book early on sncf-connect.com.
• Tip. Stay overnight if you can. The island at sunset, once the day-trippers have left, is pure magic.

Champagne, Reims and Épernay

About 45 min by TGV from Gare de l’Est to Reims. The only place in the world where real Champagne is made.

• Tip. Book cellar tours in advance (Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, or Moët & Chandon in Épernay), most include a tasting.
• Don’t miss. Reims Cathedral, where the kings of France were crowned, with stained glass by Chagall.

The Loire Valley castles

About 1h30 by train to Tours or Blois, then a rental car or a guided tour.

• Tip. Two castles in a day is plenty. Chambord, the grandest, and Chenonceau, built over the river, are the classic pair.

Fontainebleau

About 50 min by train from Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon, then a bus to the palace. Napoleon’s favourite palace, quieter than Versailles, with a forest famous for its boulders.

Want personal recommendations? Ask me on WhatsApp, I am always happy to help you plan your days.