# What to see in Paris: the 15 must-sees

Monuments, museums and neighbourhoods that official guides and travellers rank highest for a first visit to the French capital.

- 66 votes · 17 items
- Jul 16, 2025 · Loïc L.
- https://even.best/en/l/5/what-to-see-in-paris-the-15-must-sees

## Top 15

1. **Notre-Dame Cathedral** (9 · ▲9 ▼0) — Gothic masterpiece on the Île de la Cité, reopened in December 2024 after the 2019 fire. <https://www.notredamedeparis.fr/>
2. **Arc de Triomphe** (7 · ▲8 ▼1) — Arch commissioned by Napoleon in 1806, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a rooftop over the Champs-Élysées. <https://www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/>
3. **Louvre Museum** (7 · ▲7 ▼0) — The world's most visited museum: the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. <https://www.louvre.fr/>
4. **Eiffel Tower** (5 · ▲6 ▼1) — Gustave Eiffel's iron lady, built for the 1889 World's Fair, 330 m tall. <https://www.toureiffel.paris/>
5. **Sainte-Chapelle** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Gothic chapel built in 1248 by Saint Louis, with 1,113 stained-glass scenes. <https://www.sainte-chapelle.fr/>
6. **Le Marais** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Historic district of Place des Vosges, mansions and boutiques.
7. **Luxembourg Gardens** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — The 23-hectare garden of the French Senate, with the Medici Fountain and the large pond.
8. **Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — White basilica atop Montmartre hill, next to the painters of Place du Tertre. <https://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/>
9. **Champs-Élysées** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 1.9 km avenue between Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe.
10. **Panthéon** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Neoclassical temple where Voltaire, Victor Hugo and Marie Curie are buried, with Foucault's pendulum. <https://www.paris-pantheon.fr/>
11. **Musée de l'Orangerie** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Museum in the Tuileries displaying Claude Monet's large Water Lilies panels. <https://www.musee-orangerie.fr/>
12. **Palais Garnier** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — 1875 opera house with a grand marble staircase and a ceiling painted by Chagall. <https://www.operadeparis.fr/>
13. **Musée d'Orsay** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — A former 1900 railway station housing the world's largest collection of Impressionist art. <https://www.musee-orsay.fr/>
14. **Palace of Versailles** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Louis XIV's palace with its Hall of Mirrors and Le Nôtre gardens, 20 km from Paris. <https://www.chateauversailles.fr/>
15. **Père Lachaise Cemetery** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — The world's most visited cemetery: Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Chopin.
16. **Centre Pompidou** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — National Museum of Modern Art in Piano and Rogers' colourful-pipe building (closed for renovation from 2025). <https://www.centrepompidou.fr/>
17. **Seine river cruise** (-1 · ▲1 ▼2) — Sightseeing boats pass most of the monuments; the riverbanks are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.