Today we are covering our honest reviews of the Top 10 Paris Tourist Attractions! My husband and I both contributed. To back up, though…
Paris is just ONE OF THOSE PLACES that you see your whole life in books, movies, advertisements, etc. The sights are incredibly iconic…and not just one or two of them. Around every corner is a famous monument or museum, it seems.
Seeing the sights in real life was a dream come true. The city blew me away. The charming streets, the meticulous architecture, the manicured gardens…yes to all of it. I’ve heard people complain about how dirty Paris is, but it didn’t strike me as being any dirtier than other large cities we’ve been in (Lookin’ at you, NYC).
Background for this Trip
My husband Paul and I went to Europe together after he graduated business school. We went to France and Switzerland for 3 days each. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but my momma heart (and our student wallets heh) couldn’t handle being away much longer. My parents graciously watched our 18 month old son while we were away (thanks mom & dad!). P.S. I did just fine until about day 5…and then I was over Europe and just wanted to snuggle my son ASAP.
I’m going to break it down by ten of the most famous attractions in Paris. I got Paul involved and we both cast our votes to decide which sights were underrated, overrated, or … rated just about right. Keep in mind, the bar is HIGH! If a Paris attraction is “rated” this just means that it lived up to the hype, and was as incredibly amazing as one would expect.
Obviously these opinions are subjective by nature, and based on a pretty fast-paced itinerary to boot. Others will have their own thoughts based on context, crowds, weather, personal preferences, and a million other factors. OK Here we go!
1.The Eiffel Tower
Paul: UNDERRATED
I’m often not easily impressed, but I couldn’t stop saying how COOL this structure was to see in person. I’m a fan of iconic architecture, and this did not disappoint for me.
Kristen: RATED
The iron make-up of the Eiffel Tower made it about-what-I-expected during the day, but when lit up at night… it became positively magical. Worth the walk up to see the city sights at night, too.
2. Notre Dame
Paul: UNDERRATED
It was a lot bigger than I expected and the courtyard in front was really cool. I remember the gardens around back being nice, and a guy getting arrested as we arrived. The surrounding neighborhood was really great too.
Kristen: UNDERRATED
I was ready for just another cathedral, but when we approached the back of Notre Dame I felt dwarfed by its seriously massive size! The gardens were gorgeous. I loved it so much. My main regret is not going up to the top. (What did I miss up there, travel peeps?? Gargoyles??)
3. Champs-Elysees
Paul: OVERRATED
It’s just a bunch of modern shops– it’s an overcrowded street with nice shops. The only real cool part is the Arc de Triomphe at the end of it. Unless you’re going to be there for the Tour de France, there’s not much to see.
Kristen: OVERRATED
This famous tree-lined shopping street is well-maintained and beautiful. However, the restaurants didn’t appear to be super charming or romantic. The shops were mostly ones I could find in my local strip mall. I like how accessible that makes shopping for everybody, but… I also expected the Champs-Elysees to seem different and unique.
4. Arc de Triomphe
Paul: UNDERRATED
Very cool. Very iconic. Felt very big, but was easily accessible. The view from the top is GREAT.
Kristen: UNDERRATED
The view from the top was my favorite we saw in Paris. There was more detailing on the Arc itself than I realized, and the hike to the top made me feel tired but accomplished. Triumphant, even 😉
5. The Louvre
Paul: OVERRATED
The idea of the Louvre is very cool and it’s one of those places you need to go. The outside is the best part. If you’re like me, and most art puts you to sleep, it will just be overwhelming. The line to get in is very long– even with the museum pass like we had.
Kristen: RATED
The rumors are all true. This is a LABYRINTH of a museum. But I mean that in a fantastic way. Only major drawback was the hoards of people… but even crowds couldn’t ruin the experience of seeing Venus de Milo in the flesh (get it?)
6. Sacre-Coeur
Paul: RATED
The vibe was unique here. Nice sweeping views of the city, but crowds were frustrating.
Kristen: OVERRATED
The Sacre-Coeur itself is stunning, but I preferred the view from the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower. The hill was winding to climb and a bit out of the way (for the short amount of time we had).
7. Musee d’Orsay
Paul: RATED
I’m not much of an art fan, and I can’t recall any specific pieces. I liked the building, specifically the larger-than-life clock upstairs (think: Hugo).
Kristen: RATED
The impressionist works were fantastic. The museum itself is delightful with so much natural light. I geeked out a bit over the miniature version of the Palais Garnier (Paris Opera House)…especially since we didn’t get to go inside the real one.
8. The Pantheon
Paul: RATED
Having not heard much about it, it was easy to be impressed. It was very accessible and less pretentious than other sites. After waiting in lines all day, this was a great break while still being beautiful and historical. We didn’t spend much time here but found it very cool.
Kristen: RATED
Because I went in with no expectations, this building- and the whole Latin Quarter- was a breath of fresh air. It felt just as stately…but less gaudy than the rest of Paris. No crowds, no hassle.
9. Sainte-Chapelle
Paul: UNDERRATED
It was so delicate and fragile. Loved seeing this.
Kristen: UNDERRATED
The sun was shining in when we toured which made this chapel stunning. And we scored a seat in the room so it was relaxing to boot.
10. Luxembourg Gardens
Paul: OVERRATED
I don’t even remember those.
Kristen: OVERRATED
This garden was beautiful, and filled with locals relaxing and reading in the sunshine. I can’t find faults, but for some reason I was expecting the white statues (I THINK from the Tuileries garden…more Passport to Paris problems). I was pleasantly surprised by the palm trees though (??)!
Bonus: The Seine
Paul noted one of his favorite parts of Paris was just seeing the river Seine winding through the city. I agree!
ALSO: Versailles is technically outside of the city. We didn’t have time to visit, but I’m sure it would surpass several of the items on this list.
That’s it for our reviews of the Top 10 Paris Tourist Attractions!
Would you add Versailles to the list list??
What ratings do you agree with? Disagree?
I would really love to hear which Paris sights were your very favorites, or which you’d love to see in person someday.
Let me know in the comments!
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