Things to Do in Paris: Every Major Sight, With the Questions People Ask

In brief

Paris sights range from free (Père Lachaise) to €36.70 for the Eiffel Tower’s summit elevator. The Eiffel Tower has no weekly closure, but the Louvre closes Tuesdays and the Centre Pompidou is shut entirely until spring 2030. Some sights, like Sainte-Chapelle and the Versailles Palace, require a timed booking for every visitor; others, like the Musée Rodin, don’t.

  • Eiffel Tower: open daily, no weekly closure; cheapest ticket €14.80 (stairs to the second floor)1.
  • Louvre: €32 standard ticket, closed Tuesdays, open to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday3.
  • Musée d’Orsay closes Mondays; the Musée Rodin and the Musée de l’Armée don’t require booking for a standard visit101215.
  • Sainte-Chapelle: €22, every visitor needs a booked time slot except on winter free Sundays6.
  • Arc de Triomphe: €22 (April–September), elevator out of service as of September 2026 — the terrace is reached by 284 steps7.
  • Palace of Versailles: €35 Passport ticket in high season; only the Palace itself needs a timed slot89.
  • Centre Pompidou: closed to the public since 22 September 2025, not expected to reopen before spring 203011.
  • Père Lachaise Cemetery is free, with no booking, and closes 15 minutes before its published closing time17.

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This page is the starting point for Paris sightseeing: a master comparison table, then a short section on every major sight with the facts that decide a visit, and links to each sight’s own guide. For the wider set of trip-planning decisions — entry paperwork, money, transport and either-or choices — start at the Paris Travel Guide.

The master comparison

Prices and figures as of September 2026. “Adult, non-EEA” means the standard rate for a visitor from outside the European Economic Area, which covers most US and Canadian travelers.

Sight Adult price (non-EEA) Closed Booking Nearest station
Eiffel Tower From €14.80 (stairs), €36.70 (elevator to top)1 No weekly closure1 Elevator e-tickets up to 90 days ahead2 Bir Hakeim (line 6)2
Louvre €323 Tuesdays3 Recommended, not confirmed mandatory35 Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre (lines 1, 7)4
Musée d’Orsay €16 online10 Mondays10 Mandatory timed slot10 Solférino (line 12); RER C10
Musée de l’Orangerie €12.50 online11 Tuesdays11 Mandatory on the free Sunday11 Concorde (lines 1, 8, 12)11
Centre Pompidou Not bookable — closed Closed entirely to spring 203011 — —
Musée Rodin €1412 Mondays12 Not required for standard admission12 Varenne (line 13); Invalides (lines 8, 13)12
Musée Picasso €1613 Mondays13 Recommended13 Saint-Paul (line 1)13
Musée de Cluny €1414 Mondays14 Not required14 Not stated on the pages checked
Musée de l’Armée €1715 No weekly closure15 Not required for standard admission15 Not stated on the pages checked
Sainte-Chapelle €226 Closed only 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec6 Strongly recommended for everyone6 Cité (line 4); Saint-Michel (RER B, C)
Arc de Triomphe €22, Apr–Sep7 Closed 1 May, 8 May, 14 July7 Not required for standard admission7 Charles-de-Gaulle–Étoile (lines 1, 2, 6; RER A)7
Palace of Versailles €35, Passport, high season89 Mondays8 Palace only, timed slot8 Versailles Château Rive Gauche (RER C)8
Catacombs of Paris €3116 Mondays16 Strongly recommended16 Not stated on the page checked
Père Lachaise Cemetery Free17 No weekly closure17 Not required17 Philippe Auguste, Père Lachaise (metro)17
Tour Montparnasse Not bookable — closed Closed for renovation, 31 Mar 2026, “at least 5 years”18 — —

The Eiffel Tower

An elevator ticket to the top costs €36.70; the stairs to the second floor, the cheapest way up, cost €14.801. The Tower is open every day of the year and publishes a live hours calendar rather than a single fixed schedule; elevator e-tickets can be booked up to 90 days ahead, stairs tickets up to 6012. The stairway above the second floor is closed to the public, so a ticket to the top always finishes by elevator1. Full guide, with the three floors, security rules, and accessibility: Eiffel Tower: Tickets, Floors, Hours and How to Visit. Three narrower questions have their own pages: is the summit worth it, stairs or elevator, and the bag and security rules.

The Louvre

A standard ticket costs €32 for non-EEA visitors and €22 for EEA residents and citizens; the museum displays about 30,000 works out of nearly 500,000 it holds34. It’s closed every Tuesday, open to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, and free for everyone the first Friday evening of the month (except July and August) and on 14 July3. Booking a time slot is recommended for every visitor, though neither the hours page nor the FAQ states it’s strictly mandatory35. Full guide, with all four entrances and the free-admission rules: The Louvre: Tickets, Entrances, Hours and How to Visit. Narrower questions: is the Louvre free the first Sunday, how long to spend there, and which entrance to use.

Paris's other major museums

The Musée d’Orsay, the Musée de l’Orangerie, the Musée Rodin, the Musée Picasso, the Musée de Cluny, and the Musée de l’Armée at Les Invalides each charge €12.50 to €17 and cover a distinct collection, from Impressionist painting to Napoleon’s tomb1012131415. The Centre Pompidou is the one major exception: it closed to the public on 22 September 2025 for a renovation not expected to finish before spring 2030, with its programming dispersed to partner sites including the Grand Palais and the Panthéon11. All eight museums are compared in one table, on price, free days, closures and Paris Museum Pass acceptance, at Paris Museums: Which Ones Are Worth Your Time, and What They Cost.

Sainte-Chapelle

A ticket costs €22 for non-EEA visitors, or €16 for EEA nationals and residents, and every visitor needs a booked time slot, including free-admission visitors, except on the first Sunday of a winter month, when reservations aren’t possible6. The chapel is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April through September and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year6. Full guide: Sainte-Chapelle: Tickets, Hours and How to Plan Your Visit. For whether to add its neighbor on the same complex, see Sainte-Chapelle or Conciergerie: Do You Need Both?

Arc de Triomphe

A ticket costs €22 from April through September (€16 on Wednesdays), dropping to €16 for the rest of the year7. As of September 2026, the monument’s own practical-information page states the elevator is undergoing maintenance “until further notice,” so the terrace is reached by a 284-step staircase only7. Viewing the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the base is free and needs no ticket7. Full guide: Arc de Triomphe: Tickets, the Climb and How to Reach It Safely. Narrower question: is it worth climbing given the elevator closure.

Palace of Versailles

The Passport ticket covering the Palace, Gardens and Trianon estate costs €35 in high season (through around 1 November) and €25 in low season, with a €3 discount for EEA nationals and residents89. Only the Palace itself requires a timed-entry slot; the Gardens and the Estate of Trianon can be entered at any point within their own hours8. Both the Palace and Trianon are closed Mondays8. Full guide, with a day plan built from the palace’s own published durations: Palace of Versailles: Tickets, Timed Entry and a Realistic Day Plan. For the guided-versus-self-guided decision, see Versailles: Guided Tour or On Your Own?, and for the day-trip alternative, Giverny or Versailles: Which Day Trip?

Notre-Dame de Paris

A dedicated visitor guide for Notre-Dame, covering current hours, reservations, and what’s open, is part of this site’s Sights section: Notre-Dame de Paris: Reservations, Hours and What Is Open. A narrower question on whether a ticket is required is covered at Do You Need Tickets for Notre-Dame?

Sacré-Coeur

A dedicated visitor guide covering hours, the dome, and getting up the hill is part of this site’s Sights section: Sacré-Coeur: Hours, the Dome and Getting Up the Hill. For what the basilica itself asks visitors to wear, see Sacré-Coeur Dress Code: Do You Need to Cover Up?

Paris's other churches

Beyond Notre-Dame and Sacré-Coeur, this site covers the city’s other major churches — what each is known for, hours, and entry rules — at Famous Churches in Paris: Hours, Entry Rules and What Each Is Known For. For what the churches themselves say about appropriate dress, see Dress Code for Paris Churches: What the Churches Themselves Say

Underground and outdoors: the Catacombs, Père Lachaise, and Tour Montparnasse

The Catacombs of Paris, a network of former limestone quarries lined with the remains of some six million Parisians, charge €31 for a full-rate adult ticket, with online booking “strongly recommended” for every rate except free entry for children under 816. Père Lachaise Cemetery, the city’s largest, is free to enter, with no booking; its published hours run roughly 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. depending on the day and season, and the site states that evacuation begins 15 minutes before the posted closing time17. Tour Montparnasse’s observation deck, previously a popular panoramic viewpoint, has been closed to the public since 31 March 2026 for a renovation its own site describes as lasting “at least 5 years”18 — its historical prices and hours are no longer bookable and shouldn’t be relied on.

Should you add the Paris Museum Pass?

The Paris Museum Pass covers entry to more than 50 museums and monuments, priced at €85 for 2 days, €105 for 4 days, or €125 for 6 days as of September 202619. Whether it pays off depends on how many paid sights you’ll actually visit in the pass’s validity window: the full arithmetic is worked out at Is the Paris Museum Pass Worth It? The Arithmetic

Guides in this section

Tours worth considering

This section contains affiliate links. If you book through them, the site earns a commission at no cost to you. It does not change what is recommended.

Most of the sights above sell official tickets directly, and booking each one’s own site is the cheapest route in every case checked for this page. A bundled tour earns its price in a few specific situations:

Skip a paid tour for any sight where you qualify for free admission under that sight’s own rules: a reseller’s ticket charges you for entry that sight already gives you at no cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the top sights to prioritize in Paris?

This page doesn’t rank sights by taste. What differs between them, on stated facts, is price, closure days, and booking rules — the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre are the two most visited, the Louvre displays the largest collection of any museum here (about 30,000 works), and several sights, like Père Lachaise, cost nothing at all3417.

Which Paris sights are free?

Père Lachaise Cemetery is free with no booking17. Several museums and monuments are free on specific days for specific visitors — the first Sunday of the month at the Musée d’Orsay, Orangerie and Cluny, for example — covered sight by sight above and in the linked guides.

Which major sight is closed right now?

The Centre Pompidou, since 22 September 2025, not expected to reopen before spring 2030, and the Tour Montparnasse observation deck, closed for renovation since 31 March 2026 for at least five years1118. The Arc de Triomphe’s elevator is also out of service as of September 2026, though the monument itself remains open via its staircase7.

Do I need to book every sight in advance?

No. Sainte-Chapelle and the Palace of Versailles’ main building require a timed slot for every visitor. The Musée Rodin, the Musée de Cluny, and the Musée de l’Armée don’t require booking for standard admission. The Louvre “recommends” booking without stating it’s mandatory368121415.

What's the cheapest way to see multiple Paris museums?

Compare the Paris Museum Pass’s cost against the specific museums you’ll actually visit; the full arithmetic is at Is the Paris Museum Pass Worth It?19.

Is the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe better for a panoramic view?

Both publish what’s visible from the top. The Arc de Triomphe’s own panorama page names the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Coeur, La Défense, Les Invalides, the Panthéon and Notre-Dame’s towers as visible from its terrace — including the Eiffel Tower itself, which the Arc de Triomphe’s terrace does not offer as its own subject the way the Eiffel Tower’s higher summit does7.

How many days do I need to see the major Paris sights?

No single official source publishes this figure. Versailles alone, on the palace’s own suggested routes for the Palace, Gardens and Trianon together, adds up to roughly 7.5 hours by itself, which is one reason it’s usually planned as a separate day89.

Sources

  1. Ticket rates and opening times — Eiffel Tower, official website. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  2. Planning a smooth visit — Eiffel Tower, official website. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  3. Hours & Admission — Musée du Louvre. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  4. Map, Entrances & Directions — Musée du Louvre. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  5. FAQ — Musée du Louvre. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  6. Practical Information — Sainte-Chapelle, Centre des monuments nationaux. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  7. Practical Information — Arc de Triomphe, Centre des monuments nationaux. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  8. Practical Information — Château de Versailles. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  9. Tickets and Prices — Château de Versailles. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  10. Visit — Musée d’Orsay. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  11. Visit the Orangerie — Musée de l’Orangerie. Accessed 2026-09-20; Visit — Centre Pompidou. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  12. Plan Your Visit — Musée Rodin. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  13. Visit — Musée Picasso Paris. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  14. Practical Information — Musée de Cluny. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  15. Opening Times and Prices — Musée de l’Armée. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  16. Catacombs of Paris — Catacombes de Paris, official site. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  17. Cimetière du Père-Lachaise — Ville de Paris. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  18. Tour Montparnasse — Tour Montparnasse 56, official site. Accessed 2026-09-20.
  19. Paris Museum Pass — Paris Museum Pass, official site. Accessed 2026-09-20.