Things to do in Paris 2024
Our trip to Paris was filled with plenty of sightseeing and verbal butchering of the word “croissant”, but there was one other steady constant throughout: we wanted to conquer everything but in the most affordable and fun way possible.
Not exactly the cheapest city in the EU, but we still fared well – with activities like vintage shopping and museum hopping. Here are the best things to do in Paris:
The current exchange rate is €1 = ~S$1.45 as of 1st August 2024.
Table of Contents
- Things to do in Paris 2024
- Getting around Paris during the Olympics 2024
- 1. Visit up to 50 museums with 1 access pass
- 2. Get a bird’s eye view of the City of Love
- 3. Explore the Palais Garnier through an interactive tour game
- 4. Catch a cabaret show at Crazy Horse or Moulin Rouge
- 5. Score bargains from vintage secondhand shops
- 6. Enjoy dinner at a rustic Parisian restaurant
- 7. Watch a fashion show at Galeries Lafayette
- 8. Visit the Palace of Versailles
- 9. Watch a movie at an old arthouse cinema
- 10. Treat yourself to a wine & cheese tasting
- 11. Admire art for free in a 6-storey abandoned building
- Activities you can do in Paris with Klook
Getting around Paris during the Olympics 2024
Needless to say, it’s going to be packed, no matter where you go in Paris this summer. The Olympic Games 2024 will be running from now till 11th August, with the Closing Ceremony happening on 12th August. But you can expect crowds to stay on for another month or so.
During this time, several Metro and Tramway lines will be closed to cater to the Games; you can always rely on buses, which will remain fully operational during this time. You can check the Paris je T’aime website to see which lines will be affected.
1. Visit up to 50 museums with 1 access pass
The Louvre: it’s got more than just the Mona Lisa.
Paris might be known as the city of love but it’s just as deserving of the title “city of art”. Whether you’re there for 48 hours or a full week, no doubt that you’d be spending at least a hefty part of your trip strolling through art galleries – they’re filled with masterpieces by artists like Monet, van Gogh, and Matisse.
But all this museum-hopping will cost a pretty penny. Thankfully, you can get a Paris Museum Pass (from S$106.85), which gives you full access to 50 different museums over 2, 4, or 6 days.
There was no need to join the long queues at Saint-Chapelle – we could enter instantly by flashing our Pass.
It includes all the must-visits, like The Louvre, where the Mona Lisa is housed, and Musee d’Orsay and Musee de l’Orangerie, which have extensive collections of impressionist paintings by the likes of Van Gogh and Monet.
The 2-day pass is worth getting if there are only a handful of museums you intend on visiting, but you might want to consider the 6-day pass to take your time appreciating the diverse curations found across Parisian museums.
The pass also includes access to museums within the Parisienne region further away from the city centre like the National Archaeological Museum, which has more than 300,000 archaeological finds from as early as the Palaeolithic period up to the Middle Ages.
Book the Paris Museum Pass.
*Do note that some museums require pre-registration in advance. You make reservations via the Paris Museum Pass website.
2. Get a bird’s eye view of the City of Love
Image credit: Klook
Yes, the Eiffel Tower is an icon, but getting to the top of that landmark means you’re missing out on admiring its beauty against Paris’ skyline. Instead, what you want is to hit the top floor of the Montparnasse Tower Observation Deck. Here, you’ll get an uninterrupted panoramic view of Paris – with the Eiffel Tower of course.
Image credit: Observatoire tour Montparnasse via Google Maps
Pro-tip: The evening time slots to go up the observation deck sell out quick, but you can purchase an earlier slot and camp out while you wait for the sunset. The sun sets much later in summer – around 9.30pm – so make this your last stop of the day.
Book tickets to the Montparnasse Tower Observation Deck.
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3. Explore the Palais Garnier through an interactive tour game
Image credit: @unfamiliar.land via Instagram
You might not have heard of Palais Garnier but you most likely know which novel-turned-Broadway-hit it inspired: The Phantom of the Opera. This opera house spans a history of more than 160 years, having played home to the Paris Opera and Paris Ballet.
You can still catch opera and ballet performances regularly at Palais Garnier, or even tour the opera house’s grounds to discover its rich architecture and history. But if tours you’ve done aplenty and want to experience something novel, try the Arsene Lupin & The Secret of the Opera mystery game.
Image credit: Klook
In this interactive tour slash game, you’ll follow Arsene Lupin – France’s answer to Sherlock Holmes – as you try to solve a mystery about the Palais Garnier. The clues will bring you around iconic places like the Grand Foyer and the Main Staircase, as well as places often closed off to the public.
Book tickets to Arsene Lupin & The Secret of the Opera at Palais Garnier.
4. Catch a cabaret show at Crazy Horse or Moulin Rouge
Think French entertainment and the sexy teasing by cabaret dancers will come to mind, so you definitely won’t want to miss your chance catching such a show when you’re in Paris.
Image credit: @crazyhorseparis_official via Instagram
The 2 to visit are the Crazy Horse and Moulin Rouge. The first you might’ve heard of for its burlesque shows that bare all – tastefully – but the kids should sit out for this one. It occasionally invites guest performers to perform on stage too, like Dita Von Teese, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Violet Chachki, and Blackpink’s Lisa.
The Moulin Rouge dancers performed at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony.
Image credit: @moulinrougeofficiel via Instagram
For a more family-friendly show, bring the kids along to Moulin Rouge. The performances are less risque but still as entertaining, with its troupe of dancers that do the can-can and circus acts.
Reserve tickets for Crazy Horse and Moulin Rouge.
5. Score bargains from vintage secondhand shops
Of all countries you’re most likely to find vintage Chanel, LV, and Hermes, Paris should be your definite first choice – after all, they’ve got plenty of vintage secondhand shops. There’s a particular street we visited where every other store was crammed full of unique vintage trinkets: the area around Rue de la Verrerie.
While some of the stores stock up on ‘80s athleisure wear and others have a solid range of flare midi skirts, there’s a massive range of vintage shops to explore. Some of the payments are even made by weight – grab all you can and you’ll pay for however heavy your clothes are.
6. Enjoy dinner at a rustic Parisian restaurant
We might’ve been busy stuffing our faces with croissants and baguettes, but Paris isn’t just known for their freshly-baked pastries – they’ve got a few standout restaurants that dole out classic French fare. La Bonne Franquette, in the cobblestoned district of Montmartre, is one of them.
Though it’s quite an uphill walk to get to the restaurant, it’s scenic with winding paths and vantage points. But it’s all worth it once you’re there – being housed in a 16th-century townhouse with alfresco dining, this restaurant has a quaint charm to it.
Prices here are reasonable for classic French dishes such as Steak & Frites (€33), Escargot Basques (€19), and Mussels (€25) cooked in a white wine or creamy tomato sauce. You can’t leave France without tasting their quiches too. La Bonne Franquette serves a Quiche Du Jour (€15) that uses seasonal produce and a classic Quiche Lorraine (€16) that has bacon and cheese in the quiche.
7. Watch a fashion show at Galeries Lafayette
Image credit: Independent Travel Cats
Granted, we weren’t invited to Paris Fashion Week but we didn’t let that get us down: we made our own plans by booking Galeries Lafayette’s weekly fashion show. For those of us who have yet to sit front row at a fashion show – that’s most of us – this makes for one memorable experience.
Image credit: Independent Travel Cats
The only time you’ll get the full front row experience.
There’s a 30-minute catwalk when models will be parading down the runway to show off the store’s latest designs. For a budget fashion show, the styling, walk, and overall look was all on point. Plus, if you like what you see on the runway models, their full outfits will be up for sale after the show.
Book seats to the Galeries Lafayette fashion show.
8. Visit the Palace of Versailles
It might be one of the more touristy sites, but there’s a good reason why almost 10 million visitors flock to the Palace of Versailles yearly. Frankly speaking, it’s one of Paris’ most stunning – its grand Hall of Mirrors, sprawling gardens, and intricate architecture speak for itself.
Plenty of photo spots at the Palace of Versailles.
You can spend close to the entire day here, exploring the lavish rooms and opulent hallways. Be warned, as one of Paris’ top tourist attractions, it can get quite crowded. But, you can buy a skip-the-line pass (S$82.09) to beat the queues of people trying to get in. The ticket includes entry to the palace and its gardens and even comes with a guided tour of the palace.
Many tourists will underestimate just how palatial the Gardens of Versailles are, and covering them all on foot will easily clock more than 10k steps. Consider instead a private bicycle tour (S$238.79/pax) that’s led by one of the palace’s guides. Not only will you be able to cover more ground in a shorter span of time, you’ll also get access to private spots like King Louis XIV’s apartments.
Book admission tickets to the Palace of Versailles, skip-the-line pass, and private bicycle tour.
9. Watch a movie at an old arthouse cinema
Image credit: @kikopost via Instagram
Unlike our regular movie theatres in Singapore like Golden Villages and Shaw Cinemas, the cinemas in Paris have a touch of olden day flair. Their Cinema Du Pantheon is the city’s oldest arthouse theatre that’s been operating since 1907.
There’s also a lounge room that serves light meals and snacks.
Image credit: @quanigou via Instagram
You wouldn’t be watching Hollywood blockbusters in a place like this: instead, expect indie European films. They also often host meet-the-director nights and heavy discussion meet-ups on selected films. A movie ticket typically starts from €9.50.
While some films have English subtitles, it’s worth double-checking before purchase!
10. Treat yourself to a wine & cheese tasting
Leaving Paris without trying their wine or cheese is almost a serious crime. We could very well select a range of cheese from their supermarkets, but were at a loss because… well, there was just too many choices. Instead, we went for a Wine and Cheese Tasting in Paris.
Of all things to do in Paris, this struck us as one of the more memorable activities. It was held in a cosy wine bar, Le Vin Qui Parle – there was just one guy manning the entire store and he had to juggle various different duties, from describing our wines’ tasting notes to checking out others’ purchases.
He brought us to a map to explain all the different appellations in France.
But even with all that, he managed to dedicate a solid 3 hours or so explaining to us the different wines and the history behind it all.
There was also a good selection of cheese to pair with the wines – which went well with the Vendance Nocturne 2018, Cuvee Constance 2015, Anjou Village Bissac 2018, and Anjou 2018.
11. Admire art for free in a 6-storey abandoned building
While 59 Rivoli’s just another ordinary Parisian building from the outside – albeit with the same fancy French architecture – it’s completely different once you step in. It’s right along bustling shopping street Hausmann Boulevard, near Galeries Lafayette and the Louvre. It’s been an abandoned building for decades, but since 1999, it’s become a hotspot for roaming artists to set up their studios.
There’s plenty to explore spanning the 6 floors: the ground floor often holds exhibitions while the top floors work as art studios and galleries. At any given time, there are roughly 20 permanent artists hard at work.
Even the winding staircases are decked out with the creative work of local artists.
It’s a completely fun and free thing to do in Paris – and you can take your time to wander through.
Activities you can do in Paris with Klook
Paris is far from being the cheapest European city, but there’s still plenty to do on a practical budget, like exploring a 6-storey artist building and bargain shopping at vintage shops. And by booking through Klook, we had plenty of fun and free activities on our plate.
We also used options like the Go Paris Explorer Pass to go on hop-on hop-off Big Bus Tours, as well as score Louvre museum access and wine and cheese tastings.
And if you’re looking for a nearby day trip to another part of Europe – London’s just a quick 2-hour train ride away if you use Klook’s Eurostar Train Ticket between London and Paris. You can also easily visit any other European city by searching for train tickets here, where you can book point-to-point transport to countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.
Remember to rent their 4G WiFi Egg for Europe too since it lets you stay connected throughout the entire Eurozone!
Find out other fun things to do in Paris with Klook
This post was brought to you by Klook.
Photography by WenLin Tan.
Originally published on 13th November 2021. Last updated by Raewyn Koh on 1st August 2024.