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Oh, Paris. Home to all of your romantic dreams, the City of Lights is a must for anyone with travel aspirations. Choosing only five ‘must-dos’ in a city that’s brimming with history, culture, fashion, gastronomy, and architectural and outdoors-y beauty is almost a faux pas.
Please treat this list on things to see in Paris not as exhaustive, but as a starting point for your adventure. What’s sure is that the outfits mentioned here will cover the bases for whichever magical corner of Paris you might find yourself in.
5 Things to See in Paris PLUS Outfits
Written by: Claire Gros
There are so many amazing things to see in Paris and we’re sharing our personal top five! Find out what they are and what to wear for each activity!
1. Visit the Classic Sights by Bike
Many of Paris’ most famous attractions lie along the Seine river, and instead of exhausting yourself by foot, opt for a visit by bike with Vélib’, the public bike sharing system. There are docks available about every 300 meters, so you can hop on and off wherever you please. Wearing a skirt is totally doable, but make sure it hits you around the knee to avoid any gust-of-wind catastrophes while cycling between the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.
Read this post to find the best shoes to wear to Paris!
2. Picnic on the Canal
Which canal you ask? You choose! The banks of both Canal-St-Martin and Canal de l’Ourcq are overflowing with the trendy set. Pick up a baguette, Camembert (delicious stinky cheese), some saucisson, and a bottle of wine, and bring along a blanket for the most hip Parisian meal out. Nights by the water can get chilly quickly, so wear pants and bring a cover up.
Try to place your blanket near a young man with a guitar so you can be serenated all night long. This is one of those things to see in Paris you do not want to miss!
3. An Afternoon in Le Marais
With a rich history, Le Marais is one of the most eclectic and vibrant areas of Paris – you can easily spend an entire afternoon wandering its winding cobblestoned streets.
Get a café at the historic Place des Vosges, catch a modern art exhibit at Centre Pompidou, and get lost shopping in the spider web of streets between rue des Francs Bourgeois and rue Vieille du Temple. You’ll be darting between hipsters and art galleries, so don’t be afraid to be bold with your outfit – why not a jumpsuit you can get in and out of easily as you try on vintage masterpieces.
Learn about walking on cobblestone streets here.
4. Dance on a Boat
You’ll see the Bateaux Mouches floating along the Seine and think to yourself ‘gah, boats are cool, but being stuck on that ship surrounded by fanny packs and a recorded charm-less commentary on Paris does not sound fun.’ Well, you’re absolutely right. The best way to experience a boat in Paris is by night and in heels.
Put on a fun crop-top/skirt combo that you can move in, head over to Le Batofar or La Dame de Canton, and dance the night away to underground music.
5. Get Dust on Your Shoes at a Park
Paris has many green spaces, whether impeccably manicured like the Jardin du Luxembourg or a bit more laissez-faire like Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. Their common denominators are their beauty, of course, and their gravel pathways that often cover your shoes with a thin layer of dust. Wear closed-toed fashion sneakers paired with shorts and a flowy top to take advantage of the breeze.
Take a look at our favorite fashion sneakers and espadrilles of the season!
6. Go Shopping
Our bonus suggestion for visiting Paris is a shopping trip of a lifetime. You can have your own DIY shopping tour of the city or book an official tour with the pros at Chloe Johnston.
This traveler’s dreamland speaks of a quaint, romantic luxury that brings back the nostalgic, classic inspiration from the vintage days. Paris is known for its beauty, rich culture and luxurious lifestyle; vacationing in this city is synonymous to soaking up with all the good things in life.
This is a European haven for any traveling shopper, as its streets are flooded with extravagant designer brands.
Luxury shopping destinations usually starts on the Rue de Bac and Boulevard Raspail, where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery merged with fancy items displayed on many store windows. Boulevard Saint Germaine offers a mix of unique fashion and luxury shopping, as well as a handful of bookshops.
Rue de Rennes houses curious stores like Plastiques and Genevieve Lethu for home ideas, and Bon Marche’s Le Grand Epicerie is a perfect place for opulent gourmet items.
Just beneath Louvre Museum’s Glass Pyramid is the Carrousel du Louvre, a perfect shopping center for high quality items. This spot earned its audience for its local Apple flagship store, as well as popular shops such as Swarovski, Sephora, Esprit and Lalique.
Le Marais is one of the best shopping areas in Paris. Read our Paris shopping guide for more tips!
One of the best things to remember when you’re planning your itinerary is to try to leave yourself time to just explore the city. There are so many amazing things to see in Paris but some of the most memorable can be simply taking in your surroundings and imagining what it’s like to be Parisian for the day!
What are your favorite things to see in Paris? Share your outfit ideas in the comments below!
For more Paris packing tips, please read:
- What to Wear to Paris: 5 Simple Dos and Don’ts
- What to Wear in Paris in the Summer: Clothing, Shoes, and Travel Tips!
- Ten Step Packing Guide for Paris
- The Ultimate Paris Packing List for Women
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Hope you liked this post on our five favorite things to see in Paris and what to wear for each. Please share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
Author Bio: After three exciting years in New York, Claire Gros left the big city in pursuit of the alluring unfamiliar. She now finds inspiration in the traveling summer solstice and the affordable flights that keep the sun in her sky. Follow her journey on instagram: clurrgros.
We are visiting Paris for 3 days (late September) then going to Spain for 7. Trying to pack smart. Any tips?
Hi Laura, to help get you started check out these destination guides:
✈ Paris: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/what-to-wear-in-paris-packing-list-and-capsule-wardrobe-ideas/
✈ Spain: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/what-to-pack-for-spain-vacations-a-seasonal-guide/
Start with 10 items focusing on the absolute essentials – the core – and then decide if you need additional items or if you could do with less. If you carefully select your travel clothing choices and, for example, pack 6 tops and 4 bottoms, you’d have 24 ensembles on rotation. That’s 3 weeks’ worth of travel outfits with just 10 pieces of clothing.
Take a look at TFG’s Four Signature Packing Lists for more ideas for a capsule wardrobe and how many clothing items you could pack – then depending on your preferences, you can choose more bottoms, fewer dresses, more tops – you can adjust the combination based on your needs: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/functional-and-fashion-packing-list/
And if you’re looking for the ultimate packing list, we’ve rounded up all the things you may (or may not) need to bring on your trip carefully organized by category right here: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/packing-list/
Have a brilliant time!
This is so helpful! Thank you!
I plan to go to Paris the first week of March. I anticipate that it will be very cold, and I want to keep warm…but fashionable. I may end up going to some upscale events. Any suggestions? I love your ideas of five things to do…perhaps you can recommend how to adjust the wardrobe to winter? Thanks so much…I LOVE your posts!
Hi Terri, have a look at this 10 step guide to packing for Paris: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/10-step-packing-guide-for-paris/ It is a good place to start planning what to pack for your trip and has tips on what to pack for the winter weather. Have an incredible trip!!
Hey I’m going last week I feb . I bought some light down jackets in the sale from uniglo . I already had a max mara cube jacket which is hip length with a hood . I’m planning to wear a longer length uniglo one on top if it’s cold . I find when your out early it’s cold and can warm up by mid day . I also bought a cashmere hat and gloves . Thermal leggings and some base layers . Hope this helps.
I will be visiting paris the first week of September as a single person but on an escorted tour
What to wear
Hi Vashtee, thank you for your comment! Take a look at these articles on Paris: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/what-to-wear-in-paris-packing-list-and-capsule-wardrobe-ideas/ https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/10-step-packing-guide-for-paris/ They may be a good place to start planning your packing. Have a fantastic time during your trip to Paris! 🙂
I loved this idea of recommending 5 things to do in Paris, plus what to wear on each occasion. Perfect for my next trip there in September!
Thanks Sue ?
Love, love all of this! I am a teacher of French who cannot get enough of these posts!
Wonderful! Thanks for reading Pauline! Glad we could help!
Thanks for mentioning sites to see beyond the typical tourist sites. While the Louvre and Eiffel Tower are all important to experience, it’s great to have a guide mentioning local parks and walks along the canal.
I LOOOOVE a leisurely walk by the canal pretending that I live there…swoonworthy!
Hi from a very cold Cape Town , South Africa
Just to let you know, There is no link to these – just a square requiring a log on and password 🙁
•What to Wear to Paris: 5 Simple Dos and Don’ts
•What to Wear in Paris in the Summer: Clothing, Shoes, and Travel Tips!
Please could this possibly be fixed. I am trying to assist cousins who are traveling next year, spring season , to Europe on “How to Pack light” – and it is a mission – they just don’t see the benefits at present – The site is a joy to use to win them over to a new ” carry-on ” life free of that carousel wait 🙂 I try to pass on the tips very time it is relevant to their travel…. They are hoping to squeeze in Paris in April .
Thank you for the best travel information site ever. We South Africans need all the help in learning just how to travel light – for us its a “just in case we need it ” habit that needs to be stopped
Best wishes for lots more great posts
Trish
Hi Trish! Thanks for letting me know about the broken links. I’ll fix them today! In the mean time, these articles should help you in your quest to pack light for Europe and Paris:
https://travelfashiongirl.com/10-step-packing-guides/10-step-packing-guide-europe/
https://travelfashiongirl.com/10-step-packing-guides/10-step-packing-guide-for-paris/
I love SA and hope to go there at the end of this year 🙂 Hope these tips help you and your cousins too. Have an awesome trip!