Paris: Places and Resources

30 Oct, 2026

I have been visiting Paris for more than 50 years. Over time, I have accumulated a collection of places I have visited, places I would like to visit, and resources that have helped me explore the city.

This is not a comprehensive guide to Paris, nor is it a list of must-see attractions. It reflects my interests in photography, art, architecture, history, and the everyday life of the city.

I am sharing these notes in the hope that others who enjoy exploring Paris will find something useful. I expect to update the list as I discover new places and resources.

1. Visual Culture & Photography

Dedicated Institutions & Galleries

• Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) [4e] — Major contemporary and retrospective photography exhibitions in the Marais.
• Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson [3e] — Essential focused space for street, documentary, and humanist photography in the Marais.
• Jeu de Paume [1er] — Arts center at the edge of the Tuileries dedicated to photography and modern media.
• Le BAL [18e] — Independent documentary, visual culture, and photo-book space near Place de Clichy.
• Polka Galerie [3e] — Contemporary photojournalism and fine art gallery in the Marais.
• La Hune [6e] — Historic Saint-Germain institution, gallery, and specialized photography bookstore.

Annual Events & Prime Vantages

• Paris Photo [8e] — Premier international art fair held each November at the Grand Palais.
• Pont de Bir-Hakeim [15e/16e] — Two-level steel viaduct framing the Eiffel Tower; ideal for geometric architectural and early morning street photography.
• Pont Alexandre III [7e/8e] — Beaux-Arts bridge with gilded Fames, cherubs, and Art Nouveau lamps framing Les Invalides.

2. Museums & Architectural Sites

Major Art & Specialist Collections

• Bourse de Commerce (Pinault Collection) [1er] — Contemporary art rotunda redesigned by Tadao Ando.
• Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain [1er] — 2 Place du Palais-Royal; relocated into a Jean Nouvel-redesigned Haussmannian building facing the Louvre.
• Musée Carnavalet [3e] — Comprehensive history of Paris across two Renaissance mansions.
• Musée Picasso [3e] — Hôtel Salé; extensive permanent collection and rotating exhibitions.
• Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature [3e] — Eccentric, beautifully curated cabinet of curiosities and contemporary installations.
• Musée des Archives Nationales (Hôtel de Soubise) [3e] — Rococo interiors and national historical documents.
• Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme (mahJ) [3e] — France's primary collection of Jewish art, culture, and history.
• Musée de Cluny [5e] — National Museum of the Middle Ages, Gallo-Roman thermes, and The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.
• Musée de la Préfecture de Police [5e] — 400 years of Paris police history, crime archives, and artifacts.
• Musée Maillol [7e] — Aristide Maillol's modernist sculpture, drawings, and visiting exhibitions.
• Musée Jacquemart-André [8e] — High-society Second Empire private mansion and fine art collection.
• Petit Palais [8e] — City of Paris fine arts museum; belle-époque architecture, free permanent collection, and interior garden café.
• Musée Nissim de Camondo [8e] — 18th-century decorative arts preserved in an aristocratic townhouse by Parc Monceau.
• Musée de la Vie Romantique [9e] — Ary Scheffer's restored studio, George Sand memorabilia, and tranquil garden greenhouse.
• Musée Guimet [16e] — National Museum of Asian Arts.
• Musée Marmottan Monet [16e] — World's largest Monet collection, including Impression, Sunrise, in a quiet residential quarter.
• Musée National de la Marine [16e] — Maritime heritage inside the Palais de Chaillot at Trocadéro.
• Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine [16e] — Full-scale architectural casts, medieval portals, and modern urban design.
• Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris (MAM) [16e] — Municipal modern art collection at the Palais de Tokyo complex.
• La Galerie Dior [8e] — Narrative couture scenography at 30 Avenue Montaigne.
• Fondation Louis Vuitton [16e] — Frank Gehry-designed contemporary art pavilion in the Bois de Boulogne.
• Musée départemental Albert-Kahn [Boulogne-Billancourt] — World photography archives (Les Archives de la Planète) and four world gardens.

(Note: Centre Pompidou remains closed for major renovation through 2030).

Artist Studios & Historic Residences

• Musée national Eugène-Delacroix [6e] — Delacroix's final apartment and studio tucked into Place Furstenberg.
• Musée Zadkine [6e] — Russian sculptor Ossip Zadkine's light-filled studio and garden near Jardin du Luxembourg.
• Maison de Balzac [16e] — Balzac's residence on the hillside of Rue Raynouard overlooking Passy.
• Musée Bourdelle [15e] — Antoine Bourdelle's monumental plaster sculptures, brick studio, and bronze gardens.
• Maison Gainsbourg [7e] — Serge Gainsbourg’s preserved home on Rue de Verneuil.

Architectural Interiors

• Société Générale (Agence Centrale) [9e] — 29 Boulevard Haussmann. Step inside the retail bank branch during weekday hours to view the monumental 1912 stained-glass dome and wrought-iron balconies.

3. Memorials & Sacred Architecture

Memorials & History

• Mémorial de la Shoah [4e] — Holocaust memorial, documentation center, and Wall of Names in the Marais.
• Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation [4e] — Sunken concrete crypt at the eastern tip of Île de la Cité honoring the 200,000 deportees from France.
• Musée de la Libération de Paris – Général Leclerc – Jean Moulin [14e] — Paris underground history at Place Denfert-Rochereau, including Colonel Rol-Tanguy's underground command bunker.
• Mémorial de la Shoah – Drancy [Drancy] — Memorial museum at the former Cité de la Muette transit camp outside the city.

Churches & Historic Monuments

• Sainte-Chapelle [1er] — Rayonnant Gothic chapel famous for its 13th-century stained glass walls.
• Église Saint-Sulpice [6e] — Monumental Left Bank parish church featuring Delacroix frescoes and the astronomical gnomon.
• Basilique Cathédrale de Saint-Denis [Saint-Denis] — Birthplace of Gothic architecture and royal necropolis of French monarchs.
• The American Church in Paris [7e] — Quai d'Orsay; first American church established outside the United States.
• Hôtel des Invalides [7e] — Dôme des Invalides (Tomb of Napoleon) and Musée de l'Armée.
• Le Panthéon [5e] — Neoclassical crypt honoring Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie Curie, and Simone Veil.
• Hôtel de la Marine [8e] — 18th-century royal garde-meuble apartments overlooking Place de la Concorde.
• Arc de Triomphe [8e] & Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel [1er].

4. Libraries, Print Culture & Historic Theaters

• Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF Richelieu) [2e] — Restored historic site featuring the Salle Ovale reading room and museum.
• Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève [5e] — Henri Labrouste's cast-iron barrel-vaulted masterpiece opposite the Panthéon.
• Bibliothèque Mazarine [6e] — France's oldest public library, situated within the Institut de France.
• Institut de France [6e] — Seat of the Académie Française facing Pont des Arts.
• Librairie Galignani [1er] — Historic Anglo-American bookstore established on Rue de Rivoli in 1801.
• The Abbey Bookshop [5e] — Packed, atmospheric English-language bookshop on Rue de la Parcheminerie.
• La Comédie-Française [1er] — Historic Salle Richelieu theatre at Place Colette.

5. Urban Walks, Passages & Parks

Covered Passages (Passages Couverts)

• Galerie Vivienne [2e] — Elegant mosaic floors, canopy, and bookstalls.
• Passage des Panoramas [2e] — Paris's first covered passage (1799); bustling food stalls and stamp dealers.
• Passage Jouffroy & Passage Verdeau [9e] — Continuation north with antique print shops, camera dealers, and wooden paneling.
• Passage du Grand-Cerf [2e] — High glass ceilings and artisanal craft ateliers.

Neighborhood Walks & Street Life

• Coulée Verte René-Dumont [12e] — Elevated 4.5 km linear park along a retired viaduct from Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes.
• Canal Saint-Martin [10e] — Iron footbridges, working locks, and waterside cafés.
• Butte-aux-Cailles [13e] — Quiet hilltop village enclave with cobblestone alleys and street art.
• Boulevard Paris 13 [13e] — Open-air urban museum of massive wall murals by international street artists.
• Tunnel des Tuileries [1er] — Former riverside highway underpass repurposed into a long-form street art gallery.
• Rue des Martyrs [9e] — High-energy food and market street running uphill toward Montmartre.
• Rue Mouffetard & Place de la Contrescarpe [5e] — Classic Left Bank street life, market stalls, and student cafés.
• Place Édouard-VII [9e] — Enclosed pedestrian square with neoclassical facades between Opéra and Boulevard des Capucines.

Historic Cemeteries & Gardens

• Cimetière de Passy [16e] — Small, elevated cemetery near Trocadéro (burial place of Manet and Debussy).
• Cimetière du Montparnasse [14e] — Left Bank resting place of Baudelaire, Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Beckett.
• Cimetière du Père-Lachaise [20e] — Paris's quintessential Romantic garden cemetery.
• Parc des Buttes-Chaumont [19e] — Dramatic cliffside park with suspension bridge and Temple de la Sibylle.
• Parc de Bagatelle [16e] — Botanical rosarium and landscape park in the Bois de Boulogne.
• Domaine National de Saint-Cloud [Hauts-de-Seine] — Expansive Le Nôtre parklands overlooking the Parisian skyline.

6. Markets (Covered & Open-Air)

• Marché des Enfants Rouges [3e] — Rue de Bretagne; oldest covered food market in Paris (est. 1615), excellent for prepared international lunches.
• Marché d'Aligre & Marché Beauvau [12e] — Daily vibrant neighborhood market combining open produce, flea stalls, and covered butchers/cheesemongers.
• Marché Grenelle [15e] — Boulevard de Grenelle under the elevated Line 6 viaduct (Wed & Sun mornings); dramatic framing of the viaduct steelwork.
• Marché Bastille [11e] — Extensive food and craft market along Boulevard Richard-Lenoir (Thurs & Sun mornings).
• Marché Saint-Quentin [10e] — Large 19th-century covered market hall near Gare de l'Est.

7. Dining & Specialty Boutiques

Restaurants & Dining Notes

• Le Dôme Montparnasse [14e] — 108 Boulevard du Montparnasse | 01 43 35 25 81 (ledomemontparnasse@gmail.com). Classic Art Deco seafood brasserie. This is the best restaurant I have ever eaten in.
• Restaurant 7 Nouilles [7e] — 34 Rue de l'Exposition. Hand-pulled Chinese noodles near the Eiffel Tower.
• Le Zinc d'Honoré [1er] — Classic neighborhood Parisian bistro.

Specialty Boutiques

• Serge Lutens [1er] — Palais-Royal; iconic salon specializing in haute perfumery.

Food & Dining Reference Guides

• David Lebovitz — Authoritative Paris culinary recommendations and pastry guides.
• Paris by Mouth — Curated neighborhood restaurant, wine bar, and bakery directories.

8. Guided Walks, Classes & Performances

• Des Mots et Des Arts — Thematic architecture, neighborhood, and art history walking tours conducted in French.
• 1533 Historic Paris Walks — In-depth WWII, Occupation, and Franco-American historical tours.
• Paris Walks — Neighborhood walking tours conducted in English.
• Le Cordon Bleu Paris [15e] — Practical culinary discovery workshops, bread baking, and demonstration classes.
• Sarah Donnelly Comedy — English-language stand-up comedy performances in Paris.

9. Reading, Podcasts & City Research

Books & Long-Form Essays

• The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs — Elaine Sciolino
• The Seine: The River That Made Paris — Elaine Sciolino
• The Streets of Paris — Susan Cahill
• 111 Museums in Paris That You Shouldn't Miss — Anne Carminati & James Wesolowski
• "Admiring the Trees of Paris" — The New York Times

Curated News & Cultural Dispatch Blogs

• Paris Diary by Laure — Cultivated weekly reviews of exhibitions and events across Paris.
• Guide to Paris by Vito L. Tanzi — Curated city guide by a photographer.
• Evous — Local neighborhood administrative, practical, and cultural updates.
• Paris Update — Weekly cultural and restaurant reviews.
• C'est la Grève — Real-time tracking of French public transit and service strikes.
• Paris Unlocked | Paris Gone By | Bonjour Paris | Paris with Scott | Les Frenchies | Matt Barrett's Guide to Paris

Podcasts & Visual Guides

• The Earful Tower — Long-running podcast interviewing Parisian authors, historians, and locals.
• Join Us in France — Comprehensive trip-planning and cultural podcast.
• The New Paris Podcast — Contemporary food, design, and culture with Lindsey Tramuta.
• 20 Best Day Trips From Paris by Train

Last Updated: October 30, 2026

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