Planning · Updated October 2026
For most travelers, yes, and more so in 2026 than a few years ago: Notre-Dame is open again and free, the Grand Palais is back, and the Seine has swimmers in summer. It is also more expensive than it was. Here is the honest picture, with the numbers.
Updated October 20, 2026 · Prices checked October 20, 2026 · Tour prices refresh daily
Photo: Léonard Cotte / Unsplash
Nearly 50 million people visited the Paris region in 2025, and more than 23 million of them came from abroad, the United States first among them with 2.8 million. They do not all come back disappointed. The city delivers on what it promises: some of the world’s great museums, monuments that look better in person than in photos, and streets that reward simply walking them.
It is not for everyone, though. Paris is expensive and crowded in season, the weather is changeable, and the city has had a turbulent October. This page gives you the facts to decide: what a trip costs, when to go, what is free, what changed in the last two years, and what the safety advisories say today.
N° 01Short on time
1erSmall groupBest first evening
Boutique Bike Tours
A small-group bike ride past the monuments as the lights come on, finishing with a Seine cruise. It is the quickest way to see why people fall for the city.
Free cancellation
From$72.95
per person
2eSmall groupBest museum tour
Babylon Tours Paris
Six guests at most and the highest rating of any Louvre tour we compared. A guide turns the world’s most visited museum from an ordeal into a highlight.
Free cancellation
From$72.09
per person
3eBy trainBest day trip
Memories France
Versailles by train with a guide and skip-the-line entry, over 1,000 reviews. The palace alone is reason enough to add a day to a Paris trip.
Free cancellation
From$100.59
per person
We may earn a commission when you book through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It never decides our picks. Tour prices are Viator’s US-dollar from-prices, refreshed with ratings every day; they change by date, and Viator may show your local currency. How we make money.
N° 02En bref
Paris is worth it if you care about art, architecture, food or history, if you like cities you can explore on foot, and if you are willing to book the big sights ahead. Few cities pack so much into such a small area: the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower and the Musée d’Orsay are all within an hour’s walk of each other, and Versailles is a €2.55 train ride away.
It may disappoint you if you want guaranteed sun, a cheap city break, or a trip without queues. Hotels averaged €239 a night in the city in 2025, the top sights need timed tickets, and in June, when hotel occupancy reached 89% in 2026, you will share everything with a crowd.
The gap between a good and a disappointing trip is mostly planning: going in the right month, booking timed entries, and spending money where it buys something real, such as a small-group guide inside the Louvre, rather than on queue-jumping you do not need.
N° 03Les prix
Official adult prices, checked October 19–20, 2026. The big sights are cheaper than many visitors expect; hotels are where the money goes.
| Item | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eiffel Tower, lift to the summit | €36.70 | Ages 25+; €18.40 for ages 12–24. Stairs to the 2nd floor plus lift to the top: €28 |
| Louvre | €32 | €22 for EEA residents; under-18s of any nationality go free |
| Versailles Passport ticket | €25–€35 | Low season / high season; €3 less for EEA residents |
| Catacombs | €31 | €15 for ages 8–17; under-8s free |
| Notre-Dame Cathedral | Free | Time-slot booking recommended; the treasury is €12 |
| Métro-Train-RER ticket | €2.55 | Valid to Dec 31, 2026; not valid at airport stations |
| Paris Museum Pass | From €85 | 2 days; 4 days €105, 6 days €125. Temporary exhibitions not included |
| Tourist tax, per adult per night | €2.60–€15.93 | Rises with hotel class: 3-star €5.53, 4-star €8.45, palace €15.93 |
| Average hotel room, Paris | €239 | Full-year 2025 average; expect more in June and at Christmas |
The tourist tax rose steeply on January 1, 2026 and is added to your hotel bill; under-18s are exempt. Museum Pass prices are from the official site; some resellers charge more. The hotel average comes from In Extenso’s 2025 figures for the city of Paris.
N° 04Gratuit
A Paris trip does not have to be expensive. These are the free options in force in 2026.
01
Entry is free. Booking a time slot on the official site is recommended but not required, and anyone selling you a “ticket” is selling something you can get for nothing.
02
The permanent collections are free at the Petit Palais, Musée Carnavalet, the Musée d’Art moderne de Paris, the Maison de Victor Hugo on Place des Vosges, the Musée de la Vie romantique (reopened February 2026) and six more. Temporary exhibitions are paid.
03
The Musée d’Orsay and the Orangerie are free on the first Sunday of every month, with a time slot booked online. The Musée Picasso is free that day without booking. The Musée Rodin is free on first Sundays from October to March only, and national monuments such as the Panthéon and Sainte-Chapelle from November to March.
04
Children and teenagers under 18 get into national museums such as the Louvre for free, whatever their nationality. The free entry for ages 18 to 25 applies only to residents of the EU or EEA, so it does not cover most American, British or Canadian students.
05
The Louvre has no free Sunday, but it is free on the first Friday of the month after 6pm (not in July and August, booking required), and on July 14.
06
Since 2025 you can swim in the Seine at three free sites in July and August. The 2026 season drew 216,000 swimmers; the sites reopen in summer 2027.
N° 05La météo
Paris has mild summers and damp, gray winters. Rain is spread across the year rather than concentrated in a wet season.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.6°C / 46°F | 3.2°C / 38°F | 9.9 |
| February | 8.8°C / 48°F | 3.3°C / 38°F | 9.1 |
| March | 12.8°C / 55°F | 5.6°C / 42°F | 9.5 |
| April | 16.6°C / 62°F | 7.9°C / 46°F | 8.6 |
| May | 20.2°C / 68°F | 11.1°C / 52°F | 9.2 |
| June | 23.4°C / 74°F | 14.2°C / 58°F | 8.3 |
| July | 25.7°C / 78°F | 16.2°C / 61°F | 7.4 |
| August | 25.6°C / 78°F | 16.0°C / 61°F | 8.1 |
| September | 21.5°C / 71°F | 13.0°C / 55°F | 7.5 |
| October | 16.5°C / 62°F | 9.9°C / 50°F | 9.5 |
| November | 11.1°C / 52°F | 6.2°C / 43°F | 10.4 |
| December | 8.0°C / 46°F | 3.8°C / 39°F | 11.4 |
Rain days are days with at least 1 mm of rain. Paris averages 14 days a year above 30°C (86°F), almost all in June, July and August. Measured at Paris-Montsouris. Source: Météo-France climate sheet, Paris-Montsouris.
N° 06Les saisons
The Paris tourist office calls spring (April to June) and autumn (September and October) the ideal seasons, with moderate crowds and temperatures of 15–22°C, and without the summer heat and peak-season prices. We agree, with one caveat: June is the busiest month for hotels, and occupancy hit 89% in June 2026. May, September and early October are the sweet spot.
January to March is the off-season: cold and gray, but the cheapest and quietest time for museums, and Versailles drops to its €25 low-season price. December is its own case, with the lights and markets; see our guides to Paris in December and the Christmas markets.
French school holidays fill the museums with families. For 2026–27 in Paris they run:
The Louvre requires every visitor to book during school holidays and in July and August, which tells you when its crowds are worst. Read our guide to Louvre tours for the ways around them.
N° 07Sécurité
As of October 20, 2026, the U.S. State Department rates France at Level 2, “Exercise Increased Caution”, because of terrorism and unrest. That is the second of four levels: a reason to stay alert, not a warning against travel. The UK Foreign Office advises against travel to no part of France.
This month is unsettled. Protests on October 17 turned violent, and the U.S. Embassy’s alert of October 19 says media report partial curfews in several French cities, with more possible in parts of Paris. The UK says local curfews may be introduced at short notice. If you are traveling in the coming weeks:
Day to day, the main risk is theft. Pickpockets work the Métro, the RER and the mainline stations, often in groups where one person distracts you. The UK flags RER B (the line to the airports and Gare du Nord) and RER D for serious assaults. Keep valuables in separate pockets, keep your phone out of reach on the train, and stay alert at the big sights and at ATMs. Strikes are also frequent, so build some slack into train days.
Advisories change quickly. Check the latest from your own government before you travel.
N° 08Nouveautés
Older guides miss these, and some of them change what is worth your time.
01
The cathedral reopened in December 2024 and drew more than 11 million visitors in its first year. Entry is free, and the towers reopened in September 2025.
02
The Beaubourg building closed at the end of September 2025 for works that began in April 2026. Its shows continue at partner venues, including the Grand Palais. Any guide that lists it as a sight is out of date.
03
Fully reopened in June 2025 after renovation. “Cezanne and Us” runs there from September 23, 2026 to January 17, 2027.
04
The Louvre’s non-EEA ticket rose to €32 on January 14, 2026, and Versailles now charges EEA residents €3 less than everyone else. The Louvre’s Apollo Gallery reopened in July 2026, without the jewels stolen in October 2025. See our Eiffel Tower ticket guide for what the tower costs.
05
The EU’s Entry/Exit System has been fully running since April 10, 2026: visitors from the U.S., the UK and other non-EU countries have fingerprints and a photo taken at the border, with nothing to apply for in advance. The ETIAS travel authorization is not required yet and has no start date.
06
For the first time since 1923, the river opened to swimmers in July 2025, at free sites with lifeguards. It is summer only: July and August.
N° 09À réserver
If you only book a few things, book the ones that are hard to do well alone: a guide inside a huge museum, a day trip, the Catacombs’ closed areas. Prices shown are the lowest listed option.
| Tour | Format | Length | Reviews | From | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Lights Evening Bike Tour + Seine CruiseBoutique Bike ToursActive travelers who want night views by bike and boat Free cancellation | Mixed · small group | 5 hours | 4.92191 reviews | $72.95 | Check |
| Louvre Semi-Private Tour, 6 Guests MaxBabylon Tours ParisValue-minded travelers who want a near-private feel without the private price Free cancellation | Walking · small group | 2.5 hours | 4.984,320 reviews | $72.09 | Check |
| Versailles Palace & Gardens by Train, GuidedMemories FranceTravelers who want an all-tickets-included guided visit by public train Free cancellation | Train · group | 3 hours + train | 4.721,082 reviews | $100.59 | Check |
| Catacombs Small Group with Restricted Access (7 max)Memories FranceTravelers wanting restricted rooms with a small group at a slightly lower price Free cancellation | Walking · small group | 2 hours | 4.87322 reviews | $217.31 | Check |
| Eiffel Tower Guided Tour with Summit by ElevatorParis Diva ToursTravelers who want the summit guaranteed in the base price Free cancellation | Walking · small group | 1–2 hours | 4.581,150 reviews | $101.85 | Check |
N° 10Nos conseils
Book the timed tickets first. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower summit, the Catacombs and Versailles all sell timed entries, and the good slots go first. Our guides to Eiffel Tower summit tickets, the Catacombs and Versailles explain which ticket to buy.
Pay for guides where they add something. A small-group guide makes the Louvre and the Catacombs far better. For the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame, a ticket or a free time slot is all you need.
Leave Paris for a day. Versailles, Giverny, Champagne and even Bruges are day trips, many by train. Our day trips hub compares them.
See it from the river at night. An evening cruise is the easiest way to see the monuments lit up; our Seine cruise guide compares the boats.
Stay central. In a city this walkable, a smaller room in Le Marais or Saint-Germain beats a bigger one an hour out.
N° 11Good to know
For most travelers, yes. Notre-Dame has reopened and is free, the Grand Palais is back, and the great museums and monuments are as good as ever. The downsides are cost (hotels averaged €239 a night in 2025, and the tourist tax rose in January 2026), crowds in June and the summer, and a turbulent October 2026. Go in May, September or early October and book the big sights ahead.
As of October 20, 2026, the U.S. rates France at Level 2, “Exercise Increased Caution”, and the UK advises against travel to no part of France. After violent protests on October 17, media report curfews in several French cities, with more possible in parts of Paris. Avoid demonstrations, check Métro closures and your flights, and follow local authorities. Pickpocketing is the everyday risk, especially on the Métro and RER.
May, September and early October: mild weather (highs of 16–22°C, 62–71°F) and fewer crowds than June to August. June is the busiest month for hotels. January to March is the cheapest and quietest, but cold and gray.
Hotels are the big cost: the average room in the city was €239 a night in 2025, plus a tourist tax of €2.60 to €15.93 per adult per night depending on the hotel class. The sights are cheaper than many expect: a Métro ticket is €2.55, the Louvre €32, the Eiffel Tower summit €36.70, and Notre-Dame and eleven city museums are free.
No visa for short stays, and the ETIAS authorization is not required yet: it has no start date. Since April 10, 2026, the EU’s Entry/Exit System records your fingerprints and photo at the border, but there is nothing to apply for in advance.
No. The building closed at the end of September 2025 for renovation and is due to reopen in 2030. Its exhibitions continue at partner venues in Paris, including the Grand Palais.
It starts at €85 for two days, with no child or student rate, and does not cover temporary exhibitions, the Eiffel Tower or transport. It pays off if you will visit several paid museums in a short time. If you are under 18, you get into national museums like the Louvre free, so skip it.
N° 12Booking.com
Search live prices for the areas that make this trip easiest.
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