Paris city guide
Things to do in Paris beyond a checklist
For a flexible Paris activity without a scheduled group, take a self-guided audio walk through one museum, monument, or neighborhood. Routes combines curated walks with GPS-aware narration, so you can learn about what is around you while keeping your own pace.
Reviewed by the Routes editorial team · Updated October 22, 2026
Choose depth over distance
Paris rewards visitors who spend time in one place instead of crossing the city to collect landmarks. Pick a walk around the art, history, or neighborhood you care about most, then leave room to stop when a café, garden, or side street catches your attention.
If you have one hour
Choose one compact landmark or museum highlights walk and avoid spending most of your time in transit.
If you dislike group tours
Use a self-guided tour when you want expert context but need the freedom to pause, skip, or change plans.
If you want a human guide
Book a live guide instead when conversation, personal assistance, or a fully customized route matters most.
Self-guided Paris experiences
These Routes tours are available on iPhone and can be started on your schedule. Each page lists its duration, creator, route stops, preview audio, and traveler reviews.
Artists, Rebels, and Dreamers in Montmartre
Discover Montmartre with Madame Tartempion, an American who’s called Paris home for over a decade and knows its stories inside out. She guides you through staircases, hidden vineyards, historic cabarets, and corners once frequented by Van Gogh, Picasso, and Toulouse-Lautrec. You’ll learn how gypsum built Paris, how revolutions left their traces here, and how this hill became a gathering place for artists and dreamers. Walk the same streets where creativity thrived and experience Montmartre as a neighborhood shaped by art, history, and resilience.
50 minutes · By Madame Tartempion
Where Artists Starved — But You Won’t: Montmartre for Food Lovers
Get a taste of Montmartre on this Paris food tour. You’ll wander cobbled streets and hidden corners while stopping at artisanal bakeries, historic chocolate shops, bustling markets, and neighborhood bistros. Taste meringues as light as clouds, award-winning breads, creamy cheeses, and elegant macarons from masters of the craft. Along the way, you’ll learn how locals shop, eat, and celebrate tradition in this village-like district. Perfect for curious travelers, food lovers, and anyone hungry for authentic Paris, this walk leaves you with both delicious bites and a deeper sense of Montmartre’s unique food culture.
31 minutes · By Ben Clarke
The Artists of Montmartre: From Renoir to Van Gogh to Picasso
Step into Montmartre with Madame Tartempion, an American who’s called Paris home for over a decade and knows its artistic soul inside out. This tour invites curious travelers, art lovers, and culture seekers to explore the neighborhood that shaped icons like Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, and Picasso. You’ll trace the rise of cabaret at the Moulin Rouge, wander streets once lined with windmills, and uncover the studios where modern art was born. Along the way, you’ll gain a deeper connection to Montmartre’s bohemian spirit—where creativity, resilience, and reinvention have thrived for centuries.
50 minutes · By Madame Tartempion
The Saucy Side of Pigalle
Join local expert Lily Heise for a stroll through South Pigalle, the Paris neighborhood once famed for courtesans, cabarets, and creative rebels. On this walk you’ll trace its evolution from the Romantic salons of Delacroix and Chopin to its Belle Époque pleasure houses and today’s vibrant cocktail bars and boutique hotels. You’ll pass secret squares, provocative landmarks, and insider addresses where past and present mingle. This tour is for curious travelers, history lovers, and anyone intrigued by Paris’s sultry side. You’ll leave with a fresh lens on how pleasure, art, and nightlife shaped this unforgettable district.
41 minutes · By Lily Heise
Napoleon’s Arc and the Flame of Memory
Explore the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées on a tour that brings Paris’s history into focus. Perfect for travelers, students, and anyone curious about France, this walk reveals Napoleon’s ambitions, revolutionary parades, and the rituals that keep memory alive today. You’ll study battle scenes carved into stone, pause at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and see how ceremonies transform the arch into a place of unity and remembrance. This is a chance to connect with the layers of Paris that continue to shape the city’s story.
22 minutes · By Oliver Hartley
The Birth of Fashion
Step into the world of Parisian fashion, from the earliest department stores to the rise of iconic designers. This tour leads you through Galeries Lafayette and the surrounding streets where couture, jewelry, and luxury brands transformed how people dressed, shopped, and dreamed. You’ll learn how innovations like price tags and fashion shows redefined style, and discover landmarks tied to Coco Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dior. Perfect for fashion lovers, curious travelers, and history enthusiasts alike, this walk reveals how Paris became the center of global fashion culture.
44 minutes · By Camille Fournier
Canal-Side Invader Hunt with Jay Swanson
American vlogger Jay Swanson, who’s called Paris home since 2017, guides you on an interactive hunt for Space Invader mosaics around Canal Saint-Martin. Perfect for locals, first-time visitors, and curious gamers, this walk blends street art, urban history, and playful exploration. You’ll track down hidden pixelated characters, learn how Invader turned Paris into a city-wide treasure hunt, and discover cafés, canalside bridges, and local hangouts along the way. With Jay’s insider perspective and engaging stories, you’ll gain fresh insight into Parisian culture and see the city’s streets with sharper eyes.
55 minutes · By Jay Swanson
Is Paris Burning? The Nazi Occupation & the City's Liberation
Historian Zacharie Boublie takes you on an awe-inspiring journey through the streets where Paris’s darkest hours and brightest triumphs unfolded. This tour immerses you in the Nazi occupation, the courage of the Resistance, and the jubilation of liberation. Stand where tanks clashed at Place de la Concorde, uncover the stories of Jewish families like the Camondos, and trace the choices of figures from De Gaulle to Chanel. Along the way, you’ll confront collaboration, survival, and defiance. This experience is for history lovers, students, and the simply curious — anyone seeking to understand Paris through the lens of war and resilience.
58 minutes · By Zacharie Boublie
Emily’s Paris - A Fan Walk with Gaby Hafner
Step into the world of Emily in Paris with Gaby Hafner, an American who’s called Paris home for over eight years and now shares the city through both her life and the show’s most iconic scenes. This tour is for fans, curious travelers, and anyone who loves exploring culture with a personal twist. You’ll discover filming locations, learn local customs that shape the story, and see how Paris mixes fantasy with reality. Along the way, Gaby brings insider perspective, expat stories, and practical tips for experiencing the city like a true Parisian.
58 minutes · By Gaby Hafner
Best Food in Paris? Rue Montorgueil
Step into Paris’s culinary heart on Rue Montorgueil, a lively street lined with bakeries, markets, and restaurants. This tour is designed for food lovers, curious travelers, and anyone eager to taste the city beyond the guidebook. You’ll explore legendary shops like E. Dehillerin, discover secrets behind French staples from cheese to pastries, and learn how food shaped Parisian life. Along the way, you’ll sample treats, uncover surprising stories, and see how tradition and innovation meet on every corner. You’ll remember these flavors, insights, and experiences long after your last bite.
40 minutes · By Ben Clarke
Haussmann’s Paris: Symmetry and Splendor
Join Madame Tartempion, an American expat with 10 years of Parisian expertise, as she reveals how revolutionary ideas transformed a medieval maze into the City of Light. Walk through elegant covered passages where the middle class first experienced democratic shopping. Stand in Renaissance courtyards celebrating human achievement. Witness how architects used geometry to bring light and air to every street. Perfect for history enthusiasts, architecture lovers, and curious travelers, you'll understand how urban planning transforms cities and lives.
46 minutes · By Madame Tartempion
The Essential Eiffel Tower: Building the Impossible
Step into the remarkable story of Paris's most daring engineering achievement. This walking experience takes you from Trocadéro to the tower's base, revealing how Gustave Eiffel's impossible dream transformed the city forever. Perfect for history enthusiasts, architecture lovers, and curious travelers seeking the drama behind this iron masterpiece. You'll discover fierce competition, political intrigue, and revolutionary engineering that brought Eiffel's vision to life.
38 minutes · By David Wilson
Run the Seine: A Scenic 5K Through Paris
Ready to run through Paris like an Olympian? This 5K highlights the city’s axis of history and art—Tuileries Gardens, Place de la Concorde, the Assemblée Nationale, the Louvre, and more. It suits first-time visitors, regular runners, culture nerds, and anyone who loves a good story between strides. You’ll cross the finish line feeling like a medalist. The tour will take between 25-35 minutes, depending on your pace.
30 minutes · By Brittany Hayes
Paris Highlights Along the Seine
Walk along the Seine and see Paris unfold through its most iconic landmarks. This tour takes you past the Musée d’Orsay, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Champs-Élysées, with stories that bring each monument into focus. You’ll trace the city’s revolutions, fairs, and fashions, discovering how Paris reinvented itself through art, politics, and design. Perfect for first-time visitors, returning travelers, or locals eager for a fresh perspective, this experience leaves you with a deeper understanding of how the river binds Paris’s history and identity together.
45 minutes · By David Wilson
Musée d’Orsay: The Golden Era of French Art
Step inside the Musée d’Orsay with Zacharie Boublie, Paris native and historian extraordinaire, to trace the daring journey from the Academy’s strict rules to the breakthroughs of Impressionism and beyond. This tour highlights works by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Van Gogh, showing how artists challenged tradition and captured modern life. Along the way, you’ll uncover stories of scandal, innovation, and shifting society—from train stations and cafés to dancers and landscapes. Designed for art lovers, history enthusiasts, and curious travelers alike, this experience transforms the museum into a vivid story of change.
54 minutes · By Zacharie Boublie
Père Lachaise Eternal Paris: Stories of Life, Love, and Legacy
Walk through Paris’s largest cemetery and uncover the stories behind its most remarkable graves with Ferit Onger, one of Paris’s most experienced guides. This immersive tour of Père Lachaise invites history lovers, music fans, and curious travelers to explore a place where artists, revolutionaries, and everyday Parisians rest side by side. You’ll encounter legends like Chopin, Oscar Wilde, and Jim Morrison, learn how burial traditions work in France, and discover monuments with surprising symbolism and unusual rituals. Along the way, you’ll gain fresh insight into how memory, culture, and identity are preserved in one of the world’s most visited cemeteries.
45 minutes · By Ferit Onger
Ghosts, Kings, and Executions: Paris After Dark
Step into the shadows of Paris on a journey through betrayal, tragedy, and restless spirits. This nighttime walking tour leads you across historic bridges, past hidden cemeteries, and into squares once soaked in blood. You’ll uncover chilling tales of Catherine de Medici, the Templar curse, King Henry IV’s assassination, and the mysterious “Unknown Woman of the Seine.” Perfect for history lovers, curious travelers, and thrill-seekers alike, this tour reveals the city’s darker side and leaves you with a new way of seeing its streets after dark.
38 minutes · By Oliver Hartley
Secrets of Ile de la Cité
Ferit Onger, a Paris native and experienced guide, takes you through the birthplace of Paris on this immersive walk through Île de la Cité, where the entire city began. History enthusiasts, curious travelers, and anyone fascinated by hidden stories will uncover the island's remarkable secrets spanning 2,000 years. You'll explore medieval towers that once imprisoned Marie Antoinette, find bullet holes from WWII liberation battles, and hear tales of ancient barber shop murders that shaped Parisian folklore. Walk along Roman-era foundations, visit the oldest public clock in Paris, and learn why French police are called "chickens." This captivating journey transforms your understanding of how a small Celtic settlement became the City of Light.
37 minutes · By Ferit Onger
Mischief, Mistresses and Murder in Le Marais
Discover 17th-century Paris as Madame de Sévigné reveals the Marais during its golden age. Walk through elegant courtyards decoding allegorical sculptures, discover where a notorious poisoner plotted family murders, and explore the square where deadly duels decided honor. Visit streets where the Sun King's mistresses schemed for power. You'll uncover the transformation from medieval swampland to aristocratic paradise. Each mansion reveals secrets of courtesans, assassinations, and dangerous political games. Perfect for history enthusiasts and culture lovers fascinated by royal scandals, you’ll gain insights into how power, passion, and poison shaped aristocratic life, understanding the complex social dynamics of an era.
51 minutes · By Lily Heise
Musée Rodin: Sculpting Eternity
Explore the Hôtel Biron, where Auguste Rodin transformed a Parisian mansion into his ultimate masterpiece. This tour takes art lovers, history enthusiasts, and curious explorers through galleries and gardens alive with Rodin’s sculptures, from The Thinker to the monumental Gates of Hell. You’ll uncover stories of his rise, his rivalry with the Academy, and his creative partnership with Camille Claudel. Along the way, you’ll gain a new eye for sculpture—how form, movement, and raw material capture an encyclopedia of human emotion.
53 minutes · By Anne-Marie Carter
A History Walk in the Marais: From Medieval to Modern
Discover the Marais, one of Paris’s most dynamic neighborhoods, on a walking tour that blends aristocratic elegance, medieval remnants, and powerful stories of resilience. Explore the symmetry of Place des Vosges, hidden courtyards, and the home of Victor Hugo. Trace the neighborhood’s Jewish heritage along Rue des Rosiers, where bakeries, delis, and memorials stand side by side. You’ll uncover fragments of the medieval wall, discover forgotten passageways, and reflect in tranquil gardens. This tour reveals how the Marais transformed across centuries, offering a vivid understanding of Paris as both a city of memory and constant reinvention.
55 minutes · By Oliver Hartley
Sainte-Chapelle: Gothic Kaleidoscope
Step inside Sainte-Chapelle and experience one of Paris’s most extraordinary treasures. This tour takes you beyond its dazzling stained glass to uncover the stories, symbols, and relics that shaped both the chapel and the French monarchy. You’ll learn how to read medieval imagery, trace biblical tales in glass, and discover the chapel’s role as a royal sanctuary for Christianity’s most sacred objects. Whether you’re drawn by history, art, or faith, this journey will give you a new way of seeing one of Paris’s most remarkable spaces.
48 minutes · By Emma Thorton
A Perfect Day in the Marais
Step into the Marais, Paris’s most eclectic neighborhood, where medieval streets meet trendsetting boutiques and hidden gardens. This tour invites curious travelers, food lovers, and style seekers to wander at their own pace through a district brimming with stories. Along the way, you’ll discover centuries-old churches, sample French delicacies, browse independent designers, pause in courtyards once home to royalty, and even have the opportunity for a Parisian picnic. Whether you’re here for history, fashion, or falafel, the Marais reveals how old-world charm and modern creativity coexist on every corner, offering an unforgettable slice of Parisian life.
47 minutes · By Camille Fournier
Welcome to Saint-Germain: Art, History and Life in the Left Bank
Join Madame Tartempion in the heart of St. Germain des Prés, where philosophy, politics, and art once collided in café debates and revolutionary gatherings. This tour invites curious travelers, literature lovers, food enthusiasts, and flâneurs alike to explore winding passages, historic churches, and the cafés that inspired Sartre, Beauvoir, and Hemingway. Along the way, discover decadent pastries, hidden courtyards, and the oldest bell tower in Paris. You’ll encounter stories of revolutions, masterpieces, and everyday Parisians, all woven into the neighborhood’s fabric. Walk away with a deeper sense of Paris’s living culture and your own connection to its creative spirit.
38 minutes · By Madame Tartempion
Église Saint-Séverin: A Gothic Masterpiece in the Latin Quarter
Explore Église Saint-Séverin, a Gothic treasure in the heart of Paris’s Latin Quarter. This tour welcomes architecture lovers, history seekers, and curious visitors eager to explore one of the city’s oldest churches. You’ll trace soaring stone vaults, encounter intricate gargoyles, and uncover the meaning behind stained glass windows arranged by light and story. A highlight is the rare “palm tree” column, both symbolic and structurally ingenious. Along the way, you’ll gain insight into medieval design, spiritual symbolism, and the rhythms of Parisian life that have flowed through this church for centuries.
5 minutes · By Emma Thorton
Inside the Panthéon: Lives That Shaped France
Step inside the Panthéon and explore the stories of France’s most remarkable thinkers, writers, scientists, and everyday heroes. On this tour, you’ll be guided through the building’s towering columns and quiet crypts, bringing to life the people who shaped France’s past and its values today. You’ll hear about Voltaire and Rousseau, stand by Marie Curie’s tomb, and discover how Josephine Baker went from American entertainer to Resistance spy. We’ll also look closely at the art and memorials that trace France’s path from monarchy to republic.
37 minutes · By Anne-Marie Carter
Walking with Hemingway: Paris Through His Eyes
Walk in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway through Paris’s Latin Quarter, where cafés, cobblestones, and literary salons shaped a new era of writing. This tour invites curious travelers, literature lovers, and history enthusiasts to trace the places that defined the Lost Generation—Hemingway’s first apartment, Gertrude Stein’s gatherings, and the Luxembourg Gardens. Along the way, you’ll uncover stories of friendship, rivalry, and inspiration among writers and artists. The journey reveals how Paris transformed young talents into voices that changed modern literature.
43 minutes · By Oliver Hartley
The Orangerie Museum: Modern Art in Bloom
Discover the Orangerie Museum, where two stories of modern art unfold in one space. In light-filled oval rooms, Claude Monet’s Water Lilies surround you with shifting skies, reflections, and cycles of time. Downstairs, the Walter-Guillaume collection reveals Paris as a crucible of change, from Picasso’s fractured bodies to Soutine’s turbulent visions and Matisse’s patterned odalisques. This tour speaks to art lovers, casual visitors, and anyone curious about how painting evolved through upheaval and imagination. You’ll leave with a sharper sense of how modern art redefined what it means to see.
44 minutes · By Anne-Marie Carter
Reflections of Infinity: Monet’s Water Lilies at the Orangerie
Step inside the Musée de l’Orangerie and experience a mini tour devoted to Claude Monet’s monumental Water Lilies. This tour guides art lovers, casual visitors, and curious travelers through Monet’s vision, from dawn to dusk across two oval rooms. Along the way, you’ll uncover stories of his life, his struggles during war and loss, and his lasting dedication to capturing nature’s shifting light. Walk away with fresh insight into Impressionism and a deeper sense of calm reflection.
10 minutes · By Anne-Marie Carter
Empire in Gold: Napoleon III’s Lavish Legacy at the Louvre
Step into the opulent Napoleon III Apartments, hidden within the Louvre's Richelieu wing. Perfect for history enthusiasts, art lovers, and anyone fascinated by French imperial grandeur, this experience reveals the lavish world of Second Empire luxury. You'll walk through glittering salons dripping with gold, discover the powerful legacy of Empress Eugénie's fashion influence, and explore rooms where ministers once dined by candlelight. Learn how Napoleon III transformed both Paris and the Louvre, using architecture and extravagance to project imperial power. You'll gain fresh perspective on how rulers shaped France through spectacle, luxury, and political ambition.
24 minutes · By Anne-Marie Carter
The Highlights of the Louvre: From Venus de Milo to the Mona Lisa
Journey through the world's greatest museum, from medieval foundations to Renaissance masterpieces. Perfect for art enthusiasts, history lovers, and curious travelers seeking deeper cultural understanding. You'll explore Leonardo da Vinci's complete collection, stand before the Mona Lisa with fresh perspective, and discover the Venus de Milo's secrets. Navigate Napoleon's coronation drama, witness revolutionary art, and encounter Michelangelo's powerful sculptures. Walk through eight centuries of artistic evolution, learning to decode hidden symbols and understanding each masterpiece's historical context. You'll develop lasting appreciation for artistic techniques while connecting personally with humanity's greatest creative achievements across cultures and centuries.
1 hours · By Anne-Marie Carter
The Essential Notre-Dame
Paris native and top guide Ferit Onger reveals the story of Notre-Dame, Paris’s most famous cathedral, helping you discover how it was imagined, built, nearly lost, and restored. This tour takes you around the Île de la Cité, where Paris itself began, revealing the cathedral’s soaring Gothic innovations, centuries of devotion, and moments of crisis from fire to revolution. Along the way, you’ll meet the builders, bishops, and visionaries who shaped it, and uncover how stone, glass, and faith combined to create a monument that has defined the city for over 800 years.
23 minutes · By Ferit Onger
Inside Notre-Dame Cathedral
Discover the rebirth of Notre-Dame Cathedral after the devastating 2019 fire. This immersive audio experience is designed for anyone drawn to Paris’s art, faith, and resilience—whether you’re a first-time visitor, a seasoned traveler, or someone curious about Gothic architecture. As you explore, you’ll uncover hidden details: statues that survived revolutions, chapels tied to kings and saints, and reliefs that turned stone into scripture. Moving through the cathedral, you’ll see how centuries of devotion, artistry, and determination continue to shape this extraordinary landmark.
30 minutes · By Emma Thorton
When Routes is a good fit
Routes is designed for independent travelers who want stories and directions in their headphones while they walk. It is less suitable when you want live conversation with a guide, in-person accessibility support, or a fixed group itinerary.
Paris planning questions
Can I explore Paris without joining a group tour?
Yes. A self-guided audio walk gives you a planned route and context without a fixed departure time. You can pause for food, spend longer at a stop, or leave the route entirely.
What is the advantage of a GPS-aware audio tour?
Location awareness lets the guide connect its narration to the place in front of you. That reduces the need to read a screen or manually search for every building and landmark.
Should I choose an audio tour or a live guide?
Choose an audio tour for flexibility, privacy, and a lower-pressure pace. Choose a live guide when asking questions and adapting the experience in conversation are more important.