🇫🇷La Clef de Paris

The world's largest art museum and home to the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. The glass pyramid entrance was designed by I.M. Pei in 1989 — controversial then, iconic now. Enter via the quieter Porte des Lions to skip the main queue.

The original Seine river cruise, running since 1949. Glide past Notre-Dame, the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and under 12 bridges in about an hour. Departures run frequently — no fixed time needed.

Sweeping gardens stretching from the Eiffel Tower to the École Militaire, where Napoleon trained as a cadet. Perfect for a leisurely stroll or a glass of wine on the grass with the Tower as your backdrop.

Built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World's Fair — meant to be temporary. Parisians hated it at first; Maupassant ate lunch at its restaurant just to avoid seeing it. Now the most-visited paid monument in the world. The sparkle light show runs for 5 minutes every hour on the hour after dark.

Hidden gem — a quiet, leafy square tucked behind Rue Saint-Antoine, lined with cafés and completely free of traffic. One of the most charming breakfast spots in Paris, far from the tourist crowds.

Paris's oldest planned square, built in 1612 by Henri IV. Victor Hugo lived at No. 6 — now a free museum. Perfect symmetry of red brick and stone arcades. ~5 min walk from Place Sainte-Catherine.

Quick two-stop hop on Line 1 to reach the market district. The Paris Métro opened in 1900 for the World Exposition — the Art Nouveau station entrances by Hector Guimard are landmarks in their own right.

Housed in a stunning Beaux-Arts railway station from 1900. Home to the world's greatest Impressionist collection — Monet's water lilies, Renoir's dancers, Van Gogh's bedroom. The giant station clock on the 5th floor is one of Paris's best photo ops.

Stop for an apéro at one of the classic cafés before dinner. Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots face each other across the boulevard — Flore is where Sartre wrote, Deux Magots is where Hemingway drank.