Exciting experiences with a distinct Parisian flair.

Visiting the museum late at night.

Taking advantage of evenings when museums stay open late is a great way to avoid the crowds in Paris. The Louvre Museum is open until 9:45 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Museum d'Orsay is also open until 9:45 pm every Thursday. The Pompidou Centre is usually open until 10 pm, except for the sixth floor, which closes an hour later every Thursday evening.

Watching a late-night movie at an arthouse cinema.

Paris is renowned as one of the world's film capitals, boasting countless arthouse cinemas. Le Champo in the Latin Quarter is one of the most famous, beloved for its monthly late-night screenings, starting at midnight and ending with breakfast, allowing you to see some excellent independent films in one evening for just €15.

Take a stroll along the banks of the Seine River.

For 15 years, the Parisian authorities worked to transform the highway cutting through the city center into a car-free zone. In 2017, they finally succeeded and opened a new park called Rives de Seine. Now, amidst the gardens lining both banks of the Seine are restaurants, sports centers, children's playgrounds, and popular bars, making it an ideal place to exercise or simply relax in the sun.

Visit the Palais Garnier theater.

The architectural style of the Palais Garnier has inspired numerous buildings in Paris and around the world for the past 140 years. Each day, guided tours of the opera house's public areas offer information on its history, architecture, and current activities, lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Visit Versailles or Fontainebleau

The Palace of Versailles is not too far from the city center, and a €20 ticket is enough for visitors to tour the palace, gardens, exhibition halls and galleries inside, while a €27 ticket will include opera performances on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the summer. You can also visit Fontainebleau Palace in the southeast of the city, which was once the residence of 34 monarchs.

Watch the people go by on Saint-Germain Boulevard.

People-watching could be considered a "national sport" for anyone in Paris. You can play this "sport" anywhere, but the best place to sit and watch the passersby is the Avenue Saint-Germain. Just choose any bar, café, or restaurant there and watch the world go by.

Playing chess with locals in Luxembourg Gardens.

The Luxembourg Gardens is one of France's oldest and most famous parks, and also one of Paris's most beautiful destinations. There are many forms of recreation here, from boating to beekeeping, but for the past 30 years, it has also been a gathering place for chess enthusiasts in Paris. In the northwest corner of the Gardens, there are 12 chess boards and dozens of players, many of whom are willing to play with you for free, but most of the chess players here place bets.

Explore the secondhand bookstores in the Latin Quarter.

Paris is a paradise for book lovers, from free short stories in train stations to some of the world's most beautiful and oldest libraries, but one of the most delightful experiences is the abundance of secondhand bookstores. While bookstores are found throughout Paris, they are most numerous in the Latin Quarter, particularly on the streets adjacent to the Sorbonne.

Lost in the Marais district

Not only is it part of historic Paris with its labyrinth of narrow, winding streets, the Marais district is also one of the city's most culturally diverse neighborhoods. Today, the Marais district's three main communities are Jewish, Chinese, and LGBTQ, a fact clearly reflected in its restaurants, bars, and even museums.

Drink like a local.

For a long time, Paris was "famous" for its terrible coffee, to the point that it was said all the delicious flavors and culinary skill of the chefs went into the first three courses of the meal, leaving nothing for coffee. However, that didn't stop the Parisian culture of drinking coffee by the roadside. It's certainly a delightful experience that visitors shouldn't miss.

Paddling on the canals of Paris

Paris has a fairly well-developed network of canals. However, the Saint-Martin Canal, connecting the Seine River to the wider waterways in the 19th arrondissement, is one of the city's most vibrant areas. Boats are available for rent at reasonable prices, and there are also larger yachts for visitors to choose from.

Climb onto the dome of the Sacré-Cœur church.

There are many places offering panoramic views of Paris – the Eiffel Tower, the Montparnasse Tower, the rooftops of the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores – but one of the most beautiful viewpoints is the dome of the Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart) church. It's often very crowded, so it's best to visit early in the morning. However, you have to climb over 300 steep and narrow steps before reaching the top of the tallest building on the city's highest hill.

Huong Thao