I asked Paris locals what tourists should skip. Here's what they said

Travel experts who live in Paris share their honest takes on the city's most famous attractions.Show Caption

Paris travel experts offer advice on whether iconic attractions are worth visiting.While the Eiffel Tower is a must-see, experts suggest admiring it from afar for better views.Experts suggest exploring local neighborhoods like Canal Saint-Martin and Le Marais for a more authentic experience.Paris is one of those places people dream of visiting their whole lives, strolling along the Seine River, snacking on sumptuous pastries, and savoring the joie de vivre.Millions of travelers made it a reality in 2025, helping make France the most visited country worldwide, according to the country's official tourism development agency, Atout France.Deciding where to go is the easy part; deciding what to do can be more challenging. USA TODAY turned to two Paris travel experts, who call the City of Lights home, for what not to miss.Jay Swanson, creator of the Paris in My Pocket travel guide and author of two memoirs, including the upcoming 'Desert of the New,' about building a life in Paris over more than a decade.Lily Heise, a writer and Paris expert for Love and Paris, which offers travel tips and advice from Parisians. She's lived in Paris for 25 years.Here are their time-tested takes on five iconic Paris attractions and where you may want to go instead.Is it really worth going up the Eiffel Tower?"The Eiffel Tower is definitely a must-see, but you have to ask yourself if you must go up it," Heise said. "I tend to recommend that people admire it from unique vantage points ... like the Towers of Notre Dame, the free viewing platform at Galeries Lafayette ... or even just along the Seine. There are so many places that you can see the Eiffel Tower without actually going up it."Swanson agrees, "The best views of the city have the Eiffel Tower in them," but he thinks it's worth going up at least once in your life. If you do, he recommends going to at least the second level, noting that the top level is so high, the landscape below loses some definition.Eiffel Tower ticket prices vary by age, how high visitors want to go - the second level or all the way to the top, and if they climb stairs, take lifts or do a combination. Taking the stairs up to the second floor costs nearly 15 euros for adults over age 24, about 7.5 euros for youth ages 12 to 24, and under 4 euros for children ages 4 to 11 or visitors with disabilities. Taking lifts all the way to the top cost nearly 37 euros for adults, about 18.5 euros for youth, and a little over 9 euros for children or visitors with disabilities. The tower's website notes "the top of the tower and the stairways are not suitable for people with reduced mobility." The website posts operating dates and hours and notes tickets can also be purchased on site, in person for immediate use if they sell out online, which they do.Heise suggests waiting until evening for lower wait times. "That's the best time to go, especially in summer. It gets dark so late in Paris," she said. "A little bit before dusk is magical."For other sweeping views of the city, both she and Swanson recommend Tour Saint-Jacques, which is currently closed for renovation. The Flamboyant Gothic tower is all that remains of a once-centuries old medieval church, Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie. "It's wonderful because it's not obstructed. You're right next to the gargoyles." Swanson said. "There are no chain link fences around."For ground-level photos of the Eiffel Tower, many tourists head to Place du Trocadéro, but Heise recommends Port Debilly just below it. "It's literally right across the river from the Eiffel Tower, and you can get all kinds of nice pictures there," she said. Another popular photo spot is along Avenue de Camoëns, but Heise warns it's jammed with Instagrammers. Instead, she suggests Square Rapp, near 29 Avenue Rapp. "There's this beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower with two historic buildings on either side."She also suggested seeing the tower's nighttime lights from afar, like from the ornate Alexander III bridge. They twinkle on the hour after dark, for five minutes.How much time do you need to visit the Louvre?Swanson highly recommends visiting the Musée du Louvre on once-in-a-lifetime trips, but notes it can be overwhelming."If you're going to do it, especially if it's your first time, plan on being there for no more than like an hour and a half to two hours tops," he said. "Just give yourself a hard limit and don't feel guilty for checking out earlier than you think you should."Visitors can navigate the museum on their own, but he said it may be worthwhile to hire a guide who knows all the ins and outs and can take you where you want to go."If you just follow the crowd, you'll end up in front of the Mona Lisa," he said, adding that other wings of the massive museum can be nearly empty. "If you just take a little time to get away from the crowds, you'd be surprised what gems you'll find."The Louvre is open every day – except Tuesdays, Jan. 1, May 1 (France's Labor Day) and Dec. 25 (Christmas) – and until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, when Heise said it's less crowded. Admission for non-European Economic Area adults costs 32 euros. Children under age 18 and visitors with disabilities may enter for free.Swanson notes the Louvre's elevators don't always work, but the museum is working on improving its accessibility. Entry is free for all on July 14 (Bastille Day) and after 6 p.m. on the first Friday of every month except July and August. Heise said advance tickets are critical, but the museum's website warns, "Do not purchase any tickets that supposedly allow you to jump the queue, and never buy your tickets from illicit street vendors."Heise agrees the Lourvre is worth visiting but doesn't consider it a must. "It was the palace of the royals, so it's very beautiful inside and really important to Paris' history, but if you're not a big art fan, you might want to skip the Louvre, especially on your first trip," she said.Both she and Swanson recommend visiting the Musée d'Orsay, which is also very popular. "There are so many beautiful paintings and honestly, it's just a beautiful space," Swanson said. He also loves the Musée Rodin. "But if that's a little bit too niche and a little too out of the way, go to Musée d'Orsay and they have Rodin."For hidden gems, Heise suggests Le Petit Palais, an opulent Beaux-Arts museum, which is free to enter and has a picturesque outdoor cafe. "If you want to feel like you're just taking in some art, I would recommend that fullheartedly." She also loves Musée Jacquemart-André, which houses the "finest private collection of artworks in Paris" according to its website, and the free Paris history museum, Musée Carnavalet.Is Notre-Dame in Paris worth seeing?Notre-Dame de Paris reopened to the public in December 2024, five years after a devastating fire gutted the historic site. Both Heise and Swanson agree it's worth a visit."If you're able to go up (the towers), the route that they've created through there now after the fire is incredible," Swanson said. "Everything's very beautiful, very clean, very, very, very well done, so highly recommend that if you're able to hike all those stairs. And even if you're not, the free entrance to the main section of it is gorgeous."There is a fee to go up the Towers of Notre Dame Cathedral, a French monument. Tickets are only available online and not sold on site. It typically costs 16 euros for non-European Union adults. However, admission is free on the first Sunday in January, February, March, November and December. Admission is also free for children under age 18 and visitors with disabilities, among others. Visitors should note that there are 424 steps to the top and no elevator.Entry to the actual cathedral is always free. It's open daily. Masses are also held daily. Visitors can make a free same-day reservation for shorter entry waits or wait in a typically longer standby line. Heise advises arriving before 9:30 a.m. to skip crowds, or visit on Thursday nights, when it's open later.Swanson also recommends visiting the former church of Sainte-Geneviève, which became the Panthéon. "It was the tallest building in France until the Eiffel Tower," he said. "If the panoramic view from that is open, absolutely go do that."Is Sacré-Cœur worth a visit?Heise may be partial to Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre or Basilica of the Sacred Heart, since she lives in Montmartre, but she recommends visiting."Right up in front of Sacré-Cœur, of course, there's the beautiful view of the city, and the artists' square, Place de Tertre, is worth seeing, but then wander the back streets and the quiet cobbled lanes of Montmartre," she said."There you'll take in the real side of the neighborhood, and there are lots of hidden gems to discover."Swanson agrees that the church and less touristy neighborhoods are worth visiting. He suggests approaching the church from the side stairwells a few blocks away."I'd go around behind it. One of my number one tips for going up there is there's a park behind it that everybody misses because they just follow the crowds," he said. "If you follow the crowd, you probably end up with the scam artists."The Basilica is open daily, and Masses are held daily. Visitors are asked to "dress appropriately and remain silent" and advised that photography is not allowed in the nave. Admission to the Basilica is free, but there is a fee to climb its iconic dome for sweeping views of Paris. The Dome Tour costs 8 euros for visitors over age 15 and 5 euros for children who are younger. Visitors should note that there are 280 steps to the top of the Dome and no elevator. There is, however, an elevator to the Basilica for visitors with mobility needs or disabilities.Is the top of the Arc de Triomphe worth it?Heise and Swanson are split on the Arc de Triomphe."I would say that the Arc de Triomphe is really, really worth it for the view," Swanson said. "It's (a) really fun and beautiful structure, but if you had to pick between that and Notre Dame, I'd definitely do Notre Dame, because Notre Dame's more central." He called the Arc "the only part of that area of town that's worth visiting" and suggested skipping the adjacent Avenue des Champs-Élysées, unless you really just want to see the giant Louis Vuitton suitcase outside its flagship store.Heise doesn't think the Arc de Triomphe is an absolute must, but agreed it's an impressive monument with unique city views. She also steers people away from the famed Champs-Élysées."It is filled with international chain shops, fast food restaurants," she said. "There are some luxury shops on and near the Champs-Élysées. Every single one of them has a branch somewhere else in the city that's less busy." She noted scam artists also frequent the area.It's easy to just visit the Arc de Triomphe, right above the Metro. The Arc is open daily except on May 1, May 8 (WWII Victory Day), the morning of July 14, and the morning of Nov. 11 (Armistice Day). It may also close for official ceremonies or due to weather. It's free to visit the ground-level Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Admission to the rest of the monument, including its interior rooms and terrace with panoramic views, ranges from 16 to 22 euros for non-European Union adults, depending on the day and time of year. Wednesdays are cheaper from April through September. Children under 18 and visitors with disabilities may enter for free. It's also free to everyone on the first Sunday in January, February, March, November and December. Visitors should note that there are 284 steps to the top-level terrace, but elevators are available for visitors with disabilities. "It's a very accessible monument if everything's working," Swanson said.Other Paris hidden gems▶ Both Heise and Swanson recommend visiting Canal Saint-Martin."That's a great place to go for a stroll. It's a bit kind of hip and trendy. It makes you feel local because it's definitely more of a local place," Heise said. "The streets around it have lots of great shops and cool cafes and great restaurants, modern bakeries."Swanson said many of his favorite restaurants are within a stone's throw of the canal."Most of the creative stuff that's happening in Paris when it comes to food is happening in places where younger people can afford to open a restaurant and can afford to try something new," he added. "When you get up into like the 10th, the 11th, the 19th to 20th (arrondissements or districts), that's where you're going to find so many fun new things that are happening that are going to be 10 times better than what you're going to find near, especially Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, or even Notre Dame."▶ Heise also recommends the historic Jewish quarter Le Marais, which boasts charming streets, squares, shops and cafes. "It's, for me, the one neighborhood you shouldn't miss when you come to Paris," she said.As for other sights, it's hard to go wrong. "Most of the stuff you've heard about in Paris is actually worth your time," Swanson said. "I think that it's more of a question of looking into it in advance to see what is here that would interest me?"