Everyone lines up for Notre-Dame (still recovering from the 2019 fire, worth checking current reopening status before you plan around it), but Sainte-Chapelle a few blocks away has stained glass that turns the entire upper chapel into a wall of colored light, and the lines are dramatically shorter.
Paris
Francia
Resumen
Primeras impresiones
Paris doesn't need an introduction, which is exactly the problem — everyone arrives with a mental image built from movies and Instagram, and the real city takes a few days to push past that and show itself. It's bigger, grittier, and more workable as a solo traveler than the postcard version suggests: an efficient metro system, neighborhoods that each feel like their own small city, and a culture of sitting alone at a café table for an hour that makes solo dining feel normal rather than conspicuous.
Give it at least four days — Paris rewards slowing down far more than it rewards a checklist, and the arrondissement system (the city spirals out from the 1st in the center) makes it easy to pick a few neighborhoods and actually get to know them instead of sprinting between landmarks.
Historia y dónde quedarse
- Un poco de historia: Layered with centuries of history, Paris carries the marks of every era of France, from its founding through modern reinvention.
- Estadía recomendada: At least four days — Paris rewards slowing down far more than it rewards a checklist.
Datos clave
Todo de un vistazo
- Language
- French (English common in central, tourist-heavy areas; less so outside them)
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- Visa
- US citizens: visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period (Schengen Area). ETIAS pre-authorization is expected in late 2026 — check etias.com or travel.state.gov before your trip
- Power plugs
- Type E (round pins with a grounding hole) — 230V/50Hz. Most electronics only need a plug adapter, not a full voltage converter
- Main airports
- Charles de Gaulle (CDG) — RER B train direct to central Paris, 35–50 minutes. Orly (ORY) — Orlyval shuttle connects to RER B, or tram/bus options; no direct metro line
- Climate
- Mild, four distinct seasons; summers in the mid-70s°F, winters near or just above freezing
- Best time to visit
- June–August for the warmest weather (also the most crowded and expensive). March–May and September–November for lighter crowds, moderate prices, and honestly nicer light for photos. December–February is coldest but cheapest, and the city still puts on a good show around the holidays
Ubicación
En el mapa
Norte-centro de Francia, sobre el Sena, con distritos que se despliegan en espiral desde el 1.º.
Presupuesto
Lo que cuesta un día real
Mochilero
- AlojamientoDormitorios de hostal (~$70–110/día en total).
- ComidaAutoabastecerse — mercados y panaderías en lugar de restaurantes — mantiene los costos bajos.
- TransporteUna tarjeta Navigo Easy cargada con boletos individuales de metro es la forma más económica de moverse.
Intermedio
- AlojamientoUn hotel modesto o Airbnb cuesta $90–130 (~$150–200/día base, hasta ~$330/día en total con entretenimiento).
- ComidaPresupuesta desayunos de café, una mezcla de bistrós casuales y alguna comida más elegante ocasional.
- TransporteUn pase Paris Visite si vas a recorrer muchos museos — a partir de 2026 un pase de un día para adulto cuesta alrededor de €30.
Lujo
- AlojamientoHotel céntrico ($300–500+/día en total).
- ComidaComer en restaurantes de verdad en cada comida.
- TransporteTaxis en lugar de metro, y las entradas a museos con acceso preferente se suman rápido — París puede absorber todo el presupuesto que estés dispuesto a darle.
No se espera propina como en Estados Unidos (el servicio está incluido por ley), así que redondea en lugar de calcular un porcentaje.
Qué hacer
Lo que se ganó su lugar
Sacré-Cœur and the surrounding artist squares are a tourist trap by mid-morning. Get there early, before the tour groups, and you'll have the steps and the view over Paris almost to yourself, plus better odds of an actual conversation with the street artists.
Less about a single attraction and more about wandering: falafel on Rue des Rosiers, vintage shops, and some of the city's best-preserved medieval streets, all in a neighborhood that rewards no plan at all.
The Louvre is worth doing once, but it's overwhelming and often more crowd than art. The Orsay is smaller, housed in a gorgeous former train station, and its Impressionist collection (Monet, Van Gogh, Degas) is genuinely one of the best in the world without needing three hours to get through it.
Skip the paid river cruise and just walk the banks after dark. The bridges are lit, the crowds thin out, and you get the Eiffel Tower's on-the-hour sparkle show for free from almost any spot along the water.
Cómo moverse
Cómo moverse
The Métro is dense enough that you're rarely more than a 10-minute walk from a station, and it's the fastest way to cross the city.
- Navigo Easy card
Buy a Navigo Easy card (a small reusable card you load with tickets) rather than paper tickets — it's more durable and works on Métro, bus, and tram.
- Paris Visite pass
If you're sightseeing heavily for 2+ days, the Paris Visite pass covers unlimited travel and can include the RER out to Versailles or Disneyland Paris.
- Walking
Walking is genuinely the best way to experience central Paris between nearby sights — the city center is more compact than its reputation suggests, and you'll notice far more at street level than you will underground.
Plan & Book
Paris attractions & hotels map
Compare hotels against the attractions above and book directly from the map.