Outdoor Activities Paris

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
Published: July 18, 2024
Père Lachaise Cemetery

Paris offers plenty to entertain the outdoor enthusiast year round. Alongside its scenic canals, hundreds of pavement cafés par excellence and impressive program of summer festivals and outdoor theater, the City of Light boasts more than 500 green spaces, running the full gamut from tiny public squares to painstakingly manicured formal gardens and acres of wild, sprawling woodland.

Hire a bike, try your hand at pétanque, or join the locals in a spot of people-watching over espresso and pain au chocolat. Read on to discover our pick of the finest outdoor activities Paris has to offer.

Soak up the Views

Image of Nature, Outdoors, Scenery, Urban, Cityscape, Telescope, Horizon, Sky, City,

Paris is a city that just begs to be admired, photographed, sketched and painted. From the cobbled lanes of Montmartre, to the grand bridges that span the Seine, soaring monuments in steel and stone, and its bruised sunset skies, Paris’s vistas are rarely anything less than utterly captivating.

Get a bird’s eye view of the city aboard the Ballon de Paris Generali. This tethered helium balloon in the Parc André Citroën soars 150 meters into the sky, affording fantastic views of all of the city’s landmarks. Or, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous (and fit), why not take the stairs – all 674 of them – up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower? A glass elevator does the rest of the hard work for you, raising you to the open-air observation deck that’s – gulp – a knee-knocking 276 meters above terra firma. A glass of Champagne at the bar may take the edge off. You’ll also be relieved to hear that you’re not expected to take the stairs all the way back down again.

Take the cute funicular railway from the cobbled streets of boho Montmartre up to the Sacré-Cœur. There are worse ways to while away an hour or two than sitting on the stone steps of this beautiful basilica at sundown with a hot, sugary crepe, soaking up some of the city’s most wonderful widescreen views.

Bateaux and bicycles

Image of Adult, Female, Person, Woman, Bicycle, Vehicle,

Getting around on two wheels is a relatively easy and relaxing way to explore Paris, thanks to an excellent network of dedicated cycle paths and a fairly reliable bike rental system in the shape of the Vélib' Métropole. You can get daily, weekly (or longer subscriptions) that allow you to pick up and drop-off bikes at hundreds of rental stations around the city, giving you the freedom to sightsee at your own pace.

Dodge the Segway tours wobbling their perilous way around the major attractions, swerve the camera-toting tourists dawdling in the Marais and make for the pleasant routes that meander alongside picturesque Canal Saint-Martin, with its romantic footbridges, laidback café culture, shabby-chic brasseries and secluded, tree-lined quays. Heading north, the scenery takes a distinct turn for the industrial, with twin cinemas that face off across the Bassin de la Villette. Pedal just a little further and you’ll reach the Pont Levant de la rue de Crimée, the last remaining hydraulic lift bridge in Paris and a relic of the canal’s extension at the end of the 19th Century. You might even be lucky enough to see it in action, rising up gracefully to allow boats to pass underneath.

If pedal power sounds too much like hard work, there are plenty of bateaux that will let you enjoy the sights of Paris from the water – ideally with your feet up and a glass of something sparkling in your hand. Take a sunset Seine cruise to see the city in all its glory, as monuments including the Eiffel Tower, Pont Alexandre III and the Notre-Dame Cathedral light up atmospherically against a dusky pink sky.

Summer in the City

Image of Nature, Outdoors, Scenery,

“I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles.” So sang Ella Fitgerald in 1956. Granted, Ella also declared her admiration for Paris in fall, winter and spring in the song, but can you bask on golden sands by the Seine in January? Non! Paris Plages runs from July to August every year and sees the riverbanks of Trocadéro Gardens, Parc Rives de Seine and the Bassin de la Villette transformed into sandy beaches, complete with palm trees and parasols. Grab a delicious pistachio ice cream, pull up a deckchair and enjoy a flavor of the French Riviera in the heart of the city.

A hot favorite with locals, Parc de la Villette is one of the largest green spaces in Paris. It’s also something of a cultural mecca, crammed with concert halls, theaters and museums, as well as a series of bright red metal follies designed by architect Bernard Tschumi – there are 26 to find across the 137 acres of this massive playground. In summer, the park bursts into life with a busy roster of open-air events, including the popular Villette Sonique music festival. Meanwhile, movie mavens make a beeline for the park’s Cinéma en Plein Air festival, where popcorn-toting viewers gather on blankets and deckchairs on the lawn for classic films under the Paris sky.

Best of the Rest

Image of Sphere, Adult, Male, Man, Person,

Make like Henri Lacroix and bring your A-game to the parks of Paris. Whaddya mean you’ve never heard of Henri Lacroix? He’s only one of the greatest pétanque players the world has ever seen – thirteen times a world champion no less! Take on the local hipsters and old folks at this ancient boule-throwing contest in locations including Place de la Nation and the stunning surroundings of the Luxembourg Gardens.

If all that isn’t enough to whet your appetite, why not head to Montmartre’s Place du Tertre to have your least flattering facial features wildly exaggerated and recorded for posterity by a local caricaturist? Go scavenging for treasures at Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, Paris’s labyrinthine open-air flea market, or pay your respects at lavish celebrity tombs in the vast Père Lachaise Cemetery, where permanent residents include Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison and Marcel Marceau.

Finally, there is no outdoor activity more Parisian than perching elegantly at a tiny pavement café table, and peering inscrutably through dark glasses at passers-by over your café crème. Overflowing ashtray of lipstick-stained Gauloises butts optional.

Save on indoor and outdoor activities in Paris

Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.

Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Freelance travel writer

Stu caught the travel bug at an early age, thanks to childhood road trips to the south of France squeezed into the back of a Ford Cortina with two brothers and a Sony Walkman. Now a freelance writer living on the Norfolk coast, Stu has produced content for travel giants including Frommer’s, British Airways, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, and now Go City. His most memorable travel experiences include drinking kava with the locals in Fiji and pranging a taxi driver’s car in the Honduran capital.

Continue reading

A toddler enjoys a snow shower in Paris in January
Blog

What to do in Paris in January

January is a month many of us like to forget. The Christmas festivities have come to an end, yet the warm days of spring still seem a lifetime away. Paris in January is different. Whilst spurned by spoiled Parisians, if you come prepared, there’s no reason you can’t start the new year with a bang. Other advantages include smaller crowds at big name attractions and the chance to update your wardrobe with the winter sales. Wondering what’s on in Paris in January? You’ve come to the right place. What’s the weather like in Paris in January? The Parisian penchant for fluffy scarves is actually the result of an icy wind that can whip through the boulevards from the River Seine in the first months of the year. With temperatures ranging between 3 – 8°C and averaging 5°C much off the day, decent winter clothing is a must for visiting Paris in January. Skies can be a little overcast throughout the month, although the lack of rain means you can probably do without the waterproofs. Average levels for January are just 18 mm. It may also snow. However, it’s very unusual for snow to settle, so if you see flakes begin to drift across the city be sure to take a selfie! What to expect from Paris in January First off, it’s wrong to say that the Christmas period is all done and dusted. The first week to 10 days of January continues to spread much of the cheer of the season. Ice rinks and marché de Noël – that’s Christmas markets to you and me – often don’t shut up shop until after the new year begins. It varies by market – there are up to 20 each year – but the biggest in Paris at the Tuileries Garden is generally a reliable friend right into January. The Festival of Lights at the Jardin des Plantes botanic garden goes one step further, lighting up the 70 acre site until the end of the month. No ordinary light show, the festival is made up of large-scale lanterns in the form of various animals and other designs. At the same time, most of those taking advantage of these events after Christmas week will be Parisians rather than travelers. Visit Paris in January and you therefore don’t face the same crowds you will at other times of year. Now’s the time to experience Paris at its most authentic. Check out the Paris stores Paris is known as one of the finest shopping destinations in the world. Those keen to add a touch of Gallic elegance to their apparel are in luck. Not only do department stores including Galeries Lafayette host regular fashion shows, but January is the time of the winter soldes (sales) too. Nor do any passing rain showers have to put you off. Covered shopping arcades are hidden across the city. Often bathed with natural light on even the gloomiest of days, their history dates back several centuries. Passage de Panoramas has some excellent dining options, whilst Galerie Vivienne is lined with luxury boutiques. You might even find a patisserie selling galette de rois. Made from layers of puff pastry and almond paste, ‘king cake’ is a specialty of epiphany on January 6. Look out for the fève or figurine placed in each one. It grants the finder good luck for the following year, but has also been responsible for its fair share of broken teeth! Join the café culture Another way to fight off the January chill in Paris is in its cafés. A key part of French culture, each has its own ambience and clientele, be that the out of work artists of Montmartre or the bankers of the La Défense business district. Stop by for a freshly-brewed café, and you’re sure to be tempted into also buying a pastry. The only real question is which do you choose – croissant, madeleine or éclair? To feel at one with your adopted home, you might instead decide on a traditional Parisian breakfast at Café Louise. But that doesn’t have to stop you checking out the cake counter here or in any of the hundreds of independent coffee shops lining the streets of Paris. For drinks with a little more potency, the heritage of Harry’s New York Bar is hard to beat. Shipped across the Atlantic from the Big Apple in the first part of the 20th Century, it became a favorite watering hole of Nobel prize for literature winner Ernest Hemingway. Order a bloody Mary, sidecar or Paris 75 cocktail – the bar claims to have invented all three. Don’t miss Paris’s January events By far January’s biggest event is the New Year celebration. It is centered on the Arc de Triomphe rather than the Eiffel Tower. Hundreds of thousands of people gather at the monument to enjoy a spectacle that includes fireworks and live music. The cabaret clubs of Montmartre and the Paris Opera ballet company put on special new year’s shows too. Other places to spend the day include the city’s churches, who put on a host of concerts. Don’t expect much else to happen on January 1 though. A national holiday, many stores and restaurants give their staff the day off to be with family. Gear heads should also keep an ear to the ground for the Traversée de Paris winter vintage car and motorbike rally. Roughly 700 vehicles make the departure from Vincennes chateau in the southeast of the city before following a route that takes them to Les Invalides and the Place de la Concorde amongst other attractions. Save on Paris January attraction admission January is a great time of year for anyone who loves a bargain to visit Paris. There are the winter sales, some fantastic deals to be had on hotels and the ability to explore with Go City. Our passes give you reduced admission at many of the top museums and attractions in Paris. Our flexibility allows you to choose as you save. If the weather brightens up, you don’t have to find yourself trapped indoors all day, and vice versa.
Ian Packham
Paris bars
Blog

Best bars in Paris

Paris has long been known for its lengthy list of top restaurants serving bottles of rich French wine. But for a proper night in the city, where do you go? In recent years we’ve seen a boom of rooftop bars, cocktail parlors and champagne clubs serving our favorite tipples. So whether you’re looking for a late-night hangout or creative cocktail menu, take your pick of classic American bars, jazz venues and the best wine bars in Paris. Our list of the 10 best bars in Paris includes... Buddha Bar The Bar Hemingway Willi’s Wine Bar La Terrasse at Hôtel Raphael And more! Buddha Bar Paris The famous Buddha Bar is not exactly understated. Walk in and you’ll be greeted by an eight-meter Buddha followed by rich red interiors and dripping chandeliers. First opened in the 1990s, the Asian-themed institution has kept its style and ‘it crowd’ vibe. The drinks might be pricey but the experience is worth it. Clown Bar A bar named after clowns may not sound appealing but this Parisian favorite is less creepy jesters and more fantastic French food and wine. The historic venue was once the former canteen for the 19th-century winter circus, Cirque d’Hiver. Now a natural wine list attracts insiders and those who remember to book ahead. Harry’s New York Bar Fans of the Bloody Mary won’t want to miss Harry’s New York Bar, home of the hair of the dog. Since 1911, this legendary Parisian bar opened to comfort homesick Americans and has done so ever since. Now drinkers from every city flock to sip a martini or nibble a hot dog at one of the world’s best bars. Willi’s Wine Bar For more than 30 years, Mark Williamson has run the legendary Willi’s Wine Bar on the Rue des Petits Champs. The bright blue entrance leads to a contemporary lit room decorated with Willi’s own recognizable art prints. Run by an Englishman, the bar welcomes locals and tourists to taste excellent wine among good company. Fréquence For a French cocktail experience, head to Fréquence, a local hangout that as its names suggests, has many recurring fans. A long counter of soul and reggae vinyls are lined up for playing with a diverse range of cocktails on the menu. Frenchie Wine Bar - Bar à Vins Self-described as a place to share, sip, taste, talk, meet and mingle, the Frenchie Wine Bar is not surprisingly full of friends chattering over a few glasses. Head here early (when the bar opens at 6.30PM) to grab a stool and pick from the fantastic wine list. You’ll also want to order a selection of small plates prepared from the open kitchen. The Bar Hemingway Bar Hemingway is famous for many things - its lavish location at the Ritz Paris, its award-winning legendary barman Colin Field and of course, its former frequent visitor that gave the bar its name. Taking a seat in one of the bar’s 25 armchairs, you’re immediately transported back to a time of glamor and glitz, where F Scott Fitzgerald and Ernst Hemingway discovered a mutual love for drinking and writing. Choose from over 20 cocktails including Serendipity, Field’s famous creation. La Terrasse at Hôtel Raphael In the summer months, Parisians flock to alfresco cafés, picnics by the Seine River and suntrap terraces. To catch rays on a rooftop, La Terrasse is an elegant hangout on the 7th floor of the Hôtel Raphael. The garden terrace bar opens in spring, serving champagne, cocktails and fine wine against a panoramic 360° view over the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and the Sacré Cœur. Le Caveau des Oubliettes Head down into the Parisian catacombs and you’ll find more than skulls and crossbones. The eerie underground tunnels happen to provide a perfect stage for Le Caveau des Oubliettes. The intimate live music bar hosts pop-rock nights, and jazz jam boogaloo on Tuesdays - just watch out for the guillotine and torture instruments! Le Dokhan’s Bar With over 240 bottles on the menu, Le Dokhan’s Bar is the place to drink a few glasses of bubbles in Paris. The city’s original Champagne bar is rooted in luxurious tradition, serving the finest bottles available from household names and family estates in the Champagne region. The antique furnishings are a match for the decadent menu where you can pair a Dom Pérignon with a side of caviar. Save on admission to Paris attractions Explore the top things to do in Paris with the Go Paris pass. Select from top attractions with our flexible sightseeing passes where you’ll get access to museums, river cruises, bike rental, walking tours and other fun ways to explore the French capital. Share your adventure with us Tag @GoCity in your vacation photos and we'll feature you on our page. Follow the Go City Instagram and Facebook pages for competitions, special offers, and events and inspiration for your chosen destination too.
Eppie Shepherd
A hot-air balloon passes by the Eiffel Tower
Blog

Adventurous Things to do in Paris

Paris... City of Light, City of Love, City of... Adventure? Think of Paris and you’re more likely to picture yourself indulging in romantic riverside strolls and lazy pastry-based brunches than in nerve-jangling high-octane pursuits. In fact, Paris offers a surprising array of unusual and adventurous activities that will take you out of your comfort zone, from waterskiing on the Seine to perfecting the French art of macaron-making and gorging on snails and sea urchins. Read on for our pick of adventurous things to do in Paris. Adventures Above and Below Paris Fans of Les Misérables will find much to enjoy in the Paris sewage system which, as Victor Hugo so succinctly put it in his celebrated 1862 novel ‘is slime, minus the human form’. But don’t let that put you off: the Paris Sewer Museum takes you on a fascinating (and completely sanitary!) journey into the city’s underbelly, where you can wade through centuries of sewage history and learn all about the sewermen who worked here. Exhibits include antique equipment and you can take a guided tour with an expert while you’re there. Pause in the gift shop to pick up some stuffed rats for your loved ones on the way out and, most importantly, don’t forget to flush! For a somewhat more claustrophobic underground adventure, the Paris Catacombs are hard to beat. This labyrinth of bone-filled tunnels is said to contain the mortal remains of some six million Parisians, mostly displaced here from overflowing cemeteries in the 18th and early 19th centuries. You’ll notice a chill in the air as you descend the 131 steps to enter the tunnels. From here, there’s a 1.5-kilometer loop through the dead air of this underground ossuary, with walls constructed from densely stacked human bones and skulls. An unmissable adventure, but definitely not one for the faint-hearted. Paris also offers plenty of great options for adrenalin heads with their eyes on the skies. Climb the Eiffel Tower’s 674 steps to reach the viewing platform on the second floor, soar 150 meters above the Parc André Citroën aboard the Ballon de Paris Generali, a thrilling ascent that provides stunning 360-degree views across the city. And, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can even fly over the city’s most famous landmarks by jetpack! Ok, ok, so this one from Flyview Paris is a virtual reality experience, but it’s no less thrilling for it. Much like a flight simulator, it’s designed to emulate the real-life sensations of jetpack flying, so you really will feel like you’re cruising over the Arc de Triomphe and Notre-Dame Cathedral. Well, for a few moments anyway. Let’s Get Physical Serene sunset cruise not exciting enough for ya? Don’t worry: we’ve got you covered. Located on the banks of the Seine in the Bois de Boulogne, one of Paris’s biggest and most beautiful parks, the Ski Nautique Club de Paris offers 3.5 kilometers of water for water-skiing. It’s open to abilities of all levels so everyone from newbie to expert can get involved. Learn the basics or show off your best river acrobatics if you’re already a pro on the water. If you struggle to find your sea legs, you might prefer to join one of the city’s big rollerblading events instead. Weekends see around 20 kilometers of Paris streets closed to traffic as locals roll out of their homes in their thousands for the Sunday Skate, to weave, wobble and wend their way around major landmarks from the starting point in Place de la Bastille. The Pari Roller is a wheely great way to experience the City of Light by night, with a skating tour that kicks off 10PM Fridays in Montparnasse and rolls on into the early hours of Saturday morning. Do Something New! There’s nothing more adventurous than stepping out of your comfort zone to learn a new craft, and – let’s be honest – what skill could possibly be more life-enhancing than the art of macaron-making? These dainty, delicate and oh-so-delicious little confections are, alongside braille, pasteurization and hair dryers, surely one of France’s greatest ever inventions. This 90-minute pastry masterclass at Paris’s iconic Galeries Lafayette Haussman department store includes creation, assembly and, of course, the all-important tasting of your treats. Want to really impress your friends when you return from Paris? Find out how to transform your potato dauphinoise from a disappointing beige mush into a lip-smacking work of art at the Alain Ducasse Cooking School. And, if you’re feeling especially adventurous, you can even have a go at learning the very Parisian art of burlesque. Afterwards, head over to Crazy Horse for an evening of high-kicking, high-octane entertainment, and to see how the experts do it. Adventures in Food and Drink When in Paris... eat as the Parisians eat. Snails and frogs’ legs are just the beginning of this great nation’s culinary specialties and, if you can set your squeamishness aside, you might just be surprised. Snails in particular – plump little parcels of deliciousness served in the shell in a hot garlic-and-herb butter – may well prove life-changing. But did you know the French also do a fine line in sea urchin? That’s right: those spiny blighters that skewered your big toe off the coast of Mexico back in ‘95. These sweet, umami-tasting creatures are also said to rival oysters for their aphrodisiac power. Ooh la la! The British novelist Anthony Burgess once described the experience of snacking on durian fruit as 'like eating sweet raspberry blancmange in the lavatory'. A similar half-compliment could be made for traditional French andouillette, a sausage made from pig intestines and seasoning, and a close cousin of South American chitterlings. Its – shall we say – ripe odor might not win you many friends in the restaurant, yet locals swear by the sweet flavor, assuming of course that you can overcome your natural aversion to the smell and tuck in. A warning to the curious though: this one is strictly for those with guts of steel. Many more epicurean adventures await you in the weird and wonderful bars and restaurants of Paris, where you can variously: drink wine from baby bottles at legendary Montmartre restaurant Le Refuge des Fondus, have coffee and cake with a cat, be serenaded by opera singers as you dine and take on an actual pro-wrestler in the basement between courses. Only in Paris. Save on adventurous things to do in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

Have a 5% discount, on us!

Sign up to our newsletter and receive exclusive discounts, trip inspiration and attraction updates straight to your inbox.