Rainbow over the Paris skyline

Things to do in Paris for Pride Day

By Stuart Bak

Oh l’amour! There’s a reason Paris is known as the City of Love, what with all those romantic boulevards, cute sidewalk cafés, handsome bridges, and swoonsome sunset strolls along the banks of the Seine. But love really comes to town in June, when the annual Pride festival – or Quinzaine des Fiertés – kicks off. Two weeks of shows, parties, exhibitions and debates in support of the LGBTQ+ cause, the festival is a celebration of love, diversity and inclusion that takes in everything from drag performances to dance shows, sporting spectaculars, bingo nights, roller-skating events and, of course, the grand finale: a joyful parade (aka the Marche des Fiertés) that snakes through the streets of Paris on the last Saturday of the month, drawing in up to 750,000 spectators and participants. Ooh la la! Dive in for our guide to all the best things to do in Paris on and around Pride Day.

La Marche des Fiertés

Couple draped in a rainbow flag at Paris Pride

There are around 50 LGBTQ+ events taking place in council and municipal buildings and other gay-friendly spaces around Paris during the fortnight that precedes the Marche des Fiertés. Many of these are held in and around Le Marais, Paris’s beautiful, atmospheric and storied gay district. French speakers can find a full program on the country’s official Pride website. 

But, as month-end approaches it’s really all about the Marche des Fiertés, Paris’s vibrant Pride parade, which sees the city center explode in a riot of dancing, singing and laughter, all wrapped up in a simply enormous outpouring of love. The route usually begins at (or near) the Tour Montparnasse, which just happens to be the city’s only skyscraper. Naturally, then, it’s also home to Paris’s highest observation platform – perfect if you want to watch the rainbow-colored parade from above.

Paris Pride revelers with placards and flags

There are passionate, rousing speeches from around 1PM before, at 2PM, the crowd commences its two-hour crawl to the Place de la République, via Place de la Bastille. Spectators can expect to spot flamboyant floats, carnivalesque costumes, drag queens, stilt walkers, roller skaters, and more.

The conclusion of the Parade doesn’t spell the end of Paris Pride. Far from it, in fact. The party continues until late in the evening, thanks to thrilling live music and wild drag performances on the main stage at Place de la République (or sometimes Place de la Bastille, depending on the parade route). 

And nor does it end there: lively street parties continue across Paris well into the wee small hours, and it’s also a great (if somewhat busy) time to visit Paris’s finest gay bars and clubs. Hit up the Marais district for some of the most popular in town, among them the legendary Café Cox, Le Cud Bar, Les Souffleurs, and La Perle.

LGBTQ+ Art & Culture

Balloons and rainbow flags at Paris Pride

We get it: massive, high-on-life crowds ain’t everybody’s cup of thé. So here’s the good news: you don’t need to join the end-of-June party to get a taste of Parisian LGBTQ+ culture. Try these for size instead:

  • The Louvre: the largest (and most-visited) museum on the planet holds an extraordinary collection of gay art. We’re talking Ancient Greek vases featuring eye-popping homoerotic illustrations, an 18th-century sculpture of the heroic gay couple from Virgil’s Aeneid, several busts of Emperor Hadrian’s plaything Antinous, and a number of pieces by Renaissance geniuses Michelangelo and da Vinci. Top Louvre visiting tips here.
  • Père Lachaise Cemetery: not just an utterly beautiful cemetery, with broad, leafy boulevards flanked by gothic gravestones and monumental memorials, Père Lachaise also just happens to be the final resting place of several gay icons of yore. Pay your respects at the graves of Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf and Maria Callas, as well as the tomb shared by Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, and that of Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, the Napoleonic nobleman considered by many to be the father of gay liberation.
  • Luminor Hôtel de Ville: this beloved Marais cinema is where it’s at for the latest indie, arthouse and indeed blockbuster LGBTQ+ movies, especially during Quinzaine des Fiertés and other Paris LGBTQ+ film festivals. Latest listings here. 
  • Les Mots à la Bouche: this Marais bookshop has been a stalwart of the Paris gay scene since 1980, stocking the full gamut of LGBTQ+ literature from art books to comics and erotic novels.

Best of the Rest: Paris’s Top Attractions

The Wall of Love in Paris's Montmartre district

Paris Pride sees many of the city’s renowned landmarks light up in rainbow colors. Of course, the Eiffel Tower gets involved, beaming out its technicolor message of love and unity after dark throughout the Quinzaine des Fiertés. Then there’s the Arc de Triomphe and aforementioned Tour Montparnasse, as well as the countless local businesses – cafés, boutiques, galleries – that brighten the streets with beautiful rainbow flags and bunting. Heck, even Disneyland Paris gets in on the act! Feel the love on a stroll along the Seine, learn to say ‘I love you’ in 250 different languages at the wildly romantic-sounding Mur Des Je t’aime (Wall of Love) in Montmartre, or take a day trip to one of the utterly swoonsome chateaux that are easily reached by train from the capital.

Pink macarons beside an Eiffel Tower ornament

A Paris attraction pass from Go City can save you up to 50% when visiting multiple famous landmarks. There are over 100 attractions, tours and activities to choose from, including many mentioned in this guide. Here are just some of the highlights:

  • A guided climb of the Eiffel Tower (a mere 674 steps up to the second level)
  • Entry to the mighty Louvre Museum
  • A trip to the top of Tour Montparnasse, the only skyscraper in Paris
  • Romantic Seine cruises (with or without Champagne)
  • Guided walking tours that include LGBTQ+ mecca Le Marais, Père Lachaise Cemetery, arty Montmartre, and a stroll around the favorite hotspots of fictional fashionista Emily Cooper, heroine of Netflix rom-com ‘Emily in Paris’.
  • A fashion show at the iconic Galeries Lafayette
  • Perfume- and macaron-making experiences
  • Entry to the stunning Château Fontainebleau and Palace of Versailles
  • … and much, much more!

Find out more about the available pass types and get yours here.

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Café des 2 Moulins
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Quirky Things to do in Paris

Looking for quirky and unusual and quirky things to do in Paris? Then look no further! We’ve compiled a wealth of weird, wonderful and downright wacky suggestions to help you swerve the tourist traps and experience Paris at its most offbeat, from sightseeing in a Citroën 2CV to riding a dodo, visiting Édith Piaf’s private apartment and making an absolute cochon of yourself with all-you-can-eat chocolate mousse. Quirky Things to See and Do For a Paris sightseeing experience with a difference, book a private tour in a vintage Citroën 2CV, truly the Rolls Royce of classic French cars. Well, sort of. Tours last up to three hours and itineraries cover all of the major landmarks, Paris by night, Montmartre and more. Cost is per vehicle and you can reduce your share of the fare by cramming in three people, like sardines in a tin can. Albeit a very chic Parisian tin can. Take the edge off any discomfort caused by the 50-odd-year-old suspension system by adding a bottle of bubbly to your package. You’ll regret nothing about a visit to the fascinating Musée Édith Piaf (tours by appointment only). This tiny apartment in the 20th arrondissement was home to the legendary Parisian chanteuse just before her career went stratospheric in the early 1930s. View personal belongings including photographs, fanmail and Piaf’s birth certificate, platinum records and famous black dress, and pick up a souvenir CD of Piaf favorites such as La Vie en rose and Non, je ne regrette rien in the little shop. Coincidentally, the museum is just a short stroll from the Little Sparrow’s final resting place in the vast Père Lachaise Cemetery, a fitting spot to complete your Paris Piaf pilgrimage, and where you’ll also find the tombs of Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt, Chopin and many more legendary entertainers of yore. Dead Interesting Paris could give the Mexicans and ancient Egyptians a run for their money in terms of its fascination with the dead. Celebrity-crammed cemeteries aside, there’s no dearth of death-related attractions in Paris, if that’s what floats your bateau. Perhaps closest to the bone are the Paris Catacombs, an extensive network of underground ossuaries containing the mortal remains of some six million Parisians, displaced here from overflowing graveyards in the 18th and 19th centuries. The experience of walking through these hushed tunnels and caverns, stacked top to bottom with human remains, surely ranks as one of the city’s most macabre. From the dead to the undead, the Musée des Vampires is every bit as creepy as it sounds... and then some. Step inside this house of horrors in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris to explore the private collection of vampirologist Jacques Sirgent, eccentric curator of this roomful of vampire-related imagery, curiosities and ephemera. Highlights include – steel yourself – mummified cats, a 19th-century ‘anti-vampire protection kit’, a crossbow and dozens of frankly terrifying artworks. As with the Piaf museum, Viewings of Mr Sirgent’s private collection are by appointment only via the website. Lust for the macabre still not satisfied? Book tickets for the Manoir de Paris, a heart-stopping immersive Halloween horror experience held annually in the Parc de la Villette’s Grand Halle. Pay your respects at the world’s oldest pet cemetery where permanent residents include Napoleon’s three-legged dog Moustache and – I kid you not – Rin Tin Tin, canine star of the silent movie era. And climb aboard the Dodo Manège, a cute and colorful carousel in the Jardin des Plantes, where kids can choose to ride a dodo, a barbary lion, an elephant bird and other extinct and endangered critters. Quirky activities in Paris Rollerblading has really taken off in Paris over the last few years. They’re everywhere: whirlwinding past as you enjoy a gentle stroll along the Champs-Élysées, hurtling towards you at truly terrifying speed in the Parc Monceau, bowling you over as you step out of your hotel... Get involved in the fun at the mass skating event that rolls through the streets of Paris – with a police escort, no less! – every Sunday. Or join the cool kids on the Pari Roller, a night-time tour-on-skates that kicks off in Montparnasse every Friday at 10PM and concludes in the wee small hours. Fans of quirky French rom-com Amélie can follow in their heroine’s dainty footsteps at locations across the city. Make your way through Montmartre’s charming cobbled alleys to the real-life Café des Deux Moulins. This cute Parisian eaterie still looks much as it did in the movie, but with added Amélie posters, trinkets and ephemera dotted around the place. Picnic on the banks of Canal Saint-Martin and skim stones across the water, just as Audrey Tautou did in the movie, and take a dip in the Piscine de Amiraux, the beautifully restored Art Deco swimming pool where Amélie’s father enjoyed a swim. A scoot around the most interesting stations of the Paris Métro is also worth a couple of hours of anyone’s time. Expect to see some of the city’s finest street art down here, as well as impressive stations including Arts et Métiers, with its steampunk-inspired bronze-clad tunnels, and Palais Royal, which boasts an eye-catching entrance in brightly colored Murano glass. If you’re still on an Amélie tip, there is of course a station for that: Abbesses, where our heroine encounters Nino for the first time. Eccentric eating experiences Adventurous gourmands rejoice! Paris has a reasonable claim to the title of dining capital of the world. So, if you’re ever going to try escargots (that’s right: snails), this is the place to do it. These little morsels of deliciousness are served in the shell, drenched in garlicky herb butter, and with a sizable hunk of bread to mop up every last drop of the juices. Yum. Those with a sweeter tooth may prefer to tackle the bottomless chocolate mousse at Chez Janou near the Place des Vosges. Guests who order this dessert are served a great dollop of the good stuff from an oversized bowl, which is then left on your table for you to help yourself until you can eat no more. Head to Paris institution La Maison Ladurée on the Champs-Élysées for the finest French macarons in every conceivable color and flavor. Feeling extra decadent? Try one of these delicate little pastries wrapped in gold leaf and leave higher in spirits (if somewhat lower in cash) than before you entered. For a truly eccentric dining experience, mosey down to Le Refuge des Fondus at the foot of Montmartre. There are only two decisions to be made here: meat or cheese, and red or white wine. The twist? Your wine is served in (and drunk from) baby bottles. It brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘bar crawl’. Save on quirky 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
Père Lachaise Cemetery
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Outdoor Activities Paris

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 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 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 “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 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
Couple holding a heart-shaped umbrella in front of the Eiffel Tower.
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Things to do in Paris when it Rains

Paris is that rarest of creatures: a city that’s beautiful both inside and out. Sure, you came here to stroll those swoonsome parks and boulevards arm-in-arm with your beau (or belle), to hand feed each other fresh fruits and fromages from the famous street markets and, of course, to pledge your undying love (and snap some selfies, natch) on the Pont des Arts. But there’ll be more than enough time for all that nonsense after it stops raining. In the meantime, don your most fashionable trenchcoat and ankle boots and dive into our guide to the best things to do in Paris when it rains, from world-class museums and galleries to chic shopping arcades, cozy cafés and subterranean mausoleums. The Best Rainy Day Museums and Galleries in Paris If you’re looking for something to do on a rainy day in Paris, the extraordinary museums and galleries that pepper the city should be your first port of call. There are well in excess of 100 across the city’s 20 arrondissements and here, for your delectation, are some of the finest. The Louvre This one needs no introduction, but we’re going to give it one anyway. With somewhere in the region of eight million annual visitors, the Louvre is the world’s most-visited museum. Unsurprising, perhaps, when you consider that it just happens to contain the Venus de Milo and da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, alongside many other priceless treasures; a collection that charts the whole history of humanity’s artistic endeavors. It’s the kind of place you can easily spend an entire day (indeed, it’s estimated that it would take 200 days to view all the art on display), so shake off your umbrella and settle in for the long haul. Musée d’Orsay Just across the Seine, Musée d’Orsay’s relatively compact size makes it a little more manageable for the casual art enthusiast. Step through the doors of this stunningly converted Beaux-Arts railway station for the planet’s largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art. We’re talking pieces by many of the movement’s masters: Monet, Manet, Renoir, Rodin, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Degas, Gaugin... the list goes on and on. Musée du Vin You might think you’ve died and gone to the grape beyond at the intoxicating Musée du Vin, where atmospheric vaulted cellars set the perfect scene for a glass of the good stuff. Discover the history of Champagne- and wine-making in these subterranean limestone caves, once used by the Order of Minim friars in the 15th Century, before sampling the delicious spoils of the museum’s own vineyard. Musée National Gustave Moreau This one’s a cracker, especially if you’ve just dragged yourself in from the rain-soaked streets with zero prior knowledge of what to expect. Spoiler alert: it’s not like the other museums. The former Moreau family home, this eye-popping extravaganza of 19th-century Symbolist art is dedicated to the life and works of Gustave Moreau, known for his somewhat trippy compositions featuring mythical creatures, otherworldly flora and hallucinatory hellscapes. Printed guides containing often rambling commentaries from the man himself, as well as a quite spectacular spiral staircase, add to the disorienting nature of the place. Musée Édith Piaf You’ll regret rien about a trip to the fascinating Musée Édith Piaf, a tiny apartment in the 20th arrondissement that was once home to the legendary Parisian chanteuse. The carefully curated collection of Piaf’s personal belongings here includes photographs, fan mail, platinum records and her famous black dress. Tours are by appointment only. Afterwards, brave the rain to visit the Little Sparrow’s final resting place in nearby Père Lachaise Cemetery. Check out our full guide to the best museums and galleries in Paris here. Rainy Day Shopping And, if museums don’t float your rainy-day boat, perhaps Paris’s legendary opportunities for retail therapy will. There’s everything from luxury mega-malls to grab-a-bargain flea markets and highbrow bookstores to keep the incurable shopaholic entertained, and these three are absolute wet-weather must-dos... Galeries Lafayette Haussmann A trip to the iconic Galeries Lafayette Haussmann can feel more like a religious experience than a mere shopping trip, thanks to its ornate galleries, five-story atrium and soaring glass-and-steel cupola. A cathedral to capitalism, it houses an A to Z of household-name and designer brands; 65,000 square meters of retail space that runs the gamut from Armani to Zadig & Voltaire, punctuated by bistros, cafés, salons and more. Once you’ve shopped til you’re (nearly) ready to drop, hit up the roof terrace (with your just-bought Prada parapluie, natch) for restorative widescreen views across Paris. Pro-tip: Galeries Lafayette also runs a variety of achingly Parisian add-on experiences including a catwalk fashion show and a macaron-making class. Booking is essential. Undercover Shopping Tailor-made for rainy days, Paris’s covered shopping arcades are an atmospheric throwback to more gentile times. Stroll beneath stained-glass ceilings, browse old-school wood-fronted stores and admire intricate mosaic tiling, ornate stucco clocks, and iron-and-glass domes and canopies in these masterclasses of 19th-century architecture. There are 20 or so of these elegant covered passages to explore around the 1st-9th arrondissements, each promising a tempting variety of bakeries and bistros, plus any number of chic boutiques, antique emporia, watchmakers, jewelers and bookstores, where great stacks of antiquarian books pile precipitously in corners and defy gravity on groaning, overstocked shelves. A Bonanza for Bookworms If ye delightful olde Librairie du Passage bookstore in Passage du Jouffroy has whet your appetite for yet more bookish pursuits, you’re in luck! Paris is an absolute mecca for book lovers, not least in the storied streets of its characterful Latin Quarter, a bohemian enclave on the Seine’s left bank once frequented by Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce and other such literary luminaries. Sit out the wet weather devouring a classic in one of the district’s hip café bars, popping out between showers to bag some more books in the semi-legendary treasure trove that is English-language bookstore Shakespeare and Company. Or wander down the Seine to find the Bouquinistes of Paris: a veritable army of booksellers that line the left bank, offering up a smorgasbord of antiquarian tomes, literary classics, childrens’ books, poetry, graphic novels, pulp fiction, art and more. And That’s Not All... No need to let a little rain dampen your sightseeing spirits. A Citroën 2CV tour is a great way to take in the city sights without necessarily setting a foot outdoors. Fun rain or shine, these whistlestop tours take in all the major landmarks and can cram in as many as three passengers at a time. Take the edge off any potential discomfort by booking one of the champagne packages. Or dodge the downpours by heading underground into the secret city that is the Paris Catacombs – a vast network of bone-chilling tunnels, passageways, sewers and secret chambers. This epic labyrinthine ossuary contains the mortal remains of some six million Parisians, relocated here from overflowing Paris cemeteries in the 18th and 19th centuries. So perhaps not one for a first date. If all else fails, simply do as the Parisians do when it rains: find a cute streetside café, order a croissant and a café crème and find yourself a prime seat for people-watching by the windows – at least until they fog up. Save on rainy day activities in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak

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