Paris itinerary — 2 days

The oldest covered food market in Paris, founded in 1615 in the Marais district under King Louis XIII. It owes its evocative name to a nearby 16th-century orphanage whose children wore red clothing symbolising charity. Today, the bustling market stalls are a renowned foodie destination, offering artisan cheeses alongside freshly cooked Moroccan tagines, Lebanese sandwiches, Japanese bento boxes, and traditional French crepes.

Completed in 1607 under King Henry IV, Pont Neuf is the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris. Linking the Left and Right Banks through the western tip of Île de la Cité, it broke medieval tradition as the first Paris stone bridge built without houses lining its span and the first to feature elevated pedestrian sidewalks. The bridge's stone cornices are ornamented with 381 expressive mascarons depicting grotesque faces.

The oldest planned square in Paris, inaugurated in 1612 in the historic Marais district as Place Royale. An exquisite symmetrical quadrangle, it is enclosed by 36 uniform pavilions crafted from red brick and pale limestone above vaulted ground-floor arcades. The central garden square features lime trees and marble fountains, while pavilion number six houses the Maison de Victor Hugo museum.

A pioneering cultural complex and National Museum of Modern Art in the Beaubourg district, opened in 1977 to an innovative design by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. The building famously turns architecture inside out, placing color-coded mechanical pipes, air ducts, and a transparent caterpillar escalator on its external facade. Inside, it houses Europe's largest modern art collection alongside top-floor panoramic city views.

A neoclassical masterpiece crowning the Latin Quarter, designed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot as the Church of Saint Genevieve before the French Revolution transformed it into a secular mausoleum. Beneath its 83-metre dome swings Foucault's Pendulum, famously demonstrating the Earth's rotation, while the crypt holds the tombs of French icons including Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie.

A masterpiece of Napoleon III style opened in 1875 to Charles Garnier's design: the Grand Staircase of white marble and onyx, a gilded Grand Foyer echoing Versailles, and an auditorium crowned by Marc Chagall's vibrant 1964 ceiling. The opera house inspired Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera. Self-guided visits let you explore the ceremonial halls and the museum-library.

A masterpiece of French Gothic architecture on the Île de la Cité in Paris, founded in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully. The cathedral is renowned for its twin western bell towers, intricate 13th-century stained-glass rose windows, flying buttresses, and stone gargoyles gazing over the Seine. Following extensive restoration, it stands as the spiritual heart and geographic zero point of France.

Paris is the world capital of fashion and shopping, and if you want to spend an entire day browsing, buying, and dreaming about luxury items and clothing, you should head to Galeries Lafayette for luxury shopping. This Art Nouveau Parisian department store houses leading brands as well as small boutiques, restaurants, bakeries, salons, and spas, which make a visit appealing to almost anyone. You'll find plenty of luxury stores worth visiting, from Chanel and Christian Dior to Armani and Prada. The ultimate shopping in Paris can be found here, at the dazzling Galeries Lafayette. This department store is located in the prestigious Opera district and offers you 3 blocks of buildings featuring some of the most luxurious stores, including Chanel, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton. Don't forget to go up to the top floor of the building to enjoy a stunning view of Paris.

Commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, this 4.6-kilometre canal connects the Bassin de la Villette to the River Seine. Flanked by century-old plane trees and arched cast-iron footbridges, Canal Saint-Martin is a favorite bohemian retreat for locals enjoying waterside picnics and watching canal boats navigate historic locks. The surrounding Quai de Valmy and Quai de Jemmapes boast a lively scene of specialty cafes, boutiques, and bistros.

Resting twenty meters beneath the streets of Paris, this subterranean ossuary occupies a network of former limestone mining galleries. Created in the late 18th century to resolve health crises from overflowing parish cemeteries, it houses the skeletal remains of over six million Parisians. Visitors descend 131 spiral steps to explore a 1.5-kilometer underground circuit lined with neatly stacked walls of skulls and tibias.