The Best Things to Do in Paris for Solo Travellers

Paris is rife with museums, the most notable of which are the Louvre, which currently houses the Mona Lisa, and the Musée d’Orsay, which holds the largest collection of Impressionist art in the world. Aside from this, there are several local museums and hidden gem museums that deserve attention, too.

Bear in mind that the Louvre is usually extremely busy, and it’s recommended to book your ticket online months in advance. General admission tickets to the Louvre are from €17, with free admission for under-18s. Additionally, Musee d’Orsay’s general admission is €16 for adults, €11 for young people aged 18 to 25, and free for under-18-year-olds. EU residents under 26 years old can also visit for free. Across Paris’s museum collection, you can browse some of the most famous works of art and artefacts in the world and throughout history.

Bus tours are a popular way of seeing most of a city’s landmarks in a short period of time – most tour buses are hop-on, hop-off, meaning that you can board and disembark wherever you want. Some of the sights that you can expect to see on a bus tour include the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe. Bus tours usually run most days across Paris, and can host a large capacity of tourists, all of whom are keen to know more about the city.

Bus tours tend to vary in prices, but you can generally find excellent tour packages or routes to suit your budget or preferences. Paris has almost too much to see, so if you want to view its iconic sights within a shorter timeframe and not have to worry about forking out too much on the metro or other buses around the city, then book a bus tour.

If there’s one thing Paris and France as a whole are known for, it's baking and pastry. Often cited as the ‘pastry capital of the world,’ it’s a cultural and historic cornerstone, so it’s no surprise that Paris offers patisserie and culinary classes across the city. You can try your hand at making French classics like profiteroles, macarons, or eclairs, along with learning about the techniques and methods that are involved in patisserie making.

Head to renowned destinations Galeries Lafayette, Le Cordon Bleu or La Cuisine for the best array of cookery and baking courses – if you plan to stay in Paris for a while, why not take a longer patisserie course and fine-tune your culinary skills with a classic French flair?

You can’t go to Paris without visiting a cabaret. And if you want to go big, go to Moulin Rouge. The stunning cabaret has been hosting spectacularly elaborate and colourful shows since the late 1800s. The cabaret shows that are hosted here are extravagant affairs, and there’s a sophisticated and smart dress code to follow. Get dressed up for the night and head to this iconic venue.

Moulin Rouge tickets can vary in price depending on the package you book, but generally start at around €110. It’s important to book the Moulin Rouge several months in advance, as it is usually sold out every night. It’s one of the best things you can do in Paris, and the price is totally worth it, so book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Paris’s stunning River Seine is one of the city’s main attractions, with various riverside venues and activities occurring each day. If you want a more unique way of exploring the city, take a river cruise down the Seine and take in the sights.

You can normally find a range of boating excursions and packages, some of which include champagne or dining cruises or simply just a tour through the city. When on a river cruise across the Seine, you can see Paris’s top sights like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral.

Paris is a very accessible city, and while you’ll more than definitely have a fulfilling experience in Paris alone, you may also want to explore its nearby cities. Some of the best places to visit that are under two hours from Paris include Versailles, where you can find the opulent Palace of Versailles; Amiens, known for its beautiful narrow streets and canals, and Rouen, which is known for its riverside activities and historic town centre.

Visiting nearby cities is a great way to get the absolute most out of your trip, and explore smaller cities or towns that may be overlooked in favour of Paris or other large cities. If you’re a solo traveller, you’ll want to consider taking the train from Gare du Nord, or you could think about hiring a car too.

Paris’s arrondissements are all different from one another, so it’s like having several different towns within one city. Although you’ll be more than fulfilled in any of Paris’s districts, we’d recommend sticking to areas like Montmartre, Le Marais, Saint-Germain and the 7th Arrondissement which hosts the world-famous Eiffel Tower.

Each arrondissement has a different vibe to the next, with each one offering an eclectic mix of cafes, boutique shops, landmarks, iconic nightlife venues and culinary gems. To get around the city more efficiently, take the metro, which is a fast and easy way to visit each arrondissement. Some activities you can do as a solo traveller in these neighbourhoods include window shopping (or actual shopping if you have the budget), cafe hopping and sightseeing.

Paris has always been a jazz music hotspot, with an effervescent jazz scene across various arrondissements and areas of the city. Head to Saint-Germain, Rue des Lombards or the Latin Quarter for the best collection of jazz bars, clubs and live music venues. Each night, the streets of Paris come alive with various forms of entertainment, with jazz music or bars being the prime entertainment spots.

Some of the best jazz bars to visit include Le Duc des Lombards, Caveau de la Huchette or 38Riv Jazz Club. Even if you’re a solo traveller, you can still enjoy a drink or two while listening to some jazz, or simply stroll through the streets and enjoy the atmosphere and faint sounds of jazz music float towards you.

Of course, you should definitely go on a food tour of Paris, but it’s likely you’ll be stuck wondering where to even start. With such a diverse culinary scene and various cuisines coming together, it can be hard to figure out which food to try. If you want to experience authentic French cuisine in a traditional way, or fusion cuisine with a tasteful French flair, then you’re definitely in the right place.

If you’re feeling daring, you can go all-out and try dishes like escargot (snails), which are common in authentic French fine dining restaurants. Alternatively, you can stick to what you likely already know and go for dishes like beef bourguignon, coq au vin or ratatouille. For lighter dishes like breakfast or lunch, you should definitely try croissants or crepes, and desserts can include tarte tatin or crème brûlée. For the best areas of Paris to take a food tour, try the Latin Quarter (5th Arrondissement), Rue des Martyrs (9th/18th Arrondissement), Hôtel de Ville (4th Arrondissement), or Saint-Germain (6th Arrondissement).