EIFFEL TOWER

Originally intended as a temporary structure – the entrance arch for the World’s Fair – the Eiffel Tower has been the most recognisable symbol of Paris for over 130 years. The second floor observation deck at 115 metres gives arguably the most satisfying overview of the city – high enough to see everything from the broad sweep of the Seine to the ordered geometry of the boulevards below and close enough to identify individual landmarks. The summit at 276 metres adds scale but does lose some of the detail. Sunset is one of the most popular times to visit, with dinner at Le Jules Verne on the second floor of the tower itself (two Michelin stars under chef Frédéric Anton and with its own private lift entrance) being especially popular. As one of the strongest fine dining addresses in the city, the sunset slots sell out fastest so book your reservation early – they open 90 days in advance.

LOUVRE MUSEUM

The largest art museum in the world and one of the most visited, managing your visit to the Louvre matters as much as the collection itself. Pre-booked timed entry avoids the longest queues at the pyramid entrance, and a private curator-led tour offers a more thoughtful way to explore a collection that spans Egyptian antiquities, Greek and Roman sculpture, and European painting from the medieval period through to the 19th century. The Mona Lisa of course draws the largest crowds in the Denon Wing, though the surrounding rooms – Veronese’s vast Wedding at Cana directly opposite, the Italian Renaissance galleries on either side – are often less busy and, for many visitors, more memorable. After-hours access, when the main galleries empty and the building takes on a different character, is one of Paris’s stronger private experiences – with the Venus de Milo virtually to yourself, and stories most visitors never hear.

SEINE RIVER CRUISE

The Seine is the thread that ties much of Paris together, linking many of the city’s best-known landmarks along a route that reveals how they relate to one another. From the water, Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Eiffel Tower become part of a wider landscape of quays, riverside architecture and bridges linking the Left and Right Banks – relationships that can be difficult to appreciate from street level. Day cruises run regularly from the Pont de l’Alma and several other embarkation points, but it’s the evening cruises that prove particularly popular, when the monuments begin to illuminate and the city takes on a whole other character. Private yacht charters and smaller river vessels allow the route to be taken at whatever pace suits, with catering and champagne service arranged as required.

MONTMARTRE

Montmartre’s reputation as an artists’ quarter is well established, but much of its appeal comes from the fact that it feels somewhat removed from the Haussmann boulevards below. Set at the city’s highest point, the steep streets, staircases and small squares around the hill create a village-like neighbourhood whose layout predates Haussmann’s remodelling. Picasso, Modigliani and Toulouse-Lautrec all worked here in the early 20th century, and though the neighbourhood has changed considerably since, the Bateau-Lavoir studios where much of that work happened still stand on Place Émile Goudeau. Sacré-Cœur at the top of the hill is as much about the city view as the basilica itself. Below, the Place du Tertre fills with portrait painters through the day. The quieter streets behind it – Rue Lepic, Rue des Abbesses – reveal more of everyday life, while an evening at the nearby Moulin Rouge provides a more singular perspective on Parisian entertainment.

CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES

Running for nearly a mile and a half from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées is one of the world’s most recognisable boulevards, its wide pavements lined with luxury boutiques, cinemas, theatres and cafés. Home to flagship stores of most of the major French fashion houses, and combined with the surrounding streets of the 8th arrondissement – Avenue Montaigne, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré – it’s also one of the world’s most concentrated luxury shopping districts, so it’s worth booking a private shopping guide to help you navigate both the established houses and the smaller ateliers that rarely advertise. But the real highlight is often the Arc de Triomphe at the western end. Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 and completed in 1836, its roof terrace serves up one of the clearest panoramic views of Haussmann’s urban planning, with broad avenues radiating in every direction.

PALACE OF VERSAILLES

Distance: 45 minutes by car

Built for Louis XIV and expanded across several subsequent reigns, Versailles is the most complete surviving example of absolutist royal ambition in Europe – 2300 rooms, 67 staircases, gardens extending across 800 acres and a Hall of Mirrors, widely regarded as one of the most extraordinary interiors on the continent. Early morning entry or private access before public opening makes a real difference. The Trianon palaces and Marie Antoinette’s estate are a more intimate counterpoint to the main château, with La Petite Venise in the gardens and Gordon Ramsay au Trianon – one Michelin star, open Tuesday to Saturday – available for lunch and dinner.

CHÂTEAU DE FONTAINEBLEAU

Distance: 1 hour by car

While Versailles often attracts greater attention, Fontainebleau delivers a deeper understanding of royal life. Occupied by French monarchs for more than seven centuries, its architecture accumulates across the reigns of François I, Henry IV and Napoleon – each leaving distinct traces in the building. The château is particularly associated with Napoleon, who signed his abdication here in 1814, and his private apartments, throne room and personal study are among the most intact imperial interiors in France. The surrounding forest – 25,000 acres of oak, beech and sandstone outcroppings – has enticed painters and walkers since the Barbizon School artists settled on its edge in the 1830s.

ÉPERNAY

Distance: 90 minutes by car

Épernay’s Avenue de Champagne runs for just under a mile between the town centre and the surrounding vineyards, its 19th-century mansion façades giving little indication of the chalk cellars beneath them, where Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët, Pol Roger and several other major houses store an estimated 200 million bottles under ideal ageing conditions at any given time. Tours of the houses reveal the centuries-old production methods – the disgorgement process, dosage decisions and the stylistic differences between the major houses – that helped establish Champagne’s global reputation, while the Belle Époque architecture above ground reflects the prosperity the industry brought to the region.