Where to Find 11 of the Best Views of Paris

As a photographer, one of my top priorities while visiting cities is often finding the best views.

Paris, a famously beautiful city, is of course no exception! During my most recent visit to Paris, I made a point of seeking out many of the top places to admire the sights and streets of the city.

And now I’m sharing them with you. Below, you’ll learn all about some of the best views of Paris — including where to find them, what to expect while you’re there, and how to get the most out of each spot.

Now, this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list of great views in Paris! For one thing, there are still some fantastic viewpoints I haven’t personally been able to experience thanks to ongoing construction work (like Notre Dame and the Pantheon). For another, there are always more beautiful views to discover in Paris! Sometimes it feels like around every corner is a new charming street scene or Eiffel Tower view.

But if you ask me, this list is a great start. Here are 11 of the best views of Paris.

TIP: This map contains the locations where you’ll find the viewpoints listed in this blog post. To save it to your own Google Maps account, click the star next to the map’s name. You can then find and use the map from your Google Maps app by going to “Saved,” then “Maps.”

1. Arc de Triomphe

While I haven’t necessarily ordered this list by rank, I AM starting off with the spot that I believe has the best views in Paris: Arc de Triomphe.

No, it’s certainly no hidden gem, but it’s beloved for a reason. From the top of Arc de Triomphe, you’ll have fantastic views of virtually all of Paris’s best sights, including one of the best available views of the Eiffel Tower (which is not far from the Arc).

If possible, try to time your visit so you arrive during golden hour (the hour or so before sunset). If you are able to linger on the terrace for some time (you will not be forced to leave!), you can enjoy the way the last light of the day bathes the city in a warm glow, then watch the sun set behind La Défense (Paris’s skyscraper-laden business district).

And then, as the sky quickly darkens, you’ll watch the lights on the Eiffel Tower turn on for the evening, and then sparkle for five minutes at the top of the next hour.

Experiencing golden hour AND sunset AND the first Eiffel Tower sparkles of the evening may mean that you’re hanging out on Arc de Triomphe for a while (up to a couple of hours, potentially), but I personally think it’s worth it — particularly if you’re aiming for some great photos and videos of the Eiffel Tower.

To be best prepared to capture those Eiffel Tower sparkles, try to claim a spot along the southern wall/southeast corner (the one facing the tower, of course!) by shortly after sunset. You’ll be standing in one spot for a while, but tower views are in super high demand by the time the lights turn on, so you may not have a change to snag a place later.

Note that in order to reach the top of Arc de Triomphe, you’ll need to climb nearly 300 stairs. There IS an elevator (which is reserved for people with disabilities and health conditions that make climbing difficult or dangerous — if that’s you, you will need to request access to the elevator upon arrival), but it stops before the top. To reach the terrace from there, you will need to climb about 40 steps or take an additional, smaller elevator the whole way to the top.

2. Eiffel Tower

I’m of two minds about the views from the Eiffel Tower.

On one hand, they’re genuinely great, for the most part, with particularly good views of the Arc de Triomphe and Sacre Coeur, as well as delightful overhead views of nearby spots like Champ de Mars.

On the other hand, the views from the Eiffel Tower don’t contain one of the best sights in Paris — the Eiffel Tower itself!

So if you only have enough time in Paris to seek out one great photo spot, I wouldn’t pick the Eiffel Tower…but I do think the tower is worth visiting on a slightly longer visit.

Fair warning: the Eiffel Tower is (of course!) extremely popular, so it can be crowded, with long lines to go through security, buy tickets, and enter the elevator. You can save some time by buying tickets in advance and choosing to walk up the stairs rather than take the elevator, but if you can’t bear the thought of facing the crowds, fair enough.

But…if you do choose to go up the tower, your reward will be excellent views of Paris, particularly of Arc de Triomphe and Sacre Coeur.

The Eiffel Tower has three floors from which you can admire the city below — the first floor, which contains a restaurant and more, the second floor, which is the main sightseeing floor, and the summit, where you can look down at the city from nearly 1000 feet above the ground.

Any ticket up the Eiffel Tower will include access to both the first and second floors, but you’ll need to pay extra to visit the summit. Is the Eiffel Tower’s summit worth visiting? I think yes! That’s especially true if your goal is to find the best views of Paris — for some sights, I think the view from the second floor is better, but the summit definitely offers unique views of Paris.

3. Sacre Coeur

We’ve looked at Sacre Coeur from Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower — now let’s head up to Montmartre and see what Paris looks like from Sacre Coeur!

If you’re unfamiliar with Paris, Montmartre is a hill in the north of Paris. Historically, it’s been a bohemian haven for Paris’s artists, and its narrow little streets filled with historic buildings set it apart from the Haussmannian architecture you’ll find elsewhere in the city.

Near the top of Montmartre sits the area’s most prominent sight: Sacre Coeur. Thanks to its hilltop location, this white, multi-domed basilica is visible from all over Paris — and has great views OF Paris, too!

For a free and super popular sightseeing spot, sit on the hillside steps in front of the basilica. They’re wildly crowded most of the time, but you’ll enjoy wonderful views over the rooftops of Paris (Montparnasse Tower does unfortunately mar the view, but more on that in a minute.)

To get away from the crowds and find even better views of the city, climb to the top of the basilica. (You’ll find the entrance on the western side of the church — on the left, when you’re facing the basilica.)

To reach the dome, you’ll have to climb nearly 300 stairs (in addition to all the stairs you’ve already walked to get up to Sacre Coeur!), but the reward for all your work is a viewing platform encircling the dome. Wonderfully, it’s far less crowded than many other viewpoints in Paris, so you can enjoy the 360-degree views of the city in relative piece.

Among the things you can see well from the top of Sacre Coeur are the Eiffel Tower and the streets and rooftops of Montmartre.

4. Montparnasse Tower

I hinted at this before, but Montparnasse Tower is…not beloved.

Okay, that’s an understatement. It’s totally misplaced, is ugly AF, and has fully earned its nickname as “the middle finger of Paris.”

In fact, there’s a common saying that Montparnasse Tower has the best views in Paris…because it’s the only viewpoint where you can’t see Montparnasse Tower!

So is there some truth to that jokey saying? Well, yes and no. Montparnasse Tower DOES have some great views — no surprise there, since it is in fact a tower — although I don’t think they’re literally the best views in Paris.

That said, you won’t find too many better views of the Eiffel Tower in particular. And, while the design of the Montparnasse Tower terrace obstructs a lot of the best street-level views, you’ll still get a great look at many of the streets and rooftops around the building.

One of my gripes with the views from Montparnasse Tower is that a lot of the windows in the indoor viewing level are tinted, blurry, or otherwise just kind of crappy, as you can see in the photo of the Eiffel Tower on the left.

Plus, at least in my experience, Montparnasse Tower is delightfully uncrowded (especially compared to more popular attractions like the Eiffel Tower), which is a breath of fresh air…even if the views aren’t quite as good!

5. Galeries Lafayette

One of the top spots for free views of Paris is on the rooftop on Galeries Lafayette, an absolutely gorgeous department store.

Why is it free? Well, in order to reach the rooftop, you need to work your way up through the shopping center. No doubt they hope you’ll do some shopping while you’re there, making their maintenance of the rooftop well worth the trouble.

But you can certainly enjoy the views without spending any money, if you like! Enter the store and follow the signs to the terrace — you’ll need to ride an escalator or twelve along the way.

At the top, you’ll find great views of Palais Garnier — the opera house, which is just around the corner from Galeries Lafayette — and the Eiffel Tower, among other Parisian sights.

During my last visit to Paris, the terrace even had an area with seating to watch tennis (the French Open was happening at the time).

Don’t forget to stop and enjoy the gorgeous Art Nouveau building on your way back down — the stained glass ceiling is incredible.

6. Centre Pompidou

The first of several museums I recommend visiting for great views of Paris is the Pompidou, a quirky modern and contemporary art museum that looks like it was built inside out.

First things first: as of September 2025, the Pompidou is unfortunately closed for renovations that are expected to take several years…so don’t plan on enjoying the views from the Pompidou anytime soon!

But once that ends, and the museum reopens, you can look forward to checking out some great views of the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, and other Parisian sights from the Pompidou’s upper level.

7. Musée d’Orsay

For a museum that ISN’T closed at present, head to Musée d’Orsay, one of the world’s very best art museums (in my opinion!).

Musée d’Orsay is best known for its remarkable impressionist collection and gorgeous Beaux-Arts building, which formerly served as a train station.

Famously, the museum still contains several iconic remnants of the train station — including giant clocks that also serve as windows on the top floor. Today, visitors line up to take pictures in front of one of these clock windows, while another sits inside the museum’s cafe.

You can see several well-known Parisian sights through the clock windows — most notably, Sacre Coeur.

8. Rue de l’Abreuvoir

Returning to Montmarte, head to Rue de l’Abreuvoir for one of Paris’s most charming and well-known street scenes. In fact, some say it’s the prettiest street in Paris!

Rue de l’Abreuvoir isn’t long. At one end, in a square dedicated to her honor, is a bust of Dalida (a French singer who lived in Montmartre). At the other is La Maison Rose, a famously picturesque little restaurant.

Mainly, looking up the hill, it’s simply a beautiful street, made even better by the towers of Sacre Coeur standing tall over it all.

9. Trocadéro

For one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower, go to the Trocadéro — the area directly across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

For decades, this area contained Trocadéro Palace, a controversial building constructed for the 1878 World Fair. Now, you’ll find the Jardins du Trocadéro and the Palais de Chaillot, a large building with arced wings that house several museums.

From the terrace in front of the Palais, and above the gardens, you’ll find a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower.

10. The Louvre

Though some Parisians still hate it, the Louvre’s 1989 glass pyramid has become one of the most famous sights of Paris.

You don’t need to visit the museum to admire the pyramid — the exterior of the Louvre is free to walk around, including the courtyard where the pyramid sits, and you’ll find particularly interesting views from the archways outside of the courtyard.

But if you do visit the Louvre, you’ll discover some great views of the pyramid and the way it sits within the massive museum complex. In particular, the museum has several cafes (Cafe Mollien and Terrasse Colbert) with outdoor terraces where you can admire the pyramid.

At either spot, the food will be pricey, but they’re nice spots to take a well-deserved break from exploring the huge museum. During my last visit to the Louvre, I arrived at the museum by 8:30 for entrance at 9 am, explored for a while, then had breakfast with a view at Cafe Mollien.

If you’re not interested in visiting the Louvre’s restaurants, you can also find views of the pyramid and the courtyard from certain of the galleries within the Louvre.

11. Rooftop Bars & Restaurants

During my last visit, I enjoyed a fantastic lunch at Maggie, the rooftop restaurant of Hotel Rochechouart. Thanks to its location near Montmartre, I sat with a perfect view of Sacre Coeur (my favorite building in Paris), and could also look around and enjoy views of the Eiffel Tower and other classic Paris sights behind me. (The food and service were both excellent as well!)

Of course, Maggie is just one of many rooftop bars and restaurants with great views of Paris. For some other options, check out the following:

• Terrass, another hotel bar in Montmartre
• Les Ombres, for fine dining with a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower
• Perruche, a rooftop garden setting in the 9th arrondissement
• ROOF, for cocktails and light food
• Girafe, a terrace with fantastic Eiffel Tower views

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