Things to do in Paris for the Elderly

Silver-haired vacationers in search of sightseeing opportunities that require minimal physical exertion need look no further than the classic Seine river cruise. This is hands-down one of the best ways to tick off multiple Paris landmarks – including Notre-Dame, the Grand Palais and the swoonsome Alexandre III bridge, with its winged horses and flamboyant Art Nouveau lanterns – with little to no effort.

Top tip: the Bateaux Parisiens cruise is included with a Paris Pass®, which can save you up to 42% on nearly 100 Paris attractions (including the similarly low-effort hop-on hop-off bus tour). Click here for more info.

The famous Bateaux Parisiens depart daily from right next to the Eiffel Tower, making it  easy to pair your cruise with a trip to the top of the Iron Lady. Particularly sprightly seniors may wish to take the stairs – all 647 of them – as far as the second floor elevator, an experience that’s also included with the Paris Pass®. But, for everyone else, we recommend whizzing all the way from terra firma to the viewing platform up top, some 906 feet in the air. Either way, the rewards are immense, with sweeping views from the Champs-de Mars and Trocadéro Gardens directly below to Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica and plenty more besides.

Read our guide to the best times to visit the Eiffel Tower here.

No matter your age, or how long you plan to stay in Paris, a visit to one of 'the big two' art museums should be considered essential. In the blue corner, the mighty Louvre Museum is the planet’s largest, and home to veritable icons of European art including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. 

Just across the Seine in the red corner, the relatively diminutive Musée d’Orsay (pictured) still packs one heck of a punch thanks to a seismic selection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art that includes Monet’s Water Lilies, van Gogh’s Starry Night and a number of Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge-inspired pieces. But which is better? Only you can decide that, but our guide to this pair of heavyweights might help you make up your mind.

Top tip: both museums require a fair bit of walking to get around, so plan the most effective route to your must-see pieces carefully and try to stick to it. There are plenty of ramps and elevators, as well as wheelchairs and canes available to borrow. Entry to both museums is included with the Paris Pass®.

The Marais is a great way to experience Paris in miniature. This tiny, historic ‘hood in central Paris contains a veritable buffet of oh-so-Parisian pursuits and attractions. People-watch from a sidewalk café with a croissant and an espresso (Gitanes cigarette optional), ogle Cubist masterpieces at the Picasso Museum, and stroll through pretty Place des Vosges (pictured) with its cute garden square, atmospheric arcades and grand 17th-century townhouses, one of which was once home to Les Misérables author Victor Hugo.

There’s plenty more here besides. To wit: a vibrant Jewish district with falafels that might prove life-changing whatever your age; boutique-lined cobbled lanes; and, in the 16th-century Marché des Enfants Rouge, the oldest covered market in town.

Check out our guide to things to do in the Marais here.

Paris has a plethora of appealing green spaces for exploring, or simply locating a bench from which to watch the world go by. Within shuffling distance of the Louvre, the Jardin des Tuileries is a leafy Seine-side idyll with swoonsome river views and graceful Rodin statues. It’s also where you can find the Musée de l’Orangerie, home of several of Monet’s huge Water Lilies murals. Luxembourg Gardens is another city-center favorite thanks to its baroque palace, immaculate Italianate gardens and an ornamental lake where kids (and grown-ups) sail cute antique toy boats. Bring your pétanque A-game if you plan to challenge the elderly locals who congregate here to play daily.

It’s also well worth making the journey out to the 20th arrondissement, where a lively guided tour of Père Lachaise Cemetery shares the goss on permanent residents including Oscar Wilde and Édith Piaf, as well as offering a fun opportunity to meditate on your own mortality. Cheer up: the tour is included with your Paris Pass®!

There are countless reasons to cross the elegant Pont Neuf to Île de la Cité, even if you haven’t been lured, Quasimodo-style, by the bells of the world’s most famous cathedral. For upon this tiny island in the middle of the Seine lies an absolute treasure trove of Paris attractions. Start with Saint-Chapelle, which boasts stained-glass windows (pictured) to rival those of its more famous neighbor, producing dazzling interior light shows when the sun hits just right. Then there’s the Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was held immediately prior to her beheading back in 1793. And, last but by no means least, the Notre-Dame de Paris herself, a grand Gothic confection complete with gargoyles, chimeras, flying buttresses and, of course, that heavenly spire, now restored to its former glory.

Top tip: be sure to drop by the island’s must-visit Marché aux Fleurs et aux Oiseaux – a fragrant flower market that morphs into a rather noisy bird market on weekends. 

Read our guide to visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral here.

Sure, the streets of Montmartre are famously steep, but don’t let that put you off! Savvy seniors dodge the tortuous ascent by taking the scenic funicular all the way up the butte. Once up top, take in the splendid Paris panoramas and snap a selfie in front of the hilltop confection that is the Sacré-Coeur Basilica. From there, it’s an easy stroll round to the famous Place du Tertre to have your most characterful features captured in perpetuity by the resident caricaturists.

Alternatively, you can hop aboard the cute-as-a-button Petit Train de Montmartre for a whistle-stop tour of the butte’s best bits. This enjoyable rattle over the cobbles takes in the magnificent Musée de Montmartre, the legendary Moulin Rouge and more.

Check out our full guide to exploring Montmartre here.

Looking for more things to do in Paris? Click the buttons below to find out how you could save with the Paris Pass® and to choose the right one for you…