Things to do near the Louvre

A short wander west from the Louvre brings you quickly to the Tuileries Garden – or Jardin des Tuileries – a delightful riverside idyll of tree-shaded avenues, dreamy lakes, graceful Rodin statues and swoonsome Seine views. Don’t miss the stately Musée de l’Orangerie in the park’s southwest corner, home to French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces galore, including several of Monet’s famous Water Lilies murals. 

Exit the gardens behind the splendid Bassin Octagonal to reach Place de la Concorde, with its ancient Egyptian obelisk, spectacular fountains, and direct access onto Paris’s upscale shopping mecca: the grand Champs-Elysées avenue.

Read our guide to attractions near the Champs-Elysées here.

Just over the Seine from the mighty Louvre, Paris’s second-most-popular art museum is no shrinking violet. A monumental Beaux-Arts beauty, its arched windows, vaulted galleries and iconic clocks betray the building’s past as a turn-of-the-century train station. Inside, an absolute treasure trove of eye candy awaits the intrepid traveler. To wit: the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art on the planet. Here’s where you can eyeball landmark pieces including Rodin’s Thinker, Whistler’s Mother, Renoir’s Bal du Moulin de la Galette, self portraits and starry nights by one Vincent van Gogh, and several of Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge-inspired paintings.

Head for the fifth-floor café for exhilarating views across the Seine to the Louvre and Sacré-Cœur Basilica through the huge station-clock window.

Read our comparison of the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay here.

Top tip: admission to many of Paris’s top museums, plus dozens more Paris attractions, tours and activities, is included with the Paris Pass, which could save you more than 30% on your Paris sightseeing.

Paris’s historic shopping arcades are hidden worlds full of atmospheric 19th-century charm, and there are a couple of excellent examples in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements, close to the Louvre. Galerie Véro-Dodat (pictured) is an Insta-perfect neoclassical affair, all marble columns, monochrome tiled floors and gold trim, and the kind of elegant antique stores and high-end designer boutiques sure to make your bank manager tremble. Nearby Passages des Panoramas is the city’s oldest arcade, dating to 1799. Get lost among artisan brasseries and tiny curiosity shops beneath its signature glass canopy, perfect for a spot of rainy-day retail therapy.

Read our guide to things to do in Paris when it rains.

A short Seine-side stroll from the Louvre brings you to the elegant Pont Neuf, gateway to the Île de la Cité. It’s here that you’ll find not one but two medieval Gothic masterpieces: the stained-glass stunner that is Sainte-Chapelle and the main event: Notre-Dame de Paris. 

This 12th-century marvel has survived floods, fires, wars and revolutions and remains open to the public today. Visit to snap the gargoyles and grotesques that adorn its extraordinary facade, to ogle the vibrant rose windows and to marvel at the soaring spire, twin towers and internal nave, all restored to their former glory following the disastrous fire of 2019.

Read our guide to visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral here.

You could easily spend a whole day wandering the Marais, the historic neighborhood a short way east of the Louvre. For it’s here you can find the pleasant Place des Vosges, colorful Jewish district, and the foodies’ paradise that is the Marché des Enfants Rouge. 

It’s also where you can check out yet more great art. We’re talking four floors of Cubism, Surrealism and more at the mighty Picasso Museum (pictured), plus a whole world of modern European art over at the Centre Pompidou. Step inside this architectural eye-popper for a collection that includes works by Magritte, Duchamp, Warhol, Sherman, Kandinsky, Kahlo and more. And don’t miss an opportunity to ride the external escalator – aka the Caterpillar – all the way up to the top!

There are many places for big spenders to get their fashion fix in Paris: the so-called Triangle d’Or (golden triangle) formed by Avenue Montaigne, Avenue George V and the Champs-Elysées, the glitzy Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann department store, and the atmospheric covered passages, to name but three.

But for sheer elegance, Place Vendôme is tough to beat. This 17th-century square, prized for its grandeur, symmetry and soaring Vendôme Column (with a statue of Napoleon as the cherry on top), is lined with luxury boutiques designed to lure incurable spendthrifts and window-shoppers who just love to stare at shiny things. Cartier, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Van Cleef & Arpels: you’ll find all of them here, and many more besides.

Paris’s bohemian Latin Quarter is just across the Seine from the Louvre and it’s here that you’ll find the Panthéon, a monumental mausoleum perched atop the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève. Many of the great and good of French history are interred or commemorated here, from scientists to activists and politicians to writers. Peer at plaques honoring Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie and more before wandering the district’s atmospheric winding lanes, with its proliferation of bohemian bars and cafés, and bookstores like the legendary Shakespeare and Company, the magical interior of which wouldn’t look out of place in a Harry Potter movie.

Not far from the Panthéon in Saint-Germain-des-Prés lies Luxembourg Gardens, a lush green playground that’s considered one of the best public parks in Paris. There’s a whopping 56 acres of prime city-center park to explore here, a welcoming oasis away from the hubbub of Paris’s tourism hotspots, and with a little something for everyone.

Admire the baroque beauty of Luxembourg Palace and stop to smell the roses in its immaculate Italianate gardens; bring your A-game to a pétanque showdown with the locals; play giant chess; or take a pony ride along wooded trails. Kids, too, will love the enormous playground and the opportunity to sail cute antique toy boats on the ornamental lake.

Looking for cool things to do near the Louvre and elsewhere in Paris? The Paris Pass is your friend. Hit the buttons below to find out how you can save, and to bag your pass!