Best things to do in Paris 2026, according to a local

Address: Galeries Lafayette, 40 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris, Printemps, 64 boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris
Website: haussmann.galerieslafayette.com, printemps.com

37. Dig into tasty morsels in the Belly of Paris

The Les Halles metro stop gets its name from the massive fresh food market that once teemed here, first on makeshift stalls and then, from the 19th century, beneath a dozen glass and iron structures designed by Victor Baltard. While the market was demolished in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the neighbourhood retains its foodie footprint. Start your wander at E. Dehillerin, once Julia Child’s favourite kitchen supply store. Mosey past the imposing Bourse de Commerce, the former grain exchange that’s been home, since 2021, to François Pinault’s impressive contemporary art collection. Continue along rue Montorgueil, formerly the oyster hub of the market, where you’ll notably encounter Paris’ oldest pastry shop, Stohrer, founded in 1730. Stop by for one of their famous eclairs to enjoy as you wander. Finish your discovery on rue du Nil, just across the rue Réaumur, where Terroirs d’Avenir locavore shops specialised in cheese, meat, fish, produce, and bread sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Plaq, Paris’ premier bean-to-bar chocolaterie. Their practice of on-site roasting ensures you can’t miss it: The smell of cocoa tempts you the moment you turn onto the street. Emily Monaco

Address: E. Dehillerin, 18-20 Rue Coquillière, 75001 Paris, Bourse de Commerce, 2 Rue de Viarmes, 75001 Paris, Stohrer, 51 Rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris, Plaq, 4 Rue Du Nil, 75002 Paris
Website: edehillerin.fr/en,.pinaultcollection.com, stohrer.fr, plaqchocolat.com

Paris, France-05 11 2022: The Musée Marmottan Monet features over three hundred Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings by Claude Monet, including his 1872 Impression, Sunrise. Marmottan Museum’s fame is the result of a donation in 1966 by Michel Monet, Claude’s second son and only heir.Getty Images

38. Mingle with Monets at the Marmottan museum

Lovers of Impressionist art typically high-tail it to the central Musée d’Orsay or Orangerie, but fans of Claude Monet should definitely take a trip out to the western 16th arrondissement to visit with the largest collection of the artist’s work in the world. The Musée Marmottan Monet sits within a mansion that was once the Duke de Valmy’s hunting lodge and contains two major Impressionist collections, including the works that once belonged to Michel Monet, Claude’s second son. The collection of over 300 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings notably includes Impression, Sunrise, the 1872 painting that inspired the name of the movement. Works by Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley also feature. Emily Monaco