51 Things to Do in Paris That Still Surprise Repeat Visitors
After 15 trips to Paris, journalists and long-term residents have compiled 51 activities worth repeating. From Notre-Dame's restored Gothic architecture to gin-distilling workshops and cooking classes, here's what makes the French capital endlessly rewarding.
Paris rewards repeat visitors. After 15 visits to the city, journalist Lindsey Tramuta—who has lived there for nearly 20 years—and Julia Eskins, both Condé Nast Traveler contributors, compiled 51 activities that remain worthwhile, from the obvious to the overlooked.
The list spans museum visits, cooking classes, café stops, and boat rides on the Seine. What unites them is not novelty for its own sake, but authenticity verified by writers who know the destination intimately. According to Condé Nast Traveler's selection criteria, these experiences were chosen for their insider perspective, location, service quality, and sustainability credentials.
Landmarks remade and reimagined
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris stands as a recent example of why repeat visits matter. After the devastating 2019 fire nearly destroyed this Gothic structure, five years of restoration followed. The cathedral, originally commissioned in 1163 and completed in the early 14th century, reopened with rebuilt features including Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's ionic spire, freshly restored flying buttresses, and cleaned stone. Visitors can now attend mass to bypass the line—a practical detail that rewards planning.
Musée Jacquemart-André offers another angle on Paris's depth. This 19th-century mansion on Boulevard Haussmann contains art collected by Édouard André and Nélie Jacquemart from Rome, Cairo, Istanbul, and the Far East. Works by Bellini, Perugino, Rembrandt, and Botticelli fill the rooms; the couple's private apartments and celebrated winter garden remain on view. After a year of restoration completed in fall 2024, the museum reopened with refreshed works, staircases, painted ceilings, and a redesigned entrance lined with cobblestones.
Hands-on experiences
Cooking and craft workshops have become central to Paris tourism. La Cuisine, an English-language cooking school, offers a three-hour macaron-making class capped at eight participants per session, allowing comfortable movement in a professional-grade kitchen. Reservations sell out in advance.
La Distillerie de l'Arbre Sec represents a newer category: the gin-distilling workshop. Opened last year in the heart of the city between the Louvre and Les Halles, within an 18th-century mansion's courtyard, the micro-distillery runs 2.5 to 3 hours. The space itself—featuring a botanical room, distilling area, and a 150-liter copper Holstein still—creates atmosphere alongside education. Participants book solo or duo spots with access to a miniature still, producing a bottle to take home. Groups do not exceed 18 people.
Parks and everyday rhythm
Jardin du Luxembourg, located in the Sixth Arrondissement, remains an inviting green space mixing English, Italian, and French landscaping influences. It serves Parisians and visitors for people-watching, romantic walks, and picnics.
These selections share a philosophy: the classics endure because they work. Whether a first-time visitor or someone relocating to Paris, this curated list provides a starting point. As one local woman reflected, seeing tourists experience Paris—even in stereotypical berets—reminds her of the privilege of living somewhere others dream of visiting their entire lives. The best things to do in Paris, in short, are often the ones everyone knows about.
