Solo travel · Paris · France
Solo travel in Paris
How to enjoy Paris at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Peter Poradisch, CC BY 2.5
Quick answer
Paris is a natural fit for solo travellers: eating alone at a café counter or bistro bar is completely normal, museums are rewarding alone, and the Métro makes it easy to get around at your own pace. Many solo travellers base themselves in Latin Quarter.
Key facts
- Base
- Latin Quarter
- Getting around
- Metro
- Emergency number
- 112 (European emergency number)
- Language
- French
Solo travel tips
- Sit at the bar in bistros and wine bars; it is the easiest place to chat with staff and other diners.
- Free walking tours and museum guided tours are an easy way to meet other travellers.
- Stay in the Latin Quarter or Canal Saint-Martin for lively areas with good-value hotels and hostels.
- Keep valuables in a zipped bag on the Métro and at busy sights, where pickpockets target distracted visitors.
- Use licensed taxis or ride-hailing apps late at night rather than accepting offers from drivers at stations.
Where to stay
$$ · Best for budget, first-timers, solo travellers and families
Latin Quarter
Around the Sorbonne and Rue Mouffetard, the 5th mixes university life with Roman ruins, the Panthéon and the Jardin des Plantes. Hotels here are generally better value than in the 6th next door, and the area is a short walk from Notre-Dame and Île de la Cité.
- Good
- Good-value hotels for a central location; Lively but not rowdy; Easy RER link to both airports
- Watch out
- Rue de la Huchette restaurants are touristy; Some streets are noisy at night
- Nearby
- Panthéon, Jardin des Plantes, Shakespeare and Company, Notre-Dame
Great on your own
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Landmark · 7th arrondissement
Eiffel Tower
For the classic photo without the crowds, walk across the river to the Trocadéro terraces early in the morning.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours with the summit
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- After dark
Museum · 1st arrondissement
Louvre Museum
Go straight to the Mona Lisa at opening time or leave it for the final hour, then explore the quieter Richelieu wing.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · 7th arrondissement
Musée d'Orsay
Start on the fifth floor with the Impressionists before tour groups arrive, then work downwards.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Religious site · Île de la Cité
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Queues move quickly early on weekday mornings; a free online time slot can shorten the wait at busy periods.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
Religious site · Montmartre
Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre
Take the funicular up (it accepts a Métro ticket) and walk down through the back streets towards Abbesses.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Iconic
Landmark · Champs-Élysées
Arc de Triomphe
Use the underground passage from the Champs-Élysées; never try to cross the roundabout on foot.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- History
- Iconic
- After dark
Meeting people
- Market morning — Covered and open-air markets such as Marché des Enfants Rouges (the oldest in Paris), Marché d'Aligre and the Sunday Marché Bastille are where locals shop. Go before noon, and buy picnic supplies for a garden or the Seine quays.
- The lunch formule — Many bistros offer a fixed-price weekday lunch of two or three courses for much less than dinner. It is the best way to eat well in Paris on a budget.
- Le Marais — Cocktail bars and the centre of LGBTQ+ nightlife around Rue des Archives and Rue Vieille-du-Temple.
- Oberkampf and Bastille — Dense, affordable bar streets with a young crowd, especially Rue Oberkampf and Rue de Lappe.
Sensible precautions
Paris is generally safe for visitors, but pickpocketing is common on the Métro, at major sights and around big stations. Watch out for petition and 'found ring' scams near monuments, and keep phones out of reach on café tables.
- Emergency number
- 112 (European emergency number)
- Staying connected
- Free public Wi-Fi is available in many parks and city buildings; EU roaming applies to European SIMs, and eSIMs work well for other visitors.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Paris good for solo travellers?
Paris is a natural fit for solo travellers: eating alone at a café counter or bistro bar is completely normal, museums are rewarding alone, and the Métro makes it easy to get around at your own pace.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Paris?
Latin Quarter: Student energy, the Sorbonne and cheap eats in the 5th.