Best photo spots in Paris - the city of love

Paris is the second most visited city in Europe and this is no coincidence. There is a lot to discover and there are many photogenic places everywhere. We will show you the bests spots to photograph Eiffel Tower and all the best photo spots around the city and give you tips for your Paris visit.

Best and cheapest way to get around in Paris:

The probably most scenic way to get around in Paris are the bikes from Vélib. The system is very easy and also the cheapest way to get around.

It works like this: buy a ticket for a few euros at the beginning of the day. With this ticket you are able to take a bike from every Vélib station in the city (and there are many!). If you bring the bike to the next station within 30 mins you pay nothing for it. You can also hop from station to station and take a new bike if your half hour has run out.

Top of Eiffel Tower

When you get to Paris a view from the Eiffel tower is a must do! Get up to the highest platform, it’s amazing! I recommend to go up by stairs to the first and second platform because it is cheaper and most of the time the queue is much shorter. Also it is a cool experience to walk up the steel construction on your own. When you get to the second platform immediatly get a ticket for the elevator to the top and line up in the queue. Don´t worry about taking photos! Normally the queue goes around the tower, so you can view every direction while waiting. When you finally get to the third platform you can even see into the streets, which look like canyons. From there you can see the Sacré Coeur, Notre Dame, Louvre and a lot more at a totally new perspective.

How to get there: Easiest to go to the Eiffel Tower is by Metro station Trocadéro or just take a bike and leave it at a velib station.

The Eiffel Tower

There are many opportunities for taking a photo of the Eiffel Tower. Most people get their first view from the Trocadéro. With the fountains of the Jardins de Trocadéro you can take nice photos. At sunset visit the Parc du Champ de Mars where you can take beautiful pictures with the last sunlight shining through the Eiffel Tower. Have a picnic (with a baguette and some wine) until it gets dark so you can enjoy the light show of the Eiffel tower. The show starts every full hour (when its dark obviously….) for about 10 minutes. Don’t forget to explore the park to get some different shots! Another good photo spot is from (or with) the bridge Passerelle Debilly. The river with the boats look nice at night with the Tower.

City district of Montmartre

Montmartre is a really touristic area. Although it is worth visiting with its small charming houses, the beautiful church Sacré Coeur and a stunning view over the city. It has some cute photogenic places like the Maison Rose. So just walk around and discover by yourself.

How to get there: Go there by bike so it is easy to get to photo spots like the Moulin Rouge, the Moulin de la Galette, Le mur des je t’aime or Le Lapin Agile. You can also get there by Metro stations Lamarck - Caulaincourt, Anvers, Abbesses or Blanche (for Moulin Rouge) and take a longer walk through the district.

The Louvre

The Louvre is a must see in Paris. With its impressive old building and the pyramid as modern contrast it looks really cool and photogenic. At night when the fountains and the pyramide are lit up you can get really nice photos, too. In my opinion it’s not necessary to go in (except you really love old canvas and statues), espacielly when you have to wait for about an hour or two to get in. A walk through the Tuileries Garden to the Place de la Concorde is really beautiful and you can take a rest at one of the ponds. Also at the Place de la Concorde you are already where the Champs Ellysee begins.

Champs Ellysee and Arc de Triomphe

The Champs Elysee is not that exciting but you can get nice pictures of the Arc de Triomph with the avenue trees. The Arc de Triomph is more of the main attraction here. You can go up and view the Champs Elysee from the Arc to the Louvre. The Arc itself is very nice at night when taking long exposure pictures.

Love Locks and Notre Dame

The Pont des Arts is famous for its love locks, but unfortunately they nailed planks on the bridges handrails and the locks are getting removed constantly because the Parisians are scared that the bridges collapses under the additional weight. Luckily there is the Pont de l’Archevêché where you can still take photos of them. At a stones throw Notre Dame and the townhall is the next to visit.

How to get there: Metro station Cité, from there you can walk to Notre Dame, the Pont de l’Archevêché and if you like, you can take a promenade to the Pont des Arts along the riverside with its booksellers.

Tip: Notre Dame and the townhall (wich is just on the other side of the Seine) look pretty good at night, too. The river and the bridges and boats look nice at sunset, when the sky gets red and the boats are lighted up.

Side Trip: Versailles castle

When you have an additional day I would recommend to visit Versailles with its famous hall of mirrors. The gardens are a nice place to relax or take a ride with the boat on the large canal. It’s nearly impossible to get a picture of the whole castel (even with a good wide angle) as it is really big. The visit of the castle is free for european citizens under age 25 but you still have to wait in line for about an hour or two depending on daytime and date. You will see nice rooms with lots of gilded stuff and of course the famous hall of mirrors (in my opinion it lacks its beauty because of the crowd) although it’s nice. 

How to get there: There is a train connection from the  Paris railway stations ( Saint Michel, Musée d’Orsay, Pont de l’Alma, Champs de Mars)  about every half an houre (ride takes about 30 to 40 minutes). Just buy your ticket on the counter. From Versailles train station it’s only a short walk to the castle entry.

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