Paris Business City Guide: Paris activities & culture
There’s no better way to get a look at the city’s top sights than a quick cruise on the Seine. If you have time to watch the world go by, Paris’s gardens and cafes make ideal spots. More time on your hands? Try pampering yourself a little or getting out of town for the day.

Paris is a mecca for the arts, and Parisians are well-rounded culture vultures with an appreciation for painting, chamber music, literature, opera, dance, theatre and cinema – all easily accessible. Lectures, concerts, shows and exhibitions fill the cultural calendar. Tickets can be purchased online, at the venue or through your hotel concierge.

What to do in limited time

In 3 hours: Bateaux Parisiens
Port de la Bourdonnais
7th, M° Bir Hakeim or Trocadéro
01-44 11 33 44
www.bateauxparisiens.com
One-hour excursions day and night, plus lunch and dinner cruises, too. See all the top monuments and romantic bridges. Multilingual narration.

In 3 hours: La Conciergerie
Bd du Palais
1st, M° Cité
01-53 73 78 50
Marie-Antoinette’s pre-execution lock up is now a museum and memorial to the 20,000 guillotined. Combined ticket gives entry to the glittering Sainte Chapelle.

In 6 hours: Ritz Paris Health Club
17 pl Vendôme
1st, M° Concorde or Tuileries
01-43 16 30 60
www.ritzparis.com
Hydrotherapy, massage, hammam, hair styling and La Prairie beauty treatments – by appointment only. Magnificent indoor pool/bar and fitness studio also.

In 6 hours: Paris Walks
Various starting points
Various
01-48 09 21 40
www.pariswalkingtours.com
Two-hour tours in English of the Marais, Montmartre, Latin Quarter and more bring history to life. Meet at metro stations. Museum tours available.

In 12 hours: Vaux le Vicomte
Maincy
01-64 14 41 90
www.vaux-le-vicomte.com
Envy of Louis XIV, the château served as a model for Versailles. Sumptuous luxury. Discover all the royal intrigue on the guided tour.

Paris culture

Opéra National de Paris
Pl de l'Opéra/Place de la Bastille
9th, M° Opéra/12th, M° Bastille
08-92 89 90 90
www.opera-de-paris.fr
Opéra Garnier presents ballet and chamber music under Chagall’s dome (tours available), while Opéra Bastille features opera (French subtitled) and dance.

La Comédie Française
2 rue de Richelieu
1st, M° Palais Royal
01-44 58 15 15
www.comedie-francaise.fr
Since 1680, Molière’s wit has sparkled on stage. Contemporary playwrights are also performed, in French. Historic building in the Palais Royal.

Musée d’Orsay
Quai Anatole France
7th, M° Sofitel, RER C Musée d’Orsay
01-40 49 48 14
www.musee-orsay.fr
Western art from 1848–1914 in a converted railway station. Impressive set of impressionists (Renoir, Manet, Monet, Degas and others). Café on site.

Musée Rodin
77 rue du Varenne
7th, M° Invalides, RER C Invalides
01-44 18 61 10
www.musee-rodin.fr
Eighteenth-century mansion and sculpture garden displaying The Thinker and other bronzes. Drawings, studies, engravings and the artist’s personal collection, too.

Centre Pompidou
Pl Georges Pompidou
4th, M° Rambuteau or Hôtel de Ville
01-44 78 12 33
www.centrepompidou.fr
Museum of modern art with special exhibitions and a cultural centre. Futuristic inside-out design. Chic rooftop restaurant with splendid views.