Things to do in Paris worth pre-booking
Most of Paris is free to wander — the point of pre-booking is to skip lines at the handful of sights where queues genuinely eat your day, and to lock in the few experiences that sell out. Below are the categories worth booking ahead, with where to book each. We link Viator first and GetYourGuide as a backup; both are marketplaces for the same kinds of tickets, so compare price and times before you commit.
Skip-the-line museum & monument tickets
Timed entry to the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and the Eiffel Tower saves the longest queues in the city, especially in summer.
The official sites often sell the same timed tickets — compare before paying a marketplace markup.
Seine river cruises
A one-hour sightseeing cruise is the best low-effort way to see the monuments from the water; evening sailings catch the Eiffel sparkle.
Day trips to Versailles & Giverny
Versailles and Monet’s Giverny are half-to-full-day trips that run smoother with skip-the-line entry or a guided coach than solo by train.
Food & market walking tours
A guided tasting through a neighborhood (Marais, Montmartre or the Left Bank) is the fastest way to eat well and learn the food geography on day one.
Evening & cabaret shows
Classic cabarets and dinner shows sell out on weekends and around holidays — pre-book if a specific night matters to you.
Some booking links are affiliate links — if you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which options we recommend.
Booking tips (so you don’t overpay)
- Check the official venue site first — for the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and the Eiffel Tower you can often buy the identical timed ticket without a marketplace markup.
- Book timed entries for the morning you plan to visit, not a fixed early slot you might miss after a late night.
- Free cancellation is common on these marketplaces — prefer it, then re-check prices closer to the date.
- You rarely need a hop-on bus in a city this walkable; the Metro and a Seine cruise cover the same ground for less.
Want these slotted into a day-by-day plan? See Paris in 3 days.