The 50 best things to do in Paris this summer | Time Out Paris (2024)

There's nothing more Parisian than the tradition of a good weekend brunch. And with long sunny mornings beckoning, we want to take this tradition and put it where the sun shines. So let the fresh air chase away your hangover and grab another coffee, with our round-up of the best terraces for brunching on a Sunday morning...

A pretty café-restaurant,Le Pavillon des Canaux is another great project with an artistic edge and a stimulating community feel to it. Set in an old two-storey house overlooking the Canal de l’Ourq and its houseboats, Le Pavillon is bright, colourful and peaceful...

From luxurious rooftops to hidden al fresco cafés, these are some of our favourite spots to catch a shot of sunshine in Paris (and a few shots of liquor while we're at it). The city's café culture is at its finest as the beau monde relax into long summer evenings, and these outdoor bars provide the perfect setting (and sustenance) to soak it all up...

Set hard by the Marché d’Aligre in the 12th arrondissem*nt, Siffleur des Ballons is an irresistibly charming wine bar with a refined, contemporary feel...

Our sticky-fingered guide to the best ices in the capital takes you from glorious gelati in luxurious ice cream parlours to sweet shops full of bonbons; simply the best places in Paris to indulge a sweet tooth...

Global in outlook, ambitious in scope, city-wide and often free, the Quartier d'Eté festival offers a fantastic summer programme of dance, theatre, concerts and circus...

The free open air Festival Silhouette is the biggest short film festival in Paris, and, having been around since 2002, has built up quite a following. For nine days you can expect to see a variety of genres represented: animation, horror, drama, comedy, documentary and experimental...

The fantastic (and fantastically popular) free open-air cinema festival Cinéma en Plein Air returns to Parc de La Villette for its 25th edition this summer. It's just one of the events that brings the buzz to this increasingly hip corner of northeast Paris...

Read on for our guide to the quirkiest concert venues in Paris, from far-flung churches to converted funeral parlours...

The Paris Jazz Festival is one of the favourite summer destinations for overheated Parisians. From mid-June until the end of July, two jazz groups play every Saturday and Sunday in the big open hall of the Parc Floral de Vincennes. The free festival (you only pay entry to the park) makes for a brilliant summer outing...

The creative energy of the clubbingcollectives ruling Paris’s nightlife scene has to be seen to be believed; it's fast becoming a European alternative clubbing capital in its own right. And LGBTQ+ voices are particularly strong here, proving that gay life in Paris is about much more than just the Marais...

If there’s one event that sums up Paris in the summer, this is it. Back in 2002, Mayor Bertrand Delanoë began the tradition of lining the banks of the Seine with sand, deckchairs, food stalls and volleyball nets, creating a series of city beaches for those stuck in town during the long hot months...

The evening before the holiday, Parisians dance at Place de la Bastille. At 10am on the 14th, crowds line up along the Champs-Elysées as the President reviews a full military parade. By night, the Champ de Mars fills for the firework display...

Not just a pool, but an aquatic centre with three different indoor sites: one training pool, one for learning and one for fun as well as a small outdoor pool, two solariums and one ‘beach’. It also offers a spa, hammams, saunas and UV cabins...

A kind of illicit pedestrian counterpart to the boulevard périphérique, the Petite Ceinture is one of Paris’s least well-guarded secrets, in both senses. Essentially a disused railway that loops around the city like a ‘little belt’, the route has lain derelict since the last commercial train rattled along its tracks last decade...

The quays of the Seine and banks of the canals de l’Ourcq and Saint Martin are adored and regularly visited by Parisians, playing host to many a party, picnic or apéro. In Paris, houseboats – or péniches– function as more than just accommodation:many a water-loving entrepreneur has turned their houseboat into a lovely business or venue...

When Paris’s parks overflow in summer, those in the know will head to this out-of-town Eden at Sèvres – a former island (on a tributary of the Seine which was blocked up in the 19th century) that’s now a 7.5ha ecological park, found just at the end of the metro line 9...

The summer fairground returns to Paris, bigger and better than ever Can you smell waffles? Must be the return of the annualfête foraine(summer fairground) to the Tuileries. Merry-go-rounds ofvarious stripes are the stars of the show:you'llhave the chance tomount a vintage carrousel dating from 1900, as well as a zippy modern 6G…

The forests at Fontainebleau(which surround the manificentChâteau de Fontainebleau) are famous for their massive, prehistoric boulders; French alpine climbers have been coming here to train since the early 19th century. More recently, the area has become a prime location for 'bouldering'...

The grand finale of the bike race to rule them all returns to Paris again this year. The chance to watch last leg of the Tour de France powering up the Champs-Elysées after cycling 2,000 miles in 21 days draws crowds of thousands...

Paris Plages is well known for lining the Seine with sand and deckchairs during the summer months, but there are plenty of other venues across the capital that open up extra spaces when the sun comes up. With DJs and bars, summer sports or just shady places to relax, these summer spaces are the perfect spots to plant your parasol...

The mighty concept store has redefined high-end shopping for many; their gorgeous hand-picked selections of quirky goodies are almost as impossible to resist as they are to afford. These are some of our favourites.

The city that nurtured Hemingway and Fitzgerald, Orwell and Beckett is a major hub and an inspiration for English writers and readers, and there are glossy emporiums, delightful second-hand treasure troves and plenty of mixed-language outlets to explore...

Fancy pants, cheeky bits and some more serious adult playtime gear can all be found at these come-hither Paris lingerie boutiques.

Whether you're browsing for ideas or ready for your inking session, we've visited some of the top Paris tattoo studios to meet the artists and check out their work. Scroll through some artwork and see if any of the styles inspire you...

Paris harbours more than just a few fantastic fromageries, where you can discuss the finer points of pasteurisation while making up a platter of your favourites or even dine on dairy delights at dedicated cheese restaurants...

Want to put in a bid for a Louis XIV wardrobe? Or simply stroll through the streets of Montmartre in search of a vintage postcard to send home? Either way, we've got you covered with our pick of the most interesting art and antique markets the city has to offer. Just make sure to bring a full wallet and an empty carrier bag...

While Parisians are away on summer holiday, the international fashion intelligentsia, models, stylists, socialites and celebrities all descend on the French capital for its semi-annual Haute Couture Week...

Perhaps the most striking index of Parisians' newfound thirst for beer is the rate at which the brown stuff is being taken up by traditional wine merchants. Artisanal lagers and ales are increasingly found alongside the usual bottles of rouge and champagne, while dedicated beer shops are expanding into ever more specialised territory...

’Bio’ produce is unquestionably on the up and up in France, with fashionable menus gasping to emphasise their additive-free meat, locally sourced veg and 'natural' wine lists...