I’m Océane, I’m French and I’ve lived in Paris my whole life. This isn’t a list pulled from other websites, these are the places I actually go to, recommend to friends, and keep coming back to myself.
Whether it’s your first time in the city or your tenth, May has a way of making Paris feel extra alive. In this guide, I’m sharing the 15 best things to do in Paris in May from well known classics worth the hype to a few spots most tourists never find.
Our favorite things to in Paris in May
River cruise on the Seine by Bateaux-Mouches Paris
Sometimes the best way to see Paris is to slow down and let the city come to you. A Bateaux Mouches cruise on the Seine does exactly that 1h10 gliding past the most iconic landmarks in the city, with a live commentary to bring it all together.
The Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Conciergerie, the Musée d’Orsay you’ll pass them all from the water, which gives you a completely different perspective from street level. May is a great time to do it: the light is long, the weather is mild, and the riverside is at its most beautiful.
Address : Paris 8th district
Price : from €19
Tickets for the Paradox Museum in Paris 9th arrondissement
After taking over Oslo, Stockholm, Barcelona and Miami, the Paradox Museum has landed in Paris and it lives up to the hype.
The concept is simple: over 90 interactive experiences mixing immersion, illusion and pure surprise. It’s the kind of place where you lose track of time without realising it, and every corner has something new to mess with your senses.
The installations are exclusive to the venue, which makes it feel genuinely different from anything else in the city. Fun for kids, but adults get just as sucked in.
Address : Paris 9th district
Price : from €27.50
Ticket for the Ballon de Paris Generali
For a different perspective on the city, this one’s hard to beat. The Generali balloon lifts you 150 meters above Parc André Citroën in the 15th arrondissement that’s a 360° view of Paris with zero wings required.
The flight lasts 10 to 12 minutes, which sounds short but is plenty of time to spot the major landmarks and get that wide-angle view of the city that no rooftop can quite match. As the world’s largest tethered balloon, it carries up to 30 passengers per flight making it surprisingly accessible for what it offers.
Address : Paris 15th district
Price : from €18
Ticket for the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Yes, it’s the most obvious one on the list and it’s still worth it. Seeing Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower is one of those experiences that never gets old, no matter how many times you’ve done it.
Take the elevator up and go at your own pace across the different floors. On the first level, walk on the glass floor for a straight-down view of the Champ de Mars. The second floor has activities to keep you busy on the way down. And from the very top, the whole city unfolds in front of you the Louvre, La Défense, the Sacré-Cœur, the Centre Pompidou, all laid out like a map.
Address : Paris 7th district
Price : from €75
Ticket for the Musée du Chocolat in Paris 10th arrondissement
If you have a sweet tooth, this one’s for you. The Musée du Chocolat takes you through 4,000 years of cocoa history from its origins all the way to the chocolate bar sitting in your pocket right now.
The visit covers how chocolate is made, how it spread across the world, and along the way, yes there are tastings. You also get to see incredible chocolate sculptures, which are honestly more impressive than they sound.
Address : Paris 10th district
Price : from €18
Wine & cheese aperitif, Caves du Louvre, Paris (in English)
Tucked beneath the streets of old Paris in 800m² of historic vaulted cellars, the Caves du Louvre has a story worth knowing before you arrive: this private mansion once belonged to the sommelier of Louis XV himself. That context makes the whole experience feel a little more special.
Over one hour, a Chef Sommelier guides you through three artisanal cheeses paired with three carefully selected wines walking you through the flavours, aromas, and the reasoning behind each pairing. It’s genuinely educational without ever feeling like a lecture.
Address : Paris 1st district
Price : from €65
Ticket for the Jardin des Plantes Zoo
Tucked inside the Jardin des Plantes, this is one of Paris’s oldest and most charming zoos and a very different experience from the big out of town parks.
500 animals, 146 species, all set within a beautiful wooded area in the heart of the city. You’ll come across red pandas, snow leopards, pythons, turtles and plenty more as you wander through the tree-lined paths. Animal welfare and conservation are taken seriously here, which makes the whole visit feel more meaningful than a standard zoo trip.
Address : Paris 5th district
Price : from €12
Ticket for the Aura Invalides immersive experience in Paris 7th
Paris has no shortage of things to do in the evening but this one genuinely stands out. Aura Invalides takes you inside the Dôme des Invalides after dark and walks you through the great stages of Parisian history: the French Revolution, the Belle Époque, the Second World War — all brought to life through orchestral music, video mapping, and lighting effects that transform the architecture around you.
It’s offered exclusively in the evening, which adds a whole other layer to the experience. The Dôme is already one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris seeing it reimagined like this is something else entirely.
Address : Paris 7th district
Price : from €28
Tickets for the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie in Paris 19th
Come in curious, leave amazed that pretty much sums it up. The Cité des Sciences is one of those Paris institutions that deserves way more attention than it gets from tourists.
Sitting in the middle of the largest landscaped park in the city, it’s a full day out on its own. Your ticket covers the permanent and temporary exhibitions, the Planetarium, and the Argonaute submarine though the last two require same day booking on site, subject to availability.
Worth noting: the Cité des Enfants is a separate ticket, so if you’re bringing little ones, plan accordingly. One of the best spots in Paris to make science genuinely exciting.
Address : Paris 19th district
Price : from €15
Ticket for the Musée de l'illusion in Paris 1st arrondissement
If you’re looking for something fun to do with family or friends, the Musée de l’Illusion is a solid pick. The whole place is built around interactive installations that play with your perception and honestly, it works on everyone, kids and adults included.
Beyond the wow factor, it’s actually pretty educational. You’ll learn about how sight works and how easily the human brain can be fooled. Add in hands-on games that sharpen your senses, and you’ve got a couple of hours that go by way too fast.
Address : Paris 1st district
Price : from €19
Tickets for the Atelier des Lumières in Paris
Housed in a former iron foundry in the 11th arrondissement, L’Atelier des Lumières is one of those Paris experiences that’s hard to describe until you’ve actually been inside. The space is vast, dark, and completely transformed by floor-to-ceiling digital projections images, sound and light wrapping around every surface at once.
Every visit feels different depending on the show, but the format always delivers : monumental visuals, spatial sound, and that rare feeling of being completely inside a work of art.
Address : Paris 11th district
Price : from €19.50
Ticket for the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris
Before you even step inside, the building stops you in your tracks. Designed by Frank Gehry, the Fondation Louis Vuitton looks like a ship in full sail all glass and light, sitting at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne. It’s one of the most striking pieces of architecture in Paris, full stop.
Inside, Bernard Arnault’s vision delivers exactly what he set out to create: a world-class space for modern and contemporary art. The temporary exhibitions are consistently strong, and the building itself is worth the visit on its own two floors of ambitious architecture that manages to feel both monumental and weightless at the same time.
Address : Paris 16th district
Price : from €22
Electric Paris" guided tour by electric bike
Three hours, an electric bike, a local guide, and some of the most beautiful streets in Paris. This tour is one of the best ways to cover a lot of ground without the museum fatigue and the electric assist means you’re actually enjoying the ride rather than surviving it.
Starting from Place Vendôme, you’ll wind your way through the city’s most iconic neighbourhoods: the Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, the Champs-Élysées and a few lesser-known gems like La Contrescarpe and the Arènes de Lutèce, a Roman amphitheatre hiding in plain sight in the 5th arrondissement.
Address : Paris 3rd district
Price : from €65
Guided tour "Notre-Dame: the mysteries of reconstruction"
Five years after the fire that shocked the world, Notre-Dame is back and this guided tour offers a perspective on the cathedral that most visitors will never get.
Over 90 minutes, you’ll explore the outskirts of the site and discover the full story of what happened after the flames: the treasures that were saved, the archaeological finds uncovered during the works, and the extraordinary French craftsmanship that brought the cathedral back to life. Stonemasons, carpenters, glassmakers the tour shines a light on every trade involved in one of the most ambitious restoration projects in modern history.
Address : Paris 4th district
Price : from €14.50
2-park 1-day ticket: Disneyland® and Walt Disney Studios®
An hour from central Paris, Disneyland Paris is a full day out that works for pretty much everyone whether you’re bringing kids or just embracing your inner child.
Disneyland Park is where the classics live: “it’s a small world”, the Haunted Mansion, and Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain for those who want something with a bit more adrenaline. The level of detail across every land is genuinely impressive, and the themed stores are dangerous if you’re not careful.
May is actually a great time to visit the summer crowds haven’t fully arrived yet, the weather is warm enough to enjoy the outdoor areas, and the park’s spring atmosphere is at its best.
Address : Coupvray (77)
Price : from €79
