A new mayor, a greener city and exciting developments in the arts, accommodation, dining and transport all show why Paris is consistently voted the world’s best city to visit.

The Eiffel Tower beside the River Seine in the heart of Paris

“THE SEINE IS LINED WITH PEOPLE ENJOYING A STROLL ALONG THE RIVER, CYCLING, JOGGING, OR JUST BASKING IN THE SUNSHINE”

It was fitting that mayor elect Emmanuel Grégoire took his victory ride to Paris City Hall in March on a Vélib electric bike-share. Grégoire took over from two-term Socialist mayor Anne Hildago, whose signature initiative was to turn Paris into a more cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly city. The first woman to lead the capital and one of the most transformative – and controversial – mayors in the city’s recent history, Hidalgo saw the city’s network of bike lanes expand over her 12-year tenure from 700km in 2013 to 1,678km as of March 1, 2026, according to the City of Paris.

Hidalgo also made the city friendlier for walkers, joggers, families, schoolchildren and visitors, closing off the streets around schools to traffic and pedestrianising squares and central tourist areas. But perhaps her biggest – and most hard-won – victory was closing the Seine riverbanks to motorised traffic, a pronounced blight on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed waterfront. A now-pedestrianised two-mile stretch of the Right Bank alone once accommodated 40,000 vehicles a day and 4,000 an hour at rush hour, according to Le Monde. Nowadays, both banks are lined with Parisians and tourists enjoying a stroll along the river, cycling, jogging, taking in a concert, or just basking in the sunshine.

Grégoire, also a Socialist, ran on a platform that not only supports but extends Hidalgo’s efforts. His comfortable win on March 21 over Paris’s centre right cements – and, to a large extent, vindicates – Hidalgo’s legacy. The new mayor promises 1,000 new pedestrian streets and a dozen new parks, building on another of Hidalgo’s prime initiatives: the greening of Paris. Her Urban Forest programme planted 213,000 trees in the city, while one initiative saw the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville transformed with 2,500m2 of gardens, trees and flower beds, along with benches for enjoying the shade.

Paris is much greener following various initiatives during the tenure of former mayor Anne Hidalgo

THE FUTURE IS GREEN

Grégoire’s plans call for six of the city’s main squares to be planted with greenery, including Place du Trocadéro and Place d’Italie, and a major greening and pedestrianisation project for Place de la République.

the city is much friendlier for cyclists than it used to be

Another major greening project is now underway, one that every Parisian can get behind. In March, the universally reviled Montparnasse Tower closed for a two-year, €700m makeover that will clad the funereal black monolith in a shimmering glass sheath, add a rooftop farm and rebuild and replant the plaza with 1,000 new trees.

a family enjoying the greener side of the city

Paris’s transport system has also benefited from measures initiated in the past dozen years, including new and extended lines and improved connectivity, safety, cleanliness and accessibility. Corinne Menegaux, managing director of Paris je t’aime – Tourist Office (whose user-friendly app is an excellent resource for travellers), said: “Paris’s transport system is incredibly user-friendly and the new metro lines make outer neighbourhoods more accessible, including a new line to Paris Orly airport and the CDG Express, coming in March 2027.” For visitors and locals alike, these initiatives mean a more attractive, more accessible city, not to mention a more breathable one. Air quality in Paris has exponentially improved, as has traffic noise in formerly loud, vehicle-clogged areas like the Marais, Place de la Bastille, the Champs-Élysées and the Rue du Rivoli.

Although Parisians have been divided on how they view the effects of pedestrianisation and other measures towards a greener, more sustainable Paris, tourists are among the undisputed benefi ciaries. And not only of these human-friendly enhancements. Since the pandemic, Paris has seen an uptick in exciting new accommodation and restaurants.

Cycling by the Arc de Triomphe

One silver lining of forced closures during the pandemic and in anticipation of the 2024 Olympic Games was the rare opportunity for hotels to renovate and upgrade, while those in the pipeline could regroup. “Many projects initiated before Covid were delayed and opened afterwards, resulting in a surge of new openings in Paris,” said Emmanuelle Gillardo, founder and CEO of the communications fi rm Emma Lab. “We’re especially seeing a boom in luxury hotels.”

“SINCE THE PANDEMIC, PARIS HAS SEEN AN UPTICK IN EXCITING NEW ACCOMMODATION AND RESTAURANTS”

A slew of deluxe new boutique hotels have rethought their approach, resulting in design-forward properties offering enhanced amenities and a welcome joie de vivre. Hoteliers’ forays into overlooked neighbourhoods have paid off in sought-after hotels like La Fantaisie in the 9th arrondissement and La Fondation in the 17th, where expressive interiors, soigné bars and restaurants, swimming pools and rooftop terraces with panoramic views attract a stylish crowd of visitors and locals.

La Fantasie hotel is home to a popular bar and other stylish offerings

Parisian dining is also enjoying a new lease of life. From fast and street foods to vegetarian, haute cuisine and everything in between, there’s something to suit every taste and every budget at every hour of the day. A phenomenon that gained traction in the early 2000s, more and more Parisian wine bars and gastro-bistros prioritising local, sustainable and seasonal foods, accompanied by natural or biodynamic wines.

“IN RECENT YEARS, A NEW GENERATION OF GALLERIES, INSTITUTIONS AND ARTISTS HAS BROUGHT FRESH MOMENTUM TO THE SCENE”

The capital’s ethnic and cultural diversity has also enriched Parisian gastronomy, often a creative amalgam of French technique combined with flavours from a chef’s – or a chef’s parents’ – country of origin. A spate of celebrated openings in the past five years includes restaurants championing the flavours of Lebanon (Rita Higgins at Kubri); Brazil (Raphaël Rego at Oka); Mexico (Enrique Casarrubias and Montserrat Estrada at Oxte); Israel (Assaf Granit at Shabour); Uruguay (Nazareno Mayol Curti at EME) and Vietnam (Priscilla Trâm at Trâm 130), to name a few. The France-Japan alliance has been particularly propitious for Parisian dining, with an abundance of Michelin-starred favourites helmed by masterful Japanese chefs, such as Atsushi Tanaka at A.T. and Masayoshi Hanada at Hanada.

Nazareno Mayol Curti and Mara Ballester at EME

For more traditional French fare, bouillons and brasseries – some with top-notch menus and all-day dining – abound. Rooksana Hossenally, a Paris-based travel writer and an editor at the Michelin Guide, said: “You’ve got the revival of the traditional foods in all kinds of different settings. For example, we’re now seeing a revival of traditional sauces reimagined for contemporary tastes. Paris is enjoying a surge in affordable high-quality dining, including Michelin one-star and Bib Gourmand-labelled restaurants.”

For those who blanch at spending €150 to €350 for a meal at some of Paris’s top tables, the Taste of Paris food festival, held yearly at the Grand Palais, offers the opportunity to sample the cuisine of celebrated Parisian chefs – and take in a demonstration – for a fraction of the cost.

ART & CULTURE

The iconic Grand Palais

Food is just one of the many delights on offer at the iconic Grand Palais. The soaring, glass-topped Belle Époque structure, which fully reopened in late 2025 after a four-year, €500m restoration, hosts an eclectic programme of performances, exhibitions and activities – from the Saut Hermès equestrian show to a deluxe skating rink in December. The Grand Palais’s newly luminous nave is the perfect spot for a roster of international fine arts fairs, including the prestigious Art Basel Paris, whose cosmopolitan appeal reflects Paris’s renaissance as a major player on the global arts scene.

“THE MUSEUM LANDSCAPE IS BUOYED BY SUCH NOCTURNAL REVELRIES AS NUIT BLANCHE, AN ALL NIGHT ARTS FESTIVAL”

the grand staircase (l’Escalier d’Honneur) at the refurbished Grand Palais

“In recent years, a new generation of galleries, institutions and artists has brought fresh momentum to the scene, further reinforced by the arrival of major international art fairs like Art Basel Paris,” said Alexandra Weinress, founder of The Seen Paris, a Paris-based bespoke art experience service. “Together, these shifts have positioned the city as one of the most compelling centres of the contemporary art market today.”

In another major evolution in the Paris arts scene, the new Fondation Cartier for contemporary art opened last autumn opposite the Louvre, bringing the count of major world-class institutions in the Right Bank heart of Paris to five. Set in a 19th-century building ingeniously repurposed by French architect Jean Nouvel, its state-of-the-art modular interior provides 6,500m2 of exhibition space across its basement, ground and first floors, giving the institution almost five times more space than at its former headquarters on Boulevard Raspail in the 14th arrondissement. Whereas the earlier venue focused on solo exhibitions, the new one showcases the foundation’s entire contemporary collection.

Art Basel Paris is a prestigious event on the city calendar

The museum landscape is buoyed by such nocturnal revelries as Nuit Blanche, an all-night, all-city arts festival, and Fête de la Musique, a citywide night of live music performed on every street corner. Both festivals are held in June.

“THE MUSEUM LANDSCAPE IS BUOYED BY SUCH NOCTURNAL REVELRIES AS NUIT BLANCHE, AN ALL NIGHT ARTS FESTIVAL”

The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain on the Place du Palais Royal

WORLD’S BEST CITY TO VISIT

Tourists are expanding their expectations of a city and Paris delivers on all fronts, from the arts to transport, to iconic monuments and the scores of arts centres and historic places in every arrondissement. “The pandemic redefined travel habits and Paris responded by accelerating its commitment to sustainability, inclusivity and innovation,” said Menegaux. “Of course, tourists new to Paris must visit the major sights, but repeat tourists are now seeking out more authentic experiences – food, nightlife and contemporary culture – in other neighbourhoods.”

Corinne Menegaux, managing director of Paris je t’aime – Tourist Office

The city has countless wonders to offer within and beyond its historic centre, with arts centres such as the marvellous Le 19M gallery, founded by Chanel to highlight the textile arts, and Centquatre-Paris, a neighbourhood institution dedicated to performance, contemporary and participatory arts. Then there’s the world-renowned Philharmonie de Paris for a wide range of music, and the city’s new and ever-expanding green spaces, such as the Petite Ceinture railway line, now a walking park filled with gardens, woods and cafés. And Paris’s exceptional transport network – whether by bike, bus or metro – makes getting in and around the city easy and inexpensive to do.

Centquatre-Paris is a local institution

From France Today Magazine