Paris · onenicetrip

The reason we’re here

Monday 21 June 2027

Fête de la Musique

Streets and squares across Paris

A free day of music, launched in France by the Ministry of Culture in 1982 and now celebrated on five continents. Amateur and professional musicians play free concerts in streets and squares. There is no single stage, so we choose a neighbourhood and follow the sound.

Every year on 21 June. Source ↗

The plan(unhurried)

Five days: the islands, a few museums, and one long evening of music.

Where we stay

4 nights

Base in the Marais

Le Marais, Paris

Day 1 · Fri 18 Jun
Between the arms of the Seine
We arrive in the afternoon and stay on the Île de la Cité: the cathedral first, then the glass of Sainte-Chapelle as the light turns warm.
- Notre-Dame Cathedral1 h
  The Gothic cathedral on the Île de la Cité reopened in December 2024, five years after the fire of April 2019. Inside, the cleaned stone is now pale and bright.
  What to see
  - The pale, cleaned nave
  - The rose windows
  - The flying buttresses, best seen from the quay
  Time
  About an hour inside.
  Tip
  Entry is free. Reserve a free slot on the cathedral’s official site a few days ahead, or expect a long queue in summer.
  To eat
  A baguette sandwich or a buttered crêpe, eaten on a bench by the river.
- Sainte-Chapelle1 h
  A royal chapel of the thirteenth century, built for King Louis IX to house relics of the Passion. Its upper walls are almost all stained glass.
  What to see
  - The windows of the upper chapel
  - The painted vault
  - The rose window at the west end
  Time
  Forty-five minutes to an hour.
  Tip
  Book a time slot on the official site and arrive exactly at that time. Large bags are not allowed, so travel light.
  To eat
  A jambon-beurre, ham and butter on a baguette, the classic Paris sandwich.
Day 2 · Sat 19 Jun
The Marais, slowly
A morning in the museum of Paris’s own history, lunch under the arcades of the oldest planned square, and the canal when the day cools.
- Carnavalet Museum2 h
  The museum of the history of Paris, in two mansions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The permanent collections are free.
  What to see
  - Period rooms from different centuries
  - Objects from the Revolution
  - The courtyards and the garden
  Time
  Two hours is enough.
  Tip
  The museum is closed on Mondays, so Saturday works well. The permanent collections need no booking.
  To eat
  A pain au chocolat from a boulangerie on the way.
- Place des Vosges1 h
  The oldest planned square in Paris, a quiet rectangle of red brick, pale stone and arcades inaugurated in 1612. Victor Hugo lived at number 6.
  What to see
  - The brick-and-stone arcades
  - The clipped lime trees and fountains
  - The house at number 6 where Hugo lived
  Time
  An hour on a bench.
  Tip
  Walk the arcades first, then take a bench in the shade of the limes before midday, when they fill up.
  To eat
  Cheese, bread and fruit for a picnic from the shops nearby.
- Canal Saint-Martin1 h
  A canal opened in 1825, with iron footbridges and locks under plane trees. On warm evenings the quays fill with people sitting at the water’s edge.
  What to see
  - The iron footbridges
  - A boat passing through a lock
  - People sitting along the quays
  Time
  An hour of slow walking.
  Tip
  Do as the locals do and sit on the quay edge with a drink, but take your bottles and rubbish with you.
  To eat
  A buckwheat galette to take away.
Day 3 · Sun 20 Jun
Paintings and a view
Orsay in the morning, a walk through the Tuileries, and the Eiffel Tower seen from across the river at dusk.
- Musée d’Orsay3 h
  The great Impressionist collection, kept in a former railway station on the Seine that opened as a museum in 1986.
  What to see
  - Monet, Renoir and Degas
  - Van Gogh
  - The glass roof of the old station
  Time
  Two to three hours for the main rooms.
  Tip
  The museum is closed on Mondays, so Sunday works. Book a timed ticket on the official site to avoid the longest queue.
  To eat
  A croque-monsieur, the grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich, in the streets of Saint-Germain.
- Tuileries Garden1 h
  A formal garden between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, laid out by André Le Nôtre in the seventeenth century.
  What to see
  - The round ponds
  - The green metal chairs by the water
  - The Louvre pyramid in the distance
  Time
  An hour, or as long as the chairs allow.
  Tip
  Drag a chair into the shade yourselves, as everyone does. The gravel paths are tiring in thin shoes.
  To eat
  A sugar crêpe, the classic walking snack.
- Trocadéro Gardens1 h
  The terrace of the Palais de Chaillot looks straight across the Seine to the Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World’s Fair.
  What to see
  - The tower from the terrace
  - The fountains in the gardens below
  - The tower after dark
  Time
  Stay until the lights come on.
  Tip
  The terrace is crowded with photographers, so go down through the gardens and cross the Pont d’Iéna on foot to see the tower from below.
  To eat
  Macarons from a pâtisserie, the Paris sweet.
Day 4 · Mon 21 Jun
The longest day
Sacré-Cœur in the morning, then the city becomes a stage. We follow the sound through the Latin Quarter for as long as it lasts.
- Sacré-Cœur Basilica2 h
  A white basilica on the top of Montmartre, built between 1875 and 1914. The steps in front give one of the widest views over the city.
  What to see
  - The view from the steps
  - The white domes
  - The lanes of Montmartre behind
  Time
  Two hours with the lanes behind.
  Tip
  Go early, before the steps fill. Entering the basilica is free, but the climb to the dome has its own ticket and narrow stairs.
  To eat
  Coffee and a croissant in the lanes of Montmartre.
- Rue Mouffetard and the Latin QuarterEvening
  A cobbled street on the Left Bank, one of the oldest in Paris. On the night of 21 June we simply walk and follow whatever music we hear.
  What to see
  - The cobbles and old shopfronts
  - The church of Saint-Médard at the lower end
  - Whatever music turns up around the corner
  Time
  As long as the music lasts.
  Tip
  There is no fixed list of stages, so check the official Fête de la Musique site close to the date. Late at night the metro is packed, so walk back if you can.
  To eat
  Cheese from a street shop, then a savoury galette.
Day 5 · Tue 22 Jun
Gardens, then home
A last morning among trees and sculpture, before the journey home.
- Luxembourg Gardens1 h
  A garden laid out in the seventeenth century for Marie de’ Medici, around a palace that now houses the Senate.
  What to see
  - The Medici Fountain in the shade
  - The octagonal pond
  - The palace from the lawns
  Time
  An hour.
  Tip
  The Medici Fountain sits at the quiet end of the garden, under plane trees, and is calmest first thing in the morning.
  To eat
  A coffee and a pastry from a café on the way.
- Rodin Museum2 h
  Auguste Rodin’s work, shown in an eighteenth-century mansion and its garden, where The Thinker sits among the trees.
  What to see
  - The Thinker in the garden
  - The Gates of Hell
  - The Kiss
  Time
  Two hours with the garden.
  Tip
  The museum is closed on Mondays, so Tuesday works. If you are short of time, the garden can be visited on its own ticket.
  To eat
  A last baguette sandwich for the journey home.