Window-shop the covered passages near the Grands Boulevards

The southern 9th arrondissement around the Opéra is a practical base: several metro lines meet there, hotels run from budget to luxury, and the Palais Garnier and the big department stores are on foot. It is busy by day with offices and shoppers and has little village feel or nightlife, so it suits travelers who plan…

Paris charges a tourist tax per adult per night on top of the room rate, and guests under 18 are exempt. Airbnb shows it as a separate line at the last checkout step, while hotels and other sites may list it apart or fold it into the total, so compare the final amount before choosing. A family with children pays only…

Every October Montmartre celebrates the harvest of the Clos Montmartre, the last working vineyard in the city, with a festival spread over about five days. Expect a costume parade at the weekend, a food and wine tasting fair, concerts and a closing evening with fireworks in some editions. Some events need advance…

Once a year in May, on a Saturday evening, Paris museums open free from nightfall until midnight for the Nuit européenne des musées. Some big names such as the Orangerie and Orsay ask for free timed slots booked on their own sites, and queues can be long, so smaller museums are often a better bet. Check the programme…

La Chope des Puces is a long-standing bistro on rue des Rosiers inside the Saint-Ouen flea market, built around gypsy jazz in the spirit of Django Reinhardt. Concerts take place on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, so plan it as a break between stalls. The room shows guitars once owned by jazz greats and fairground…

Caveau de la Huchette is a Latin Quarter jazz club that has put bands in a vaulted cellar since the 1940s. One band plays three sets a night, starting around half past nine, and the dance floor is busy with people of every level, so wear shoes you can move in. No reservation is needed and drinks are optional. Arrive…

The Saint-Ouen flea market, just north of the ring road, opens on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and Monday is the quiet day when many shops are closed. Enter by rue Paul Bert for stalls that look like small galleries, then wander Vernaison, the market with the most old Paris atmosphere. Reach it by metro line 13 to…

The rooftop terrace of the Galeries Lafayette flagship on boulevard Haussmann is free to visit and looks over the Opéra Garnier, Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower. Take the escalators to the top floor, and come late in the afternoon so you can stay into dusk when the tower sparkles at the start of each hour. Look at the…