Paris’s best viewpoints: from free to paid.

The best views with the JARI community.

Free spots, best times, sunset: ask the community and JARI pros.

Free — department-store rooftops.

• Galeries Lafayette Haussmann: the 8th-floor terrace gives a 360° view (Opéra, Sacré-Cœur, Eiffel Tower). Free access, Mon–Sat 10am–7:30pm, Sun 11am–7:30pm.
• Printemps Haussmann: right next door, the 9th-floor rooftop is also free, with a superb view and a café.

Free — the Institut du Monde Arabe.

The panoramic terrace of the IMA (1 rue des Fossés-Saint-Bernard, 5th) looks onto the apse of Notre-Dame and the whole Right Bank. Free access, Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–6pm. One of Paris’s best-kept secrets.

Paid — the Arc de Triomphe.

The terrace atop the Champs-Élysées, with the Eiffel Tower in perspective: one of the best views in Paris. €14.50 (low season) / €20 (1 April–30 September 2026), €14.50 every Wednesday in summer. Free for under-18s and EU residents under 26. About 280 steps.

Paid — the Sacré-Cœur dome.

In Montmartre, the highest point in Paris: about €6, nearly 300 steps.

Closed in 2026 (don’t go).

• The Montparnasse Tower observation deck is closed for renovation — not this year.
• The Centre Pompidou is closed until 2030 (major works): its old rooftop is no longer accessible.

JARI tip.

For sunset, pick a west-facing rooftop (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps) and arrive 30 min early. Free rooftops close early, so don’t leave it late. And for a free view at Seine level, the IMA in the morning is unbeatable.