The permanent collection here includes historic keyboard instruments — among them Chopin's Pleyel piano and an Érard grand from the early 19th century. For anyone with an interest in how the instrument evolved, seeing the actual pianos that Romantic composers wrote for and performed on is genuinely informative. The museum sits inside the Philharmonie complex, so it is easy to combine with an evening concert.

Tip: The museum is free on the first Sunday of each month. Otherwise, combined tickets with a Philharmonie concert offer good value.

One of the most visited cemeteries in the world, and for musicians, one of the most rewarding. Chopin's grave draws visitors from across the globe and is often marked with fresh flowers left by passing pianists. Georges Bizet is buried nearby. The cemetery is large and genuinely beautiful — less morbid than it sounds, and one of the quietest green spaces in the city. Pick up a map at the entrance and allow at least ninety minutes to walk it properly.

Tip: Weekday mornings are significantly quieter than weekends.

Even without a performance to attend, the building itself is worth a visit. The self-guided tour takes you through the grand foyer, the auditorium, and the backstage areas — and gives a vivid sense of what European concert culture aspired to in the late 19th century. The painted ceiling inside the auditorium, designed by Marc Chagall, is alone worth the entrance fee.

Tip: Book tickets online in advance to avoid queuing. The self-guided visit is sufficient and cheaper than the guided tour.

One of the finest Gothic buildings in Europe, and a regular evening concert venue throughout the summer. The stained glass alone — fifteen windows covering nearly every wall of the upper chapel — makes it worth visiting during the day. In the evenings, it hosts chamber music and solo recital concerts in one of the most visually extraordinary settings imaginable. Check the programme before you arrive.

Tip: Evening concerts here sell out well in advance. Book before you travel if possible.

The area around one of the world's most prestigious music schools hums with student life on weekday mornings — practice drifting through windows, musicians moving between buildings with instruments. It is not a tourist destination in the conventional sense, but for anyone interested in what serious musical education looks like on the ground, walking through the neighbourhood is a worthwhile detour.

The main venue for orchestral concerts in the city and one of the finest concert halls built anywhere in the world in the past thirty years. If there is a piano concerto on the programme during your visit — and in July there often is — attending it is one of the best uses of an evening. The acoustics are exceptional and the programming tends to be adventurous alongside the standard repertoire.

Tip: Tickets for popular programmes sell out quickly. Check the website well before your trip.

An annual summer festival running through July across multiple venues, covering classical, contemporary, dance, and world music. Programmes vary each year but tend to include chamber music, solo recitals, and more experimental work alongside mainstream repertoire. Worth checking what is on during your specific dates.

Paris has a long tradition of free and low-cost classical concerts in its churches throughout the summer. Saint-Sulpice, Saint-Eustache, and La Madeleine all host regular organ and chamber music events. These are worth attending not just for the music but for the acoustic experience — hearing music in a large stone space is a useful reminder of how differently sound behaves in different environments, and the informal atmosphere makes them accessible for casual listeners too.

Tip: Check each church's website directly as programmes are not always listed centrally.

Historic, reliably good coffee, and just busy enough that nobody notices if you spend two hours reading at a corner table. The neighbourhood around it — Saint-Germain-des-Prés — is one of the most pleasant in the city for an afternoon walk, lined with bookshops, galleries, and small restaurants.

Tip: Go mid-morning rather than at lunch when it fills up considerably.

An enclosed garden that stays relatively calm even in the height of summer. Surrounded by covered arcades with small restaurants and coffee shops, it is a good place to sit outside, read, or decompress between activities. One of the more underrated quiet spaces in the city centre.

The famous English-language bookshop on the Left Bank. There is a small reading room upstairs and occasionally a piano that visitors are permitted to play. It sits five minutes from the Seine with one of the better views of Notre-Dame in the city, and the surrounding neighbourhood — the Latin Quarter — is worth exploring on foot for an hour or two.

One of the largest and most beautiful parks in central Paris. In July the garden fills up in the afternoons, but mornings are calm enough to walk or sit undisturbed. The park occasionally hosts free outdoor concerts during summer — check the programme for your dates. It is also a short walk from several of the city's best music shops if you need scores or strings.

If you are coming to Paris to study and perform

If this guide has you thinking about spending time in Paris with music as the focus, the Piano Concerto Festival offers exactly that structure. Running for one week each July, the festival gives pianists of all levels the opportunity to rehearse and perform a concerto with a live professional orchestra, work with an internationally renowned faculty in private masterclasses, and receive a professional recording of their performance.

The 6th edition takes place in Paris from 12 to 19 July 2026. Applications are open now at pianoconcertofestival.com.