What to eat and where to stay when visiting Paris during the Olympics?

In addition to watching the Olympics, famous attractions and restaurants in Paris also attract the attention of international visitors.

The 2024 Paris Olympics, taking place from July 26 to August 11, are attracting the attention of sports fans around the world. The most exciting sporting event on the planet is expected to welcome 15 million international and domestic visitors to Paris - the city of light - to watch the competition and visit.

Here is a suggestion from The New York Times on the must-try food, drink and entertainment activities when you visit Paris to watch the Olympics.

Visit the museum

In addition to the world-famous Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, Paris also has more than 100 other museums. Many of them have a "surreal" beauty but are little known, suitable for tourists who are afraid of crowds.

The most prominent of these is Gustave Moreau - an art museum dedicated to the works of symbolist painter Gustave Moreau (1826–1898).

The entire museum space remains the same as when the artist was alive and working. The floors of the museum are connected by a beautiful winding iron staircase.

The Gustave Moreau Museum is little known, but a beautiful sight.

Alternatively, visitors can choose to visit the Petit Palais museum (also known as the Little Palace) located on Winston-Churchill Avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. Opened in 1902, the Petit Palais museum currently houses many works of art from Antiquity to the late 19th century.

Or another "must-do in Paris" suggestion is to visit the Marie Curie museum.

Located at 26 rue d'Ulm, in the old building that was once the Curie Laboratory of the Radium Institute, is the Curie Museum – where Marie Curie lived and worked until her death in 1934.

The museum is a popular free attraction that attracts many science-loving tourists to visit when traveling to Paris.

Take a walk

Paris is a city of gardens. Spending some time leisurely strolling around the city will help you relax a lot. You can take a walk in the park around the Eiffel Tower.

Or from the park, head southeast and you'll stroll down the famous Rue Saint-Dominique, lined with classic patisseries.

A flower-viewing stroll will take you through the Jardin de Luxembourg, a classic Parisian park.

Continuing along Rue Saint-Dominique, you will reach the heart of the Esplanade des Invalides. This place is more like a park than a garden because of its large area. A beautiful path opens up for visitors to stroll while admiring museums and monuments such as the Musée de L'Armée and Napoleon's mausoleum.

Enjoy food at the pubs

Parisian bistros come in all shapes and sizes, from rustic and classic to modern and sophisticated. What they all have in common, however, is that they serve simple yet delicious food.

Famous writer Alexander Lobrano had the opportunity to enjoy food at wine bars in Paris last summer and said it was a very interesting experience.

Enjoy the croissant

Coming to France without enjoying croissants would definitely be a pity. Besides the traditional croissants, bakers in Paris make diners admire with their creativity.

Utopie, a small bakery in the 11th arrondissement, won Paris' annual baguette competition in April. Every day, the bakery welcomes a "huge" number of customers with its sourdough and green tea croissants.

Also, the Petite Île bakery in Marais, with its pain au chocolat aux sésames, is a must-try sweet treat when visiting Paris.

Po-hsuan Chuang and Chih-ya Wang, husband and wife owners of Petite Île (top) and their signature sesame au chocolate cake (bottom)

Seeing Paris through a different lens

Writer Vivian Song encourages visitors to pay attention to the trees in the city. In particular, the impressive weeping willows along the Seine and the ancient trees along the Champs-Élysées, dubbed the most beautiful street in the world.

Meanwhile, The New York Times editor Elaine Sciolino offers another intriguing suggestion: "Visiting Paris via its bridges is also a memorable experience. You'll get a great picture of the city's history and architecture."

Elaine Sciolino says there are 35 bridges spanning the eight miles of the Seine, from Pont National to Pont du Garigliano. Each bridge has its own story.

Editor David McAninch shared a very different experience. He explored Paris on foot. David walked 35 miles around the city and what he found was a "Paris that was both familiar and strange."

"The usual beer halls and tobacco shops, the bakeries with their yeasty smell and morning chatter, the busy traffic circles, and they were surprisingly new," he remarked.

Not only Paris, tourists can choose to travel to other places when coming to France. Here are some suggestions:

• Cities like Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice and Lyon are also hosting Olympic events. Even if you miss out on tickets to the Olympics in Paris, you can still enjoy them in other cities in France.
• The Loire Valley in central France is also a popular destination for international tourists. Its vineyards and fairytale castles are a special highlight.
• Canal du Midi: Running through the Occitanie region, this canal provides cyclists of all abilities with access to parts of France that are rich in history but sometimes overlooked by tourists.
• Picardy Coast: Home to a 19th-century steam railway, allowing visitors to experience the perfect speed.