Even if you’re headed on a break for an Aperol-filled girls trip or you’re just keen to spend a few days wandering around some slightly sunnier streets, drinking in at least a little of a city’s cultural offering deserves a place on the itinerary – and we know the very best place to do it.
Time Out has quizzed 18,500 city-dwellers all about the culture scene in their respective cities, and based on their insights, each destination was given a score for the quality and affordability of its art and culture. We then asked a panel of experts from Time Out’s network to vote for their favorite destinations.
Topping our list? It was none other than Paris, where a staggering 96 percent of locals rated the city’s offering as either ‘good’ or ‘amazing’, and which received the joint-highest number of votes from Time Out’s panel of experts.
Are we that surprised? Given Paris is home to the world’s most-visited museum, the Louvre, as well as a plethora of other cultural giants such as the Pompidou Centre and the Palais de Tokyo – not to mention brilliant seasonal events such as La Villette’s Cinema en Plein Air and summer street party Fête de la Musique – no, we’re not.
‘The Parisian spring is unfolding with almost euphoric energy,’ says Marine Delcambre, editorial manager for Time Out France. ‘Stages are turning into skateparks or inflatable castles, some performances flirt with weightlessness, and ballets take on the spirit of a party.’
‘In the autumn, artist JR will transform the Pont Neuf into a monumental cave, a stunning tribute to Christo’s 1985 installation The Pont Neuf Wrapped,’ she writes, ‘But culture never sleeps – and neither does Paris. Museums are embracing the night in the French capital, from festive late-night events at David Hockney 25 to the Nuit des Musées on May 17, where institutions including Carnavalet, Bourse de Commerce, Picasso Museum and Arts Décoratifs will mix culture, music and light late into the night.’
Read more about all the best things to do in Paris here.
Check out Time Out’s brand-new list of the 20 best cities for culture in the world for 2025.
Did you see that these are the world’s top emerging destinations for summer travel in 2025?
Plus: The overlooked Mediterranean country named the best place to visit this year.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.