Paris: Between Mass Tourism and Sustainability – How Much Can you Do in One Day?

A visit to Paris without seeing sights like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre or the Sacré-Cœur is almost unimaginable – despite the throngs of tourists. How can one of the world’s most visited cities become more sustainable, for Parisians and tourists alike? From the banks of the Seine to Montmartre, DW reporter Swati Bakshi takes you to places in the French capital where you can observe the city’s transition to sustainability.

00:00 Intro
00:27 Eiffel Tower
01:55 Louvre Museum
02:27 Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Montmartre
04:52 Seine riverbank
07:26 Pont Neuf
08:17 Bistro “La Timbale”, Montmartre

CREDITS:
Report: Swati Bakshi, Andreas Kirchhoff
Camera: Holm Weber
Editing: Klaus Helmig

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Paris – the most visited city in Europe! Today I’ll show you how this affects the city and take you to the most famous sights! This is my very first time in the city of Paris. And I’m obviously excited to see the Eiffel Tower, the Montmartre district, the river Seine.

I will also notice what sustainability means for this city, the city as big as Paris is. Of course, when in Paris, you have to see the Eiffel Tower! It’s a global cultural icon, visited by about 7 million people every year.

If you want to go up to the top,  you should make a reservation online. I tried to make a reservation in advance  but online tickets were sold out. So I have to queue and wait. It starts moving!

Built at the end of the 19th century as the centerpiece for the world fair in 1889,   it was originally intended as a temporary exhibit. But luckily it was saved from destruction! The reason it survived? The Eiffel Tower became a giant radio transmitter – and later, a tourist attraction.

You can spend hours on the Tower. There is a gourmet restaurant up here  in addition to a snack bar and souvenir store. Obviously you should go to  the top, the third floor. With a viewing platform and champagne bar. This is just wonderful.

I’ve spent five hours today inside Eiffel Tower.  Was it worth it? Yes. I waited for three hours   in the queue. Was it worth it? Yes. Why? Because this is one of the most visited monument in the world. But it is also a symbol of triumph. Triumph  of human desire, triumph of human aspiration.

And,  of course, the triumph of engineering. The second most popular attraction for tourists is the Louvre. A former royal palace  and an art museum since 1793. If you’re really excited to visit the Louvre Museum, you can do so, but please

be aware and do not plan on Tuesdays because the museum remains closed. Its architecture is impressive even from the outside. With 19.4 million international visitors, Paris was the most popular city in Europe in 2022. Montmartre is one of the most famous quarters in the city center.

On the summit of the hill sits the Basilica of Sacré Coeur. When the weather is nice, it’s teeming with tourists. You also have a great view of Paris from here. Tourism authorities in Paris face a dilemma.  They’re obviously thrilled to be one of the  

Most visited cities in the world, but  this also means that they feel the need   to lead the crowds away from the hotspots of  overtourism, such as this place in Montmartre. Montmartre came to fame at the end of the 19th century because many artists lived  and worked in this quarter.

And it is also the setting of several movies. There are plenty of more offbeat and less crowded places to find. The question is: how? I’ll try walking. With the help of the App ‘Paris Eco Walks’. Here you will find tour suggestions for the more secluded  

Parts of the city away from the crowds. I’ve actually found beehives. They’re right there. I mean, I can see them. It’s right there. What is striking in Paris is the dense traffic. But the city is trying to create more space for pedestrians and cyclists.

Some streets on the banks of the Seine are also car-free. The renaturation of the river and making Paris more sustainable and eco-friendly is obviously a long term project, but there are changes and things are happening that we can see and enjoy.

For instance, this side of the river bank where I’m standing at the moment, this used to be a motorway. Can you imagine? Since 2013 this has been reserved only for pedestrians and cyclists. Additionally, the riverbank was landscaped  – with gardens on floating pontoons.   

When floods threaten, everything can be dismantled within 24 hours. A small oasis in the middle of  the often noisy metropolis. The city of Paris will be more eco-friendly in the coming years. Yes, because the city has announced that there will be 3 swimming pools in the river Seine

By 2025 and they will be available to Parisians and also to tourists. As you can see, the park on the Seine is embraced by tourists and Parisians alike. What is the best thing about being in Paris? What do you like the most about the city? 

I feel like the environment of the people. You are free to walk in the city. This is something good, the transport is good, so you have the possibility to use bicycles to walk and that makes a better environment for me.

I think Paris scores pretty high because it’s got lots of parks and lots of ways of escaping the traffic if you look for them, if you know where to find them. Cities are for people. Us, we need our space. And we need the nature as well.

I mean Paris already uses the river pretty well, like how people like to just hang out at the edge of the river drinking wine or just having fun with their friends. And if on top of that, they will make the river swimmable, let’s say it,

I think that should be example that most cities should follow for now and for the future. I think it’s very pleasant for tourists to walk here. To see the monuments and everything in a different way without a car and everything.

So it’s really nice for them and I think it gives a better image of the of the city basically.  The Seine riverbank in Paris, with its historic buildings, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. And that also includes the numerous bridges.

Iconographic, romantic and very typical for Paris, the bridges over the River Seine. This one here is one of the most famous. Pont Neuf. The oldest surviving bridge over the Seine was completed in 1607. Bistros are as much a part of Paris as the Eiffel Tower.

In the north of Montmarte, Stéphanie Mathey runs “La Timbale”. She is committed to preserving the small, inexpensive restaurants in the city center – and to greater sustainability. The age in which we are living right now, it’s the age of climate change and the   environment is changing around us.

How is Bistro culture responding to that? Bistro generally – of course, we are all responsible for global warming, we take care about the energy we have. We have green energy, renewable energy and also, we are a member of an association

That is called “Bon pour le Climat”, good for the climate, and they have a calculator – we calculate the carbon quantity of each plate. And of course, we use seasonal products. And of course we are all fighting against waste.

We look at each plate and we look in our garbage to check what we can change in our practice to be sure that there is no waste in the plate and no waste in the kitchen when we prepare the menu.

So, to sum up I have found Paris to be a very open and safe city for travelers. There is great interest in making changes for more sustainability. And there are great things to find beyond the beaten track. I’d like to have one ginger ale, please.

A bright and warm day has ended in Paris, but the evening is equally beautiful. Remember if you visiting Paris or France, that 80 % of the activities are actually focus on 20 % of the country. Which means, that you have the choice of sticking to mass activities

Or you can discover some new places or lesser known spots in this city.