We love Paris, it’s one of our favourite cities in Europe and one we have visited many times. Ideally, we’d love for you to visit it for as long as possible! Still, we know that’s not always possible, and you might only have a short amount of time to see the city.
The good news is that whilst having a few days to explore Paris is wonderful, it’s also possible to see many of the highlights of Paris in a day. And in this post, that’s just what we’re going to help you do.
We’ve put together this post to help you get the most out of your 1 day in Paris. It’s going to take you to the highlights of the city – everything you’re going to want to see, even on a 24-hour timetable.
As well as a step-by-step itinerary, we’re also going to share some tips for getting around efficiently, saving money in Paris, tips on where to stay if you’re here overnight, and the fastest way to get to and from the major Paris airports, if you’re arriving by plane. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents:
Paris in a Day: Itinerary
This is a full all day Paris itinerary that will have you seeing some of our favourite sights in Paris – which also happen to be the highlights of Paris that most visitors want to see. It’s definitely set up to be a full day, with the sights towards the end opening late so you can keep sightseeing even into the evening.
It’s just a suggestion though, so don’t feel obliged to see everything on this list – it’s important to tailor any itinerary you read to your specific interests, available time, budget, and travel style.
Sainte Chapelle
It took me multiple visits to Paris before I finally made it to Sainte Chapelle. Now I urge everyone to make it a priority on their trip to Paris!
This is a relatively small chapel that is not too far from Notre Dame, but the interior, which consists of almost floor to ceiling stained glass, is absolutely outstanding. It will definitely take your breath away.
The 13th century Saint Chapelle is quite popular, and the small size and mandatory security checks mean that the line to get in can be long. This is why I have put it on my list as the first thing for your second day in Paris – you want to get here early, ideally get in line ten – fifteen minutes before the opening time. After all, no-one wants to spend their time standing in lines.
There’s a fee to enter Saint Chapelle. You can buy tickets online here on GetYourGuide, or on the official site here. At time of writing the GetYourGuide ticket also includes access to the nearby Conciergerie, which is also well worth a visit.
If you’re arriving into Paris on the same day as this itinerary, getting from the airport to Sainte Chapelle isn’t too hard.
From Charles de Gaulle, RER line B stops at St. Michel / Notre Dame, and a single ticket at time of writing costs under €10. From Paris Orly, you can take the Orlyval light rail train to the Antony RER station, from where you can also take the RER line B to the Sainte Chapelle area.
Another option is to take the bus, with bus companies operating routes from both airports into Paris city center. You can also book a shuttle bus transfer or a private transfer from the airports of course.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
Sainte Chapelle is close to Notre Dame, one of the world’s most recognisable cathedrals. However, a devastating fire seriously damaged Notre Dame in 2019, and the cathedral closed for a number of years as a result.
The good news is that the cathedral is now fully restored and welcoming visitors again as of December 2024. It’s free to visit, and you can see opening hours and more information on the official website here.
Other nearby attractions on Île de la Cité include the Conciergerie (you can get a combined ticket for that and Sainte Chapelle here), and the Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation (Deportation Memorial).
The Louvre
From Sainte Chapelle to the Louvre Museum, our next stop for our day in Paris, it’s either an 18-minute walk, or around 13 minutes if you take Metro line 7. We’d recommend walking as the views along the river are very pretty, and it doesn’t take much longer.
The Louvre was originally built as a fortress, and the first buildings date from around the 12th century. However, as the city developed, it evolved in function, and in the 16th century it became the main palace of the French Kings when they lived in Paris. Following the French Revolution, it was turned into a museum, and has served as an art museum since 1793.
Today, it is the world’s largest art museum, and is home to over 380,000 objects, with 35,000 on display at any one time. Highlights include the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, but as you would imagine, there’s a great deal to see here. In fact, you could probably spend a full day (or more!) just exploring the Louvre.
Of course, with just a day in Paris, this won’t let you see anything else if you really want to explore the Louvre. But if you want to see a lot of highlights in Paris, we suggest you limit yourself to about two hours. Entry is ticketed and timed, and as one of Paris’s most popular attractions, the lines here can be long. This is definitely an attraction you’ll want a skip the line ticket for.
You can buy them from GetYourGuide here, or on the official site here. It’s also included on the Paris City Card.
Alternatively, you can take advantage of a Paris Museum Pass, which includes skip the line access to the Louvre as well as a number of other attractions, however see the note below about reserving your entry time.
Note that in the busy times, which tend to be the summer periods especially, the Louvre gets very busy, and it’s recommended that you purchase a ticket online in advance to avoid disappointement.
If have a Paris Museum Pass, you must reserve your entry online on the official website. This is mandatory for pass holders in order to guarantee entry, and we highly recommend you do this in advance. If you do not reserve your slot in advance, you are not guaranteed entry even with the pass.
For more on the various pass options in Paris, check out the section further on in the post on saving money during your time in Paris to make sure you get the right option for you.
If you do not have a pass, you can reserve your ticket online on GetYourGuide here, on Tiqets here or on the official website here.
We have found that third party websites may have availability even if the official site does not as their allocation comes from a separate pool. Just note that sometimes there will be a booking fee added to these services which makes the price a touch higher.
We would recommend only using reputable websites – we can recommend either GetYourGuide, or Tiqets, both of which we have used in the past.
Eiffel Tower
You can’t really avoid seeing the Eiffel Tower when you visit Paris, and a visit to this huge wrought iron tower is a definite must for your day in Paris!
Almost every time we visit Paris we visit the Eiffel Tower, and we are always awed by just how big it is. When it was opened in 1889 it became the tallest man-made structure in the world, with a total height of 324 metres to the very tip. As a visitor, you can go nearly to the top – the very top observation platform is 276 metres above the ground, making it the highest publicly accessible observation deck in Europe.
Of course, you don’t have to go to the very top to enjoy the Eiffel Tower, or in fact, to climb it at all. You can enjoy excellent views of the tower from the Champ de Mars gardens, as well as from the Trocadero on the other side of the River Seine. If pressed for time or not really into the tower, we’d recommend coming here instead for a nice view.
That said, if this is your first visit to Paris, we do recommend that you go up inside the tower. There are three floors that you can visit, and the first two levels even have restaurants. If it’s near a meal time, this is certainly a unique place to get a meal whilst you’re in Paris!
The more casual eateries don’t require reservations but if you want eat at 58 Tour Eiffel or Jules Verne you’ll want to make a reservation before your trip. You can reserve directly with the restaurants here.
The Eiffel Tower is definitely one of the most popular attractions in Paris, and if you want to go up it, it’s very much worth planning a little in advance. The on-site ticket lines get very long, so you definitely want to book in advance.
Tickets for going up the Eiffel tower are available from the official website, and prices vary depending on which level you want to access, and if you want to take the lift or stairs to the first floor.
We very much recommend that you buy your tickets in advance to save time. The best prices are definitely available by booking direct on the official website.
If you’d prefer to take a tour, we recommend this one with 2nd floor access or this one with summit access. These both include free cancellation last time we checked, which official tickets do not.
If you have a Paris Pass, a guided climb to the second floor is included. These tend to run in the middle of the day, so check times on the official site to ensure they meet your schedule. The Paris City Card also includes guided access to the second floor, with optional summit access.
Note that even with pre-booked tickets, you will still need to go through security screening, as with all the other major Paris attractions.
Getting to the Eiffel Tower from the Louvre will involve either a lovely 40-minute walk along the Seine, a 30-minute metro ride, or a 25-minute bus ride. For more tips on visiting, see our complete guide to the Eiffel Tower.
Seine River Cruise
If all this walking around seems a bit much, then we suggest you take a Seine River Cruise. These are a really popular way to sight-see in Paris, and a number of Seine River cruises depart from right next to the Eiffel Tower.
There are a wide variety of Seine Cruise options available, from shorter cruises of around an hour to ninety minutes, as well as longer cruises that feature a meal.
Additionally, cruises differ in terms of commentary, from pre-recorded to live commentary, as well as the languages on offer. In terms of sight-seeing, cruises usually start at the Eiffel Tower and head along the Seine River towards Notre Dame.
We have a full post comparing Seine River sightseeing options, which we definitely recommend reading to understand all your options. If you’d prefer a dinner cruise, we also have a comprehensive guide to Seine River dinner cruises.
Our recommendation for an Eiffel Tower departure is a cruise with Bateaux Mouches (small discount with our link) or Bateaux Parisiens. The latter is also included for holders of the Paris Pass and the Paris City Card.
You can also see a selection of cruise options, some of which include dinner, here or here.
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe is a massive monument in the shape of an arch, which commemorates and honors those who fought and died for France in both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It was commissioned by the Emperor Napoleon in 1806, but due to its massive scale, it was not completed until 1836.
Today, the Arc de Triomphe stands alongside the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre as a must-visit location in Paris. You can admire it from the outside for free, but my suggestion would be to pay the entry fee and to go to the top.
From here, you get stunning views across the city. Twelve roads radiate out from the arch, including the Champs-Élysées, and from the top you can see the majority of the highlights of Paris.
Note that the Arc de Triomphe is in the middle of a huge traffic roundabout, and many visitors make the mistake of trying to walk across this. Don’t do this! There are pedestrian access tunnels which are far safer and what you should be taking.
You can purchase tickets on site for access, although you may have to queue. You can also purchase a skip the line ticket online here which is what we would recommend doing as the cost is the same and you get to skip the ticket line.
From the Eiffel Tower it’s a 15-minute metro ride or half-hour walk to the Arc de Triomphe. If you walk, we suggest going via the Trocadero for great views back to the Eiffel Tower.
Champs-Élysées
From culture to consumerism! The Champs-Élysées is the most famous shopping street to Paris, particularly for luxury items. It’s over a mile long and is home to everything from car brands to clothing stores to French macaroon shops.
It’s also one of the major streets in Paris for celebrations. The Bastille Day military parade for example, passes down the Champs-Élysées every year on the 14th July, and Europe’s most famous cycling race, the Tour de France, has finished here every year since 1975.
The Arc De Triomphe is at one end of the Champs Elysees so it’s easy to get here!
Tour Montparnasse
Our last suggested stop in Paris, if you still have time and stamina, is the Tour Montparnasse, one of our favourite photography locations in Paris. We’d even argue that if you only go up one “tower” in Paris, you make it this one. That’s because from the top you get a spectacular view of Paris that includes the Eiffel Tower.
The 210 metre high tower has two main observation decks, an inside one which is also home to a restaurant, and an open top floor deck. This is surrounded by glass, but it does have cutouts through which you can take pictures and avoid nasty reflections – something I wish more observation decks in towers had!
This is a wonderful spot for watching the sunset over the Paris, and experiencing the city turning into the “City of Light”, as all the street lights come on and the daylight fades through dusk into night. It’s also open late, so you can come up here relatively late into the evening to enjoy the view.
The Tour Montparnasse is next to Gare Montparnasse, from where you can get the bus to Orly Airport, or take the Metro / RER out to Charles De Gaulle, if your day in Paris doesn’t involve an overnight stop and you have to get out to a transport hub. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of time to check-in and catch your flight.
There’s an entry fee for visiting, and you can either buy your tickets in person, or you can buy skip the line tickets in advance here on GetYourGuide. Free skip the line entry is also included for holders of the Paris Pass.
Map for Spending A Day in Paris
Here’s a map of the attractions to give you an idea of how it all fits together. As you can see, the route forms a rough circle, and sticks to central Paris, making it easier to get around. You can also see this map here on Google Maps.
Paris 1 Day Itinerary Summary
Here’s an overview of what you will be doing on your day in Paris for quick reference:
- Sainte Chapelle
- Notre Dame
- Louvre Museum
- Eiffel Tower
- Seine River Cruise
- Champs Elysees
- Arc de Triomphe
- Tour Montparnasse
How to Get Around Paris
Paris is an easy city to get around. For much of this itinerary you will be able to travel by foot, and then you can use public transport for any slightly longer trips. The Metro network is easy to use, and there are also buses. Jess loves using this Streetwise laminated map which also includes a metro map.
In terms of tickets, you can buy a single ticket which is valid on Zones 1 and 2 (this includes everywhere on our itinerary), and with this you can travel on either the bus, metro or RER (suburban railway). A better deal though is to buy a pack of ten tickets, known as a Carnet, which can only be loaded to a Navigo Easy card.
The Navigo Easy Card is a rechargeable card system which costs €2 to buy, but if you will be using public transport a few times the savings from the T10 carnet can add up.
Other than being electronically stored, the tickets work the same, so we would recommend visitors to Paris using the Navigo Easy system as the most cost effective method of paying for transport as a visitor to Paris.
You can buy the Navigo Easy card at all Paris Métro stations or RER ticket booths across the city.
It’s also possible to buy a ticket that is valid for a whole day. This is called a Paris Visite Pass. Depending on your situation, this may or may not be better value.
We have a full guide to how to get around Paris, which should help you plan your transport in the city.
Getting to and from Paris Airport
There are three major airports in Paris. Charles de Gaulle is the main airport for international arrivals, with Paris Orly being the second most popular international airport. Both of these airports are easily reachable by public transport from the city center.
From Paris Orly to central Paris you can take the bus (see information here), which takes 15 – 20 minutes to get to central Paris.
Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is a little further away. You have the option of taking the bus, which will be around 30-45 minutes, or you can take the RER train from the airport which takes between 25 and 50 minutes to Gare du Nord, depending on if it is a fast or a slow service.
Another option, which might be more cost effective if you are travelling in a group, is to take a taxi or private shuttle. This will take you for a fixed price from the airport to central Paris. You can book this service in advance here.
Walking Tours of Paris
If you want to see the highlights of Paris in a day, but would prefer to do so as part of a guided tour, then we suggest you take a look at Take Walks. We’ve used them for walking tours in cities around the world, and have never been disappointed.
They focus on small group tours, led by experts, and they have a number of walking tours in Paris which we have done and can recommend. These are:
- A full day walking tour of Paris which includes many of the highlights in our post, including the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and a Seine River Cruise
- A three hour tour that includes Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame
- Their Ultimate Paris Food tour, which will have you sampling some of the best food Paris has to offer.
- They also have more tours in Paris, see all the options here
Of course, there are other operators running tours in Paris, such as this delicious looking food tour, this in-depth tour of Hemingway locations in Paris or this tour of Montmartre.
As you can see, there are lots of good options for walking tours in Paris!
Where to Stay in Paris
If you have the time to spend a night in Paris, this will definitely give you more time to fit more into your day as you won’t have to rush off and catch a flight or train to your next destination. You might even be able to fit in a bit more sight-seeing, so check out our 2 day and 3 day Paris itineraries for some inspiration.
Paris has no shortage of accommodation options across a wide variety of budgets. Whilst it’s by no means a cheap destination, we think good value can be had. Based on our itinerary, we’d recommend finding somewhere as central as your budget will allow, to reduce time spent travelling to and from your accommodation.
Our recommended tool for finding accommodation in Paris booking.com. They’re our favourite booking engine when we travel, usually giving us the best choice and the best prices. They also have everything, from apartments and hostels to high end hotels. Here are some options we suggest, depending on your budget.
- The People – Paris Marais, a well-reviewed hostel in the Marais, one of our favourite parts of Paris to stay
- Hôtel Eiffel Turenne, a well rated 3* hotel within a ten-minute walk of the Eiffel Tower
- Hotel Dress Code & Spa, a highly reviewed centrally located 4-star hotel right a few hundred yards from the opera house
- Hotel le Compostelle, a highly rated 3* hotel centrally located near the Louvre Museum
- The Montparnasse Studio Deluxe – a highly rated apartment right next to where our itinerary ends
If you prefer an apartment, then we recommend Plum Guide or Vrbo.
Plum Guide carefully curate their listings so their options tend to be of a very high quality whilst still being available at a range of price points. We’ve stayed at a number of their properties around the world, including a beautiful apartment in Paris with spectacular Eiffel Tower views. See their listings for Paris here.
If you can’t find what you want from the above choices, or you want some new options to try out, we wrote a whole post on the best alternatives to AirBnB which you should check out!
We also have a page full of travel resources, which includes our tips for getting the best deals on accommodation, which you can find here.
How to Save Money in Paris
Often when we put together a city itinerary, we recommend a city pass. For Paris, our favorite passes are the Paris Pass (see our review here) the Paris Museum Pass (see our review here), and the Paris City Card.
For the Paris Pass, and the Paris Museum Pass, the minimum duration for both these passes is two days, which means that for just a day in Paris, you might not see much in the way of cost savings.
Here’s how the costs break down, as of November 2024, along with which passes they are included on and links to book tickets directly.
- Sainte Chapelle (€13) – included on Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass. Book a combo ticket with the Conciergerie on GetYourGuide here, or on the official site here.
- Louvre Museum (€23) – included on Paris Pass, Paris Museum Pass and Paris City Card. Book on GetYourGuide here, or on the official site here.
- Eiffel Tower (€39 for guided tour, €14.20 for standard stair access ticket) – tour included on Paris City Card and Paris Pass. Book tickets on the official website here
- Seine River Cruise (€18) – included on Paris City Card and Paris Pass. Book online here.
- Arc de Triomphe (€16) – included on Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass. Book online here.
- Tour Montparnasse (€22) – included on Paris Pass. Book online here.
Whilst all the attractions are included on the Paris Pass, as this is only available for two days, we don’t think it offers good value.
Honestly, with only a day in Paris, we think you are better off booking individual tickets for each attraction for the best value for this Paris itinerary.
If you are in the city for a bit longer though, or choose to visit some different attractions, then they are definitely worth checking out. In this case, we recommend comparing inclusions and prices between the following attraction passes to see which might work for you:
- The Paris Pass (see our review here)
- The Paris Museum Pass (see our review here)
- The Paris City Card
- The Go City Paris Explorer Pass
Practicalities for visiting Paris
Eating in Paris
Paris has a wide range of dining options to choose from, from Michelin starred restaurants through to bistros and cafes. You certainly won’t go hungry!
Generally we don’t recommend specific restaurants as they can change so quickly, however we do have a guide to some of our favorite Michelin starred restaurants in Paris here to give you some options.
For a more traditional (and budget!) experience, we love the Bouillon Chartier restaurants, particularly the Grands Boulevards location. They don’t accept reservations and they get busy, but the value is hard to argue with.
Speaking of value, usually, you’ll find that most restaurants in Paris and France will offer some sort of menu of the day, or “menu du jour”, which can be a cost-effective way to get a great meal. These tend to be better value at lunch time, which is the best time of day to eat your main meal if you want to save money.
We’d also suggest that if you want to eat at one of the more popular restaurants in Paris that you consider booking in advance. We recommend and use La Fourchette (the fork), which is the most popular online restaurant booking website in France.
It’s easy to use and makes booking a breeze, especially if you don’t speak French. Check it out here to find reviews, sample menus and book a table.
Power
Electricity in Paris is of the 220v standard, with the 2 pin European style plug. Travellers from countries like the UK and the US will need an adapter like this. See more on travel adapters and how to choose one for your trip in our guide to the best travel adapters.
US travellers need to check their equipment supports the 220v standard – it will be written clearly on the power adapter. As a general rule, we have found that laptops, phone and camera chargers and other small electronics are universal, whilst larger devices like hair dryers and hair straighteners are not.
Currency
Paris is part of the Eurozone, so the currency is the Euro. You can get Euros from ATM’s, banks and currency exchanges, although credit cards are of course widely accepted, and there is no need to carry large quantities of currency.
Internet Access
Internet access is widely available in the form of WiFi all around the city and in hotels and coffee shops, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting online. You can also pick up local SIM cards if you have an unlocked phone. If you are travelling from the USA, consider a Google Fi package which lets you use your data overseas, or an eSIM service like Airalo.
For more options on getting online when travelling, check out our guide to getting online when travelling to help you figure out the best options. We also have a guide to picking the best travel router, which can help you extend a weak WiFi network and share it across multiple devices.
Water
The water in the taps in Paris is safe to drink unless otherwise indicated. If you don’t like the taste, bottled water is widely available.
We usually recommend you travel with a re-usable water bottle like one of these to save on having to buy water bottles. We love our Klean Kanteen water bottles for travel as they are lightweight, easy to clean and the company is a certified B-Corp.
Safety
Paris is a safe city in our experience, although it does have a reputation for being home to a number of scams. Most of these are easy to avoid once you know about them (read up on some of the common scams in Paris here).
As with any major city, of course you need to keep your wits about you – keep your possessions in view all the time, keep your wallet or phone in a front pocket (with a zip if possible), and don’t do anything that you wouldn’t do at home.
We’ve not had any problems in Paris, although there are a few scams to be aware of – check our guide to avoiding common Paris scams so you are prepared in advance.
Further Reading for Your Paris Visit
We’ve been lucky enough to visit Paris a number of times, and from our visits we’ve put together quite a few articles to help you plan your trip. We hope you find them useful!
- If you decide to stay longer, we have a guide to spending 3 Days in Paris, as well as a guide to spending 2 Days in Paris
- If you’re looking for good photos, we have a guide to the best photography locations in Paris
- We have detailed guides to choosing a Seine river cruise, Seine River dinner cruises, buying Paris opera tickets, attending a fashion show in Paris and saving money on Michelin starred restaurants in Paris
- We have a detailed review of the Paris Pass, to help you decide if it might save you money
- Galeries Lafayette is one of the most well-known stores in Paris. However, there’s more to do here than shop! See our complete guide to visiting Galeries Lafayette for more information.
- If you like afternoon tea, check out our definitive guide to the best afternoon tea locations in Paris
- We have a detailed guide to attending the famous Moulin Rouge show in Paris
- For walking tours in Paris, we can recommend both Context Tours (link gives 10% off) and Take Walks who both offer tours in Paris.
- If you want a guide book to Paris, we always like to recommend the Rick Steves guides – here’s the Rick Steves Paris edition. We also recommend the Lonely Planet guides, and they have a guidebook on Paris.
And that’s it for our guide to getting the most from a day in Paris! Is Paris on your travel list? Would you visit Paris for just a day? Do you have any feedback or questions about our day in Paris? Let us know in the comments below!
Karen says
Hello Laurence,
Your blog is very helpful. Thank you and I appreciate it. We are traveling to Paris august 24 arrival early at 645 am. It’s our first time, from CDG airport what transportation that can you recommend going to hotel? I am going to book the hotel dress code and spa or can you recommend centralize hotel. We would like to visit rue de bac For St. CAtherone laborie church?
Lastly we would like to visit Lourdes for one day an overnight stay there ( can you recommend a hotel please) will take a train from paris and then from there take a train going to London.
Any suggestions please?
Thank you so much in advance and for taking time to read my questions.
Many Thanks,
Karen
Laurence Norah says
Hi Karen,
Probably the easiest option from Paris to the Hotel Dress Code & Spa (which is a good centrally located option) is the Roissybus. It will drop you at Opera which is a five-minute walk from the hotel. So that is probably what I would recommend. You can also book a car transfer service, which will be a bit more expensive (depending on group size), but will take you door to door.
For Lourdes we don’t have any experience as we haven’t visited. I’d recommend visiting this page on booking.com for Lourdes, and then choosing a property based on price. It is already filtered to those properties with a good guest review score.
Have a great trip and let me know if you have any more questions!
Best
Laurence
Karen says
Thank you so much and taking time to answer my questions. 😊
Linda King says
This is really helpful. Thanks.
I have one day in Paris alone, and a second with my husband who is abandoning me on day 1 to attend a conference :-/
We have booked tickets to Versailles, but apparently you can’t leave luggage at the moment? We want to take a picnic, and brollies just in case, but it says they’re not allowed. Any hints?!
Linda
Laurence Norah says
Hi Linda,
So according to the Versailles website, there is left luggage available on site. I’m not sure where you saw that it is closed, but I can’t find reference to that. In terms of picnics, you can picnic in certain areas, as described here.
Hope this helps, have a great time in Paris!
Laurence
peter Murrell says
Hi,
Can I walk around the grounds of Museum Louvre as i am more interested in talking photos of the exterior.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Peter,
Yes, the exterior of the building including the famous glass pyramid is open to all and free to walk around,
Best
Laurence
Peter Murrell says
Thank you Laurence.
Harry says
Hello,
My father is travelling to USA , has a layover in pairs for a day. He would like to see the places in pairs and prefer to take taxis for all the places. Can you please provide me list of taxi services which are cheaper and trustworthy. Can i book them in the online? If so, please provide me the websites and please let me know about 1 day packages for taxi? And what would the minimum cost for taxi from/to airport to hotel to sightseeing places. Does taxi drivers accept credit cards/travel cards? Please reply me asap so that i can make necessary arrangements.
Thanks!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Harry,
My suggestion would be rather than trying to book a series of taxis, would be to book a specific layover tour. These are designed for the purpose you have in mind, and can be booked in advance and tailored to your need. For example, there’s this layover tour, plus a selection of others here.
Best
Laurence
Harry says
Thank you Laurence. This Blog and your suggestions help me explore more things about Paris. Thanks alot!
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure Harry – have a wonderful time in Paris, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions 🙂
K V Mohan says
Hi
I will be in Paris from 14/12/19 afternoon till 15/12/19 with my wife & daughter. First time visit, heard scam and conman stories in Paris. Also heard Parisians don’t like to speak English. Need your kind advise and itineraries. Thank you.
Laurence Norah says
Hi there,
So there are a few scams in Paris, but I cover most of them in this post:
https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/tips-for-surviving-scams-of-paris/
To be honest, anything that seems to good to be true is, and ignore anyone with a clipboard or who tries to give you something “for free” and you should be fine.
In terms of Parisians being unfriendly or unwilling to speak English, this is definitely a well perpetuated stereotype. I’ve personally not found it to be true, although it depends how you approach it. Personally, I always try to start with a few words of French, like “bonjour”, and then most Parisians in my experience will realise I am not a native speaker, and switch to English. However, if one starts in English, this can sometimes work out less well.
However, consider if a French person appeared in your home town and launched into French, I’d suspect most people wouldn’t be too excited about that. So I think this is quite normal 🙂
I hope you have a great time in France!
Laurence
K V Mohan says
Thank you very much for your kind reply,hope to have a wonderful trip to Paris.
Ty Stewart says
I have a 7 hour layover in CDG Sept. 30. What do you recommend for seeing as much of Paris I can?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Ty,
if you have not been to Paris before, then my recommendation would be to visit the Eiffel Tower and then take a Seine River Cruise. This will use up around 3 hours in total I’d say. You have to consider the time getting in and out of Paris as well, which will probably be around an hour each way, so that’s five hours. With your final couple of hours, you could have a meal, wander the left bank, or visit the Arc de Triomphe. You could also visit the outside of the Louvre, but I’m not sure it would be worth going inside unless you did a really quick visit.
I hope this helps – have a great trip!
Laurence
Ty Stewart says
Laurence,
Thanks for the quick reply. I will let you know how it goes when I return home.
Anna Nelson says
Hiya folks, I will be visiting Paris for a day in January 2020 with an overnight stay.. Landing in CDG.. Is the itinerary recommended here good for winter too ? Any other tips ?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Anna,
It will certainly work for winter. The only thing to be aware of is that it gets dark a bit earlier in winter and obviously it’s colder, but the good news is that there will be less visitors to the city 🙂 I don’t think you need to change anything though, just wrap up warmly 🙂
Have a great trip!
Laurence
Dave makota says
Thank you very much for this guide. It was very useful for me when I visited Paris!
Laurence Norah says
Our pleasure Dave, delighted to have been able to help!
Rajesh Kalla says
I plan to be in Paris on way to Barcelona from 17th to 19th of June;2019. I have visited Paris in 2011 just for a day . However want to experience life in Paris without the guided tour. Would like to spend time walking .Have coffee at Maxims. Kindly guide how to reach from CDG Airport to City center. I am staying at Airport hotel
Thanking you in advance.
Rajesh
Laurence Norah says
Hi Rajesh!
The section of the post on how to get to Paris CDG from the airport should answer your question:
https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/paris-in-a-day-a-1-day-paris-itinerary/#Getting-to-and-from-Paris-Airport
I’d suggest taking the RER train into central Paris, it’s quite easy to do, you can buy a ticket at the train station 🙂
Lisa Shaw says
Such wonderful tips, thank you so much!
Will be in Europe for the first time ever, and Paris from May 5-7, 2019, all the way from Hawaii! Arrive the 5th, and leave the 7th. My boyfriend is not thrilled about a lot of walking and is not comfortable exploring on our own (unlike me, who LOVES to walk every where!) So I was looking for a tour that hits the main sites, as you listed:
1. Notre Dame
2. The Louvre
3. Champs-Élysées
4. Arc de Triomphe
5. Eiffel Tower
6. Seine River Cruise
7. Tour Montparnasse
Any suggestions for a tour that covers the above? Mahalo nui loa!
Laurence Norah says
Hey Lisa!
So I have a couple of options for you, but this is quite a tough ask 😉 Many of the guided tours in Paris involve walking – it’s often faster than taking a vehicle due to traffic, and parking is also a challenge in the city. In addition, finding a tour that includes all of the above is probably going to be a bit of a challenge too!
I have done my best though to come up with some options for you.
So the first option option is this tour. It covers many of the sights you’ve requested, including the River Cruise, lunch at the Eiffel Tower and a guided visit of Notre Dame and the Louvre. I think this is a good starting point, although it does note in the description that there is some walking, largely in the attractions. The walking does seem to be minimal as the longer distances are covered by boat. With the inclusions it’s also pretty good value I think.
Another option would be to take a Hop on Hop off bus. This will hit all the major sites you want to see, however you would have to plan your own itinerary and this wouldn’t be guided.
Lastly, the tour I mention in the post is this full day walking tour of Paris. So obviously that one is going to involve some walking, but the tour does include metro rides between the main sites, so the only real walking will be around the various attractions, which is kind of unavoidable 🙂
Hopefully one of these options works for you. Have a wonderful time in Paris!
Laurence
zay says
Booked a last minute trip to Paris for the day and this is exactly what i needed to help plan my trip as there is no much detail and information.
Thanks so much!
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure Zay – have a wonderful time!
Shivank Sharma says
This is excellent work, Something I was looking for, Really appreciate the details, maps and written guidelines.
Laurence Norah says
Our pleasure Shivank – have a wonderful trip to Paris!
Katie says
I have been to Paris on 2 separate occasions for multiple days each but you still were able to suggest places I haven’t been. I will definately be reading up your guides before my next visit.
Laurence Norah says
Awesome to hear that 😀