I have 2 days in Paris. Any advice for a realistic sight seeing Itinerary?

Question

I would like to see as many things as possible in my short time in Paris. I thank you for any suggestions.

Answer 1

Starting location is dependent on hotel location and other interests but gives a comprehensive idea (this is based on a hotel in the Latin Quarter). With only 2 days, you should plan ahead. Straying away from your itinerary is recommended but it's crucial to have a plan of attack.

Note: Leave all baggage at hotel so you won't need to wait in security check lines. Also take stairs when available (Louvre). This will save a lot of time.

Day 1.

1) Walk through St-Michel Sq. and cross onto Ile de la Cite.

2) Walk to Notre Dame (check TOWER opening times - all websites seem to conflict on opening time) towards Ile St-Louis. Get ICE CREAM - Berthillon, 31 rue St-Louis-en-l’Ile

3) Cross bridge to right bank and walk to Hotel de Ville.

4) Take Metro (1 YELLOW-La Defense dir.) and EXIT at Concorde.

5) Check out Place de la Concorde.

6) Walk Av Des Champs-Elysees toward Arc de Triomphe

(approx 2 miles)

7) Take underground passage and climb the steps of Arc de Triomphe.

8) Take Metro (6 GREEN-Nation dir.) EXIT at Trocadero.

9) Walk from Palais de Chaillot to Eiffel Tower.

10) Climb the Eiffel Tower at night (9AM-12:30PM)

11) Take a RIVER BOAT (or RER A) back to Notre Dame area.



Day 2.

(GET UP AT 7AM) – Shower and grab breakfast to go

1) Be at Notre Dame for 8:30AM (opens at 9:30AM or 10:00AM). Climb the towers. Open until 11:00pm SAT.

2) Walk by Saint-Chappell and La Concierge.

3) Check out Vert-Galant Sq, Pl-Daphne and cross the Pont Neuf.

4) Walk to and visit Louvre (advance ticket or museum pass)

5) Walk through Jardin des Tuileries to Place de la Concorde and take metro (12 GREEN-Pte de la Chapelle dir) EXIT at Abbesses. GRAB LUNCH in Montmarte area.

6) Follow suggested walk through Montmartre towards Sacre-Coeur and visit the Sacre-Coeur dome (9AM-6PM)

7)Time permitting; make your way to Pompidou Center.

Take Metro (2 BLUE-Nation dir) EXIT Belleville.

Transfer to (11 Brown-Chatelet dir) EXIT Rambuteau.

Then back to the Latin Quarter for dinner and drinks.

Answer 2

Take the Paris city tour in one of their open top double decker buses. They cover most tourist attractions in Paris.

http://www.sightseeing-tours-in-paris.co...

Rest the next day and take a evening tour of Paris to experience night life in the French capital.

Answer 3

Getting around the city is efficient enough that you can make it to a lot of the most famous landmarks in a day.  It's a beautiful city.  You will see beautiful architecture all over the place so if you have time its a good place to just walk around perhaps between some of the landmarks you want to see.  And since you have two days think about devoting one day to the Louvre, perhaps the best art museum in the world.  You will also have some time for other things in the evening/night if you do.

Answer 4

Assuming you are fit and capable of doing quite a bit of walking you can see a lot of Paris in two days. There are many tourist "must see" sights in a long fairly narrow area on both sides of the Seine. So on day one you will see most of these big sights and on day two you can head to Montmartre in the morning and then check out the Louvre and/or the Musee D'orsay.

Begin day one at the Place Tracadero  (metro stop Tracadero on either line 6 or line 9.



Across the Seine you will see the Eiffel Tower. Walk down and cross the river and have a look. Its really not worth going up. There are usually long lines and the view is really not that good. Turning your back to it you will see a large park. This is the Parc Champ de Mars.



Walk thru the park to the Ave. de la Motte Picquet. which will cross your path at 90 degrees. You will see a peace memorial and across the street the Ecole Militaire.



Turn left and walk up the Ave. de la Motte Picquet to the corner where the Ave. de Tourville crosses. Turn right and continue a few blocks and you will see the Invalides on your left. This was built by Napoleon as a hospital for his wounded troops. The French army museum is here. There is a large church on the right side of the grounds which houses the tomb of Napoleon and of his son the King of Rome. Both buildings are open to the public.



Continue down the street to the Blvd. des Invalides and turn left. the Rodin museum will be immediately to your right (cross street is rue de Varenne). When you get to the rue de Grenville the street you are on takes a job to the left and changes name but simply continue in the same direction until you reach the river.



Across the river you will see the Grand and Petit Palais, huge art deco exhibition halls.  Crossing the river to your left is the Pont Alexander III, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful bridges in the world. (If you've seen the movie "Desiree" this is where Michael Renne meets Jean Simmons)



Turn right along the Quai d'Orsay and the French National Assembly will be on your right. Continue walking and the Musee d'Orsay built in the old train station will appear. This houses the Impressionists and is thought to be the best of the Paris Museums.



Keep walking and the Louvre will be seen across the river. When book stalls along the Seine begin to multiply you'll have reached the Latin Quarter and you will see Notre Dame.



Look for the Pont Neuf (the "new" bridge) and cross over to the Isle de la Cite on which Notre Dame stands and which is where Paris began.



Once you're over the bridge you'll see a little park to your left. This is where Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar was burnt at the stake. The little Tavern Henri IV which you will also see is a nice place to stop for a glass of wine by the way.



Now just head for Notre Dame along the river. You'll pass Saint Chapelle on your left built by Louis IX in the early 13th century to house the Crown of Thorns and part of the True Cross.



Continue on to Notre Dame. Entrance is free as this is a "working" church. This is the first place I go when I arrive in Paris. I also always light a candle at the Statue of the Virgin Mary in thanks for being in Paris again. (Odd given that I'm not a Catholic but what the heck).



Continue on past Notre Dame and at the tip of the Island you'll find the Memorial to the Deportees. Take a moment to visit. It’s a moving experience.



Cross the river on the Pont d'Arcola. (Just follow the bend of the Island around). On your right is another small island, the Ile St. Louis. (This has some gorgeous architecture and is the home of Berthillion, the iconic ice cream maker but it can wait till your next visit.)



When you cross the Pont d'Arcola you'll see the ornate city hall (the Hotel de Ville) to the front and right. Turn Left and walk along the river. As you pass the second bridge you'll see the Conciergerie back on the Isle de la Cite on your left. This is where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned before the Revolutionaries cut her head off.



A few more blocks and the Louvre will again come into view. Take the first street away from the river that fronts on the Louvre, turn left and walk into the grounds.



As you pass thru the first courtyard the now famous (or infamous) glass pyramid by Chinese American architect I.M. Pei will appear and beyond that the Arc du Carousel.



Continue walking and you'll be in the Jardin des Tuileries, all that remains of what was once the site of a palace built in the 16th century by Catherine de' Medicis, widow of King Henry II. (the palace burned down in 1871).



You'll exit the gardens at the Place de la Concorde. This is where the guillotine stood in revolutionary days and where the King and Queen along with hundreds of other Royalists were executed. Today there is an Egyptian obelisk on the spot.



On the other side of the Place de la Concorde is the beginning of the Champs Elysee. You can walk along it to the Arc de Triomphe (or you can take Metro line one which has a station at the north side of the Place de la Concorde).



Either way you have now just about completed a grand circuit of the sights close to the Seine and should be utterly exhausted.

On day two take the Metro line 2 to either  the Anvers or Pigalle stops. Get out and look for signs directing you to the Montmartre Funiculaire. It will cost you one metro ticket each to ride it to the top where you will find Sacre Coeur, the national church of France in all its white onion domed splendor and what is arguably the best view of Paris. You can spend a little time just wandering around Monmartre and the Place de Tertre where you will find one of the world's largest collection of really hideous art for sale but the area is largely a torusit trap these days. Still the view and the church is worth the trip.

You should now walk down the hill and go back to the Metro station you arrived at. Take the metro direction Porte Dauphine to Charles de Gaulle and change to line 1 direction Chateau Vincennes. This will take you to the Louvre Metro stop.  Even if you're not that much into "great art" the Louvre is a must see and it will take you at least a a couple of hours to just hit the high spots.

If you've still got some time left, cross the river and  hit the  Musee D'Orsay (impressionists).

Answer 5

2 days in a city that has so much to offer leaves, I believe, only one solution*.

On the 1st day take one of the hop on / hop off tours - you will see all major monuments & sights  and get a better idea on what you really want to see again!

On day two, go where is seemed nicer and enjoy the areas around it.

Enjoy the fact that Paris has a great underground network and while you might be tempted to get the bus and see more of the sights, there's also a higher chance you are caught in a jam (plus don't really count on people telling you where is the correct stop to visit Place Y). So, pick up a tourist map, identify all the places you want to see again (or better) and group then by proximity.

Do you like monuments? Then you will not miss Notre Dame, Sacré Coeur,  Les Invalides, Eiffel Tower, Madeleine / Concorde/ Place Vendôme, Place des Vosges, etc

Do you like Museums - Modern or Classic? Then you will not miss the Louvre; the Musée d'Orsay, the Centre Georges Pompidou, etc, etc . Do you prefer sculpture - then do not miss Musée Rodin? If you do want to see museums try to narrow to what you like the most - there's a high chance there will be a museum catering just for that! There's a high chance the surrounding area will be lovely to walk around and that you will discover a cute bistrot where you can have something to eat.

Do you prefer to stroll across cute neighbouhoods? Then spend a few hours at Marais or around St Germain or Montmarte; if you want some more etnicity try the Barbés area .

Although I have refused it to do for years as I thought it was terrible touristic I finally resigned and agree with the fact that the cruises in the Seine (Bateau Mouche) are a nice way to see part of the city, specially at sunset (the colors look nicer and your feets will thank you)

If you do want to visit a museum try to get the tickets online -. queues can be terrible and with two days online you don't have any time to loose!



Another approach is

1) Marais (w/ Place des Vosges and maybe one of the local museums) - one morning

2) Louvre / Madeleine / Place de Concorde - one long afternoon - but you will barely see anything at the Louvre

3) Go to Rive Gauche and cram Invalides, Pantheon, Luxembourg, and the St Germain area in another afternoon

Enjoy the 2 days

* I have taken a different approach when I was 17, and strolled across the entire city in two days but now that I know Paris really well and that my feet no longer stand the same I do think this is a better way to do it :-)

Answer 6

Definitely manage to see the Louvre, it is the museum that is home to the Mona Lisa.  Also of course try to see the Eiffel Tower.  And if you can see Notre Dame de Paris (the cathedral in Hunchback of Notre Dame) it is breathtaking.