How To Spend 2 Days In Paris When It’s Your First Time

Two days isn’t a lot of time to explore a place like Paris if you’ve never been before. There’s tons of fun things to do and see, so you have some tough decisions to make.

We’ve been to Paris more times than we can count and we’ve done all there is to do as tourists. So how would we plan a 2 day trip to Paris if it were our first time all over again? Well, that’s what we’re going to show you in this guide. Read more about us.

Before we begin – the major issue here is that everyone visiting Paris will do it in a different way. Do you prefer ticking off attractions? Are you a walk around the neighborhoods type of traveler? Or is it all about museums for you? And what about the incredibly popular day trip to Versailles?

So what we’re going to do is walk you step by step through a fast paced Paris highlights itinerary first (exactly how we’d do it), then we’ll show you a few different summarized itinerary ideas to cover specific travel styles later in the guide.

If it’s your first time in Paris, you’ll probably want to do top attractions like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and a Seine river cruise. They’re exactly what we wanted to do the first time we visited Paris ourselves because they’re the iconic and unmissable things to do, right?

Well, we’re going to show you how to squeeze a few more top attractions into your two days so you can make the most of your time. The route is action packed but it’s efficient. Remember, you can always drop one or two places from each day to slow things down if it seems like too much. Okay, let’s begin!

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Day 1: Eiffel Tower + Louvre

Breakfast

Breakfast

We’d get an early start and eat a hearty breakfast to fill up the energy stores for a big day ahead. If you’re on a budget, go to a boulangerie to get cheap but amazing croissants and coffee. This is what we do most mornings in Paris. No fuss, delicious pastries.

Or, if you don’t pay for breakfast at your hotel (petit dejeuner) and want a nice treat, we recommend going to one of the three Kozy locations in Paris. This one on Av Bosquet is super close to Champ de Mars which works perfectly for the itinerary. It opens at 8:00am weekdays or 9:00am weekends, and it’s one of our favorites.

Eiffel Tower

Okay, we’d get off the metro at Ecole Militaire, eat breakfast at Kozy and then walk through Champ de Mars to the Eiffel Tower. We’d have already pre-booked the first time slot at 9:30am (or 9:00am June-September) in advance, so we didn’t have to deal with lines or sold out time slots. This is even more important when you only have two days. Here’s the official site to book your ticket.

Next, we’d walk up the metal staircase to the first floor at 57 meters (187 feet). We’ve been up the Eiffel Tower 4 or 5 times, and we always climb the 328 steps for the full experience. On the first floor we’d walk over the glass floor, look out at Paris, read the information exhibits and look up at the top of the Eiffel Tower before climbing 348 more steps to the second floor at 115 meters (377 feet).

On the second floor we’d enjoy far reaching city views and learn more about construction of the tower. Then we’d take the elevator up to the summit at 276 meters (906 feet) for incredible views and to see Gustave Eiffel’s private office. There’s also a champagne bar at the top if you fancy a glass of champers at 10:30am! This early in the morning you’ll have a better visibility from the summit. Read our guide on visiting the Eiffel Tower for the first time to learn more.

Tip: If you don’t feel up the steps or you want to save time, you can take the elevator from the ground to each level. Full elevator tickets cost a bit more but not enough to break the bank. We also don’t recommend taking guided tours of the Eiffel Tower (unless you’re really interested in learning about the history) because they don’t get the best reviews online.

Arc de Triomphe

Once back at ground level, we’d walk around the garden and grounds to check it all out before exiting through the revolving door. Next, we’d walk across the Pont d’lena and up to Place du Trocadero for the best Eiffel Tower views in Paris. There are lots of scammers around here so be careful with your belongings, but it’s still worth seeing.

After a super quick stop, we’d walk along Av Kleber to the Arc de Triomphe (or hop on a metro from Trocadero to Charles de Gaulle – Etoile if we didn’t want to walk). We’d take a look at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then pay to go up to the observation deck at the top of the arc, which costs €16 for adults and is free for under 18’s. You can also book tickets in advance at the official website.

We didn’t expect the 284 steps to the top of Arc de Triomphe to be so tiring, so prepare for another lung busting climb. Remember when we said eat a hearty breakfast? This is why! There’s not a whole lot going on at the top except for striking views looking down 12 avenues in the shape of a star. It’s cool but not life changing, so skip this if you’re not sure what to skip on the first day.

Champs-Elysees

Honestly, we think the Avenue des Champs-Elysees is a bit overhyped. Sure, it’s a fun street to walk down, especially if you’re into shopping or fashion. But otherwise it’s just like Fifth Avenue in NYC or Oxford Street in London – interesting to see an iconic street but without getting much out of it.

Anyway, after descending from the Arc de Triomphe observation deck, we’d walk down the Champs-Elysees and grab a quick on the go coffee and snacks to refuel. There’s not enough time to stop for a sit down lunch, and prices along the famous avenue are heavily inflated anyway.

Musee d’Orsay

At the end of the Champs-Elysees, we’d walk through Jardin des Tuileries and cross the Seine to visit the Musee d’Orsay, which is one of our favorite museums in Paris. It’s huge but it doesn’t take as long as you’d think to walk through and enjoy the immense artworks on display. One thing you absolutely can’t miss is the unique clock on the fifth floor – you’ll know it when you see it!

Again, we’d have already pre-booked tickets with a time slot in advance so we didn’t have to stand in line to get inside (here’s the official website). Plus, booking time slots would keep us on schedule. Tickets cost €16 for adults or €13 for under 18’s, and time slots are every 30 minutes. Finally, don’t forget the Musee d’Orsay is closed on Mondays.

Tip: If you’re really interested in art and want to make the most of your visit to the Musee d’Orsay, this amazing guided tour is unmissable for you. It has sky high ratings and there’s a 1:30pm starting time.

Louvre Museum

From the Musee d’Orsay it’s just a short walk to the Louvre Museum. We’d plan our day so we arrived at the Louvre for the 3:30pm time slot, which we would of course have booked well in advance. Arriving later in the day means it’s so much quieter inside because everyone else in Paris booked tickets between 9:00am-11:00am. Read our guide on visiting the Louvre for the first time to learn more.

We know 2 hours and 30 minutes isn’t a long time inside the Louvre (we’ve been twice for 4 hours each and still haven’t done it all yet), but it’s enough time to see the highlights and star attractions. Here’s the official site to book tickets, which cost €22 for adults and are free for under 18’s.

Remember earlier when we said guided tours aren’t necessary at the Eiffel Tower? Well, if there’s one place in Paris you splurge on a guided tour, it’s the Louvre. The two best options we can find are this cheaper guided tour with thousands of positive ratings and this slightly more expensive guided tour with a near perfect 5/5 rating after almost 5,000 reviews – it’s the best rated tour we’ve ever seen on Viator.

Now, if you do decide to take a tour, you’ll have to select a time that likely won’t fit into this itinerary, but that’s fine, you can always reshape your day around your Louvre tour if it’s something you’re prioritizing on your trip to Paris. Plus, if you visit on a Wednesday or Friday when the Louvre stays open late, you can even fit one of those guided tours right into this itinerary!

Tip: The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, so make sure you switch the days around on this itinerary if your 2 day trip is a Tuesday and Wednesday.

Seine Cruise

After the Louvre we’d finish our day with a sunset or night time cruise on the Seine, depending on the time of year and daylight hours. The problem is, boat tours leave from further west along the river so there’s a walk or a metro ride to take now. If you want to do a basic boat ride with no frills, walk to Bateaux-Mouches and buy a cheap ticket. We’ve done it a few times and it’s great.

Or if you want to do something a bit more special, have a look for Seine cruises with dinner, music or even drinks included. A lot of the dinner boat tours we can find online get mixed reviews, but this one has good ratings. It doesn’t start until 8:30pm so you’d have plenty of time after the Louvre to get to the starting point which is very close to the Eiffel Tower and the Pont d’lena.

Afterwards, we’d see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night, before heading back to our hotel to get a good nights sleep ready for day 2!

Notes About Day 1: If you’d prefer to go up the Eiffel Tower at sunset and night instead you could do the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Seine Cruise, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower in that order. And the two things we’d skip on day 1 to slow it down are the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees.

Day 2: Saint Germain + Ile de la Cite

Luxembourg Gardens

After filling up with croissants and coffee, we’d start day 2 by hopping on a metro to either Saint-Placide (pink line) or Rennes (green line) so we could enter the lovely Luxembourg Gardens from the west.

We’d stop to see the Statue of Liberty replica, before slowly ambling through the garden to the pond and eventually arriving at the stunning Medici Fountain. It’s totally free to enter and it’s always open so you can arrive anytime in the morning.

Pantheon

Next, we’d leave the garden on the east side and walk up Rue Soufflot to see the impressive Pantheon, which is a mausoleum housing the remains of prominent French figures like Marie Curie, Victor Hugo and Voltaire. We enjoyed walking around the Pantheon but we unfortunately didn’t make it up to the elevated panorama which has 360 degree views.

The Pantheon opens at 10:00am daily. Tickets cost €13 for adults and free for under 18’s for basic entry, but you can also do a combined ticket to include the panorama which has 203 steps for €16.50 per adult. Here’s the official site to book tickets. Even if you don’t go inside it’s worth seeing from the outside, and that won’t cost you a penny.

Saint Germain

Our next stop would be Jozi Brunch for a nice healthy avocado and eggs on toast with another coffee. It’s less than 5 minutes walk from the Pantheon along Rue Valette, and from there we’d go to Shakespeare and Company bookstore which is a real old-world treat.

Next, we’d walk west through the Latin Quarter and into Saint Germain (one of our favorite parts of Paris) until reaching Rue de Buci. This area is basically one great big Parisian cafe culture hub and it’s a fantastic place to just sit and watch the world go by. This is where we’d hang out for a minute with another coffee, snacks or maybe even a glass of wine.

Ile de la Cite

Once we felt ready to carry on exploring, we’d head for the Ile de Cite and our first stop would be Sainte-Chapelle. The stained glass window inside is magnificent, so don’t miss it. Tickets cost €13 for adults and free for under 18’s, and this another place we would definitely book in advance. We once saw a line that must have been 200 deep waiting to get in here.

Almost next door to Sainte-Chapelle is the Conciergerie, which was once a residence to the kings of France in the Middle Ages and also a prison that held Marie Antoinette. We did think it was interesting and cool to see, but we absolutely would not say it’s essential so skip this if you’re short on time or don’t want to pay another €13 per adult.

Finally, the last stop we’d make on Ile de la Cite is Notre-Dame de Paris, the most famous Gothic style cathedral from the Middle Ages. It’s incredibly photogenic from the outside, but you must go inside when you visit. It’s free to go inside, but the lines can be ridiculously long. Here’s an insider tip – you can book a time slot reservation in advance to skip the line. You’re welcome!

Le Marais

After Notre-Dame we’d cross the Pont d’Arcole into Le Marais (the 3rd and 4th arrondissements) which is the old-world medieval part of Paris with narrow streets and tons of great places to eat. We like Au Bourguignon du Marais and Robert et Louise if you need recommendations for dinner.

There’s also a bunch of great foodie tours in Le Marais but they start at all different times of day so you might need to switch up this second day if you book one. We’d start by looking at this secret food tour that has high ratings, and this food and wine tour that actually has a 4:00pm start time so it could work well with our itinerary.

Alternatively, you could take this top rated food tour in Notre-Dame at 5:00pm instead of going into Le Marais. This would fit into our itinerary better and you could then go for drinks in Marais afterwards before heading back to your hotel.

Other Ways To Spend Your Time

The itinerary we just walked you through is how we’d spend 2 days in Paris if it were our first time again because it ticks off the major landmarks, attractions and arrondissements. But itineraries are so subjective and you might want to do your trip in a different way.

So let’s take a look at other ways you could plan your trip based on specific goals:

Museum Lover

Paris is overflowing with world-class museums, especially when it comes to art. You could easily fill a full week in museums and still not get through them all. So with just 2 days, you’ll need to carefully consider your priorities. Here’s how we would do it:

Day 1:

• Start with the Musee de l’Orangerie
• Next go to the Musee d’Orsay
• And finish with The Louvre

*You could do this route in reverse to go in chronological order of time periods with artworks, but The Louvre is quieter in the afternoon which is why we suggest this order.

Day 2:

• Start in the east with Maison de Victor Hugo
• Next visit the underrated Musee Carnavalet
• Either Picasso Museum or Centre Pompidou
• After lunch head west to Musee Rodin
• Next door go to the Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb
• Finish with the Sewer Museum

That’s a lot of museum action, but you can always cut one or two from the itinerary if it sounds like too much. We’ve ordered the museums for maximum efficiency, so be sure to follow along in order.

Arrondissements Only

One of our favorite ways to explore major cities is to ignore the busy tourist areas and instead spend our time walking through vibrant neighborhoods, or arrondissements in Paris.

Le Marais, St Germain and the Latin Quarter are our top recommendations if you’re into food and atmosphere. Here’s how you can enjoy the best neighborhoods without paying for any attractions or museums:

Day 1:

• Start with breakfast in the 11th arr. (Popincourt)
• Continue into the 3rd arr. (Le Marais)
• Explore the 1st arr. (Louvre)
• Then head north through the 2nd arr. (Bourse)
• Keep going north through the 9th arr. (Opera)
• Finish in the lovely 18th arr. (Montmartre)

Day 2:

• Start in the 5th arr. (Latin Quarter)
• Head west into the 6th arr. (Saint Germain)
• Finish in the 7th arr. (Palais-Bourbon)

We recommend ending day 1 in Montmartre because it’s amazing in the evening, and the Basilica de Sacre-Coeur is open until 10:30pm. On day 2 you could reverse the route if you’d prefer to explore Saint Germain and the Latin Quarter in the evening when they’re lively and have excellent nightlife options.

Add A Day Trip

Are you planning to see the Palace of Versailles when you visit Paris? There’s no doubt it’s worth seeing, but it’s going to eat up around 6-8 hours of your time. And that’s a big chunk of your overall 2 day itinerary accounted for.

If you simply can’t miss Versailles, here’s how you could do it and still see the other famous attractions if it’s your first visit:

Day 1:

• Book your Palace of Versailles tickets in advance (ideally the earliest time slot 9:00am)
• Get the RER C train to Versailles Château Rive Gauche
• It’s a 10-15 minute walk to the palace entrance
• Explore the entire grounds and have lunch on site
• Take the RER C train back into Paris around 3:00pm
• Get off at Champ de Mars and climb the Eiffel Tower for sunset (book in advance)

Tip: If you don’t want to deal with figuring out trains, tickets and audio guides yourself, book a top rated tour like this one that includes transport, entry and guided tour of the palace grounds – or this one that has the same perks but explores the palace by bike.

Day 2:

• Option 1: Visit museums like The Louvre and Musee d’Orsay
• Option 2: Walk around Latin Quarter, Saint Germain, Le Marais and Montmartre

Other popular day trip options from Paris include Fontainebleau, Chantilly and Giverny, but Versailles is by far most heavily trafficked. Trains work well, so you shouldn’t have to hire a car to reach any of the day trip spots.

Another great way you could do Paris in 2 days if you have a healthier budget is to book a full day guided tour like this one of the city’s major highlights, and then book a full day trip tour like this one to Normandy’s D-Day beaches for instance. That way you’re getting the most out of your days.

Return Visitor

Paris is one of few cities we’re happy to keep going back to because there’s so much to see and do. The other great thing about being a return visitor is that you’ve already done most of the famous attractions, so you can craft a hidden gem itinerary and get off the beaten path. Here’s what you can do as a return visitor to escape the crowds:

Day 1:

• Spend the morning walking around Montmartre
• Head down to Le Marais
• Visit Musee Carnavalet or Museum of the Art and History of Judaism
• See the Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle
• Go down to the Crypte Archeologique de l’Ile de la Cite
• Metro to or walk to the Champs-Elysees
• Go up the Arc de Triomphe for sunset

Day 2:

• Grab breakfast at Kozy Notre Dame in Latin Quarter
• Visit Shakespeare and Company book store
• Explore the Musee de Cluny
• Walk down to see Pantheon
• Visit the Curie Museum (Weds-Sat 1-5pm)
• Walk through Luxembourg Gardens
• Go down to see the Catacombs of Paris (book in advance)
• Finish with sunset at Montparnasse Tower observation deck

This itinerary is great if you want to avoid the most overcrowded spots in Paris but still feel like you’ve seen a lot. By skipping the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Palace of Versailles you’ll avoid the worst of the crowds.

Tips For Visiting

Tickets: With just two days in the city, you can’t afford to lose time waiting in line to get into museums or attractions. We strongly urge you to book all tickets and time slots as early as possible so you can structure your itinerary and keep it efficient.

Hotel: With just two days, we recommend booking a hotel in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd arrondissement so you’re close to the majority of top attractions. You’ll also have easy access to metro links and links to the airports. Here’s our guide on the best arrondissements to stay in Paris if you want to learn more.

Walking: Our top tip for visiting major cities like London, Rome, New York City or Tokyo is to walk as much as you can because it’s the best way to see a place, especially when you only have two days available. We carefully plan our days so we can walk an efficient route to attractions and arrondissements, avoiding metros unless absolutely essential.

Museum closures: Attractions and museums are open on weekends, but be aware that lots of popular places like The Louvre, Musee d’Orsay and Palace of Versailles close on Mondays or Tuesdays. If you don’t visit Paris at the weekend, we recommend visiting between Wednesday and Friday to avoid attractions being closed.

Louvre: The Louvre Museum is always busy, but a great tip we have is to visit later in the day rather than in the morning. We’ve been to the Louvre twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. And the afternoon time slot was so much quieter.

Attraction passes: If you want to save money when visiting famous attractions like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Palace of Versailles, the Tiqets Attraction Bundle is a great choice. We used the Paris & Versailles Bundle and it saved us a few euros which we spent on better things like croissants and wine. Here’s our comparison of the Paris attraction passes to learn more.

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Next Steps

We hope our itinerary ideas help with planning your trip to Paris, but please let us know if you have any other questions in the comments box a little further below.

Still figuring out your plans?

• Here’s our first time visitor guide to Paris.
• Don’t miss these top attractions in Paris.
• Book your hotel in one of these Paris arrondissements.

Finally, if you’ll be visiting more places on the same trip, we recommend reading our France travel planning guide for helpful tips and advice.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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