Paris from above, with the Seine at sunset
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Paris in 1 day

  • 1 day
  • 8 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

One day in Paris gives you more than you'd expect, as long as you accept lots of walking and don't try to go inside everything. This plan strings our three routes together from morning to night: the classic Seine postcard, eight centuries of history on the Île de la Cité, and a last stroll through the city's darker side. It's full-on, but you'll see the essentials.

One day in ParisFrom the Seine to medieval shadows

Start early at the Trocadéro with the route "From the Eiffel Tower to Concorde along the Seine": the tower before the crowds, the Pont de l'Alma and the Pont Alexandre III. Finish at Concorde and take the metro to Les Halles for onion soup at Au Pied de Cochon. In the afternoon, the history route: Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Pont Neuf to the Louvre. As the light fades, the mystery route leaves Flamel's house and ends beside Notre-Dame's chimeras. Have snails for dinner at L'Escargot Montorgueil.

  1. Morning

    From the Eiffel Tower to Concorde along the Seine

    Mixed · 3.7 km · 2 h 30 min

    1. Trocadéro and the Palais de ChaillotThe terrace with the most famous view of the Eiffel Tower is named after a battle fought in Cádiz, Spain.
    2. Eiffel TowerThe tower that was meant to last twenty years, and that the artists of Paris tried to stop.
    3. Pont de l'Alma: the Zouave and the FlameA stone soldier who measures the Seine's floods and a golden flame that became a spontaneous memorial.
    4. Pont Alexandre IIIA single steel arch, gold and nymphs to seal the alliance between the French Republic and the Tsar.
    5. Grand Palais and Petit PalaisTwin palaces built for the 1900 World's Fair, beneath one of the largest glass roofs in Europe.
    6. Place de la ConcordeThe square that honoured one king, guillotined another and ended up ruled by an Egyptian obelisk over three thousand years old.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try French onion soup at Au Pied de Cochon. 6, rue Coquillière

  3. Afternoon

    From the Île de la Cité to the Palais-Royal: eight centuries of power

    History · 2.3 km · 2 h

    1. Notre-Dame CathedralEight centuries of French history in front of a façade that survived revolution, neglect and fire.
    2. Sainte-ChapelleThe giant reliquary Saint Louis built to house the Crown of Thorns.
    3. The Conciergerie and the Clock TowerThe first public clock in Paris marks the corner of a royal palace that ended up as the guillotine's waiting room.
    4. Pont Neuf and the statue of Henri IVThe ‘New Bridge’ is the oldest in Paris, and its king on horseback hides secrets inside the bronze.
    5. The Louvre PalaceA medieval fortress that became a royal palace and then the most visited museum in the world.
    6. Palais-RoyalRichelieu's palace, an arcaded garden and the café where the call to arms that led to the Bastille rang out.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Early evening

    Alchemists, charnel houses and executioners: dark Paris

    Mysteries & legends · 2 km · 1 h 45 min

    1. House of Nicolas FlamelThe oldest dated house in Paris was built by a man legend turned into an immortal alchemist.
    2. Fountain of the InnocentsA Renaissance fountain in the middle of what was, for centuries, the largest cemetery in Paris.
    3. Saint-Jacques TowerThe lone tower of a vanished church, a starting point for pilgrims and the burial place of Nicolas Flamel.
    4. Hôtel de Ville square, the old Place de GrèveBeneath this festive square stood the scaffold of Paris for centuries.
    5. Notre-Dame: chimeras and the Devil's doorsStone monsters, ironwork credited to the Devil and a carving some saw as the key to alchemy.
    6. Rue Chanoinesse and the barber of the CitéThe canons' street keeps the memory of Héloïse and Abelard, and the most gruesome legend in Paris.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Burgundy snails at L'Escargot Montorgueil. 38, rue Montorgueil

The map

Paris in 1 day, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends

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Before you go

Tips for Paris in 1 day

  • Wear comfortable shoes: the three routes add up to about 8 km, and the metro saves you the dead stretches, like the hop from Concorde to Les Halles.
  • Book ahead for anything you want to go inside (Sainte-Chapelle, Eiffel Tower): with one day, you can't afford to stand in a queue.
  • The mystery route is best in low light, but summer evenings are long: set your start time according to the season.

Questions

Paris in 1 day: your questions

Can you see Paris in one day?

You can see the essentials, not everything. This plan takes you past the Eiffel Tower, along the Seine, to Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Louvre (from the outside), plus the Paris of legend. To go inside museums, you'll need more days.

How far do you walk?

The three routes add up to about 8 km (3.7 for the classic, 2.3 for history and 2 for mystery), plus the metro rides between them. With stops for meals and photos, it's a long day of around 10 hours.

Where should I start?

With the classic route at the Trocadéro, first thing: it's the busiest area, and the best photo of the Eiffel Tower is the one without crowds. Leave the Notre-Dame area for the afternoon.

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