Paris from above, with the Seine at sunset
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Paris in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 8 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days is the ideal pace for a first visit: one for the big postcard views and one for the historic heart. Here the first day pairs the classic route with an easy stroll along the Champs-Élysées and the Orangerie, and the second is given to the Île de la Cité and a major museum. There's time for a proper sit-down lunch.

Day 1The big postcard and dark Paris

In the morning, take the route "From the Eiffel Tower to Concorde along the Seine", which starts at the Trocadéro and crosses the Pont Alexandre III to Concorde. Have onion soup at Au Pied de Cochon, in Les Halles. The afternoon is free for two visits near Concorde. At dusk, head to Flamel's house to start the mystery route, which passes the Fontaine des Innocents and the Tour Saint-Jacques. Have snails for dinner on rue 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

    Arc de Triomphe

    The monument Napoleon commissioned in 1806, now home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Climb to the terrace to see twelve avenues radiating out, then walk back down the Champs-Élysées to Concorde.

    Directions

    Musée de l'Orangerie

    A small museum at the edge of the Tuileries Garden, famous for Monet's Water Lilies, shown in two oval rooms designed for them. It's right next to Concorde; booking ahead is wise.

    Directions

  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

Day 2Kings, the Louvre and Orsay

Give the morning to the history route "From the Île de la Cité to the Palais-Royal": Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie and the Pont Neuf, on to the Louvre. Reach the island early, before the tour groups. For lunch, coq au vin at Le Procope, the city's oldest café, on the Left Bank. The afternoon is for nineteenth-century art and then ending the trip in a garden, not watching the clock.

  1. Morning

    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

  2. Lunch

    Try Coq au vin at Le Procope. 13, rue de l'Ancienne-Comédie

  3. Afternoon

    Musée d'Orsay

    A former railway station from 1900 holding the world's greatest Impressionist collection: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh. From the Tuileries, cross the Seine on the Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge; book a time slot.

    Directions

    Luxembourg Gardens

    The Parisians' favourite garden, with green chairs around the pond and the Senate building behind. A perfect place to rest after the museum; it's a few minutes' walk from Le Procope.

    Directions

The map

Paris in 2 days, on the map

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

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Paris in 2 days

  • Buy museum tickets for a set day and time: in Paris, a queue without a booking can swallow an entire morning.
  • The metro is the fastest way to link the Trocadéro, Les Halles and the Cité; a day pass or a few single tickets will cover these two days.
  • Many national museums close one fixed day a week (the Louvre and Orsay differ): check which before you arrange your days.

Questions

Paris in 2 days: your questions

Is 2 days enough in Paris?

For a first visit, yes: you'll see the great symbols, one major museum and two historic districts without burning out. What won't fit is Versailles, or Montmartre to the north.

How much walking is it over 2 days?

The routes add up to about 8 km (3.7 on day one plus 2 of mystery, and 2.3 on day two), plus the walks between extras. With breaks for meals, expect days of around 8 hours.

Do I need a museum pass?

Only if you plan to go inside three or four museums. This plan has few interiors, so buying single timed tickets usually works out better and saves queues.

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