The city of love, lights and sexy accents. To take a walk down the boulevard of this amazing city is to be transported back to classic Noir films, fashion shows that invented the term “trend setter” and stunning historical landmarks that require a week to explore properly. But what happens when we only have twenty-four hours to explore? Here’s a fast track itinerary to help you make the most out of seeing Paris in a limited amount of time.
Preferred Method of travel
Take the Metro. There are faster options like taxis and Uber, however these are costly unless you are splitting the fare among four people, then it might be around the same price anyway as the subway (but watch out as price surges are quite a common occurrence and can make your eyes water).
Travelling the 40 minutes from the airport to the city via subway one way costs each person 10.50 Euros. My journey started from the Terminal 3 station at the Charles du Gaulle airport, down to the Bir-Hakeim station – the nearest station to the Eiffel tower; where everyone wants to take a picture to prove we were in France of course.
It becomes slightly complicated whenever there is a strike going on in the Metro as you will usually need to leave the metro train you are on at the Gare Du Noord station to catch another train to the Chatelet Les Halles to continue your journey. There are several train attendants, easily identified by their red or yellow vests, specifically employed to help – do no not be afraid to ask them for directions as often you need to go up and down different levels of the main terminals to get to the right station and the whole venture can be rather confusing for first timers using the Paris Metro.
Just remember the golden rule when using Metros anywhere all over the world; make sure you’re on the correct line (colour and name match up what you researched before) and that you’re heading in the right direction by checking what the final destination station of that line is and crosschecking it’s indeed the direction of the station you want to head to.
Once you make it to Bir-Hakeim you’re only a five-minute walk away from the Eiffel Tower, which is our first stop!
The Eiffel Tower
I could write a whole paragraph on the history of this monument and what it symbolizes to Paris and indeed the entire world, but I don’t need to do that; the Eiffel Tower is probably the most famous and recognizable structure today, tied for first place with the Statue of Liberty and the Taj Mahal. As it has starred in films, series, movies, books and hundreds of thousands of popular references, it’s quite a moment for those of us visiting France for the first time to see it up close and go “oh wow, I’m actually seeing this in person!”
Getting up close you can really appreciate the beauty of Eiffy and the craftsmanship that went into her creation.
If you don’t want to wait in line to get to the top or spend the money (it’s between 5 and 25 Euros depending on your age and whether you want access to stairs or elevator – check the prices list here) then I recommend you walk further up towards the Front of the Tower and further up the paths to where there’s a park facing the tower. The slight elevation here attracts numerous tourists as it’s an optimal spot for taking decent pictures in front of the tower – my example below.
Time required:
Queuing time is around 20 minutes with no pre-booked online ticket.
To explore all the floor and the top of the tower should take around 1 hour maximum, even if you’re using the stairs.
Cost: between 5 and 25 euros depending on age and whether you want to use the elevators or stairs, and how high up the Tower you want to go.
Opening hours: 9AM to 12AM
When the pictures are taken, and the wonder has abated a little then we are ready to walk over to our next adventure – The Army Museum.
It’s around ten minutes’ walk from the Eiffel tower and has many adorable little cafes and shops if you need to stop for some refreshments. You’ll face the front of the Tower and turn right and keep going until you’ll walk past it on your right.
Army Museum (Musée de l’Armée)
Now if you’re a bit of a history nerd like myself then you’ll find yourself in a war memorial paradise. The Musée de l’Armée is a museum dedicated to France’s history within various wars; most notably the Big Mommas World War 1 and 2, but also the colonial wars and Napoleon’s March through Europe. It’s perfect for those who just want a visual representation on what uniforms, weapons, vehicles and buildings looked like during the various eras. For those who want more in-depth details, there is a multitude of written sources and video footage ranging from France’s battle strategies and their evolution through Napoleon’s conquering of Europe, to the underground resistance work from the Parisians during World War 2. There’s an entire Wing dedicated to Napoleon’s upbringing and how he changed the core of battle tactics for his time.
You can try a game or two yourself at playing Battle General – I tried it out and as it turns out I am NOT cut out to be a war leader who makes vital decisions on the battlefield – the virtual soldiers who perished many times under my command grumpily agree.
I think I’ll just stick to writing and exploring.
Time required: approx. two or three hours, depending on whether you’re going to want to read all the tidbits and explore every nook and cranny or just have a general walk around. There is quite a lot to see, especially if you want to visit every single section of the museum.
Cost: 12.50 Euros per person for access to the entire museum. There are discount prices for groups and for a little extra you can have a private tour guide to really get into the nitty gritty of the history.
Opening hours: 10AM to 6PM
Check out the link here for prices or if you want to book your ticket online.
Now that we’ve packed our brains full of War facts and battlefield memorabilia, lets head to the other side of the spectrum; the Louvre Museum, located on the Right Bank of the Seine River in central Paris.
It’s not necessarily a very far walk but can take around 20 minutes depending on the size of the crowd you’re traveling with and if you’re blessed / encumbered with the presence of children on this trip. I sauntered it with a friend of mine and we quite enjoyed the scenery. Plenty of external stimuli in the form of art shops, huge old buildings and boat activities by the river make the walk a pleasurable one, but perhaps after walking a fair distance at this stage you might be feeling some slight leg pains. In which case use a quick cab ride as it shouldn’t cost too much at so short a distance.
The Louvre Museum
Louvre is in the air in this iconic landmark of Paris. It is the largest art museum in the world and houses some of the most beautiful pieces in the modern world, of which the most famous one is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci.
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Now some forewarning for travelers so far; this place is big, and by that – I mean gargantuan. It comprises three large sections named the Sully Wing, the Richelieu Wing, and the Denon Wing. Each of these wings is made up of three different levels and each level contains many sections with a metric sh*t ton of artwork to peruse. Its glorious.
But it does take a lot of time and a lot of legwork to cover even one Wing of the Louvre, and if you’ve been up early to make sure you have everything needed for your perfect day out in Paris then you might start feeling the effects of fatigue at this point, especially if you’ve just come straight from the Army museum and your mind is already brimming with new and exciting information. Trying to fit in the entirety of the Louvre might be over stimulating and frankly a waste of what the experience could be.
On this day I’ll be honest with you; my companion and I just took some memorable pictures from the outside by the glass pyramid (the one that you may remember from the Dan Brown movie Angels and Demons) and called that a day for the Louvre before moving on.
I came back myself the next time I was in Paris in a more refreshed state and willing to give it a proper go and I still found myself exhausted again after four hours of walking around (I think I need to incorporate more cardio in my life), and I’m not one hundred percent sure I covered every little bit of ground of the Louvre at that point.
But if you are made of hardier stuff than I am, and you know you can take more punishment than my mere mortal frame can then let’s push on ahead and get some artwork up in this biatch.
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The Louvre exterior alone is a sight to behold; a large glass Pyramid framed by enormous ancient buildings dating back to the French royalty era and a few fountain works thrown in for the hell of it presents quite the picturesque sight. Once you’ve entered the pyramid itself to take an escalator downstairs you’ll find yourself in a massive auditorium where you can buy your tickets and get some audio guides along with a few maps to help you navigate your way through the most daily visited museum in the world. Inside you’ll find all manner of relics from ancient Egyptian sculptures and Islamic Middle Eastern edifices to iconic Roman statues and classic larger-than-life Italian portraits.
I recommend allocating around four to five hours to explore the entire Louvre, with a break somewhere in the middle of that so you can process the sheer amount of artwork in all its glory. There’s a delightful little café inside the main hall where you and your traveling party can refresh yourselves. Or if you want to save a bit of money since it can be costly, you can plan to bring in your own drinks and snacks; you don’t have to leave the Louvre to hunt down a decent croissant and mineral water that didn’t cost a second mortgage.
Time required: four to five hours
Cost: 7 Euros per person, additional charges for Audio books (which I personally don’t recommend buying – I did and the whole process was very confusing to handle, you can never quite get it to play the audio at the correct parts.)
You can purchase your online tickets here to skip the waiting line, saving you around 30 minutes.
Opening hours:
Monday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Tuesday: Closed.
Wednesday: 9 a.m.–9:45 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.–9:45 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Once you’ve managed to savor as much beauty as your brain can relish – or you’ve exceeded the amount of selfies at the glass pyramid your phone can store – you’re ready to move on to our final stop for the day; The Notre Dame Cathedral!
It’s a simple fifteen-minute walk if you have the time but if you’re a little rushed or just sick of all this walking already, then the Metro is a good option once more as it has stations close to both the Louvre and the Notre Dame Cathedral (enter the station at Palais Royal Musée du Louvre, then take the pink line down to Chatelet, then take the dark pink line to Cité – its right outside).
Notre Dame Cathedral
I didn’t go in guys.
I couldn’t; we had been walking through the city for hours and the line to get in looked coma-inducingly long. It was getting late in the day at this stage and we felt hot and my friend’s feet were sore from walking around in platform shoes all day, which she admits was entirely a brain blunder on her part.
So, we didn’t get in line, we just took some pictures of the outside. After I’d had my “SANCTUARY” scene picture from the Hunchback of Notre Dame moment, we called it a day. If you are set on visiting the inside of this grandiose Cathedral then I recommend buying your tickets online or face the line-without-end at your own peril.
Important information
- This is a place of worship, so please dress respectfully – no low-cut or sleeveless shirts, no shorts, no miniskirts, hats must be removed, etc.
- Big bags and suitcases aren’t allowed
Time required: From what I gathered from co-workers who have visited the Cathedral properly you’ll need between one hour and two and a half hours, depending if you want to visit just the Cathedral or the towers and Crypts as well. The lines can possibly add another half an hour to that depending on what time of day you are visiting.
Cost: Admission to Notre Dame is free, but visitors will need tickets to enter the tower (8.50 euros) and the crypt (6 euros).
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday from 8AM to 6:45PM
Saturday and Sunday 8AM to 7:45PM
After the Cathedral was set and done and Count Frollo had been successfully overthrown, we called it a day and headed back to our hotel near the airport, taking the Metro again as there was station right near the Notre Dame (St-Michel Notre-Dame) that offered a nonstop service ride to the Airport.
Tips and Tricks for traveling around Paris
- Don’t assume everyone speaks English, learn the basic French words for the English version of “bathroom?” “Metro station?” “Where is there Wi-Fi?”
- Decide which parts you want to explore in depth and buy the tickets online for those spots to save time, and make sure you are there at the time you booked as they won’t move you over into a different slot if you miss your booking.
- Don’t buy tickets from anyone who isn’t a certified ticket salesman, this is a common scam artist trick.
- If you plan to visit a lot of places over a few days in Paris (at least two days) then consider buying the Paris Pass. It will help save money and time in the long run.
- The cafes and shops around these tourist spots are very pretty but very much tourist traps, prices will be hiked.
- In the metro stations there are attendants everywhere whose job it is to help you find your right station, so use them.
- Uber rates can skyrocket very quickly in this city, maybe have a back up plan for the way back if you Uber-ed around as the one ride can be quite affordable but then suddenly the way back can be literally twice as expensive. Mark some routes for the bus and metro system just in case so you aren’t lost if it comes to this. Also learn which station is closest to where you are coming and going so you can ask for help properly if needed.
- Watch your handbags and valuables. Paris is a lovely city but it’s a big city and all major cities have a pick-pocketing problem, especially the touristy areas.
- Take your selfies in Paris while wearing a Beret and holding some French bread, otherwise your family and friends won’t believe you really went.
My Recommendation:
If you are a history buff and you want to explore all these places properly and give them the full attention they deserve then I recommend doing this itinerary backwards. Start the early morning at the destinations that require a few hours to explore properly (The Notre Dame and the Louvre) and close earlier than the others, and then end up at the Eiffel tower which closes quite late compared to the others. If you head to the Eiffel Tower after dark (but before 1AM) you are treated to a lovely light show before it closes for the night.
If you are here to purely explore as much of the city as possible and want to take as many pictures of as many different locations as possible then do this itinerary from start to finish without really exploring the insides, and you’ll still have time during the day to also visit the Luxembourg Gardens (it’s free) for more stunning pictures and sightseeing – it all really depends on what you want to achieve and feel in Paris.
Now go and have an amazing time. The food and sights and sounds of Paris are unlike anywhere in the world, and it lives up to that soulful urge we’ve all had of “I have to visit there someday!”
