2 days in Paris: The ULTIMATE 2 day Paris itinerary

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Are you planning a trip to France and want to know the best way to spend 2 days in Paris?

We have been to Paris 3 times in recent years and the one thing we have learned for certain is that a trip to Paris requires a plan. Paris is a big city, it is quite spread out and there is SO much to see and do and so you need to have a clear idea for each day in Paris to maximize your time in the city.

The key thing we have found is to split the city into key areas and stay in one of those on each day to avoid spending a lot of time commuting the city.

In this 2 day Paris itinerary, we will take you through everything you need to get the most out of your 2 days in Paris. We will be covering where to stay in Paris; Food & Drink recommendations; the best tours and a river cruise along the Seine. You could easily fill 2 days in Paris entirely indoors or outdoors and we will provide suggestions for both with a main focus on being outside exploring the sights.

SUMMARY MINI GUIDE

How to spend 2 days in Paris

Where to Stay

• Hotel Des Artes Montmartre
• Les Rives Oceanik
• Hotel Des Batignolles
• Hotel Gabbie

Must do Activities

• River Seine Cruise
• Louvre
• Montmartre Food Tour
• Moulin Rouge Show
• Disneyland

When to visit Paris

The best time to visit Paris is either May or August/September where you will have a better chance of good weather

Is 2 days in Paris enough time?

In short, 2 days in Paris is not enough time to see everything there is in Paris. However, you can very easily see the majority of the major sights to make your trip to Paris completely worthwhile.

The key things to maximising your 2 days in Paris is to have a clear plan. Paris is a very big city and it is spread out, the major sights are not very close together and you need to focus on one area at a time. Ideally, we would suggest spending 3-4 days in Paris to allow yourself enough time to enjoy each location without running to the next stop.

If you do have an extra day in Paris and would like to take a day trip, we would highly recommend this Palace of Versailles Tour which will take you into the world of French royalty. The tour includes skip the line access and a guided tour of this incredible palace, really worth adding to a longer Paris itinerary. Alternatively, we would also suggest taking a trip to Disneyland Paris if you have 3 days available, you can read our guide to Disneyland Paris here to help you plan this trip.

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How to get around in Paris

Public Transport

If you are planning to spend at least one week in the city the Paris City Pass – “Navigo Decouverte” allows you to travel throughout zones 1-5 using public transport for around €30 per week. This can be purchased at the majority of metro or train stations.

You can also get a Navigo day pass covering zones 1-3 for €11.60 per day.

Alternatively, the Paris Visite package allows access to all transport networks: metro, tram, bus, RER and train (SNCF Transilien).  This package, valid for 1, 2, 3 or 5 consecutive days, allows unlimited travel in Paris (zones 1 to 3) or Paris and the Île-de-France region (all zones, with access to airports including Orlyval, Disneyland Paris and Château de Versailles). The visite pass also provides discounted prices for numerous attractions around the city.

This can be purchased in any station or else online at https://parisjetaime.com/eng/tickets

Taxi

The main apps used for taxi services around the city are Bolt or FreeNow – it is beneficial to download each of these apps if you need to grab a taxi but we would suggest using public transport wherever possible.

Hop On/Hop Off Tour

If it is your first time visiting the city, one of the best ways to get a feel for the city and to see all of the major sites is to take the hop/hop off bus tours. This allows you the flexibility to pick and choose where and when you want to go somewhere, without having to worry about how to get there. You can continue to use our guide to plan out your time and use the bus to move between each of the recommended locations.

Where to stay in Paris for 2 days

Paris is split into 20 arrondissements (neighbourhoods) each with something different to offer. When choosing a hotel in Paris, the key thing for us is making sure you have easy access to a metro station. Ideally choose a hotel in Paris city centre to provide easy access to the Louvre, Notre Dame & Eiffel Tower etc. but regardless of budget, as long as you have access to a metro station, you can reach the main attractions quite easily.

Below are the hotels in Paris that we would recommend for every budget.

2 days in Paris – Itinerary

Day One – Eiffel Tower and the Louvre

Morning – Place des Vosges and Rue Cremieux

To start your first day in Paris off, we’re going to take you to a lesser know hidden gem of the city. Known as the Notting Hill of Paris, Rue Cremieux is a picturesque street full of colourful houses and a beautiful place to get some photos. The street is just a couple of minutes from Gare de Lyon train station so it is quite easy to access.

From there you can take a 15-20 minute walk towards Place des Vosges, where you could a grab a coffee (albeit an expensive one) from Carette, one of Paris’ most renowned cafe’s.

Afternoon – Notre Dame, Louvre & Jardin Tulleries

In the afternoon, make your way towards the Notre Dame Cathedral and grab some lunch. In this area we would recommend Loulou if you want a brunch style meal or else right beside it you will find Pepita, which does some really good Italian dishes and great focaccia sandwiches.

If you are in this area for dinner you could also check out Terrasse de L’alcazar, a really aesthetic restaurant. In this area you will also find the Shakespeare & Co bookshop, Ralph’s Coffee, Saint Chapelle and the Pantheon is also nearby.

After visiting Notre Dame, take a walk along the River Seine towards Pont des Arts and across the bridge where you will find The Louvre.

To make the most of your time, we would definitely recommend getting time entry tickets to the Louvre. The crowds here can get quite big so having a designated time slot will save you a lot of time and energy. If you would prefer not to go into the gallery itself, it is still a lovely place to explore from the outside. There are also some nice cafes lining the courtyard centred by the iconic pyramid.

Jardin Tulleries

If you are visiting with young children and want to give them some time to play etc. there is a large playground at Jardin Tulleries, just a short walk from the Louvre. Across the road you will also find Angelina cafe, renowned for its hot chocolate and the gardens themselves are a beautiful place to relax.

At these gardens you will also find Petit Palais and a gorgeous cafe called Cafe 1902 that we would recommend visiting as a nice place to relax mid way through your day. From there, you will see Place de la Concorde and Pont Alexandre III, beautiful places in their own right before reaching some of the best Eiffel Tower viewpoints in the city.

DID YOU KNOW

Free access to The Louvre

The Louvre is free to access on the first Friday of every month (excl. July/August) from 6pm-9pm. It is laso free for EU residents under the age of 26 as well as anyone under 18.

More details

Evening – Eiffel Tower

Visiting the Eiffel Tower is on almost everyone’s travel bucket list. When you think of iconic locations to visit, it’s one place that immediately comes to mind. There are so many different ways for you to experience the Eiffel Tower, by getting tickets to go up the tower itself, viewing it from a distance and by taking a River Seine cruise to view it from a completely different perspective.

Below, are just some of the amazing locations you can visit to get the perfect shot of the Eiffel Tower.

Place du Trocadero

Place du Troacdero is a large square with the Eiffel Tower positioned right in the centre of it. You can get here by taking the line 6 metro to Troacdero which will drop you right outside. If you want to get the best photos here, we would have 3 suggestions.

First, you could get a window seat at Cafe Lucy, which is at the top of the square. Secondly, rather than standing directly in front of the tower in the middle of the square, take a walk down the side steps and use the steps to frame the photo. And the third and best option is to walk to the bottom of the steps and get photos along the gardens, which are also a lovely place to take a rest for a little while.

Rue l’Universite

This is one of, if not the most popular locations to get photos of the Eiffel Tower. Rue L’Universite will bring you up very close to the tower, it is beautifully framed by buildings either side but the downside is that it is crowded all of the time.

L’Howea

That brings us around the corner to what we think is the best place to get photos of the Eiffel Tower – l’Howea. From this street, the tower just emerges above the buildings lining the street and you really get the character of Paris along here. It is also a bit less crowded than some of the other locations and you can grab something to eat at Linette, just around the corner.

Day Two – Arc de Triomphe & Montmartre & River Seine cruise

Morning & Afternoon – Montmartre

As much as the Eiffel Tower gets all the attention, without doubt, our favourite part of Paris is Montmartre. This area, set high above the city centre has everything: art, colour, music, picturesque cobbled streets and views. If we could tell you to visit only one place in Paris, it would be Montmartre.

Montmartre is a throwback style neighbourhood, with winding streets and some of Paris’ most unique sights. You can easily sit outside a bar or restaurant along the Place du Terte and spend the whole day admiring the street artists and taking in the atmosphere. While getting around the rest if Paris can be a bit frantic, you will be able to explore Montmartre at a more leisurely pace, making it a great way to start day 2 in Paris.

Start your day off with a coffee/breakfast at Noir before heading out to explore the streets of the area. Here are the places that you should definitely add to your time in Montmartre:

• The Sinking House of Montmartre
• Sacre Coeur
• Le Consulat
• Maison Rose
• Rue Saint Rustique
• Fotoautomat
• Place du Tertre
• Rue de l’Abreuvoir

Paris is renowned for its great food and foodie culture and Montmartre is also at the heart of this world. If you are keen to explore Paris’ food culture, we would also recommend taking this food and drink tour around Montmartre. As part of this, you will be guided around some of the areas most renowned restaurants, bars and cafes and receive numerous taster items – a really nice way to spend a relaxing afternoon in Montmartre.

Of course, while you are in this area you could also get tickets to a show at the amazing Moulin Rouge, which is just a short walk from the main part of Montmartre.

Evening – Arc de Triomphe & River Seine Cruise

For us, there is only one way to finish your 2 days in Paris and that is to take this River Seine cruise. This is the ultimate way to take in some of the major sights you have seen from a completely different perspective and to watch the Eiffel Tower under the lights.

Before making your way to the cruise, we would highly recommend taking a trip to the Arc dd Triomphe. You can get here by taking the Metro to Charles de Gaulle Etoiles station.

While you are there, we have two recommendations. Firstly, if you want nice photos, go to the opposite side of the monument to everyone else – you will get the same view with less obstruction. Secondly, get tickets to the rooftop – where you will also fnd one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower in the city.

There are quite a lot of stairs but there is a lift available for anyone with accessibility concerns as well. Similar to the Louvre, EU citizens under 26 can also get free tickets for the Arc de Triomphe.

River Seine Cruise

The dinner cruise is an incredible way to end your 2 days in Paris. Making its way along the Seine, you will be able to see many of the sights we have walked through including Notre Dame & Pont des Arts, before bringing you up close again to the Eiffel Tower.

The cruise includes a 4 course meal, as well as 1/2 a bottle of wine per person. There is also a photographer on board to help you capture the memory with a photo of the Eiffel Tower under the lights. This really is an unforgettable way to complete 2 days in Paris.

So there you have the perfect way to spend 2 days in Paris, filled with views, cruises and unsurprisingly, a LOT of walking!

This 2 day Paris itinerary has mainly focussed on outdoor activities but there is so much more to see and do indoors in Paris as well. If you visit Paris during bad weather or would like to mix up your itinerary here are some additional activities you can add to your time in Paris.

• Galeries Vivienne
• Palais Garnier
• Musee D’Orsay

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