Only 2 days in Paris?!?
I get what you’re saying. Yup, that’s not much time. Usually, folks say you need at least 5 days, not just 2. But hey, sometimes 2 days is all you’ve got. And hey, 2 days in Paris is better than zero, isn’t it?
If you don’t have much time in the City of Lights, don’t worry. You can still enjoy it lots! Here’s a great plan for your 2 days in Paris!
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Day 1 of 2 days in Paris
Wake up early on your first day in Paris, grab a yummy croissant, and head to the Arc du Triomphe. It’s a big, famous monument in Paris that you really should see. They built it a long time ago, in the 1800s, to remember the soldiers who died in wars.
If you’re using the metro, you’ll come out a bit far from the Arc. But you’ll want to get close to see all the cool stuff. Instead of crossing a busy road, use the underground walkway. It’s safer. You’ll pop up right under the Arc du Triomphe. That’s where you go if you want to climb up and see the view.
Should you climb up the Arc du Triomphe?
Maybe. If you really want to go up high and see Paris, I think the Arc is better than the Eiffel Tower. It costs less and the line is shorter (you can get your Arc du Triomphe tickets without waiting here!). And the view from the Arc is awesome because you can see the Eiffel Tower too! You can also see the twelve roads that go out from the Arc, which is cool. But if you don’t want to spend money, wait in line, or climb lots of stairs, you can skip it.
After checking out the Arc du Triomphe, walk along the Champs-Élysées, a famous shopping street in Paris. Just look in the windows unless you really like expensive stores like Cartier, Tiffany, and Louis Vuitton. There are other stores like Gap, Zara, and H&M too.
Tip: Don’t eat on the Champs-Élysées because the restaurants are very expensive and mainly for tourists.
Keep walking down the Champs-Élysées until you get to Avenue Winston Churchill. Turn right and you’ll see the Grand Palais and Petit Palais. I’ve never been inside, but they look really pretty from the outside.
After Avenue Winston Churchill, you’ll see Pont Alexandre III. It’s known as the prettiest bridge in Paris and one of the most famous in France! Take lots of pictures of the bridge from different sides, with the Eiffel Tower behind it.
Walk over the bridge and across the river. Then, go to Rue Cler. It’s a nice street near the Eiffel Tower where you can get something to eat. You can walk there along the river or through the park. It takes about 10-15 minutes from the bridge.
When you’re on Rue Cler, get some cheese, crepes, quiches, pastries, and anything else you want. You can also go to a store and buy wine and stuff for a picnic. Then, turn right from Rue Cler and you’ll find Champ de Mars park – where the Eiffel Tower is!
If the weather’s nice, find a spot on the grass or a bench and have a little picnic with your Rue Cler goodies in front of the Eiffel Tower. After that, you can walk closer to the Tower and see it from different sides, or go up to the second floor.
From the Eiffel Tower, we’re going up to another part of the city. You can take a direct bus to Montmartre, a place where artists used to live. It takes about 40 minutes to get there. Montmartre is on a hill and it used to be home to famous artists like Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh. Nowadays, it’s a bit more crowded with tourists, but you can still see street artists and markets that remind you of its history.
The best thing in Montmartre is the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. It’s a big white church on top of the hill. It’s really pretty and you can see a nice view of Paris from there.
To go up to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur, I recommend taking the stairs on the side. You approach Sacre Coeur from the left, not straight up through Square Louise Michel Park. If you go the side way, it feels like there are fewer stairs, and you get to walk through nice Montmartre before reaching Sacre Coeur. When you’re done seeing the church, you can walk down through Square Louise Michel.
After you come down from the hill, it’s a short walk to another famous place, Moulin Rouge. While Montmartre feels like a touristy and artsy area, the streets around Moulin Rouge seem a bit rougher. I wouldn’t suggest spending a lot of time there. And if you can’t afford a ticket for Moulin Rouge (it’s 97-420 euros per ticket!), just take a quick picture outside to remember the movie.
Grab your ticket to Moulin Rouge (+ champagne) here!
Whew! That was a full day. Are you ready for day 2? I told you we could fit a lot into 2 days in Paris!
Day 2 of 2 days in Paris
On the 2 day in Paris, we wake up early again, with a croissant in hand, and go straight to the Louvre Museum. You should try to get there when it opens to avoid big crowds, but it’s always busy.
Top Tip: Buy your Louvre tickets online to save some money and skip the long line!
Once you’re in, go straight to see the Mona Lisa. This room will get busier as the day goes on, so it’s good to see it quickly. But don’t expect too much from it. In my opinion, the Mona Lisa might not be the most amazing artwork in the whole place.
I’ve seen it twice now, and I still don’t understand why it’s so famous. I actually like the big colorful painting across from it more. But since the Mona Lisa is so well-known, you should see it – at least to see the big crowd trying to take pictures of it.
Remember, the Louvre is really big. Even if you don’t stop to look at everything, you probably won’t finish the whole museum. And why go if you’re not looking at the art? So get a map and decide what you want to see the most. The parts near the Mona Lisa will be the busiest. My dad and I found an African sculpture exhibit that was very quiet.
After you’ve seen enough art, leave the Louvre and find some lunch. Give your feet a break and get ready for the rest of your day in Paris!
From the Louvre, walk along the river towards the east until you get to Pont Neuf. Cross the bridge and stop at the island in the middle of the river, Ile de la Cite. This is where you’ll find Notre-Dame Cathedral. There’s also Sainte-Chapelle on this island, which I’ve heard is really beautiful, but I haven’t been inside.
When I went to Paris in 2018 with my dad, the line to go inside Notre Dame moved really fast, and it didn’t cost anything to look around. My favorite part was the front of the church – it looks so different from other churches in Paris. But when we went back to Paris in 2019 with our dog, Notre Dame was closed because of a fire. We could still take pictures from far away!
After you’ve seen the churches, keep going across the river on Pont Notre Dame until you reach the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. Famous writers like Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce used to go there in the 1920s.
Shakespeare and Company is like the perfect independent bookstore. It has old stairs, low ceilings, comfy couches to sit and read, and even a shelf about feminism in the kids’ section (cool, right?). There’s also a cat that lives there. They don’t let you take pictures inside, but they want you to read and relax, unlike other places where they want you to hurry up and take selfies.
After that, go south to the Latin Quarter. It’s a really neat part of Paris where you can shop, eat, and see cool things. It’s not as crowded with tourists, which is nice. Take a break at a cafe and walk around the pretty Jardin du Luxembourg.
If you finished day 2 fast, you can also go visit the Marais area, on the other side of the river. Or if you want to see more art and museums, you can go to the Musee D’Orsay, which is close to the Louvre.
Where to stay in Paris
Good news! There are lots of places to stay in Paris, from fancy hotels to really cheap hostels, cute B&Bs, and budget apartments.
If you want somewhere nice and central without spending too much, I suggest ibis Paris Gare du Nord Chateau Landon.
I like this hotel because it’s affordable, right next to the train station (which is easy to get to from the airport), and it’s near the metro and buses so you can explore Paris easily. Plus, it’s close to some of my favorite places to eat in Paris. And guess what? You can bring your dog too!
Ibis hotels are known for being budget-friendly, clean, and modern. The rooms might be small, and it’s not super fancy, but it has everything you need. I don’t mind small spaces as long as they’re clean and comfy, and that’s exactly what Ibis offers.
Want more options? I asked 11 travel experts to share their favorite budget places to stay in Paris – places that cost less than $100 a night!
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And that’s it – the best plan for 2 busy days in Paris! I’d like to hear from you too: What would you do in Paris with just 2 days? Share your favorite things to do or what you really want to see in Paris!