Hi, everyone! This poor blog of mine tends to suffer abandonment whenever I’m going through something or my life gets busy. I’ve been fighting off a high fever and a sore throat for a week now, surrounded by antibiotics, painkillers, and tissues. I’ve also been coughing for a month, trying and failing miserably to build up my immune system. That’s January to ya!
While I shake off the cold, sort out my mind, and figure out the direction for my blog, I give you the best two-day itinerary for Paris. I spent two days there last year (two full days, but four if we include the days traveling there), and I loved it!
A Few Things About Paris
Before we head on, I want to highlight a few points:
Paris is very walkable – the part of the city where you would go to see all the main attractions is the line stretching from the Eiffel Tower to somewhere around the Marais on both sides of the river Seine, as shown on the map below. Keeping this in mind might help you with planning the transportation part of your visit to Paris.
Ubers are not as expensive as everybody keeps saying – there were four of us on this little getaway, the price for a ride from our hostel to the Eiffel Tower, where we started our first day, and the Louvre, for our second day, was around 15-20 euros, and we split the price. The rides took about 15 minutes, depending on the situation on the road.
Yes, there are other, more affordable options. Paris is very good with that, but it was our first time there, so we paid for the ride and the safety. There were no scams, and we could always check and see our location on the monitor. If you were wondering about it, now you know. About the taxis, those can be a bit tricky, so just ask about the cost before you get in the car. If they set the price themselves, don’t get in, and if they show (and turn on) the taximeter, those are fine.
French people are nice – we heard so many stories about the French rudeness, so we stocked up on patience and reserve, but every person we met there, from random people we met on the street, the servers, the guards, drivers, museum workers, all of them were genuinely nice and ready to help. We have so many funny and pleasant anecdotes about the French people. Don’t trust the Internet!
Now, let’s start with our itinerary.
2 Perfect Days In Paris
Starting from the Tower, our tour begins!
Day 1: Eiffel Tower – Arc de Triomphe – Petit Palais – Orsay – Tuileries
We started our day early, getting to the Tower around 8 o’clock. That was around sunrise. No one was around, and we walked around taking pictures and pinching ourselves. It was incredible to think we were standing right under the Eiffel Tower.
At this hour, you won’t see many people around, except runners and souvenir sellers. (If you’re wondering, those sparkling Eiffel Tower souvenirs cost 20 euros, but it’s negotiable and depends on the vendor.) We walked around the Tower from the direction of Champs de Mars and then went to Rue de l’Université.
Rue de l’Université is one of those famous Instagram places, and we expected the crowd, or at least someone, but no one was there for the whole twenty minutes we spent there (yes, we were taking pictures and marveling for twenty minutes, and you would, too. It was beautiful, we had time, and – it’s Paris!)
From there, we went to Trocadéro, which overlooks the Tower and Champ de Mars. This is another popular tourist destination, and the view was amazing. We watched the sun rise right behind the Tower and teared up a little seeing all that.
From Trocadéro, we walked over to the restaurant Le Coq, which is on the right side coming up. The street that begins to the left of that restaurant takes you straight to the Arc de Triomphe. You can already see it on the other end. The name of the street is Avenue Kléber.
We decided not to climb the Arc, but we admired it from the ground (and feared for the lives of all those people in the middle of the street taking pictures with so many cars driving casually past them. That was an experience!)
After spending some time there, we walked the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to the Petit Palais, and guys, the front facade of it?? Jaw on the floor. Don’t skip this place! Everything about the Palace took my breath away, so please spare some time to go there when you travel to Paris.
To the left of the Palace is the famous Pont Alexandre III. with its gold statues and the view of the Eiffel. We crossed it and headed left to the Museum of Orsay. (We also ate in between all this sightseeing, but I’m saving those places for another post because this one is already longer than I thought it would be.) We needed more time there. It’s so beautiful, and I bought the most gorgeous Van Gogh playing cards at the shop by the entrance.
After Orsay, we went to the Gardens of Tuileries, crossing the Pont Royal. It was our first view of the Louvre Pyramid, and we were very excited. The sight was surreal, a completely different life, a different universe!
Our last sightseeing post for the day was the Galeries Lafayette. It was raining at this point, and we couldn’t spend much time on the rooftop, but we walked around inside, got some bubble tea, and bought the best candy (that I don’t know the name of, but I do know they were delicious), and headed back to the Tower to see it sparkle.
Opera Garnier is right across the Lafayette, but we couldn’t go in, which was sad because the interior is stunning, and I would’ve loved to see it. Honorary mention: Brentano’s bookstore on our way from Tuileries to the Lafayette – make this your stop. It’s beautiful and the best place for all you postcard/art lovers.
After seeing the sparkles, which was an amazing experience not just because of the view but because of everyone’s excitement and happiness, we reached our hostel, and that was the end of day one in Paris.
Day 2: Louvre – Sainte Chapelle – Notre Dame
This day was way more casual and included less walking. We spent our time between the Louvre and L’île de la Cité. It rained that day, and we were all under the weather.
We started our day at the Louvre and booked the second time slot. What surprised us was that there was no crowd. There were people there, but we got in at 9.30 sharp. (We made a reservation online a few days before going.) The Mona Lisa room, which we expected to be packed, was half empty, and we walked to Mona Lisa with no trouble.
We were in the Denon Wing for the most part. We visited the gift shop and had fun in the museum, but it wasn’t enough. When you start planning your trip to Paris, leave the whole morning just for the Louvre. You’ll still have enough time to see everything else around the city.
The island where the Notre Dame is is within walking distance from the Louvre. That little heart of Paris is a world for itself. We were discouraged by the rain, but you can spend a whole afternoon wandering around the island. It’s also close to Marais, with its thrift stores, cafes, and restaurants.
On both sides of the island (not on the island itself, but when you cross the Seine), you can find those famous Parisian stands called Les Bouquinistes de la Seine. They are primarily bookshops, but you can also find postcards, posters, and other art there. Just seeing them was an experience!
Our first stop on the island was Sainte Chapelle, which I have to say demanded more waiting time and was more heavily guarded than the Louvre. Not knowing much about the chapel at that point, I was surprised at that. Also, I wish it didn’t rain (I’m complaining about the rain a lot in this post for someone who loves rain *disapproving stare at myself*) because it was a bit gloomy inside, and the sunlight would’ve played nicely with the stained-glass windows.
Walking up to Notre Dame made my heart smile. You best believe I had my copy of the Notre-Dame de Paris with me. I filmed a silly little video there, too, but then overthought it and deleted it, which I kind of regret now, but oh well! Still, my Hugo/Rooftoppers heart was happy.
That pretty much concluded the sightseeing part of our girls’ trip to Paris. We relaxed for the rest of the day before returning to our hostel.
Paris Was Perfect!
We weren’t interested in the Paris nightlife, so we skipped going out and partying, so I have no recommendations for that. This was both a fast-paced and relaxing two-day tour of the city, and it was just what we wanted.
Paris stunned us. It has so much more to see and experience. We leave Pantheon, Orangerie, Garnier, and other places for our next visit. Keep an eye out for my next Paris post, where I’ll share some food places and tips for going around Paris.
That’s it, you guys! I hope you liked this post, and if you reached this part, thank you for staying! ❤
(I have to say one more thing because it pains me. We have not seen not one cat in the whole of Paris?? Now, that was a scam! I just had to get it off my chest, you guys!)
Okay, thanks, bye!
My Little Hawk 
Can we go again pls😍🫣
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Oh, we’re for sure going back 🤝😍😍
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