The Perfect One Day In Paris: A Travel Guide
Paris, swoon. I’m hoping you’re reading this because you have decided to visit Paris. Or if you’re reading to Paris daydream a little bit, I also support it. I love Paris. I know I’m not the first to say that. Even just thinking about visiting Paris gives my heart a little calm. It’s something about the architecture, the museums, the food, the culture, the shopping, and the parks. It’s great any time of year with each season providing different perks. Every visit, I’ve had a great time, and I’m never ready to leave.
On my most recent visit to Paris, we were only in town for a total of 36 hours, so that didn’t leave us a ton of time. For a first visit, I would recommend 3-5 days. For a return visit, a day works, but it’s still not enough. In a dream world, we would have had three full days, not including travel. Instead, we arrived on a Wednesday afternoon, had a full day Thursday, and then got a plane Friday morning. If you only have one full day in Paris like us, I’ve put together a quick little guide that will let you check off a few of the big must-see items while also not feeling completely exhausted.
Breakfast In Paris: Pastries On The Go
No matter the location of your hotel or Airbnb or whatever your accommodation is, you’ll most likely cross paths with a boulangerie or a patisserie. You might even be near a supermarket which works well too. In general, a traditional French breakfast is much lighter and different overall from a traditional American breakfast, so it makes sense to keep it light anyways.
Going the pastry route gives you an opportunity to taste one of the famous French food groups. Going the ‘on the go’ route frees you up to getting to the first attraction of the day quicker as well. Great picks at this time are pain au chocolat, croissant, or beignet (to be really decadent). If you’re lucky, some shops along the way will sell coffee to go. To-go coffee is slightly harder to find in smaller cities, but much more common in Paris. With a pastry in one hand and a small espresso to-go cup in the other, you are crushing your first day in Paris. Now to the Louvre!
Morning Sightseeing In Paris: The Musée Du Louvre
The Louvre is a magnificent site to see. It’s beautiful on the outside, and I’m always giddy as I approach. Inside it’s full of endless treasures like beautiful sculptures, the most famous paintings, and some truly historic and ancient artefacts. It’s an overwhelming experience so I put together two different guides to make the trip less stressful and more enjoyable. 4 Hacks for Visiting the Louvre will give you some ideas on getting there, getting in, and getting around. 10 Artworks to See at the Louvre (that aren’t the Mona Lisa) will give you a short list and a starting point of the different pieces of art you will want to check off along the way.
If this is your first time in Paris, the Louvre is definitely the museum to see. It’s the most famous and grandiose of all the museums in the city. If you’re returning for a second or third time, it’s always nice to return to the Louvre and see areas you didn’t have time for on the first visit. That said, there are plenty of other amazing museums in the city that are great to add to a day 2 or a second visit itinerary.
Overall, leave about 2-3 hours for a Louvre visit. We aimed for 2.5 hours and ended up spending 3.5 hours. There is just so much we wanted to see! That 3.5 hours also included a short break to have a coffee and sit outside on one of the balconies (first floor, Sully Wing) overlooking the main plaza area, which is totally worth adding to any Louvre visit in good weather.
Lunch In Paris: At a French Bistro
If you follow this guide as planned, you will have eaten a pastry on your walk over to the Louvre, setting you up to enter with the first ticket group at around 9 am. With only a small snack in the Sully wing and 2-3 hours of touring the Louvre, you’ll be ready for some lunch. This will time perfectly to step outside onto the Rue de Rivoli and find a great bistro.
In my Places to Eat and Drink in Paris post, I’ve recommended Le Carrousel for its convenience and sidewalk seating, but there are plenty of other places to choose from. For another option, walking across the Seine will take you into Saint-Germain-des-Prés with more sites to see and amazing eateries. Overall, this is your time to find some good bistro food. Walking by a cute corner restaurant with seats out on the sidewalk? Give it a try! This is the meal where I usually choose a Croque Monsieur or a quiche and a glass of wine.
Afternoon Sightseeing In Paris: The Tour Eiffel
With a full belly, you can start the trek over to the Eiffel Tower. The difficult thing with visiting the Eiffel Tower is that I never feel like it’s the most convenient. It always seems a little out of the way. That also may be a result of the nearby metro lines aren’t the ones I’m commonly using.
Getting there: there are two normal metro stops and one RER (rapid commuter train) nearby.
Champ de Metro - Tour Eiffel
La Motte-Picquet – Grenelle
École Militaire
They’re all about a 15 min walk to be right up to and underneath the Eiffel Tower. The best view is from the Champ de Mars, the park in front of the Eiffel Tower.
The other challenging thing on the way to the Eiffel Tower is the need to purchase some wine and snacks to enjoy while you chill in front of it. If you take the metro to it, you most likely won’t pass supermarkets on your approach from the station. The best thing is to purchase provisions before you get on the metro so you’re ready to go once you get off the metro.
I highly recommend getting wine, pastries, cheese, bread, fruit, snacks, or whatever suits your fancy. It always feels special and decadent to enjoy some food and do normal things with such a special monument behind you. In the worst-case scenario, there are peddlers walking around selling water, wine, snacks, as well as trinkets, but I don’t encourage it. If time allows, I like to sit in the park for at least an hour. It’s amazing people watching and fun to watch the sky change around the monument. You can also time it with the tower lighting up and sparkling just after dusk.
Pre-Dinner In Paris: Cafe Culture
I love cafe culture so much that a day in Paris doesn’t count without lounging at a cafe for a drink or two. Whether it’s a coffee or an aperitif, sitting at a cafe chatting, watching the world go by, or reading a book is a magical experience. It’s incredibly relaxing. It helps the day slow down a little and helps remind me to slow down myself. Find a cafe, any cafe. I usually lean towards cafes with tables on the sidewalk to really amplify the people watching. Feel free to order whatever sounds good, but do be prepared for a funny look if you order a digestif in the earlier evening hours or an aperitif in the after dinner hours. I love the cocktail culture of different drinks for different times, so try something new based on the time of day you’re taking your pause, and treat this moment as your pre-dinner warm-up.
A Note On The Slow Dinner Feels
One thing I obsess over while I’m in Europe in general is the absence of a waiter rushing you through your dinner. At first, it feels funny, almost neglecting. Flagging a waiter when we need a top-up or the bill is a learned skill that I’m still developing. As dinner wraps up and no one asks, “Anything else?” two to three times, it’s easy to find yourself continuing the conversation and enjoying the moment. The idea overall is that the table where you’re sitting is yours for the evening. Because the mentality isn’t about flipping tables, taking your time over a long dinner and continuing to sit there after you’ve finished is the norm. So do that, and enjoy!
Dinner In Paris
Wow. What a day you’ve had. You’ve mixed in both touristy and local activities. You’ve seen some of the most famous landmarks and artworks around the world. It’s time to enjoy some amazing French food. Paris is known for fabulous food no matter the cuisine. I’ve heard of restaurants in Paris that have the best falafel or the best noodles, but honestly, nothing beats French food in Paris. Similar to the note on lunch, I’ve included a great dinner option in my Places to Eat and Drink post, but there are so many amazing places, you can’t go wrong. If you’ve gone to the Eiffel Tower and found a cafe nearby, there are some great restaurants on the quaint Rue Cler or Rue de L’Expo. This is the time to enjoy coq au vin, a cassoulet with duck, boeuf burguignon, or steak frites. All of those are on my top French dinner list. Yum!!
Explore Paris
Maximize your time in the City of Lights with this helpful Paris itinerary. Follow this loose plan to see important Parisian sights while living like a Parisian with pastries, cafe culture, and French food.