Paris in 2/3 Days

If you've never been to Paris before, this itinerary will give you a good starting point. First of all you actually have to get to central Paris so depending where you arrive and return, here are the possibilities:

TRANSPORT OPTIONS

From Paris Charles De Gaulle airport
- CDG to Paris single ticket
- CDG to Paris shared transfer
- CDG to Paris private transfer
- Paris Visite Travel card zones 1-5
(Will cover you for your airport transfers AND your trips within Paris and suburbs, including Versailles and Disney)

To Travel within central Paris (ie from Gare du Nord)

- Paris Visite Travel Card 2 days zones 1-3
OR
- Paris Visite Travel Card 3 days zones 1-3
(will cover you for unlimited travel on the public transport system within zone 1-3)
- Book of 10 single tickets
(will cover you for unlimited travel on the public transport limited to 10 single journeys within zones 1-3)

DAY 1

Get your bearings with a sightseeing tours. There s nothing better to discover a new city.

If you have chosen the hop on hop off tour, stop at the Eiffel Tower to view the most visited monument in the world. Or Go by tube or RER. The Metro Stations are Bir Hakeim plus a brisk 5mins walk or Trocadero across the bridge or the RER Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel.

For lunch in the area, possibilities are a Picnic Chic at the Eiffel Tower
Lunch on a Bateaux Parisiens or Snack on the Vedettes de Paris

If you have not opted for a boat lunch, then a 1 hour cruise is a must and it’s right at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

If you are a museum goer, the best thing is to get a Paris Museum Pass with which you can visit over 60 museums and monuments but which mostly is a queue buster! And trust us, they can be very very long…

Right on the banks of the River Seine between the Eiffel Tower and the boats is the Musée du Quai Branly which is included in the Paris Museum Pass. It is an incredible museum depicting artifacts from the world’s cultures.

After all this, time to go back to your hotel, get changed and go out to dinner. If you have no idea where to go, help is at end. We have a selection of restaurants which we have personally tested and you can book a table with us.

DAY 2

A bit of shopping maybe? Not on a Sunday though as most shops are closed. We suggest the Galeries Lafayette which is the biggest department store in Paris.

If some people in your party cannot stand shopping, we suggest a visit at Paris Story. which is a couple of hundred yards from Galeries Lafayette. Aside from discovering the history of this beautiful city with a multi media show, you will rest those tired feet in plush seats!

From there you can walk to the Opera (4 mins) picking up whoever is at Paris Story on the way and have a bite to eat in the many eating places of Boulevard des Italiens. Or right opposite the Opera we have a brasserie which we have tested many times and which is lovely.

After lunch, head to the Louvre by tube. From Opera, it is 2 stops on line No 7. Armed with your Paris Museum Pass, head straight to the Passage Richelieu entrance where you won’t have to queue. You can also get a single Louvre ticket which will also save you queuing.

Depending on your return time you will then have to get back to your hotel to get your luggage and travel to the airport or Gare du Nord. We do not advise taxis to travel in the city to catch a train. They can get really stuck in the rue Lafayette and we have almost missed trains once or twice because of it. So make sure you have plenty of time and tube it. Otherwise if you have opted for a private or shared transfer, we will have advised to as to what time you will be picked up as they know very well the pitfalls of the traffic.

If you are lucky enough to stay a third day, by now you will have got back to your hotel. It is your last night, go to a famous Paris Cabaret Show. You will never forget it.

DAY 3

This morning, head for Montmartre, métro Abesses. It is an area not to be missed and it is different from anything else in Paris. You feel like you have just stepped into a country village complete with cobbled streets. Do not miss the Funicular which is included in the Paris Visite Travel Card or can be taken with a single ticket out of the book of 10 single tickets. You can go right to the top of Montmartre which is otherwise a steep walk via several flights of stairs. Head to the Place du Tertre which is a Café lined square and artists’ hangout.

From the top of the stairs in front of the basilique du Sacré Coeur, you can see all of Paris. It is an incredible view. Don’t forget your camera !

If you like Dali, there’s Dali’s museum there as well.

You can have lunch there. There are many many eating places. It might be a bit cliché to eat in what is a tourist place but It is nice all the same. It’s bustling with activity and it is nice to see the world go by.

Depending on the time you have left, from there, take tube No 4 from Chateau Rouge (9 mins walk from Place du Tertre) and alight at Cité which is an island in the middle of the River Seine where Notre Dame de Paris Cathedrale is standing. If you have time, go for a visit. It is included in the Paris Museum Pass. If not, take some pictures.

There is still much to do of course but at least this itinerary will avoid you wasting time and will show you the best Paris has to offer.