24 Hours in Paris
One day, the postcard version of the city, hour by hour, with honest notes on what to skip if you’re running behind.
Twenty-four hours in Paris is a travesty, honestly, but it’s also entirely doable if you move with intent and book the right things ahead of time. This is the exact order I’d walk it in myself, starting early and ending under the tower once it’s dark. Here’s the full plan, hour by hour.
Coffee and a croissant near your hotel
Start early, Paris rewards it. Find the nearest boulangerie rather than a chain café, order a croissant and a coffee, and eat it standing at the counter like most Parisians actually do. You’ve got a long day ahead and no time to waste on a sit-down breakfast.
The Louvre, first thing
Book a timed entry ticket in advance, the Louvre is the world’s largest museum and the queue without one can eat an hour of a day you don’t have. Go straight for the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, then let yourself wander rather than trying to see everything, that’s simply not possible in a morning. The museum opens at 9am most days and stays open later on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Île de la Cité and Notre-Dame
A short walk from the Louvre along the Seine brings you to the island at the heart of the city, home to Notre-Dame Cathedral and the smaller, quieter Sainte-Chapelle, worth ducking into for its stained glass alone. Notre-Dame reopened to visitors in December 2024 after the 2019 fire and restoration, and remains free to enter.
Lunch in the Latin Quarter
Cross to the Left Bank and find a café in the Latin Quarter, genuinely one of the more affordable places to eat well in central Paris. A simple croque monsieur or a prix fixe lunch menu will do the job without eating into the afternoon.
Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées
Take the metro up to Charles de Gaulle-Étoile. The Arc de Triomphe has fewer steps to climb than the Eiffel Tower and an equally striking view, the whole of the Champs-Élysées stretching out toward the Louvre in one direction. Walk down the avenue itself afterward, more for the atmosphere than the shopping unless that’s genuinely your thing.
Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur
Head north to Montmartre, the hilltop artists’ district where Monet, Picasso and van Gogh once lived and worked. Climb to the white domes of Sacré-Cœur, entry is free, for one of the best panoramic views over the city, then wander to Place du Tertre to watch portrait artists at work in the square.
Dinner near the Eiffel Tower
Make your way toward the Eiffel Tower for the evening, and eat somewhere in the surrounding streets rather than the immediate tourist strip directly beneath it, prices climb fast the closer you get without much improvement in the food.
The Eiffel Tower, lit up
End the day here. The tower sparkles for five minutes on the hour, every hour, after dark, right up until its last showing at 1am. You can watch for free from the Champ de Mars or Trocadéro, or book ahead for the summit if you want the view from the top rather than of it, last elevator up is at midnight in peak season.
That’s everything I’ve got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government’s latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
