2 Day Paris Itinerary
Two full days, split so you’re not backtracking across the city, with the icons on day one and the neighbourhoods on day two.
Two days in Paris is enough to see the essentials properly rather than sprinting past them, and to get a real feel for at least one or two neighbourhoods beyond the postcard stops. Here’s how I’d split it, day by day.
The Icons
Day one covers the postcard version, the Louvre, the Seine, Notre-Dame, and the Eiffel Tower. Start at the Louvre right at opening with a pre-booked timed ticket, and give yourself a genuine two hours rather than rushing it. From there, walk the Seine toward Île de la Cité for Notre-Dame, reopened in December 2024, and Sainte-Chapelle’s stained glass, both an easy midday stop.
Have lunch in the Latin Quarter, then spend the afternoon at the Musée d’Orsay if Impressionist art interests you, considerably smaller and more manageable than the Louvre, housed in a converted Belle Époque train station. End the day at the Eiffel Tower for sunset and the hourly light show, which runs on the hour every evening after dark until 1am.
Midday Notre-Dame & Sainte-Chapelle, lunch in the Latin Quarter
Afternoon Musée d’Orsay
Evening Eiffel Tower at sunset
Montmartre, the Arc, and the Neighbourhoods
Start day two in Montmartre before the crowds properly arrive, climb to Sacré-Cœur (free entry) for the best panoramic view over the city, then wander Place du Tertre to watch the portrait artists. This whole area rewards an unhurried morning more than almost anywhere else in Paris.
Head to the Arc de Triomphe in the early afternoon, fewer steps than the Eiffel Tower for an equally sweeping view down the Champs-Élysées toward the Louvre. From there, spend your remaining afternoon in Le Marais, medieval streets, independent boutiques, and some of the city’s best casual bistros, or Saint-Germain-des-Prés if you’d rather a more elegant, literary pace. End your second evening with dinner somewhere in whichever neighbourhood you chose, then a slow walk along the Seine back toward your hotel.
Afternoon Arc de Triomphe, then Le Marais or Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Evening Dinner in your chosen neighbourhood, a walk along the Seine
Getting around across both days
A carnet of 10 metro tickets, bought as a bundle, works out cheaper than paying per journey if you’re moving between arrondissements more than a few times a day, which with this itinerary you will be. Paris’s metro is dense and fast, and most of what’s listed here is also genuinely walkable if the weather’s good and you don’t mind covering ground on foot between stops.
If you only have time for one thing each day
Day one, make it the Eiffel Tower at sunset, it’s the single image most people picture when they think of this trip. Day two, make it Montmartre in the morning, quieter, more atmospheric, and considerably harder to recreate on a rushed schedule than the Arc de Triomphe or Le Marais.
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.
