2 Days In Paris Itinerary: Classic Paris Sights, Dreamy Rooftops & All the Best Eats

Paris is a huge city with SO much to see and do! You could spend weeks there and not get bored, but unfortunately, usually most of us are operating on a shorter timeline for our vacations. I’ve been to Paris many times and have fallen more in love with the city every time. There’s absolutely a reason it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the entire world. On my recent trip, I only had two days in Paris, but was able to squeeze a ton of things in those two days.

Here is how I’d spend 2 perfect days in Paris 🗼

If you have more time to spend in Paris, check out my full Paris travel guide here!

Disclaimer: This article contains some links where I earn commission through booking. There is no extra cost to you, and I only recommend things I’ve used and love or places I’ve stayed and enjoyed!

Day 1 Itinerary: Classic Paris Highlights

Day 1 is packed with some of the best spots in Paris! This is a bit of a marathon day, but if you only have 2 days to explore such a big and amazing city you’ll need some packed days! This day starts the Louvre, bring you to epic Notre Dame, charming Montmartre, the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, a can’t miss Parisian dinner & rooftop drinks with Eiffel Tower views!

Morning: Visit the Louvre

The Louvre is one of the most visited museums in the world and is most well-known for being home to the infamous Mona Lisa, and as of 2025 potentially equally as famous for the Louvre heist! The museum itself is huge and contains thousands and thousands of artworks in addition to the Mona Lisa. If you’re an art fan, this is a must see on your trip to Paris. Even if you don’t love art, you’ll want to see the stunning architecture of the Louvre itself and the infamous pyramid – you don’t have to go inside to see these!

If you’re going to the museum solely to see the Mona Lisa, I feel like I should mention, to me it was a little underwhelming. The painting is super small, you can’t get close to it & three are roughly 100 other people in the room trying to see it at any given time. If you’re short like me, good luck seeing over anyone’s heads!

Prices are going up, currently it’s 22 Euro for most tickets, as of Jan 14th EU residents will pay the same, but non EU residents will pay 32 euro. Tickets can be purchased online in advance (I definitely recommend buying a time slot in advance) The museum is open every day except Tuesdays.

You could spend a TON of time in the Louvre, but since this is a jam packed day, I’d get there early and try to keep it to about 2 hours to get to the rest of this itinerary!

Late Morning: Explore the 1st Arrondissement

While you’re in the 1st Arrondissement I recommend exploring the area around the Louvre. This is one of the most popular areas of Paris and has other sites worth seeing, even if you’re just walking by. Some of the highlights are the Place de la Concorde, Fontaine des Mers, & Tuileries Garden. If you venture across the river you can also see the Orsay (another popular museum, home to many of Monet’s paintings) & Invalides. This is a lovely part of Paris to explore!

Afternoon: See Notre Dame & The Île de la Cité

From the Louvre, I recommend heading farther down the Seine towards Notre Dame. Notre Dame is located on a small island in the middle of the Seine called the Île de la Cité. The beginning of the island is only about a ten minute walk from the Louvre, but you’ll need to venture about another ten minutes once you cross the bridge to the island to reach Notre Dame itself. The island is home to some of Paris best cafes, and is a great place to stop for a coffee and a croissant!

Notre Dame itself reopened in December 2024 after years of reconstruction from the fire of 2019. Slowly the building is becoming more visible from the outside. Their website has the most up to date information on entry, hours, continued construction, etc.

Afternoon: Wander Montmartre

Montmartre is one of my favorite areas of Paris! It is a charming neighborhood that has long been favored by artists, writers, etc. (Picasso and Monet lived and had studios there) I highly recommend spending a least an afternoon wandering around the quaint streets of Montmartre. It’s a great place to grab a long late lunch or some afternoon cocktails at one of the many quintessential Parisian cafes.

Montmartre is best accessed via the metro, as it’s quite a walk from most of the other areas of Paris you’ll be spending your time in. There are several stops on the metro that are accessible to Montmartre depending on which direction you’re coming from. The closest metro stops are from Line 12 (Abbesses) and Line 2 (Anvers and Blanche)

• Anvers – is the best stop to use if you want to see Square Louise Michel & the Paris overlook. You can take the funicular to the top from here, or climb the (many) steps to the top
• Blanche – If you also want to see Moulin Rouge and a bit of what the Paris nightlight scene is like in Montmartre, Blanche is the best metro station to travel through.
• Absesses – sits roughly in the middle of the two other stops if you’re trying to see all that Montmartre has to offer!

Late Afternoon: Climb the Arc de Triomphe

I prefer the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe over most other views in Paris. It offers stunning 360 views of the entire city, including some of the best Eiffel Tower views. The climb to the top isn’t too bad there are 284 steps and costs 20 euro in peak season or 14.50 in the non peak season.

If I had to choose, I’d recommend climbing the Arc de Triomphe over going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, simply because to me, the Eiffel Tower is the most beautiful part of the Paris skyline & you can see it from the Arc de Triomphe.

Climbing to the top in the later Afternoon gives you some of the best lighting for photos of the Eiffel Tower.

Late Afternoon: Shop or Window-shop Down the Champs-Élysées

The Champs-Élysées runs right through the Arc de Triomphe, so this is a perfect time to explore one of the most infamous streets in the world! Champs-Élysées is dotted with quintessential Parisian cafes and stores from all of the worlds most luxurious brands. Even if you’re not looking to splurge on a purse or some shoes, it’s worth taking a walk down the Champs-Élysées while you’re in this area!

Dinner: Steak Frites at Le Relais de Venise

For the ultimate Paris dining experience I recommend trying Le Relaise de Venise.Le Relais De Venise is a super unique dining experience – there is no menu, everyone gets the steak frites and a dijon salad. When you sit down the waitress will come to your table ask you two questions 1. what do you want to drink and 2. how do you want your steak cooked. The steak frites is some of the best I’ve had in my life, and your second serving is included.

They do not take reservations and there will be a line outside for the entire night! I went after 10PM and still had to wait about 20 minutes, but it was so worth it. They turn tables over really quickly and there are two floors so the restaurant is bigger than it seems!

Night: After Dinner Rooftop Drinks with Eiffel Tower Views

You can’t leave Paris without trying out at least one rooftop bar with some skyline views. Paris is stunning at night and the whole city comes to life. The sparkling Eiffel Tower dominates the scene, so you’ll want to find a good spot with views. There are tons of options, but I recommend Le Rooftop at Hotel The Peninsula Paris, as it’s located not far from the Arc de Triomphe and Le Relaise de Venise! You pay for the views, so be prepared to splurge a bit on drinks, but how often are you in Paris, right?!

The bar has a minimum 30 euro per person spend!

Day 2 Itinerary: Choose Your Adventure + Eiffel Tower at Night

For me, Day 1 consists of can’t miss Paris activities. But there are so many other things to do in Paris I tried to provide some options based on what you’re interested in seeing and doing! You really can’t go wrong with any of these suggestions!

Morning: Visit the Orsay & Catacombs OR Take a Day Trip to Versailles

Orsay

The Orsay is another infamous Paris museum and is situated across the Seine from the Louvre. The Orsay is known for housing many famous impressionist paintings from artists like Monet, Renoir, Manet & Monet. I recommend purchasing tickets online in advance. If you’re into art and museums you definitely will want to add the Orsay to your list!

The Catacombs

The Catacombs are a super unique Parisian experience for those interested in history (and the macabre) I definitely do not recommend the Catacombs if you’re claustrophobic or squeamish! The Catacombs are an underground labyrinth that house the remains of over 6 million Parisians. The Catacombs were created when health problems linked to cemeteries led to their contents needing to be moved to an underground site.

You can learn more about the Catacombs and buy tickets here. You need to purchase tickets in advance to visit, as space is limited!

Versailles

If the Catacombs and the Orsay (or any of Paris other many, many museums) is not of particular interest to you I recommend using your morning/early afternoon to take a day trip to Versailles! Versailles is a royal residence that was built by King Louis XIV as an escape from the city. It is reachable from Paris in 1-2 hours, depending on which train you take. Details on getting there can be found here!

The grounds and palace itself are stunning! Both can be explored, or you can choose to visit one or the other. Tickets can be found here. Prices vary based on what you want to see while you’re there. While the palace itself is obviously super impressive, I think I enjoyed the sprawling, perfectly manicured grounds even more!

Evening: Get a Bottle of Wine & a Crepe and Watch the Sunset at the Eiffel Tower

My absolute top Paris recommendation is to make sure you leave time just to admire the Eiffel Tower from the gardens, preferably at sunset! Grab a bottle of wine and/or a crepe from one of the many vendors in this area and find a patch of grass to admire the tower as the sun sets behind it! Stick around for it to get dark and watch the tower light up and come to life!

Night: Take a Night Cruise on the Seine OR Go to the Top of the Eiffel Tower

Speaking of night time in Paris, you’ll want to see the rest of the city at night time. All of the major monuments of Paris are beautifully lit at night on either side of the Seine. There are two great options for seeing Paris by night

Night Cruise on the Seine

I love exploring Paris by water, and to me a night cruise on the Seine is one of the best ways to see the city! There are tons of options for night cruises, from large barge-style boats that run every hour to smaller private tours. On my last visit, I went on one of the larger boat tours that run hourly. These are cheap and easy to get tickets for the night of if you haven’t planned ahead. It only cost $19 when I visited!

Go to the Top of the Eiffel Tower

Another great option is to go to the Top of the Eiffel Tower at night. The lines are much shorter at night and the “Bubbly Bar” at the top of the Eiffel Tower is a great place to grab a drink. To me, going to the top of the Eiffel Tower is more for the experience than the views, but it’s definitely worth doing once! The lines can be long, but there are two entrances, so make sure you check both, as one line always tends to be shorter!

Details: The elevator to the top is 36 Euro, to take the stairs it’s only 15 Euro, but be warned it’s a lot of stairs! All the details on the visiting the Eiffel tower can be found here.

Dinner & Drinks in the Latin Quarter

The Latin Quarter houses many of Paris universities and is home to many of its younger students. It’s one of my favorite neighborhoods to explore in Paris, particularly at night when the bars and restaurants become lively! This neighborhood is a great place to grab a late night dinner and drinks one night you’re in Paris!

Where to Stay in Paris

Paris is a huge city with a ton of accommodation options! I recommend picking where to stay based on where you plan on spending the most time. Paris is broken up into a series of “arrondissements” or neighborhoods. There are four main areas I usually choose between when visiting Paris, depending on what I am looking to do.

1st Arrondissement – Closest to Louvre, Orsay & Notre Dame

If it’s your first visit to Paris and you’re planning to see all the major tourist sites, the 1st Arrondissment is probably your best bet for a hotel or vacation rental. The 1st Arrondissement is where you’ll find the Louvre and Orsay. It is also located nearby Notre Dame. This is a great area for exploring many of the major sites of Paris (although the Eiffel Tower is about a 40 minute walk from here)

You can find tons of great hotel options in this area depending on your budget.

7th Arrondissement – Closest to Eiffel Tower

If you’re hoping to catch endless views of the Eiffel Tower during your trip, I recommend staying in the 7th Arrondissement. In addition to being near the Eiffel Tower, you’ll be close to Invalides, Napoleon’s tomb, the Rodin Museum, and some of the prettiest Paris streets dotted with charming cafes. I love this area and it is where I stayed during my most recent trip to Paris.

You can find tons of great hotel options in this area depending on your budget. On my most recent trip I stayed at a cheaper hotel, Hotel de France Invalides. I knew I wasn’t going to spend much time in the room, so I didn’t want to spend too much on a hotel. It was very conveniently located with small, but clean rooms. I would definitely stay here again if I was looking for a more budget option

18th Arrondissement – Closest to Montmartre

If you’re in Paris more for nightlife, charming artist neighborhoods and scenic street side cafes, Montmartre is a great area to stay. Famous for being home to many famous artists, like Picasso, Monet and Degas, Montmartre has maintained its artistic, bohemian feel, despite becoming such a popular tourist destination in Paris.

Montmartre is a bit far from the main Paris tourist sites (like the Louvre and Eiffel Tower) but is easily accessible to other areas of the city by metro. You can find hotel options for Montmartre here

5th Arrondissement – The Latin Quarter

The Latin Quarter is the university district of Paris and known for its young, lively nature. This is a great area to be close to the 1st Arrondissement, but in a slightly less touristy area. The Latin Quarter is filled with great restaurants, bars and cafes and is one of my favorite areas to stay in Paris! Check out hotel options here

More Paris recommendations/tips

• Best Spots for Drinks with a View in Paris
• Getting to Paris
• Getting Around Paris
• Safety for Solo Female Travel in Paris

Best Photo Spots in Paris

• Jardins du Trocadéro – best views over the Eiffel Tower and less crowded then the gardens
• Across the river from the Eiffel Tower 17 Port Debilly (go down the stairs to the pathway) – these are my absolute favorite pictures
• the Garden of the Eiffel Tower – get there early in the AM and you can get shots with no one in them!
• Carrousel de Saint-Pierre – Montmartre. This carousel is such a vibe and so picturesque
• Arc de Triomphe – the best views of Champs & the Eiffel Tower. I love my photos from here

Paris Travel Map