Meet Amanda and Nathan
We are a restless family of four, looking for adventure, ways to increase our funds, and more educaitonal options for our littles. We have exchanged things for experiences. Join us!We get commissions from the purchases made through the links in this post. See our full disclosure for more details.
Maybe you’re planning a whirlwind tour of central Europe, your nearby and want to add a quick stop in the City of Love, or perhaps you have an extended layover you want to take full advantage of. Whatever the reason, you have one full day in a city that probably could be enjoyed over a month or more. Don’t get me wrong, if you have a day, take it. Just make sure you see as much as you can with the time you have.
Get a room close to the action.
Whether you want to feel like Napoleon and shell out over $1200 a night on the Shangri-La Hotel Paris and or spend $50 on an Airbnb apartment that will have you feeling like Harry Potter sleeping under the stairs you should make sure it’s a very short walk from the Eiffel Tower. Either way your time will be limited and you will be walking the beautiful streets of the city.
Wake Up Early
Wake up good and early, and don’t waste time preparing breakfast. If it’s in the winter months the christmas lights will still be lit and you will get to see the charming streets on your way to a local bakery or boulangerie for some freshly baked bread, cheese and jam. Many bakeries will also have coffee but be sure to order a café américain if you’re looking for a North American style coffee.
First Stop, Eiffel Tower
Now head over to the Eiffel Tower and see the beautiful and iconic tower in the early morning light. After you take your most shared vacation pictures of the year get into line, yes there are already people there but don’t worry it won’t take long once the elevators get moving. You will also notice hawkers making their way up and down the lines. They are selling souvenirs that are about half the price as you can buy in the tower and about double the price you will find at a souvenir store later on. If you don’t want to deal with the high pressure sales you can always try answering in a language that is neither English nor French which works well. Go up the elevator and check out the amazing views of Paris and don’t buy any souvenirs, or drinks, unless you want to spend far more than you have to back on the ground.Two hours will keep you on track to get through this itinerary.
Second Stop, Palais de Chaillot
Cross the Pont d’iena bridge and head up the hill past the beautiful fountains to the Place Du Trocadero. At the top you will get another great view of Paris and see all sorts of artists and sales people selling their wares. You will also see the various museum buildings which you should not enter as you have to keep moving. Half an hour will keep you on track to get through this itinerary.
Third Stop, Arc De Triomphe
Head North East (away from The Eiffel Tower) on Avenue Du President Wilson, past the large copper statue of George Washington on a horse. Stop for a quick bite along the way, hopefully you’ve downloaded google translate or paid some attention in high school french class as most menus will be in french. Take the Avenue d’Iena North to the Arc De Triomphe. Look for an underground tunnel to get to the Arc, crossing on the street is not recommended. If you are a WWI or WWII history buff try not to get too sucked into plague reading here. Half an hour (not including lunch) will keep you on track to get through this itinerary.
Fourth Stop, Avenue Des Champes-Elysées
Heading South East we travel down one of the grandest avenues of Paris and has plenty of luxury retail shops for those who have that sort of disposable income or well dressed curious travellers. During the holidays you will find an amazing Christmas market with international and high quality french vendors. We even found a vendor selling Maple Syrup from Quebec as we navigated the stalls. Follow the avenue to the Jardin des Tuileries where you can find exhibits, vendors and other amazing surprises. You can spend an hour here as long as you keep moving South East as you enjoy the sights and sounds.
Fifth Stop Walk, Les Seine River
Take a stroll past the Louvre, yes it’s arguably the world’s most amazing art gallery and no, you cannot stop. Most people say that you need to take two days to give the Louvre the attention it deserves so there is no point going in this time around it. After you’ve sufficiently drooled over the building and cursed me for saying there is no time for going in, head South to the Seine river and head South East again. The buildings on both sides of the river and the boat traffic create amazing picture opportunities and plenty of eye candy along the walk. Turn right onto the Pont Notre Dame bridge onto the Rue de la Cite.
Sixth Stop, Sainte-Chapelle
We did have a stop at Notre Dame, but since it’s fire, we decided to add a different magnificent cathedral to go see.
Sainte-Chapelle: Take the Quai de l’Horloge and turn right onto the Boulevard du Palais and walk towards the amazing cathedral you see ahead of you. We had originally intended Notre-Dame as our sixth stop but sadly the fire has made that impossible. We have it on good authority that the Cathedral Sainte-Chapelle will please the senses and inspire awe in great quantities.
Seventh Stop, Eiffel Tower
Now that it’s night time… yes, it’s night time already, hail a cap and go back to the Eiffel Tower for some more iconic pictures of the Eiffel tower. If you have kids you may just want to walk back to the hotel now, get your rugrats asleep, drink some wine and rest your weary tootsies. If you don’t have kids you may want to head back up and see the city all lit up. If not, enjoy a romantic meal somewhere nearby and let the eiffel tower be the backdrop for the most romantic dinner of your life.
La Fin
So in reading this you will realize that many of the ‘iconic’ Paris places and activities have not been covered in this very brief trip. This wasn’t a mistake, it’s just a small taste of one of the greatest cities on earth.
To do Paris real justice you should book an entire trip dedicated to exploring this town that still has buildings from the fifteenth century. Not just old buildings, but buildings that have pushed the boundaries of world architecture for five hundred years. But as Tennyson says: it is better to love than to have loved and lost, than never loved at all.
This is certainly true for Paris, if you can only go for a day, do it, it will only inspire you to return.