Right behind London, Paris is the second most visited city in Europe with just under 16 million visitors annually. The art, the history, the architecture and the food all make Paris a top destination for travelers. With so many top notch attractions, it’s hard to narrow down what to see in Paris.
Our visit to Paris was an extension of our trip to London. After a few days in the Home of Big Ben, we took the chunnel and emerged in the City of Lights in just over two hours. Our total trip length was 8 days and 7 nights split between London and Paris. We utilized a multi destination airline ticket to maximize our travel time and budget.
How to Spend Your Time
There is so much to see in Paris and we had just two-and-a-half days take in as much of it as possible. Trip highlights were the Musee Rodin, Cathedrale Notre-Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Sainte Chappelle, the Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysees.
What to See
Day 1: What to See in Paris-half day
We arrived in Paris in the early afternoon after crossing the English Channel through the chunnel. After checking into our room we ventured out to our first stop in the city, the Musee Rodin. Here we were able to purchase the Paris Museum Pass which allows access to over 50 museums and attractions and gives pass holders permission to skip often lengthy ques. We didn’t tour the museum, instead we came to see the gardens. The Rodin Garden is home to two of Rodin’s most famous works; “The Thinker” and “Dantes Gates of Hell.”
The Thinker at Rodin Museum 
Napoleon’s Tomb
After a couple hours of outdoor art, we then walked to the Hotel des Invalides Complex to tour the Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb. The grand domed building pictured above houses the tomb of Napoleon Banaporte. The entire complex and its museums are included in the Paris Museum Pass. With one museum and one gallery checked off our to-do list, we strolled to Rue Cler for a quintessential Parisian shopping experience.
Rue Cler
Rue Cler will fill your senses with sights, sounds, smells and tastes (many stalls offer samples) of flowers, cheeses, wines, fruits, chocolates and breads. We’d come back a couple nights later to shop for a picnic dinner. However, this first night in Paris we ate at La Terrasse Cafe adjacent to Champs de Mars. We ordered entrees of duck and steak with french onion soup as a starter and espresso as an after dinner drink. The service as good, the food delicious and the people watching from this street side cafe was best of all.
What to See in Paris tip: purchase a Rick Steve’s Guidebook. Read and re-read it. Take it out at major sights and attractions for excellent explanations and historical tidbits.
Day 2: What to See in Paris
The Cathedral Notre Dame suffered extensive damage during a fire in 2019. When the beautiful cathedral reopens it should be on everyone’s must-see list. Officials have stated they hope to once again welcome visitors beginning in 2025. Notre Dame is world renown for its Gothic architecture and the fanciful gargoyles that are perched atop the cathedral’s 223-foot towers. If you get the chance, wait in line however long it takes and climb the 400 steps to get to the top of the towers.
Cathedral de Notre Dame 
Inside Notre Dame 
Gargoyles atop Notre Dame 
Cathedral de Notre Dame 
Winged Victory of Samothrace 
Louvre Museum 
Mona Lisa 
Venus de Milo
In the vicinity of Notre Dame, are Sainte Chappelle and the Louvre Museum. They were our next stops during our second day in Paris. The Louvre is massive. One could spend several days getting lost in its vast collections. However, we came to see the big three; the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus de Milo.
Our last attraction of the day was the ‘Holy Chapel’ where we were awed by the intricate and beautiful stained glass. We welcomed the opportunity to get off our feet as we sat on tiny benches craning our eyes upward at the intricate glasswork.
Sainte Chappelle 
Outside Sainte Chappelle 
Sainte Chappelle 
Sainte Chappelle
After a day of sites, we sipped a beer at a street side table with Notre Dame in the background. We chose to eat in the lle Saint Louis area at Le Tastevin. Unfortunately, this establishment has since closed. There are several other great choices in the area. We then topped off the meal with a stop at Berthillion for gelato. The sugar rush came in handy for our last sites of the day. We ended our first full day in Paris strolling the streets along the Seine and enjoying the nighttime glow of Ponte Neuf, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre.
Day 3: What to See in Paris
Our last day in Paris started with a trip to the top of the city’s most notable site; the Eiffel Tower. You’ll most definitely want to purchase tickets in advance for a reserved entrance time. Our visit started some 900 feet above the ground on the top level. It was windy and cold and the views were less than spectacular. The second level offered up better views and was a far more pleasant experience. From this level, the panoramas of the city are amazing.
What to See in Paris tip: make friends or at least small talk with people in line near you at attractions. It’s a great way to pass the time and you never know who you’ll meet or what you might learn.
Our final stop of the afternoon was the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees. We climbed the 100 odd steps to the top of the Arc, a quick trek for a bird’s eye view of the same street the Tour de France ends on and the annual Bastille Day Parade is held.
Our final night in the city was magical. On the walk back to our hotel to stopped again on Rue Cler. This time we bought a bottle of wine, a couple of nectarines, a fresh-baked baguette and a block of cheese. For dessert, we chose a couple of berry and chocolate-covered pastries. We wrapped our treasures and made our way to Trocadero Square to see the twinkling Eiffel.
Where we stayed, where we ate and what we paid
- Accommodations: Hotel Eiffel Kensingston
- We chose this hotel because of its price and location. It’s about a 4-minute walk to the metro station and our room had a Juliet balcony and peek-a-boo view of the Eiffel Tower. Nightly rate: €110
- Food
- La Terrasse Cafe-good service and even better people watching
- Le Trastevin on lle Saint Louis
- Picnic food from Rue Cler on Trocadero
- Attractions
- Paris Museum Pass-48 hour pass is €48 per person
- aside from the Eiffel Tower, all the sites we visited were included in the pass
- Eiffel Tower-to the top ticket €26 per person
- Paris Museum Pass-48 hour pass is €48 per person
- Tips and Tricks
- Purchase a museum pass or city attraction pass to get tickets in advance. Pass holders often are allowed to skip long ticket lines.
- If you have time, utilize the vast rail system to spend a few days in a nearby city or take a side trip. The bulk of your trip’s cost is airfare, so maximize your time and see as many cities as possible.
- Pack as light as possible and bring the appropriate luggage. See my tips on travel packs here.
I hope this Paris travel plan helps you make the most of your trip. If we were to spend another day or two in Paris, I would have added a visit to Musee d’Orsay for impressive impressionist paintings or a side trip to the Palace of Versailles.
Happy Travels, Rochelle