What to do in Paris in 1 Day

What to do in one day in Paris? Initial considerations 'One Day Itinerary in Paris': Morning 'One Day Itinerary in Paris': Afternoon (Part 1) 'One Day Itinerary in Paris': Afternoon (Part 2) 'One Day Itinerary in Paris': Night Guided tours in Paris with a Brazilian guide to optimize your one day in Paris Tickets for museums, monuments, and attractions with discounts 3, 4, and 5 day itineraries in Paris | Tips for each month and each season of the year | What NOT to do in Paris

It may seem strange, but many people spend only one day in Paris. The reason could be a long layover or the only free day during a work stay, for example.

Since the attractions, museums, monuments, parks, gardens, and restaurants in Paris are numerous, one day itineraries in Paris can vary significantly; it all depends on who makes the itinerary and for whom it is made!

In this article, we have created a focused itinerary for those coming to Paris for the first time and want to visit the essentials of the essentials.

For our one day itinerary in Paris, we assume you will spend a full day in the city, from morning until night. If your "one day in Paris" is the afternoon of one day and the morning of the next, it will be easy to adapt it.

Since you only have one day in Paris, you will have to wake up early to make the most of your time! Lunch on a sandwich helps save time (and money). Buy it at bakeries and eat it in a park or garden along the way. If possible, have a nice dinner at a good restaurant (we recommend some restaurants in the night section of our one day itinerary in Paris). Walking is the best way to know Paris, but to save time, we suggest that you take the longer and less interesting routes by subway. Read our complete article about the Paris Metro to clarify your doubts and arrive well-informed! It gets dark early from November to the end of March. During this period, sunset times vary from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM depending on the month, so pay attention if you plan to go up any monument to see the view. Click here to see exactly the sunrise and sunset times on the dates you will be in Paris. The tips/suggestions in italics can be eliminated from the itinerary if you feel you won't have time. And remember: if you can't do everything that was proposed, don't panic, it can be done next time!

Let's start our one day itinerary in Paris with the ultimate icon of Paris and France, the EIFFEL TOWER!

The best view of the Eiffel Tower is from the Trocadéro Esplanade (photo above), so you need to arrive by lines 6 or 9 of the subway and get off at Trocadéro station.

Take the opportunity to take photos from this angle, which is one of the best. Go down the stairs, cross the gardens and the Iéna Bridge, and you will arrive at the Eiffel Tower. This walk takes about 18 minutes without stops; see the map below.

Since you only have one day in Paris to see the essentials of the city, we don't think you should go up the tower; keep walking through the Champ de Mars - the gardens in front of the tower - until you find a good angle for photos.

If your DREAM is to go up the tower, buy your ticket in advance on the official monument website (click here or on the button below to buy on the official site).

We suggest you buy the ticket for the earliest time slots to have time to visit the other suggested sites in our one day itinerary in Paris afterwards.

If you can't find tickets on the official site above, buy on other sites (it costs a bit more), click here or on the button below to purchase:

In our complete article about the Eiffel Tower, you will find various ticket options to go up the monument, click here to access.

While you're in the area, take the boat tour on the Seine River. If you don't want to do it, skip to the next step of our itinerary.

The tour travels the river in the central and tourist part of Paris, so you will get a general view of this part of the city.

Another positive aspect of the boat tour is that you will spend one hour sitting, resting, and enjoying the view. Pay attention to the banks of the Seine and the movement of people, the monuments, and the bridges you will pass under.

The boat departs and returns to the same place (Port de la Bourdonnais, next to the Iéna Bridge, see on the map above) and there are no stops during the 1-hour journey. Buy your ticket in advance here.

In the afternoon of our one day itinerary in Paris, you will walk through a section of the so-called Historic Axis of Paris, starting at the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs Élysées avenue, passing by the Egyptian obelisk at Place de la Concorde and going to the Pyramid of the Louvre Museum.

This route is about 4 km and, according to Google Maps, takes 50 minutes to walk. Obviously, you will take longer as you will be sightseeing, enjoying the landscape, taking photos, going in and out of shops, etc.

After the boat tour, return to the 'Trocadéro' station and take line 6 towards the 'Étoile' station and get off there. You will be at the top of the Champs Élysées avenue, in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

On the Champs, you will find everything from fast fashion stores like Zara to luxury brands like Dior and Louis Vuitton, as well as stores from Nike and Apple. There are also restaurants, cafés, and bars. Click here to read our specific article about the Champs with tips on the best restaurants on the world's most famous avenue.

On reaching the 'Champs Élysées - Clemenceau' subway station, turn right onto Winston Churchill avenue. You will pass by two wonderful buildings:

the Grand Palais, with its impressive glass roof, where major events and fairs occur. the Petit Palais, with its beautiful golden door, where the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris operates, admission is free!

Continue on Winston Churchill avenue until you reach the Alexander III Bridge, the most beautiful and ornate bridge in Paris! From there you will have a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower.

Head back, and turn right onto the Champs Élysées avenue.

Continue walking until you reach the Place de la Concorde.

The centerpiece of the Place de la Concorde is the obelisk that stands in its center, brought from the Luxor Temple in Egypt. In the Place de la Concorde, many were guillotined, including King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette.

Crossing Place Concorde, you will enter the Tuileries Garden through the main gate.

This garden is beautiful, has several sculptures, and two circular fountains around which people often sit (in the famous green chairs) to relax, read, eat a sandwich, or simply pass the time.

Cross the entire length of the Tuileries Garden and you will arrive at a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe called the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and then to the Louvre Museum.

The Louvre Museum is the most famous and one of the largest museums in the world. Visiting it can be overwhelming, but you won't have time for that; just take a photo in front of the glass pyramid.

If you still have free time in the afternoon, exit the Louvre through the Cour Carré - an inner courtyard located after the glass pyramid - and cross the Pont des Arts.

This bridge (actually a footbridge) is famous for the padlocks that couples used to attach to its railings following a tradition/superstition, believing that it would make their relationship/love last forever!

The padlocks were removed around 2015 as the weight of thousands of them was compromising the structure of the footbridge, but the place is quite charming, great for photos, and from there you have beautiful views, especially of the Île de la Cité (where the Notre-Dame Cathedral is located).

Cross the Pont des Arts to the other side of the Seine River, turn left onto Quai de Conti and walk a bit until you reach the Pont Neuf, which, despite its name (New Bridge), is the oldest bridge in Paris.

When you get to the middle of the bridge, you will be on the Île de la Cité, where Paris was born. On this island is the Notre-Dame Cathedral (closed for renovations until mid-2024) and two other significant remnants from the medieval period: the beautiful Sainte Chapelle, with its magnificent and colorful stained glass windows, and the Conciergerie (former prison).

Walk through Île de la Cité to the other end, passing by the side of Notre-Dame Cathedral, and cross the Saint Louis bridge to the Île Saint Louis.

This is a super charming island, basically residential. Its main attraction is the Berthillon ice cream parlor (29-31 rue Saint-Louis en l'île).

A great neighborhood to enjoy the nightlife in Paris is Le Marais, which is next to the Îles de la Cité and Saint Louis.

To get to Le Marais coming from Part 1 of our afternoon itinerary, just take the subway line 1 at Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre station and get off at Hôtel de Ville station. Then, go up rue du Temple or rue des Archives.

To get to Le Marais coming from Part 2 of our afternoon itinerary, simply cross one of the following bridges that connect the islands directly to Le Marais: Pont d'Arcole (you will exit in front of the Hôtel de Ville, the city hall of Paris), Pont Louis Philippe, or Pont Marie.

The Le Marais is the neighborhood of the Jewish community, the LGBTQIA+ community, art galleries, clothing stores from relatively unknown French brands outside of France, thrift shops, the Carnavalet Museum, and the Picasso Museum, along with the Pompidou Center, a modern art museum open from Wednesday to Monday until 9 PM.

The main streets of Le Marais are: rue du Temple, rue des Archives, rue Vieille du Temple, rue des Francs Bourgeois, and rue de Bretagne.

Click here to read our article with an infographic and video about Le Marais.

In Le Marais, you will also find many bars, cafés, and restaurants to enjoy happy hour, a dinner, or even a party and end your one day itinerary in Paris on a high note:

Cafés for happy hour:

Le Progrès Marais - 1 rue de Bretagne, 75003 Le Voltigeur - 45 rue des Francs Bourgeois, 75004 Le Pick Clops - 16 rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75004

Cocktail bars:

Little Red Door - 60 rue Charlot, 75003 Candelaria - 52 rue de Saintonge, 75003 Le Mary Celeste - 1 rue Commines, 75003

Restaurants:

Camille - 24 rue des Francs Bourgeois, 75003 Robert et Louise - 64 rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75003 GrandCœur - 41 rue du Temple, 75004 Chez Janou - 2 rue Roger Verlomme, 75003 Chez Marianne (Jewish food) - 2 rue des Hospitalières Saint-Gervais, 75004

If you don't want to worry about anything, opt for a guided walking tour of Paris with a Brazilian guide.

We recommend Brazilian guide Zilda. Contact her via email [email protected] and mention that you only have one day in Paris.

Click here to learn more about the services she offers.

Even if you are spending just one day in Paris, if you want to visit any museum or monument or take a tour, click on the links below and buy your tickets in advance.

LOUVRE MUSEUM ORSAY MUSEUM
PANTHEON OF PARIS

VERSAILLES PALACE ARC DE TRIOMPHE
POMPIDOU CENTER

GARNIER OPERA HOUSE SAINTE CHAPELLE
MOULIN ROUGE

CLICK HERE to buy tickets for other museums, monuments, and attractions

NOTE: THE DISCOUNT DOES NOT APPLY TO DISNEY PARIS TICKETS

Eiffel Tower TICKET - in case it's sold out on the official site, where it's cheaper

Eiffel TOWER + CITY TOUR + BOAT RIDE

DISNEY PARIS TICKET ONLY DISNEY PARIS WITH TRANSFER

CITY TOUR BUS IN PARIS BOAT RIDE ON THE SEINE RIVER

VERSAILLES PALACE WITH TRANSFER FONTENBLEAU + VAUX LE VICOMTE CASTLES

REIMS (CHAMPAGNE) 1 DAY MONT SAINT MICHEL 1 DAY
LOIRE VALLEY CASTLES 1 DAY

CLICK HERE to see other tours and city tours

There are must-visit attractions in Paris that you have to include regardless of the month or time of year you plan to visit the City of Light. Some of them are in our 5 day itinerary in Paris, see the complete list in the articles below:

What to do in Paris: 18 unmissable attractions 25 Tourist Spots in Paris

If you want to add a night program to your one day itinerary in Paris, see our tips for parties, shows, ballets, concerts, and jazz in the article below:

Paris at Night: Tours, Events, and Parties

One Day Itinerary in Paris Three Day Itinerary in Paris Four Day Itinerary in Paris Five Day Itinerary in Paris

Paris in January Paris in February Paris in March Paris in April

Paris in May Paris in June Paris in July Paris in August

Paris in September Paris in October Paris in November Paris in December

Paris in Winter Paris in Spring Paris in Summer Paris in Autumn

What NOT to do in Paris: 9 tips on what to avoid!

GALERIES LAFAYETTE: Presents with purchases over 50 euros made at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, click here for more information and download the vouchers.

FRAGRANCE DE L'OPÉRA PERFUMERY: 10€ discount for every 150€ spent at Fragrance de l'Opéra - click here for all the information and download the voucher.

CARRÉ OPÉRA PHARMACY: 10% discount on purchases made at Carré Opéra Pharmacy - click here for all the information and download the voucher.

SAINT ANDRES DES ARTS HOTEL (charming 4-star in Saint Germain): 10% discount + 1 bottle of wine + breakfast - use the code paris-story.com when booking on the hotel's website, click here to access.

TRAVEL INSURANCE: 5% discount on your travel insurance when using code paris-story.com. Travel insurance is one of the documents that may be required upon your entry into Europe, click here to find out more.

TICKETS: 5% discount on tickets, tours, and activities sold on Tiqets using the code paris-story.com, click here to access the site.