Yes, I took this pic and it turned out quite nicely
You’ll always be short on time in Paris. If you’re visit is particularly short, say as short as a long layover, here’s my guide to crunching all of Paris in a short amount of time. Of course, this guide is for first timers who haven’t already seen the top six sites. Since there are so many ways to personalize your Paris visit your way, you’ll have to tailor objectives to fit your interests.
Depending on your Parisan savoire faire, physical fitness, and walking speed you should be able to squeeze in all six. However, if you’re more leisure, you can at least do the top four.
Top Six Sites Notre Dame Musee du Louvre Tour de Eiffel Arc De Triomphe Basilica de Sacracure Moulin Rouge
Don’t waste time:
· Exchanging money —have your credit card and Euros with you
· Looking for luggage security —- If you must, lock up your luggage in the train station(research ahead of time where the lockers are), but its best just to travel with a day bag!
· Trying to figure out the metro —here I tell you what metros you use, but if you’re going to delineate, already have your metro stops mapped out. My friends and I wasted an hour navigating the underground transit system during our 12 hours in Paris. I made this mistake, so you don’t have to!
· Buying snacks and drinks — have an ample supply of bottle of water and granola, slim jims, crackers, etc stuffed in your day bag beforehand.
· Being lost: come prepared with a have a Paris map& phrase book, If you go to the Louvre, have a map of it before time.
· Buying metro tickets: buy a pack of 10 tickets the first time
· Standing in lines: If you can, get your Louvre and Eiffel tower tickets ahead of time. You’ll spend more money to save more time.
Day Bag check lists:
Paris Maps
Metro Map
Euros in Cash & coins (for the toilettes) Snacks & bottled water Camera & tripod blanket for pic-nicing ipod sunglasses (summer)
Hour One Whether you’re coming from the airport or the train station, map it out to start your whirlwind adventure at the Louvre.
Arrive at one of these Metro stops: Palis Royal Musee du Louvre, Louvre Rivoli, Tulieries, or Pont Neuf
Hour Two & Three With over 30,000 things to see, you could easily spend the whole 12 hours exloring the Musee du Louvre. Get your picture with Venus and Lisa and get out. Get a souvenir from the cafe gift shop. You must take pictures of Paris from the windows of the Louvre. They’re delish! Use the (free) toilettes before you leave.
Hour Four & Five
Take a leisurely stroll through the Tuileries Garden /Jardin des Tullieries. On my 12 hours in Paris I actually started at the Plaza de la Concord & walked through the gardens before the Louvre, the sculptures here made a delicious appetizer before the Louvre.
Cross the massive Plaza de la Concorde and you’ll be on theAve des Champs Elysees. Keep walking here and you can’t miss the Arc de Triomphe & the Unknown Soldier. You can go on top of the Arc if you wish and if the line isn’t too long. It costs €9 for older adults and €5.50 for those 18-24 if you want to go on top. Just don’t try to cross the street here. Drivers have enough to worry about with six lanes of cars merging every which way in a circle than to also swerve away from tourist…which is why they don’t swerve. You will get hit! There’s an underground passage way.
The walk alone should take about an hour. Budget your time to spend no more than another hour stop for a light snack & coffee here to people watch alfresco in the typical partisan fashion. Do not get a meal here. It will cost you a pretty euro.
Hour Six
Take any of the tree streets to the left of the Ave Champs Elysees (if you’re looking at the Arc from the Ave Champs Elysees ) and you’ll come upon the Eiffel Tower (Ave d’lena, Av Marceau, Av Kleber) Ave Kleber Has the best views. If you were to have a picnic, this would be the place to do it. No three hour wait in line to climb the tower…sorry ya’ll, that’s reserved for those with a week to spend. Take your pictures in front of it and be happy! Better yet, cross the bridge and go up the hill toTrocadero for better photos of the tower and the Seine River.
Hours Seven and Eight
Travel by metro to Notre Dame.
Leave the Eiffel Tower from any of these Metro stops: Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel, Bar Hakeim, or Trocadero across the river from the tower. End at the Cite metro stop. The majestic architecture of Notre Dame doesn’t just stop on the front side, so be sure to walk all the way around Notre Dame. Get your crepe, escargot, wine and ice cream fix here in this neighborhood. The lines are usually long but move fast enough. Multi-task in the line to get your pictures in.
Hours Nine and Ten
Travel via metro to Montmartre district. Here you can get great views of the city like you would the Eiffel Tower only for Free and no lines! The line to Basilica Sacre Coeuris always shorter than Notre Dame’s line. The artists’ corner, lamp-lined cobble stoned streets are just a feast for the camera. If you’re with friends, divide and conquer —one can take pictures of the city while one holds the place in line, while another grabs grub for all to eat in the line! If you have time, take a 15 minute stroll to the Moulin Rouge (put that map to good use— don’t waste time being lost). Do your poses a la Marilyn Monroe on the air vent in front of the cabaret house!
Get off the metro at Place de Clichy, La Fourche or Abbesses.
Hours Eleven & Twelve
Ninety minutes before your departure start heading back. Allot more time if you don’t know where you’re going.
Cost Distribution
For metro tickets (15€ for 10)
The Louvre entry (10€)
An exquisite three course lunch with two glasses of wine (45€)
Paris can be done for 70€ or $91USD in under a day!
Other Quick Sightseeing Options
You can visit all these places faster, with less walking using the metro, however, Paris needs to be taken in from above ground. You miss so much when you’re below.
You can always do the hop-on-hop off tour or L’open. It maps out the rout for you and you can get your pictures from the top of the double decker bus, wear off some jet lag.
Of course, from Frommers to Rick Steve and the travel channel, there are no shortages of tour guides for Paris.
