How to Spend 1 Day in Paris

Audrey Hepburn once said, “Paris is always a good idea.”  I agree with this quote 100%.  Even if you only have one day to explore the city of lights.  In this blog I will include a one-day itinerary of Paris.  You might have a wish list a mile long of sites you want to see, but I’ll narrow it down to 7 places.  This will give you a good glimpse of Paris and leave you with the feeling of returning again to this beautiful city.

We started our day early and took the Thalys train from Brussels to Paris Nord Station.  From Paris Nord Station we took the metro #8 to Ecole Militaire station for our first stop at Champ de Mars.

Tip- As soon as you exit the station, go right and stop by Bretteau Sebastien Boulangerie.  We stopped and bought some macarons and baguettes.  They have a great selection of baked goods and sandwiches.

Champ de Mars is a park that offers the most gorgeous views of the Eiffel Tower.  You can sit and enjoy your macrons and a cup of coffee on one of the many benches spread out throughout the park.

Next stop is the Eiffel Tower.  How can you visit Paris and not stop by this landmark?  The Eiffel Tower never fails to impress.  The hours are from 9:30 am to 11:45 pm.  Tickets range from 6.40 euro to 25 euro, depending on age and what floor you want to go up to.  If you plan on going up, buy tickets in advance online.

After the Eiffel Tower, we stopped by the Trocadero Gardens.  It was originally built for the 1937 World Fair in Paris.  Complete with beautiful fountains, a variety of sculptures, the post-card worthy views of the Eiffel Tower from Trocadero Gardens are not to be missed.

Champs-Elysees is our next stop on our one day in Paris itinerary.  This is an avenue between Place de la Concorde and Place Charles de Gaulle, where the Arc de Triomphe is located.  This is a perfect place to eat lunch, or get some retail therapy in.

At the end of Champs-Elysees, we arrived at Jardin de Tuileries.  Our visit was during November and we found an Artisan Fair/Christmas Market when we arrived.  There was so much to see and do, including ice skating, shopping, cheese sampling, and rides.  I picked up a few ornaments and some French chocolates.  We had a lot of fun walking around this festive market.

After our walk through Jardin de Tuileries, we visited one of the most famous museums in the world: The Louvre.  I recommend buying tickets online, because there might be a long line for tickets and security.  We visited on a Sunday, and it was only a 15-minute wait to enter the museum.  Keep in mind that there will be crowds around the Mona Lisa.  Be prepared to wait, especially if you want to get a good selfie with her.  My son and I just walked over to the side of the line and snapped a few pics.  There so much to see and do and I didn’t want to waste time.

My favorite part of the Louvre is the Middle Eastern Antiquities.  I was amazed at the rare and prehistoric artifacts that they have such as archaic writing tablets, and items from the Neo-Assyrian Empire. We couldn’t see everything on the map guide, but before we arrived, I looked online and wrote down the most important items we wanted to see.  This helped with time management and with the free map they give you, it’s easier to navigate around the museum.  We spent around 2 hours here.

The last stop of our day in Paris, Sacre-Coeur, will be in the Montmartre neighborhood.  We took the #12 metro to the Abbesses station.  From the station we walked seven minutes to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica.  The Basilica is a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus.  The hours are from 6am to 10:30 pm.  The Sacre-Coeur is the second most visited monument in Paris.  Since it is on a hill, you will get the best views of Paris from here.  Montmartre is a very unique and charming neighborhood.  

It’s impossible to see all of Paris in one day, but at we checked off a few items on our Paris bucket list.  The city of lights is one of those cities where you can’t stop thinking about and always want to return to.  Have you been to Paris?  What is on your list of places to visit?  Leave a comment below.

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