Paris is one of those cities that I consider you should visit at least once in your life. There is so much that is told and talked about it that having your own opinion will always be much more interesting than repeating the opinions of others.
I’m going to be very honest (as I’m always, especially for you guys) despite all the cliché, of all the touristic tourist that is and of being one of the cities most hated by many travelers … I LOVE PARIS.
When I went back to the city of lights, after almost 20 years, I was with very little desire and very low expectations. There are times when I read too much or listen to other travelers over and forget about my own idea of places.
And with Paris, it is very easy for that to happen since there is so much talk about Paris!
This time I made a very short trip, only a few hours because I had a 12-hour stopover on my flight with Air France, on that occasion I was offered an Upgrade to know the Premium Economy class and I really recommend them, much larger seats and private, preferential attention and details that allow to carry much better a long flight of 14 hours like the Santiago-Paris. Here you can see more details of the experience with AirFrance.
How to get from the airport to the city center of Paris
This time I arrived in Paris with Air France, I enjoyed the Premium Economy class and my arrival in Paris was French style, drinking champagne and eating foie gras and camembert.
To get from Charles de Gaulle airport to the city center there are several options. My favorite is to take the train that will drop you right in the middle and you do not have the risk of meeting him at times with terrible traffic from Paris.
At the airport, you can leave your luggage in the office of “Baggages du Monde” that is in Terminal 2 and for a backpack of 6kg you will pay 10 € 10 for 8 hours. Remember you only attend until 9:30! I had my next flight at 11:15 PM and arrived just in time to pick up my backpack.
To go by train, if you are only going to be for the day, follow the signs to go to Terminal 2 RER, there you can buy a Ticket Paris that costs 10,30 € each (you have to buy another one back) and if you go to use the metro each ticket costs in the city 1.80€. The train departs from CDG every 10min and takes approximately, runs until 11 pm.
When you reach the ticket sales area in Terminal 2 you will see long lines to buy in the machines that are just under the stairs, but if you look further you will see that the machines in front of the ticket office are empty.
Schedule your times at Paris airport very carefully because it is huge, take your time and always calculate at least two hours before arriving at the airport.
To move between the terminals there is a free shuttle bus inside the airport that takes you from one to another.
Where to Stay in Paris
I recommend you to stay at least three days in Paris. My favorite area is 13th, 11th, 15th, 7th or 8th arrondissement.
I love the areas near the Seine or in the neighborhoods around Sacre Coeur too.
You can look for the best hotel deals in the following link.
Buying through this link helps me because I earn a small commission and the price is still the same for you
Booking.com
What to see on a short trip to Paris
I’m going to share my tour which was very relaxed because my plan was to enjoy a few days in Paris having very clear that I could not see all I wanted for the short availability of time.
My suggestion is that you organize the day very well but at the same time, you take it easy because if you don’t, that walk that you planned to be a peaceful day in Paris will transform into a hated journey, running and stressed trying to see the tourist spots from the city.
Here I leave my itinerary suggestion that basically goes from the cathedral of Notre Dame to the Arc de Triomphe. My main objective was: get me to the Tour Eiffel.
Do you have a better you can recommend and share?
With this guide you will see:
NOTRE DAME
With the Metro RER B Train Line, you can get to the center and get off at the St-Michel Notre Dame stop, which leaves you right next to the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Do not be scared when you get to Notre Dame, there will be a very long line to get into the cathedral. Advances fairly fast since the entrance is free but has a security point before entry.
If you have time, I recommend waiting because it is beautiful inside.
Also if you have time, you can climb the towers paying an entrance and the view is really beautiful, you are close to the gargoyles and that beautiful building full of details
Schedules
- Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
- Saturdays and Sundays: from 8:00 a.m. to 7:15 p.m.
Prices:
- Entrance to the cathedral free of charge.
To climb the towers:
- Adults: 8.50 €.
- Under 18 and EU citizens between 18 and 25 years old: free admission.
The Île de la Cité is the birthplace of Paris and together with the Île Saint-Louis, are some of the natural islands that are on the Seine.
Just outside is the bronze plaque with the zero point of the city of Paris. Did you find it?
LATIN NEIGHBORHOOD
From here you can walk to the banks of the Seine and enter a little in the Latin Quarter, full of restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops and walk along the Boulevard Saint Michel to the Seine again to see the famous sellers of old books or “Bouquinistes” to follow your path in the direction of the famous Tour Eiffel, which will be almost the last point of the route..
TRAVEL TIP:
Paris is a city to walk, feel and enjoy.
But if you do not want to walk as much as I did, you might consider buying a Paris Pass for one of the many Hop-On Hop-Off Bus buses, which includes admission to over 60 tourist attractions and prevents you from having to queue to buy the tickets in each one of them.
Another option is to take a tour on the romantic dinner cruises and tour the River Seine. In the famous Bateaux Mouches, the ticket costs € 13.30 and the tour lasts 1.10 hours. They have a fixed route that connects Notre-Dame with the area of the Tour Eiffel.
LOUVRE MUSEUM
When you are at the famous and beautiful Pont Neuf, you will find admission to the Louvre Museum, the most visited in France and one of the most visited in the world, with more than 7 million people arriving every year.
It was inaugurated as a museum at the end of the 18th century with works belonging to the collections of the French monarchy and to the pieces collected during Napoleon’s empire.
Former royal residence, when it was transferred to the Palace of Versailles, the huge building of 160,000 square meters was transformed into a museum, opening its doors to the public in 1793. Of the approximately 300,000 works that compose the total collection of this museum, only 35,000 organized thematically in different departments: Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Oriental, Greek, Roman, Etruscan antiquities, Islam art, including works of painting, sculpture, art objects and graphic arts.
The famous glass pyramid found on the outer esplanade was built in 1989 and today is the place where the access door is.
TRAVEL TIP:
The Louvre is HUGE. If you are a lover of history and art you can be really succumbing by looking at ancient and important works. The first time I went I was stunned almost four mornings with the works of ancient civilizations with the disappointment that I had only seen about 3 rooms.
Organize your visit and do not expect to see everything. It is impossible.
It can be quite full, so try to avoid the hours and pick dates.
To see the most famous works, such as the Mona Lisa or Gioconda, the most famous painting in the world by Leonardo Da Vinci, the Venus de Milo, the Code of Hammurabi or my favorite, Psyche revived by the kiss of love, Canova a general idea, dedicate at least one full morning or afternoon and enjoy it!
SCHEDULE
Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday and Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.
Tuesday: closed.
PRICE
Adults: € 15.
Children under 18 years, EU citizens between 18 and 25 years old: free admission.
Free entry with Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass.
- Every Friday from 6 pm admission is free for children under 26 of all nationalities.
- From October to March is free for all visitors the first Sunday of each month.
- Free entrance on the day of the Bastille (July 14).
The Gardens of the Tuileries
Located in the heart of Paris, it is one of the most beautiful places to relax and enjoy the charm of Parisian life.
After your exhausting visit to the Louvre, you can stroll through the gardens that were the first public garden that Paris had in the time of Catherine de Medicis, was the place where the nobility performed celebrations of luxurious parties in the gardens of Florentine style.
Today, it is a place where Parisians and tourists spend their hours and relax in the middle of the rhythm of the city. Beautiful design and nature that coexists with fountains and sculptures that connect the area of the Louvre Museum with the Place de la Concorde.
In the surroundings, you will also find the famous Place Vendome and the museums of Decorative Arts, D’Orsay and one of my favorites is inside the park: the museum of the Orangerie.
It is in this museum where Monet’s famous water lilies are found and were installed on their oval walls following their own instructions. It also houses works by Cézanne, Renoir, Picasso, Rousseau, and Matisse.
Schedule
From Wednesday to Monday: from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Price
- Adults: € 9.
- Under 18, EU citizens between 18 and 25 years old and the first Sunday of each month: free admission.
- Free entry with Paris Pass and Paris Museum Pass.
Champs-Élysées
One of the most famous avenues in the world and also perhaps the best known and most visited in Paris, the Champs-Élysées are almost two kilometers long, ranging from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe.
This square is the second largest in France and has a great importance for the history of the country. It was the scene of more than 1200 executions in the guillotine during the French Revolution, here ended their days as famous characters as Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI or Robespierre. After this bloody period, it was baptized again, in 1795.
This square is the second largest in France and has great importance for the history of the country. It was the scene of more than 1200 executions in the guillotine during the French Revolution, here ended their days as famous characters as Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI or Robespierre. After this bloody period, it was baptized again, in 1795.
The square now has a 3000-year-old obelisk from Luxor, donated by the viceroy of Egypt. To the sides, there are two great sources of Roman style in which animal figures coexist with humans with marine forms.
JNext to the Arc de Triomphe, towards the top of the Champs Elysees is the Place de L’Etoile, you can get here by metro after visiting the Eiffel Tower and from here start your return to the airport from the RER A line of the Metro towards Châtelet and then change to the RER B that will take you back to CDG.
The Eiffel Tour
You can reach the Champs de Mars area by foot, on the Bateaux Mouches, on the Hop on-off buses or also on the direct metro from Notre Dame. For the latter, you must enter the RER C in the direction of Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel.
After seeing the tower you can climb the Ligne 6 of the Metro towards Arc de Triumphe.
The Eiffel Tower was built for the Universal Exhibition in 1889 after much controversy became the most visited monument in the world and the main symbol of Paris. It is 300 meters high and if you still did not know, you can climb to its highest point!
You can walk up the stairs (there are 1665 steps) or with one of the elevators which are the only way to get to the higher floor. Neither option is free and the difference is not much so I really do not see that it’s worth just paying to climb the stairs if you want to climb to the second level.
There are always rows so walk with lots of patience. In the early hours of the morning there are usually fewer people and at dusk, you will have a beautiful view with the lights of the city.
You can save time buying your ticket online in advance here: Official Web of the Tour Eiffel
SCHEDULE
From June 15 to September 1: from 9:00 a.m. to 00:00 p.m.
Rest of the year: from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (Access by stairs until 18:30 hours.)
PRICES
Adults:
- Climbing the stairs 2nd floor: € 5.
- Elevator 2nd floor: 9 €.
- Elevator top floor: € 15.50.
Youth between 12 and 24 years:
- Climbing stairs 2nd floor: € 4.
- Elevator 2nd floor: € 7.
- Elevator top floor: € 13.50.
Children between 4 and 11 years:
- Climbing by stairs 2nd floor: 3,50 €.
- Elevator 2nd floor: € 4.50.
- Elevator top floor: 11 €.
Updated January 2019
I hope this itinerary guide tour helps you to enjoy your visit to Paris. If you have somewhere you want to recommend WELCOME!
Do you have a place that you dream to visit in París? Would you visit Paris for only a few hours?
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