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Paris
Photo: Benh LIEU SONG · CC BY-SA 4.0

1 Day · in Paris

One Perfect Day in Paris: Tower, Museums & the Seine

With only one day, follow the river. Paris's headline sights line the Seine within a compact core, so you can open at the Eiffel Tower, cross to the Musee d'Orsay and the Louvre, and finish on the Ile de la Cite without ever straying far from the water. Pre-book the tower and the museums to skip the longest queues, wear comfortable shoes, and save the evening for a slow riverside walk or a boat when the monuments light up. It is a lot for one day, but it is the truest first taste of the city.

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Day 01

The Essential Paris

Eiffel Tower, the great museums, and the islands, all in one well-paced day.

  1. Morning

    Trocadero

    Start at Place du Trocadero for the head-on view of the Eiffel Tower across the Seine, the city's best photograph before the crowds arrive.

  2. Late Morning

    Eiffel Tower

    Cross the river and go up, or picnic on the Champ de Mars lawn beneath it. Pre-booked tickets save an hour of queuing.

  3. Lunch

    Musee d Orsay

    Walk the Left Bank to the old railway station that now holds the world's finest Impressionist collection; lunch under the great clock.

  4. Afternoon

    Louvre Museum

    Cross to the Right Bank for the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the glass Pyramid. Two focused hours beats a forced march.

  5. Late Afternoon

    Sainte-Chapelle

    On the Ile de la Cite, step into the jewel-box chapel whose 13th-century stained glass glows like a lantern in late light.

  6. Evening

    The Seine and its bridges

    End with a riverside stroll or a Bateaux-Mouches cruise past Notre-Dame as the Eiffel Tower begins its hourly sparkle.