Paris in Thirty Six Hours

We recently traveled to France and spent a short time in Paris before heading to Nice for the remainder of our week. While we wished we had some more time in Paris, I built a just-right itinerary to hit all the spots in the short time we had available to us. This is how we saw a piece of Paris in thirty six hours.

The idea of this trip has been almost ten years in the making. It was our initial honeymoon spot, but we opted for a trip to Martha’s Vineyard, Cabo, and Universal’s Harry Potter World, instead. Then we planned to go for our 30th birthdays, but that didn’t pan out. Had I not had to travel to Europe for business, I’m not sure we would have made the extra effort to see Paris! We find ourselves making a habit out of traveling to foreign cities for just a weekend. And they all seem to revolve around traveling for work. We spent a weekend in Paris, basked in the glow of the city, and enjoyed every minute of our time there.

If there’s one thing I would recommend is to plan for three to four full days in Paris–if you can. The extra days will give you time to visit Versailles, spend the day at the Louvre or another museum, or travel beyond the center of the city. If you’re young and adventurous, you can probably see the hotspots of Paris in a day. But you’ll want another full day to venture to see the rest.

Paris in Thirty Six Hours

When I found out we were heading to Paris, I started planning the food. I thought that was going to be the hardest thing to figure out. Then I layered in activities that needed reservations like climbing the Arc de Triomphe and the champagne river cruise. Based on all of those arrangements, I dropped in sights to see, best locations for photos, stops for impromptu picnics, and shops for souvenirs!

How I Planned the Trip

I asked people for advice! I did a little Pinterest research, but the majority of my research was done by talking to people about their experience in Paris. For example, I was talking to a co-worker based in the UK, and his recommendation was a river cruise. He was so adamant about taking a cruise, I signed up for one. And guess what? We loved it. If you have good weather, opt for a sunset river cruise.

I listed out everything I wanted to do, mapped it out with Google Maps, and then organized our locations by proximity to reservations, and then grouped them all by day. I really only had a day and a half to work with. Once it was bucketed by day, I started to order everything we wanted to do broken up by breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Once that was done, I listed it all out in my Notes app on my iPhone (see below). I inserted how we’d travel to and from each location (like taking a train or bus), and changed all the bullets to check boxes. Checking off what we wanted to do along the way was helpful for me to adjust our plans on the go. For example, my flight to Paris was delayed by almost two hours. That really cut into our first half day. After enjoying our first half day, I went through the list and adjusted.

The biggest tip I have for anyone traveling to a location for a limited amount of time: keep plans flexible. When we couldn’t do something due to a location being closed or due to Olympics preparations, we moved on. I made sure to keep my head up and eyes on the sights of Paris, rather than in my phone. There were a few times I wished I remembered to take out my phone or camera, but we were just living in the moment!

The Itinerary Through Photos

Day 1: a shortened half day

My flight to Paris was delayed. Fatima and I were flying from opposite sides of the world, but we were meeting in Paris. Our arrivals were timed perfectly, but I ended up being delayed. Those two hours killed my first half day itinerary. From the airport, we took the train to Paris and headed to the hotel to check in. Once you get off the airport train, I recommend taking a taxi if it makes sense. Although there was traffic, I wished we just took a car from the airport. We eventually found the underground metro to be really easy to navigate, however finding your way through Paris with luggage during what seemed like rush hour, was a challenge!

We eventually made it to the hotel, checked in, and jumped back onto the streets of the city. I wanted to do so much more walking around, but we were able to enjoy a nice walk. We stopped at a row of shops called Marche Maubert, to buy wine, cheese, and baguettes. We walked around Notre Dame while enjoying our snacks before our dinner reservations at East Mamma. I initially tried for reservations at Pink Mamma, but they were booked. So I opted for East Mamma, a sister-restaurant conveniently located near our hotel. The food was fantastic and I highly recommend!

The hotel we stayed at had an Eiffel Tower view, and seeing it lit up at night from the room, was a nice way to end the first day in Paris.

Day 2: a very full day

Day two was packed with everything. The day started early with coffee and croissants on our way to the Louvre. The plan for the Louvre was to walk around the courtyard and gardens. If we had another day, I would have liked to go inside the museum. From there we walked through Palais Royal and stopped at 1 Place de Valois (aka Savoir from Emily in Paris). Right next to that was Cafe 52, and stopped for breakfast.

Our first reservation of the day was a self guided tour of Palais Garnier (aka the Phantom of the Opera opera house). Unfortunately, the exterior was under refurbishment for upcoming Olympics, and a giant Apple ad covered the outside. But on the inside, old-world luxury. It was gorgeous, and I recommend doing a self-guided tour if you have time!

For a quick photo pit stop, we walked to Passages de Panoramas. Built in 1799, Passages de Panoramas is the oldest of the covered passages in Paris. We stopped for water and crossed the street to walk through Passages Jouffroy. This is where we stopped for our first souvenir shop!

From here, we took an underground metro towards Pont Alexandre III. We walked over the bridge and headed to lunch at L’eclair. This place is a vibe, right down the food. They didn’t take reservations, so we walked in and luckily they had a table! After an enjoyable lunch, we headed for the Eiffel Tower.

The internet told me to head to Rue de l’Université for a great shot of the tower. It didn’t disappoint. We walked up to the tower and down the middle of the lawn for that iconic shot.

Our next reservation was not until 6pm, so we had a few hours to enjoy this tourist hot spot. We walked around the tower, and then down to the carousel. After we were satisfied with our visit, we walked to the underground metro and headed for the Arc de Triomphe. We opted to walk along Avenue des Champs-Élysées. There were many options for snacks, quick bites, and shops.

Once we arrived at the Arc, we chilled out at the base and waited for our appointment. Once again, I followed the internet’s advice for timed entry: 1-2hrs before sunset. The climb was wild: a one lane spiral staircase to the top. We walked up faster than I anticipated. The views were superb. You really have a great view of Paris with the Eiffel Tower. Going down? Not a great experience, but it has to be done!

Our last reservation of the day was a champagne river cruise. We had time to kill and decided to walk back to the Eiffel Tower as our cruise was departing right below the carousel.

The river cruise was fantastic. We got to see Paris from a different perspective and enjoy the sunset.

Day 3: traveling to Nice

We woke up one last time in Paris. Enjoyed a pain au chocolat and headed to the airport for the second part of trip to Nice.

Las Vegas or Paris? Take a guess.

Souvenir Haul from Paris and Nice!