2 Days in Paris: The First-Timer Itinerary
2 Days in Paris: The First-Timer Itinerary
Two days gets you the two sights everyone actually flies in for: the Eiffel Tower with an evening on the Seine, then the Louvre and the reopened Notre-Dame the next day. It’s a sprint, not a stroll, so both timed tickets need booking before you land. Staying longer? Jump to the 3-day , 4-day , 5-day , 6-day or 7-day version of this same route.
Book these before you go: the Eiffel Tower’s timed lift for Day 1, the Louvre’s timed entry (closed Tuesdays) for Day 2, and Sainte-Chapelle’s 30-minute slot, also Day 2. Skip the Catacombs on a trip this short; its tickets only release 7 days out anyway, so it rarely lines up.
The 2-day route at a glance
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, evening Seine cruise |
| Day 2 | Louvre, Tuileries, Sainte-Chapelle, Notre-Dame |
Day 1: The Eiffel Tower and the Seine
Morning: Book the second-floor lift (EUR 23.50) or the summit (EUR 36.70) through toureiffel.paris and take the earliest slot you can get; the tower is emptiest right at opening. Walk Champ de Mars afterward for the view from ground level.
Lunch: Grab something a few streets back from the tower itself, prices drop fast once you’re off the direct sightline.
Afternoon: Cross to Trocadéro Gardens for the postcard shot back across the river, then wander the 7th arrondissement at your own pace.
Evening: A Bateaux Parisiens cruise from Port de la Bourdonnais runs about EUR 19 and an hour, and it’s the easiest way to see the riverside monuments lit up without walking the whole stretch. Book an evening cruise slot since sunset departures fill first. Dinner in the 7th or Saint-Germain afterward.
Day 2: The Louvre and Île de la Cité
Morning: The Louvre needs a booked slot (EUR 22 EEA / EUR 32 non-EEA) at louvre.fr and it’s closed Tuesdays, so check your dates before you set this day. Pick two or three galleries rather than the whole museum; the Objets d’Art rooms are usually far calmer than the Mona Lisa crowd. Reserve skip-the-line entry if your dates are already tight.
Lunch: Rue de Rivoli or the Palais-Royal arcades both have quick, decent options.
Afternoon: Walk the Jardin des Tuileries toward the river, then cross to Île de la Cité. Sainte-Chapelle (EUR 16 EEA / EUR 22 non-EEA, mandatory 30-minute slots) is worth the ticket for the stained glass alone. Next door, Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 and costs nothing to enter; a free timed slot exists but only opens 72 hours ahead.
Evening: Dinner in the Latin Quarter, then a last walk along the river , the whole stretch you’ve covered today is a single UNESCO listing .
Is 2 days actually enough for Paris?
It’s enough for the two headline sights and one good evening on the water, but you’ll see almost nothing of Montmartre, the Marais or the Catacombs. Treat this as the highlight reel, not the full trip, and if you can stretch to 4 or 5 days you’ll get a much less rushed version of the same city.
Do you need to book both the Louvre and Sainte-Chapelle in advance?
Yes to both. The Louvre requires a timed slot for every visitor and is closed Tuesdays, while Sainte-Chapelle runs mandatory 30-minute entry windows even for Paris Museum Pass holders. Book both the moment your date is fixed since morning slots at each sell out first in peak season.
Load a Navigo Easy card (EUR 2, reloadable) at your first Metro station rather than hunting for paper tickets, they stopped being sold at the end of 2025.