The high-level plan
You’ll probably be tired after the overnight flight. Save the Louvre for the next morning. Get some lunch, walk over to the Eiffel Tower, and see how you feel. Tomorrow, start at the Louvre, then spend the afternoon around Palais-Royal and the Marais.
This plan counts your arrival as day one and assumes you leave on day three. For another full sightseeing day, use 3 days in Paris; for a second major collection, use Paris for museum lovers. Versailles and Montmartre need time this route does not allocate. Saint-Germain is an optional first-evening outing, not another neighborhood you have to cover.
Key decisions
- See the Eiffel Tower from the ground. Going up needs a reserved slot and a longer stop; swap it for the cruise if that matters more to you.
- Check the Louvre’s opening days before booking. It closes Tuesdays; use Notre-Dame and the islands that morning instead. Official calendar.
- Leaving on day two? Drop the Marais afternoon and dinner. This version assumes you leave on day three.
A sample step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Arrive, see the Eiffel Tower and settle in
Morning or lunch
Pick your first meal in Paris
- Coutume Babylone. 47 rue de Babylone. Choose this if coffee matters as much as food: Coutume roasts its own beans and serves espresso and filter coffee alongside a seasonal brunch and lunch menu. Best if you’re starting near Saint-Germain or Le Bon Marché; it’s farther from the Eiffel Tower than the other two choices. Opens at 08:00 weekdays and 09:00 weekends.
- Zia. 22 avenue de Tourville. Brunch and specialty coffee make this the choice if you still want breakfast when you reach town. Walk-ins only, so it works without a reservation. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday; opens at 10:00 Monday, Thursday and Friday, 09:00 weekends.
- La Fontaine de Mars. 129 rue Saint-Dominique. Pick this for southwestern French cooking and a longer sit-down meal close to the Eiffel Tower. Look for cassoulet or chicken with morels on the menu. Lunch runs until 15:00 weekdays and 15:30 weekends.
Afternoon
See the Eiffel Tower from outside
Walk toward the tower and the river when you’re ready. This is a chance to be outside after the flight, with no lift queue or summit reservation. If you arrive too late for the restaurant’s lunch service, eat near your hotel and come here afterward, or save the outing for another trip.
Optional
Sit down on a Seine cruise
If you still want an activity, check the next suitable Bateaux Parisiens sightseeing departure from the Eiffel Tower. The hour-long cruise returns to the Eiffel Tower. Skip it if you would rather check in and rest.
Evening
Dinner near your hotel, or Saint-Germain if you have the energy
For the latter, compare Les Antiquaires, 13 rue du Bac. Cravan, 165 boulevard Saint-Germain, is an optional cocktail afterward; it is closed Sunday and Monday. Eater included it in its 2024 Paris day guide.
Day 2: Louvre, Palais-Royal and the Marais
08:00
Breakfast: choose by where you’re staying
- BO&MIE Louvre-Rivoli. 91 rue de Rivoli. Get a croissant for a quick breakfast before the Louvre. Opens at 07:30 Monday–Saturday and 08:00 Sunday.
- Café de Flore. 172 boulevard Saint-Germain, opening at 07:30. Choose this if you’re already staying on the Left Bank and want breakfast at one of its established cafés. Start earlier than 08:00 if you want a leisurely meal before a 09:00 Louvre ticket.
- Café Nuances. Choose it if you only want coffee and are coming from Opéra. 25 rue Danielle Casanova. Opens at 08:00 weekdays and 09:00 weekends, too late for a stop before a 09:00 Louvre ticket on Saturday or Sunday.
09:00–12:00
Follow one Louvre route
Use the Pyramid entrance’s ticket-holder queue, or the Carrousel entrance at 99 rue de Rivoli if that suits your approach. For a first visit, use the museum’s Masterpieces trail. Its advertised 90 minutes describes the trail; this plan gives you three hours for entry, walking and time in the rooms. If the Mona Lisa matters to you, make it a priority within that route. You don’t need to add another wing afterward.
12:30–14:00
Lunch: a table or something quick
- Le Fumoir. 6 rue de l’Amiral de Coligny, opposite the Louvre’s eastern colonnade. Henrik Andersson’s weekly menu brings Scandinavian influences; Sunday is brunch, served 11:30–15:00. Choose this for a sit-down lunch after the museum.
- BO&MIE Louvre-Rivoli. 91 rue de Rivoli. Get a sandwich if you want a quick lunch before Palais-Royal. The savory range varies by day.
14:00–15:00
Palais-Royal
Walk up for the garden and arcades. For shopping, Merci’s Richelieu address at 19 rue de Richelieu puts homewares and everyday objects beside this part of the route. Choose it if you want a short browse now; save the larger Beaumarchais store for the Marais if shopping is a bigger part of your afternoon.
16:00–18:30
The Marais, then Place des Vosges
From Palais-Royal, take Métro line 1 toward Château de Vincennes and get off at Saint-Paul. Start at Hôtel de Sully, 62 rue Saint-Antoine. Cross its courtyard and garden, then use the door in the right-hand pavilion to reach Place des Vosges. The courtyard and garden are free, normally open 09:00–19:00; check the listed holiday closures. The house interiors are not generally open. Sit in the square, then browse along rue des Francs-Bourgeois toward rue Vieille du Temple and dinner. If the Sully passage is closed, enter the square from rue de Birague.
Late afternoon
Shopping in the Marais: pick one detour
- Homewares and clothes: Merci, 111 boulevard Beaumarchais. Browse tableware, linens and the fashion selection. It takes you northeast from Place des Vosges before dinner; allow a detour before dinner. Skip this if you already visited the Richelieu store.
- A gift you can take home: Officine Universelle Buly, 45 rue de Saintonge. The Haut-Marais shop lists calligraphy, engraving and embossing services, plus a coffee and tea counter. Choose it for a personalized beauty gift and the elaborate shop interior. Its French directory lists 11:00–19:00 daily; check service availability if personalization matters.
19:00
Galettes at Breizh Café
Reserve the Marais address at 109 rue Vieille du Temple. Order a savory galette and leave room for a sweet crêpe. A Breton dinner without leaving the Marais. Eater featured this address in its 2016 Marais guide; the venue’s current site confirms the address and lists daily opening.
Hotels
Hôtel Londres Saint-Honoré
Best for travelers who want a small, old Paris hotel and plan to spend most of the day out. Stone walls, exposed beams and 28 rooms in a seventeenth-century building give Londres Saint-Honoré a more intimate setting than a large full-service hotel. At 13 rue Saint-Roch, it puts the Louvre, Palais-Royal and Saint-Honoré shopping on your side of the city.
The tradeoff: rooms are compact, the standard double is 12 m², and the hotel states it cannot accommodate reduced-mobility guests. Choose it for character and location, not space to spend the afternoon indoors. Rooms and booking.
Hôtel du Louvre
Best for couples who want the hotel to be part of the trip. Hôtel du Louvre offers a more substantial five-star stay: traditional Parisian rooms, the Officine bar and a location beside Palais-Royal. Some room categories face the city’s monuments. It suits a drink at the hotel after the Louvre as much as an early start the next morning.
Details worth choosing it for: the Officine bar for an evening without another journey; a naturally lit, 24-hour mezzanine gym if you train before sightseeing; and private changing rooms for early arrivals, subject to availability.
The tradeoff: this is a larger, 164-room property. Book a view category if the view is part of the appeal; it is not included with every room.
Citadines Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Best for families or travelers who want apartment independence on the Left Bank. At 53 ter quai des Grands Augustins, Citadines gives you a kitchen, a place to eat breakfast at your own pace and Saint-Germain’s cafés, bookshops and galleries outside. Choose it if having your own space matters more than a destination hotel bar. Seine-view apartments are separate categories.
In the apartment: a hob, microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher. Book a Seine-view category if you want to face the river.
The tradeoff: the appeal is the apartment setup and neighborhood. Included housekeeping is weekly; breakfast costs extra. Studios sleep two and one-bedroom apartments up to four, so check the actual beds for your group. Accessible studio categories are listed; confirm the particular room’s suitability.
These recommendations are based on the hotels’ published details, not personal stays. Compare rates for your dates.
Secrets
Notre-Dame’s cathedral entry is free. If the Louvre is closed on your full day, the cathedral and islands give that morning a different focus before you continue toward the Marais. Use the official reservation page; optional free slots are released close to the visit. Cathedral admission and tower access are separate arrangements.
Researched 5 September 2026. Times are planning allowances, not reservations or measured journey times. Official links appear beside the recommendations.