Paris in 2 days

• One large museum at most; the Louvre alone can take a day.
• Fix the one reservation first and plan around it.
• Group by area; each day stays inside one half of the city.
• Leave the evening loose.

1. 1Morning: the Louvre. Go in with a short list of what you want to see rather than trying the whole museum; the official site says some rooms may be closed, so confirm yours.
2. 2Midday: walk through the Tuileries Garden and across the Seine to the Île de la Cité.
3. 3Early afternoon: Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame, if you choose to enter; check each site’s own page for access.
4. 4Late afternoon: cross to the Left Bank for the Latin Quarter and the Luxembourg Gardens.
5. 5Evening: dinner around the Latin Quarter, then a walk along the river.

If you prefer the Musée d’Orsay to the Louvre, swap it in for the morning and walk back along the river towards the islands.

1. 1Morning: the Eiffel Tower. Decide whether you will go up; if so, book on the official operator’s page, which we could not read on 2026-10-31. Otherwise enjoy it from the Trocadéro terrace.
2. 2Midday: walk or ride towards the Arc de Triomphe.
3. 3Early afternoon: the Champs-Élysées down towards Place de la Concorde, or skip it for a quieter lunch.
4. 4Late afternoon: go north to Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur.
5. 5Evening: stay in Montmartre for dinner, or finish in the Marais if you prefer a busier area.

• Art lovers: give day one entirely to the Louvre and add the Musée d’Orsay on day two.
• Architecture: keep the islands and the Arc de Triomphe; drop the Champs-Élysées.
• Families: shorten the Louvre and spend more time in the Tuileries and the Luxembourg Gardens.
• Slow pace: choose one area per half-day.

Rain moves the plan indoors: put the Louvre or the Musée d’Orsay on the wet day and leave the Trocadéro, Montmartre and the Seine walk for the dry one. Sainte-Chapelle is also an indoor stop. Avoid booking the Eiffel Tower ascent for a day with poor visibility if the operator allows changes; check its rules before you buy.

Walk within each day’s area and use the metro for the long hops, such as from the Left Bank to Montmartre. We could not read the official transport pages on 2026-10-31, so we state no fares or ticket types; check the operator’s page, or see our guide on choosing a city pass or a transport card.

If you arrive on the morning of day one, arrange where to leave your bag; see our luggage storage guide and the airport pages.

• Book: the Louvre slot; the Eiffel Tower if you want to go up.
• Check: Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle entry.
• Leave open: the Seine walk, the Latin Quarter, Montmartre and meals.

• Scheduling the Louvre on a Tuesday.
• Trying to see the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay in one day.
• Crossing the city three times in a day.
• Keeping the Eiffel Tower ascent as an unreserved afternoon plan.
• Buying a ticket from a reseller without checking the operator.