Paris in One Day: First-Timer’s Itinerary (+Map & Tips)

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Spending just one day in Paris and wondering how to make the most of it? While the city has enough to explore for weeks, with the right itinerary, you can still experience many of its iconic sights in a single day.

Living not too far away, we frequently visit Paris, often with guests who have never been before. Over the years, we’ve perfected an efficient itinerary that covers the city’s top highlights in just one day.

In this guide, we share our 1-day Paris itinerary that covers all the must-sees, along with a map, essential tips, and practical advice to help you maximize your time. While there’s no single ‘best’ way to explore Paris in a day, this itinerary is perfect for first-time visitors who want to hit the highlights without feeling overwhelmed.

Where to Stay: If you are looking for a hotel in Paris, check out the highly-rated Hotel des Arts Montmartre. It’s a great mid-budget option that works well with this itinerary! For more info, see the Where to Stay section at the end of this guide.

Planning Tips & Essential Info for Your One Day in Paris

Below, you’ll find a detailed hour-by-hour itinerary outlining what to see in Paris in a day. These time estimates are meant as a guide to help you plan efficiently and book tickets in advance.

TOUR TIP: Feeling overwhelmed by the logistics? Consider this highly-rated guided tour, which takes you to the top sights without the hassle of planning tickets and timing yourself. It’s a fantastic full-day option if you want to see as much as possible in Paris in a day without the stress.

Important: If you’re exploring Paris on your own, you’ll need timed-entry tickets for the attractions you want to visit! For this itinerary, be sure to book tickets for:

• Sainte-Chapelle.
• Louvre OR d’Orsay Museum (both would be too much in a day!).
• Eiffel Tower.
• Seine River Cruise.
• Arc de Triomphe.
• Moulin Rouge (book asap! – these shows are incredibly popular and sell out weeks (or even months) ahead!

READ ALSO: Paris Travel Tips for First-Time Visitors

1-Day Paris Itinerary – Overview

Below is a quick overview of our recommended itinerary. You can click on each location for more details or scroll down for the full guide.

As you’ll see, it’s packed with highlights, starting early and wrapping up late to help you experience the very best of Paris in one day. If it feels too intense, feel free to adjust it to your pace – skip the places/activities we marked as optional.

Here is our recommended Paris 1-day itinerary at a glance:

• 7-8.30 am: Montmartre & Sacre-Coeur Basilica (optional).
• 9-11 am: Île de la Cité and early lunch.
• 12-2.30 pm: The Louvre or Musée d’Orsay.
• 2.30-3.30 pm: Jardins de Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, Pont Alexandre III (optional).
• 4 – 5.30 pm: Eiffel Tower*.
• 6-7 pm: Seine River Cruise.
• 8-9 pm: Arc de Triomphe.
• Evening: Champs-Élysées and dinner.
• 11 pm: Moulin Rouge (optional).

* Good to know: If you opt to visit the Eiffel Tower summit (instead of just Levels 1 and 2), you’ll need at least 1 hour extra, so adjust the itinerary as needed.

Map & Getting Around

To give you a better idea of where everything is located and how to plan your time, we created a map indicating all the places mentioned in this article.

TIP: If you want to make the most of your day in Paris, it’s best to cover all the biggest distances by metro. For shorter distances, it’s best to walk, but you can also take a taxi/Uber.

How to use this map: Use your computer mouse (or fingers) to zoom in or out. Click on the icons to get more information about each place. Click the arrow on the top left corner for the index. Click the star next to the map’s title to add it to your Google Maps account. To view the saved map on your smartphone or PC, open Google Maps, click the menu and go to ‘Your Places’/’Maps’. If you want to print the map or see it in a bigger window, click on ‘View larger map’ in the top right corner.

This is our recommended Paris itinerary for one day:

Montmartre & Sacre-Coeur Basilica (Optional)

7 – 8.30 am

If you want to make the utmost out of your day in Paris, start with a visit to Montmartre. This is one of the most charming neighborhoods in the city and you could easily spend a day here alone. But even if you just come for an hour, you can see the best parts!

Start by taking the metro from your hotel to Abbesses station. Check out the Wall of Love (Le Mur des Je t’aime), and then take the stairs or funicular to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica. The church is usually open from 6.30 am so you can even visit inside (it’s free).

Enjoy the stunning city views from the stairs in front of the church, then turn right, and walk to Place du Tertre. This charming square is the heart of the Montmartre.

During the day, it’s very lively, full of local artists and tourists. In the morning, you will likely find it very quiet, so the atmosphere won’t be the same, but it’s worth visiting either way. You will also find many cafes and restaurants here. Many of them are open from early morning, so this could be a nice place for a coffee or breakfast.

Depending on how much time you have, you could explore a bit more of the neighborhood. For more tips on what to see, take a look at our detailed guide to this neighborhood via the link below.

LEARN MORE: Best Things to Do in Montmartre

Next, take a metro to the Cité station in the center or a taxi/Uber straight to your next destination – Sainte-Chapelle.

Good to know: We indicate this as optional because we realize that not everybody will be able/want to start their day this early. Plus, Montmartre is quite out of the way from all the main attractions in the city center. But if you want to get the maximum out of your day in Paris and see different facets of the city, then definitely consider a short visit here.

Île de la Cité: Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame

9 – 11 am

Île de la Cité is the heart of Paris. This little island on the Seine River is best known as home to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, but there is so much more to see here!

With just a day in Paris, you will have to be selective, however. So we recommend just focusing on the two main landmarks – Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle.

TIP: Book the earliest possible time slot for Sainte Chapelle and head there first (reserve timed-entry tickets here asap – it’s extremely popular!). This Gothic masterpiece with 1113 stained glass windows will take your breath away! It’s the most impressive church to see in Paris, and I promise you, it will be one of the highlights of your day!

Next, walk to Notre Dame. The Cathedral has recently reopened and the entry is free of charge. To make the most of your day in Paris, you can reserve your entry 1-2 days in advance (it’s not a must, but having a reservation can save you quite some time).

Early Lunch

Now it could be a good time to find something for lunch. There are many cafés on Île de la Cité, or you could just grab a crêpe (French pancake) on the go.

You could stop by the restaurant called Aux Vieux Paris d’Arcole (it’s quite famous for its Instagrammable exterior). But it looks more charming in the photos than in reality, and quite frankly, there are better price/quality places nearby.

Recently, we had a very good low-key lunch at the nearby café Sur le Pouce. But both of these cafes are a bit out of the way for this itinerary.

Anyway, you will find many other good places in this area too. There are a few nice crêperies on the way to the Louvre which would probably fit this itinerary the best. We indicated all these places on our map further below.

Louvre Museum OR Musée d’Orsay

12 – 2.30 pm.

Next, you could visit one of the most famous museums in Paris – either the Louvre or d’Orsay Museum.

The Louvre is somewhat closer by, about 15 minutes walk, and the d’Orsay Museum is on the opposite side of the river, about 30 minutes walk from Notre Dame.

If you go to the Louvre, you could also see the Hôtel de Ville (the City Hall of Paris) and Pont Neuf on your way there. This iconic bridge can also be seen on the way to the d’Orsay Museum. 

No matter which museum you choose, a walk to get there along the shores of the Seine is really nice. You will pass the famous green Parisian Bouquinistes kiosks selling old books, posters, and postcards. Often, you will also see street vendors selling roasted chestnuts (one of the traditional French foods you should try in Paris!)

Musee d’Orsay is located inside an old train station and the interior is stunning. It also has an incredible art collection. The must-see here is the Impressionist section with some of the best works by Monet, Renoir, Manet, and many others. You can also see some masterpieces by Vincent van Gogh.

At the Louvre, you can see the famous Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and countless other famous masterpieces. In addition, you will see the famous Louvre pyramids. 

Considering all this and its location, for this itinerary, I think I would recommend choosing the Louvre, especially if this is your first time in Paris. On the other hand, d’Orsay Museum is usually a bit less crowded. But both are among the most popular Paris attractions, so it will be very busy either way.

Important! If you want to visit any of the museums, count to spend about 2 hours inside (or you won’t have much time left for the other places). Also, you absolutely have to reserve timed-entry tickets in advance! Here you can book tickets for the Louvre and here – for d’Orsay Museum.

If you decide to visit the Louvre, below, you can find a link to our detailed guide with useful tips (such as which entrance to take in order to avoid the biggest crowds).

LEARN MORE: Tips for Visiting the Louvre Museum

Jardins de Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, Pont Alexandre III (Optional)

2.30 – 3.30 pm.

Located just next to the Louvre is the famous Tuileries Garden (Jardins de Tuileries), one of the most beautiful parks in Paris. You can also easily get here from d’Orsay Museum – just cross the bridge to the other side of the river.

If you are coming here from the Louvre, you will also pass Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. This triumphal arch was built earlier, before the famous Arc de Triomphe de Etoile which you can see in the distance from here (and can visit in the evening – see further).

Next, you will pass Place de la Concorde, one of the biggest squares in Paris. In the center, you can see an ancient Egyptian Obelisk, and there is a really nice fountain here too.

Walking towards the river, you will arrive at Pont Alexandre III, the most decorative bridge in Paris.

Good to know: I indicate these places as optional since visiting them all adds quite a bit of walking to this itinerary (about 1.8 km (1.1 miles) – at least 20 minutes of walking time). You could also skip these places to save time, or just walk through the garden and then take a metro from Concorde station.

Next, make your way to the Eiffel Tower. A walk from the Alexandre III bridge is another 1.6 km (1 mile). The distances may not look big, but it all adds up throughout the day, also in terms of time… So you may want to take a taxi or a metro.

Eiffel Tower

4 – 5.30 pm.

No trip to Paris would be complete without visiting the Eiffel Tower! You can just walk around admiring its impressive structure, but you’ll probably also want to go up and see the views from the top.

In that case, you really have to reserve timed-entry tickets in advance!!! And you have to choose which levels you’ll visit in advance when booking your ticket.

Good to know: Eiffel Tower has three levels that you can visit: Level 1, Level 2, and the Summit. Level 2 tickets include levels 1 and 2, and the Summit tickets include all levels. In addition, for the first part – up to level 2, you can choose between taking the elevator or the stairs. The summit can only be reached by a separate elevator from the second level.

While going all the way to the summit is a very unique experience, the city views are probably somewhat better from the second level. From the top, you can see much further, of course; it’s just a different perspective really.

Also, it takes much more time to visit the top since the queues for the elevator can be really long. Realistically, you need about 1.5 hours for levels 1 and 2, and 2.5 hours if you visit the summit.

So with just a day in Paris and limited time, visiting level 2 is probably a better option. But if standing at the summit of the Eiffel Tower is high on your bucket list, then definitely go for it! In that case, you’ll probably need to skip something else from this itinerary.

Good to know: You can book Eiffel Tower tickets on the official website and also on sites like GetYourGuide or Tiqets. Depending on how long in advance you book, often, Summit tickets on the official site might not be available anymore, but you can still find them on these other sites, sometimes in combination with Seine Cruise or other popular attractions. Tickets for the 2nd level are easier to get, but also there, if you want to be able to choose the best time slot, to book asap!

TIP: Alternatively, you could also opt for this Eiffel Summit + Seine Cruise combo. Keep in mind that you’ll need to foresee extra time if you go to the summit.

Seine River Cruise

6 – 7 pm.

Next, take a scenic cruise on the Seine River. It’s a great way to see more of Paris and at the same time rest your legs a bit after all the walking and sightseeing. A river cruise is something that should be on any Paris bucket list, so don’t miss it!

There are many cruise options departing from various locations. For this itinerary, exactly as described here, you could take this sightseeing cruise. It starts near the Eiffel Tower and has regular departures throughout the day. The ticket is valid for any boat on the selected day (more info via the booking link above). Or, as said earlier, simply get this popular Eiffel Tower + Seine Cruise combination ticket.

TIP: If you feel like this itinerary is already full enough as it is and would like to call it a day after this, opt for a Seine Cruise with dinner!

If you are determined to make the most out of your day in Paris, next, make your way to Arc de Triomphe. You can walk there from the Eiffel Tower, take a metro, or get a taxi/Uber. If you walk, you can enjoy nice views of the Eiffel Tower from Trocadero Gardens on the other side of the river. If you are visiting in winter when it gets dark early, you might be lucky to catch a sunset and/or see how the Eiffel Tower sparkles in the dark. 

Good to know: Eiffel Tower lits up a few minutes after sunset. In addition, the tower ‘sparkles’ for 5 minutes on the hour every hour, between dusk and 11 pm.

Arc de Triomphe

8 – 9 pm.

The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile is one of the most iconic landmarks of Paris and needs no introduction. You probably have seen it in countless movies, usually in a scene involving cars trying to navigate the 12-fork roundabout around the Arch.

Also here, you have two options. You can simply admire the Arch from the outside or you can go all the way to the rooftop to enjoy some amazing views of Paris. Inside, you will also find a small museum. And on the outside, you can see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The 360° views from the top of the Arch are amazing. It’s one of the most impressive viewpoints in Paris! Just below, you can see the iconic Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The view of the Eiffel Tower is great too and in the distance, you can see the modern La Défense district, Montmartre and Sacre Coeur Basilica, and many other landmarks of Paris.

Good to know: Arc de Triomphe is extremely popular at sunset. The views can be magical indeed, but it’s also crazy busy… Depending on the season when you visit, it’s possible that you will be here around sunset, but with just a day in Paris, I wouldn’t time your visit just for that. You’ll have difficulties squeezing in all the top sights in a day already, so just come here when it suits your itinerary the best.

The views are really nice in the dark as well, and the Arch stays open until late (usually around 10.30 pm).

TIP: If you want to go up, we also highly recommend booking your tickets in advance. At the moment, they are not timed (so are valid at any time during the day of your choice), but purchasing them online saves you a long queue at the ticket desk. You’ll still have to queue at the security check, but that can’t be avoided anywhere.

Champs-Élysées & Dinner

9 – 10.30 pm.

End your day in Paris at the city’s most famous boulevard – Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

This street is a few miles long, but the nicest and the liveliest part is right at the Triumph Arch. Here you will find many famous fashion designer stores and this area also has tons of restaurants.

If you are visiting on a weekend or want to dine at a specific place at a specific time, be sure to reserve in advance. Otherwise, it should be possible to find something on the go. 

TIP: Restaurants on Champs-Élysées are very expensive and price/quality-wise not always the best. But in the side streets, you can often find much better value for your money. Despite the touristy location, we had a really good dinner at La Flamme, just 5 minutes walk from the Triumph Arch. I indicated it on our map below.

Alternatively, if you are heading to Moulin-Rouge, you can find some very good restaurants in that area (more local and much cheaper too).

Moulin Rouge (optional)

11 pm.

If you want to experience the very best of Paris in a day and think that you’ll still have some energy left, we highly recommend seeing a cabaret show at the iconic Moulin Rouge.

It’s a very professional show with fantastic artists, dazzling acts, colorful costumes, and great music. Furthermore, a traditional Parisian cabaret is something that you can only experience in Paris! It’s an experience you won’t quickly forget!

Good to know: You’ll need to take a taxi/Uber to get here. There are two shows here every evening – at around 9 pm and at 11 pm. The Moulin Rouge show tickets usually sell out at least a few weeks in advance, so you really have to book them asap (see here for the availability and to book).

They also have a dinner + show combo, but dinner starts at 7 pm and these tickets usually sell out at least a month in advance.

TIP: If Moulin Rouge tickets are sold out, check if there is availability at other cabarets in Paris. While the Moulin Rouge is the most iconic and best known, many others – like Paradis Latin or Crazy Horse are just as good.

Where to Stay

Even if you only have one day in Paris, you’ll likely spend at least one or two nights in the city.

Since you’ll be out sightseeing all day, the exact location of your accommodation isn’t the top priority. However, staying somewhere central and close to a metro station will make your trip more convenient. You don’t want to stay too far out, as spending 40 minutes on the metro just to get to your starting point isn’t ideal!

For this itinerary (if you visit everything), we recommend staying near Montmartre or Moulin Rouge. This area is not only centrally located but also convenient for both your morning start and evening plans. If you choose to visit Moulin Rouge, you’ll even have time to head back to your hotel for a quick outfit change before the show.

Here are some highly-rated hotels in this area:

• €€€€€ Manolita Paris.
• €€€ Hôtel des Arts Montmartre (best value).
• €€ Hotel Darcet.

   

So, this is our recommended itinerary that brings you to all the must-see places in Paris in a day. I hope that this gives you a better idea of what to expect, what to see, and how it could all fit together.

Once again, you really have to book timed entry slots for all the main attractions. It’s not just a matter of wasting time at the ticket desk anymore. Without advance reservations, you won’t be able to visit most places at all, especially in the high season.

More travel inspiration for Paris:

• Traditional French Food
• Best Museums in Paris
• Best Views in Paris
• Tips for Visiting the Louvre Museum
• Best Things to Do in Montmartre
• Paris Itinerary for 4 Days
• Paris in October

Have a great trip!

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