36 Hours in Paris? Here’s What To Do.
less than 2 days in paris
Is enough to make you fall in love.
In a previous post, I wrote about the City of Light. Paris is one of the most magnificent cities in the world and it’s the city that set my heart on fire for travel, exploring and trying new things. You can read about my experience here, but I also just wanted to be put together a quick list of everything I’d recommend. I’ve emailed this list to many friends, and it’s based on recommendations of friends who have lived in France, are way more seasoned travelers than me and of course reading all of the internet. Probably twice. How ridiculous does it seem to spend so much time researching for a less than 2 day trip?! All I can say is, it was worth it! I did all of this (and more) in 36 hours and regret nothing, except maybe not eating more crepes.
If you’re questioning a train ride through Paris or a quick stop as you travel Europe, DO IT! You can do and see so much in such a short period of time because the city is so condensed & walking everywhere is easy (and so is the metro). Of note, I was by myself & I also didn’t go into any of the museums. That would have taken a considerable amount of time & I figured I’d save it for my next visit…because I will be back. Here’s the scoop…
My top 3 - if you do nothing else, see these…
Saint Chapelle - the most wondrous church I’ve ever seen. A Gothic style chapel with the most stunning stained glass windows in the tower which are about 50 feet high telling the stories of >1,000 scenes from the Old & New Testaments. When I walked into the tower, I literally stood there with my mouth wide open saying, “Oh my gosh.” Over & over again. Note, you must buy tickets to go in the tower - but they’re not expensive and it’s SO worth it.
Angelina’s - a tea room famous for the most decadent pastries, cakes, confections and specifically their Hot Chocolate. I enjoyed their Cold Chocolate because it was a warm day. And it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. This is a MUST stop & I will never visit this city again without a stop at Angelina’s.
Montmartre - The art, The I Love You Wall, Sacre Coeur, the view…the best. It’s a village in Paris that sits up on a huge hill with a panoramic view of the city (you’ll have to take the metro which is really easy & so worth it!!). From the metro & before you get to the Sacre Coeur Church, you’ll admire street art, rows of artists painting, stores for browsing, crepes made before your eyes…magic. It feels like time slows down up on this hill.
BONUS – Shakespeare & Co book store a magical independent bookstore that you can get lost in for hours.
I didn’t include the Eiffel Tower because it’s Paris and I don’t know if anyone leaves without seeing it (you can see it from most of the city too)…but obviously it’s there & magnificent - especially at night when it glitters with a light show. I laid down on a bench underneath of it at dusk and watched it start to sparkle. It’s what dreams are made of.
Where to stay
I would stay in Marais or St Germain de Pres - but location feels like such a personal choice. I loved Marais because it was more of a neighborhood with restaurants, bakeries & a few shops vs. being super touristy, but I also chose an Air BnB vs. a hotel which was perfect for me! You need to do you on this one.
What to see
Place des vosges - get yoself a big old pastry and sit on the grass to enjoy the moment
Latin Quarter – everything is fairly close together so this area won’t take long (depending on how long you stay at the book store).
Notre Dame Cathedral – It seemed more beautiful from the outside when I was there, but this was pre-fire so I’m not sure of the progress on the
Shakespeare and Company bookstore (you will absolutely adore this place!!)
Berthillon ice cream - on the Ile St Louis which is a tiny island inside paris (just a tiny bridge, like you’d barely know it’s an island).
Tuileries Gardens which is walkable to Angelina’s mentioned above for that MUST DRINK hot or cold chocolate that will straight up change your life. I was by myself so grabbed a Cold Chocolate and enjoyed it in the park. They have amazing pastries too, but the chocolate drink is out of this world. You can also make reservations to have tea, dessert etc. The inside is gorgeous and would be perfect for a fancy dessert treat with kids or a great dessert stop after a decadent romantic French dinner.
After I visited Montmartre I walked down to see Moulin Rouge then to the Centre Pompidou. Not far from here are Rue Montmartre & Rue Tiquetonne which are great food and shopping areas and then walked back to Marais. It was a long walk, but so fun to see everything along the way.
Museums
Musee D’orsay - (opposite the Tuileries Gardens)
L’orangerie – the very famous Monet (MASSIVE) paintings are here
Louvre - Needs no explanation - other than I couldn’t have possibly imagined exactly how ENORMOUS it is. Whoa.
Centre Pompidou – contemporary art museum with so many cool sculptures, shops and things to see around this museum I didn’t even go in but if I were to go in any it would be this one.
Most of the sites sit right on the river, so it’ easy just to walk a straight line from Marais to the Eifel Tower and stop wherever you’d like along the way (this is what I did the entire first day. Stopped where and when I wanted. Literally sat on the corner of a beautiful intersection (like a homeless person) and watched people go by, enjoyed Angelina’s in the garden, perused the book store for an hour, had a glass of wine at a café bc it was 2pm 😊. I just took my time & walked the whole way there. It was amazing.
The next morning I took the metro (which is super easy & I’d highly recommend) to Montmartre did a walking tour of all of the street art, visited Sacre Coeur, grabbed a crepe & walked down to Moulin Rouge, then to the shopping streets (mentioned above), had lunch, walked to Centre Pompidou. I’d recommend the walk from Marais to the Tower (then uber back), but not from Montmartre back to Marais (it’s kind of far on the way back & boring in certain spots).
And there you have it! I did this plus a lot more with 36 hours in Paris. If you’ve been to Paris, what favorites would you add to this list?