48 HOURS – TOUR OF PARIS

CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE

In future, we plan to add a few more itinerary to this post. For now, we just present the “classic.”

MUSEUM FOCUS: The Classic Tour of Paris

This could be the most classic tour of Paris. Start with the closest, well-rated French restaurant near your hotel or AirBNB and have a traditional 3 course meal the night of your arrival in the city. 

On the first morning, walk to a cafe, preferably one facing a major thoroughfare, so that you can do some people viewing. Then settle in for a long breakfast, and a satisfying cafe au lait and croissant or other sinful french pastry(s).

The best next step is to make your way to the area near Notre Dame and Isle Saint Louis for your first walk/shop morning. Make sure to walk the shops on Isle Saint Louis and look for the green flashing “plus” sign. This will be a French pharmacy, a great place to get some classic French products for your trip and basic gifts for friends.

Notre Dame is under renovation but it is worth walking around no matter the time of day, so don’t miss it.

Take the metro to the Saint-Germain-de-Pres in the 6th and have lunch at Cafe de Flore or Les Deux Magot. Do some more people watching. Make sure to slow down and get into the custom of long meals in France.

From here you have only one duty to fulfill, see as much of the famous Louvre museum as possible before moving on. Learn more about your visit.

Your final destination is the Musee d’Orsay where they stay open late on Thursday evenings. If you plan on going on a Thursday night, you will be able to take a break and eat at their cafeteria for your second evening meal.

Now, your second morning is the last before you rush to the airport, so make it count. Repeat some version of morning number one and take some extra time to take in the views. If possible, plan to take the number 6 metro line to the Trocadero. The views from this line are legendary as they go above ground for part of the line. Here you will get all of your requisite Eiffel Tower photos.

Take the metro to Champs Élysées for Arc de Triomphe photos before dipping into a well-rated brasserie for lunch. Take the metro to Les Halles and have lunch at Pied de Cochon.

If you are into into cooking, you can do some shopping next door at E. Dehillerin, where Julia Child shopped. Make sure to duck inside a nearby church to see the glory of Parisian churches and then walk 5 minutes north east and stroll Rue Montorgueil. This street has all of the best foods and wine; a great place to gather your own dinner meal the next time you are in Paris.

If you can plan ahead, there are private boats tours on the Seine and this is a great way to end your last evening. From wherever you end up on the Seine, you will want to take a taxi to dinner at Brasserie Vaudeville and make sure to end your meal with the Isle Flottante dessert.

Sleep well and bon voyage on your morning flight home.

Thank you for reading…L’aventure commence!

Scott W