Paris needs no selling, but it does reward a plan. Two days is enough to see the cathedral on its island, one great museum, the Eiffel Tower lit up and Montmartre at dusk, without sprinting. This route suits first-timers and returning visitors who want the classics in a sensible order, with time left for a long lunch.
Why go
Few cities pack so much into a walkable centre. The Seine ties it together: follow the river and you pass the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Musée d’Orsay and the Eiffel Tower in an afternoon. In between are the things that make Paris feel like Paris: zinc-topped bars, bakeries with queues out the door, markets and squares where nobody is in a hurry.
Notre-Dame has been open again since December 2024 after its restoration, which gives a weekend here a fresh focus. It’s also an easy trip by train from London, Brussels, Amsterdam and much of France, so you can arrive on a Friday evening and lose no time.
Paris
Don’t miss
The places that make the trip, and why each one deserves your time.
Ali Sabbagh / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Notre-Dame
Open again since December 2024 after its restoration. Look up at the restored spire from the square before you step inside the great Gothic cathedral on its island.
Go first, while the square is calm.
Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Sainte-Chapelle
A jewel box of thirteenth-century stained glass, where walls of coloured windows glow around you on a bright morning.
Book online and go on a sunny morning.
Celette / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Classic Left Bank streets, cafés and galleries. Pause at Café de Flore on boulevard Saint-Germain, in business since around 1887, for coffee and people-watching.
Roman Eisele / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Musée d'Orsay
A former railway station holding the world's best collection of Impressionist painting, under its great vaulted roof and station clock.
Closed on Mondays, with a late opening on Thursdays.
Eutouring / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Eiffel Tower
Ride up after dark for the city lights spread below, or stay on the ground and watch it sparkle on the hour from the Trocadéro.
Book on toureiffel.paris and choose your level when buying.
Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 The Louvre
One of the world's great museums. Pick two or three wings rather than trying to see it all, then walk out through the Tuileries Garden towards Place de la Concorde.
Be there for opening; closed on Tuesdays.
Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Le Marais
Mansions, small museums and boutiques, Breton galettes and cider for lunch, then a long sit in the Place des Vosges, the city's oldest planned square.
Neo007 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur
The steps in front of the basilica give one of the best views across Paris at sunset, then the old village lanes lead down past the Moulin Rouge.
Arrive in time for sunset; the basilica is free.
The 48-hour route
Day 1
Morning: Start on the Île de la Cité. See Notre-Dame first, while the square is calm, and look up at the restored spire before you go in. Entry is free, and you can reserve a free time slot on the cathedral’s official site or app to skip the longest queue. Then walk round the corner to Sainte-Chapelle, a jewel box of thirteenth-century stained glass. Tickets are sold on the Monuments Nationaux site; go on a bright morning, when the windows glow.
Afternoon: Cross to the Left Bank and wander through the Latin Quarter to Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Pause at Café de Flore on boulevard Saint-Germain, in business since around 1887, for a coffee and some people-watching. Then spend the rest of the afternoon at the Musée d’Orsay, a former railway station holding the world’s best collection of Impressionist painting. It’s closed on Mondays and open late on Thursdays.
Evening: Walk west along the river as the light fades, then head for the Eiffel Tower. Book your ticket on the official site and choose your level when you buy, since a second-floor ticket can’t be upgraded to the summit later. The tower suggests 8pm onwards as one of its quieter windows, and the view of the city lights is the reward. If you’d rather stay on the ground, watch it sparkle on the hour from the Trocadéro.
Tip: Buy Eiffel Tower tickets only through toureiffel.paris. The tower warns about unofficial resellers in busy periods.
Day 2
Morning: Be at the Louvre for opening. The museum opens at 9am and is closed on Tuesdays. The Louvre recommends a booked time slot for every visitor, including those who enter free. Pick two or three wings rather than trying to see it all. Afterwards, walk out through the Tuileries Garden towards Place de la Concorde.
Afternoon: Take the metro to the Marais for lunch. Breizh Café does proper Breton buckwheat galettes and crêpes, washed down with cider. Then explore the neighbourhood’s mansions, small museums and boutiques, and sit for a while in the Place des Vosges, the city’s oldest planned square.
Evening: Go up to Montmartre in time for sunset. The Basilica of Sacré-Cœur is open daily and free to enter, and the steps in front give one of the best views across Paris. Walk down through the lanes of the old village, past the Moulin Rouge on boulevard de Clichy, then have dinner at Bouillon Chartier, a grand belle-époque dining room serving French classics since 1896.
With a third day
Spend it at Versailles. The palace is closed on Mondays, while the gardens and park open every day. Alternatively, explore Canal Saint-Martin and Belleville for a more local, creative side of the city.
Paris weekend in December 2026: Christmas and museum rules
December days are short, but the avenues are lit and the department-store windows come alive. These are the rules the official sites give for winter 2026.
| Sight | How entry works | Free entry | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre-Dame | Free; optional free time slot on the official site or app | Always, for the cathedral | Times may change for services and ceremonies |
| Louvre | Time slot recommended for all visitors | First Friday of the month after 6pm; under-18s; EEA residents under 26 | Tuesdays, 25 Dec, 1 Jan |
| Musée d’Orsay | Timed tickets use Entrance 1 (Quay); booking online encouraged | First Sunday of the month, booking mandatory | Mondays, 25 Dec |
Notre-Dame visiting rules
Entry to the cathedral is free. Booking a time slot is optional and also free, through the official website or the cathedral’s app, and new slots are usually released two days before, the day before and on the day itself. Tickets sold by third-party sites, agencies or guides may not get you in, so book only through the cathedral. You enter by the central Last Judgment portal and follow a set route. It opens from 7:50am on weekdays and 8:15am at weekends, closes at 7pm on weekdays and 7:30pm at weekends, and stays open until 10pm on Thursdays, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. Mass needs no booking; a separate queue opens 20 minutes before each service. The Treasury keeps its own hours and is ticketed separately.
Louvre and Orsay timed tickets
The Louvre opens 9am to 6pm, with late openings until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. Last entry is an hour before closing, and once you leave you can’t go back in. It closes on Tuesdays, 25 December and 1 January. A time slot is recommended for everyone, free visitors included, and in the busiest weeks the museum makes booking compulsory, so reserve before you travel.
The Musée d’Orsay opens Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30am to 6pm, and until 9:45pm on Thursdays. It closes on Mondays and on 25 December. Holders of timed tickets, including Paris Museum Pass holders who have reserved a slot, use Entrance 1 on the quay side. The free first Sunday must be booked ahead. Renovation works are under way in the building, so check the access notes on the museum’s site.
Tip: Use the late evenings. Notre-Dame on a Thursday night, the Louvre on a Wednesday or Friday and the Orsay on a Thursday are all far calmer than mid-morning.
Christmas lights and windows
The Champs-Élysées illuminations are the city’s set piece. The official 2026 switch-on date had not been published by late October. For comparison, in 2025 the City of Paris switched them on on 16 November and kept them lit until 4 January, from 5pm to midnight on weekdays and until 1am at weekends, all night on 24 and 31 December, with a short sound-and-light show each evening.
On boulevard Haussmann, Galeries Lafayette dresses its windows for Christmas every year. Its animated windows go back to 1909, and each year’s display takes about a year to make. The store had not announced its 2026 theme or unveiling date on its official site by late October; the same goes for Printemps next door.
Paris also has several seasonal markets, including in the Jardin des Tuileries, near Notre-Dame and at La Défense. None of their organisers had published confirmed 2026 dates on an official channel by late October, so treat dates you see elsewhere as provisional. For markets with confirmed dates, see the best Christmas markets in Europe.
Where to stay
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th): Classic Left Bank streets, cafés and galleries, a short walk from the islands and the Orsay. Best for first-timers and couples.
- Le Marais (3rd and 4th): Central, lively and full of places to eat, with good metro links. Best for food lovers and shoppers.
- Montmartre and South Pigalle (18th and 9th): Village feel, cocktail bars and roomier hotels. Best for return visitors and night owls.
- Canal Saint-Martin (10th): Close to Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est, with a younger, local crowd. Best for Eurostar arrivals and brunch fans.
What to eat and drink
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: Breakfast standing at the bakery counter is a Parisian ritual.
- Steak frites and other bistro classics: Onion soup, snails and crème brûlée, done well and served fast.
- Galettes and crêpes: Savoury buckwheat pancakes with egg, ham and cheese, then a sweet crêpe and a bowl of cider.
- Cheese and wine: Ask a fromagerie to build you a picnic plate for the Seine.
- Hot chocolate: Thick, rich and best on a cold afternoon.
Where to go:
- Bouillon Chartier (Grands Boulevards, with branches at Montparnasse and Gare de l’Est): Open every day, with non-stop service and no reservations. One of the best-value classic meals in the city.
- Café de Flore (Saint-Germain): The Left Bank café institution.
- Breizh Café (Le Marais and other neighbourhoods): Buckwheat galettes and cider from Brittany.
- Angelina (rue de Rivoli): The belle-époque tea room, famous since 1903 for its hot chocolate and Mont-Blanc pastry.
For more places by neighbourhood, see our where to eat in Paris guide.
Getting around
The metro is fast and covers the whole centre; the RER links the airports and Versailles. Charles de Gaulle is on RER B, and Orly is now on metro line 14. Buy tickets in the RATP app or at machines and load them onto a Navigo Easy card. For short hops, Vélib’ bikes have docking stations across the city. Above all, walk: the stretch from the islands to the Eiffel Tower along the river is one of the best walks in Europe.
Tip: Metro stations sometimes close at weekends for works. Check RATP before you set out; for the Eiffel Tower, Trocadéro and École Militaire are both a short walk away.
Good to know
- Museum closing days: The Louvre closes on Tuesdays; the Orsay, Rodin museum and Versailles palace close on Mondays. Plan your days around them.
- Centre Pompidou: The building is closed for renovation from 2025 to 2030. Parts of its collection appear at partner venues such as the Grand Palais.
- Arc de Triomphe: The rooftop is reached by a long spiral staircase; check the official site for lift access before you go.
- Book ahead: Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Orsay and Sainte-Chapelle tickets are best booked online before you travel. A Notre-Dame slot is optional and free.
- Tipping: Service is included in restaurant bills; rounding up is a courtesy, not an obligation.
- This weekend: For exhibitions and events, see this weekend’s picks.
FAQ
Is two days enough for Paris?
Two days covers the islands, one major museum, the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre at a good pace. Add a third day for Versailles or a slower look at the Marais and Canal Saint-Martin.
Which Paris museums are closed on Mondays?
The Musée d’Orsay, the Musée Rodin and the Palace of Versailles all close on Mondays. The Louvre is open on Mondays but closed on Tuesdays.
Is Notre-Dame free to visit?
Yes. Entry to the cathedral is free. You can reserve an optional, free time slot on the official site or app, which helps you avoid the longest queue; only the Treasury is ticketed separately.
Is the Louvre open on Christmas Day?
No. The Louvre closes on 25 December and 1 January, as well as every Tuesday. The Musée d’Orsay also closes on 25 December and every Monday.
Is Paris a good city for a romantic weekend?
It’s the classic choice, and it tops our list of the most romantic destinations in Europe. For more ideas, see our things to do in Paris and best city breaks in Europe.
