If you’ve only got a day and a half in Paris and want to hit the classics without wasting half your trip figuring out where to go, this is exactly the itinerary we followed. We packed in the Louvre, an Eiffel Tower picnic, a sunset river cruise, and more pastries than I’d like to admit to, and somehow it never felt rushed.
In a Rush? Here are our favourite Hotels in Paris, France
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Opéra 2 – Click here for rates & availability
⭐⭐⭐ Hotel de L’Universite – Click here for rates & availability
⭐⭐ Hôtel Saint Roch – Click here for rates & availability
Paris’s Hot Chocolate Obsession (And Where to Actually Get It)
Like us, if you spent time on social media trying to plan your visit in Paris, you’ve probably seen the same handful of cafés doing the rounds, thick, indulgent hot chocolate poured tableside over whipped cream.
Café Carrousel du Louvre was our pick, and it’s not the name that comes up first when people ask where to go. It’s situated right by the Louvre, so it fits conveniently into a morning of sightseeing rather than needing its own dedicated trip.
Which worked for us. You’re looking at paying €7.50 for their hot chocolate and worth every cent. Fair warning, it’s rich. Split one if you’re not big on sugar first thing in the morning, or just fully commit like we did.
Lunch: A Proper Picnic Under the Eiffel Tower
Instead of sitting down somewhere, we grabbed a fresh baguette and a few bits from a local supermarket and found a spot to sit with a view of the Eiffel Tower.
This is genuinely one of my favourite ways to spend a lunch in Paris. It’s cheaper than a sit down restaurant… There’s zero pressure to rush, it’s cheap and eating with that view in front of you is so special.
Seine River Cruise at Sunset: Why the Bateaux Mouches Is Worth Booking Ahead
If there’s one thing worth booking ahead on this trip, it’s this. We took the Bateaux Mouches cruise along the Seine timed for golden hour, and it completely changed how we saw the city for the rest of the evening. A view of Paris from the river, different angles of the architecture, it was so picturesque.
By the time the boat loops back, the sky’s gone properly dark and the Eiffel Tower is lit up gold, sparkling on the hour if your timing works out.
Although cheesy and stereotypical, it was clear why this activity is so popular among those who come to visit Paris.
This particular cruise is reasonably priced on GetYourGuide, at about €14 per person. If you’re planning to do the same, use code ALYXBARNETT5 for money off your booking. It’s not limited to the cruise either, the code applies across any tour or activity listed on their site/app.
Given how easy it makes booking ahead in a city where the popular stuff fills up fast, it’s genuinely one of the more useful codes to keep in your back pocket for Paris. Whether it is city walking tours, museum visits or day trips to Versailles… GetYourGuide makes booking so easy
Staying Connected
The Paris Métro is genuinely one of the easiest subway systems to figure out, stations are everywhere, trains run constantly, and Google Maps will get you door to door without much thought. That said, you’re relying on data the whole time to actually pull those directions up, and normal roaming can get expensive fast if you’re not careful.
I switched to an eSIM instead of using my regular contract abroad and it made getting around so much easier. Holafly sets up in a few minutes before you even leave home, so you land with data ready to go rather than hunting for wifi to check a map.