Everything you can do in one day in Paris

Yes, I know, Paris is a big city and it has so many places to see that you may think it is impossible to see it in just one day. Sometimes, you don’t have a choice but to visit as much as you can in the shortest time possible. To be more specific, I had a 8 hours layover in Paris when I returned from USA. I had two options: to stay in line many hours just to enter somewhere (especially in the Eiffel Tower) or make a big plan. I’ve never been to Paris before. So I went for the second option and made my one-day-in-Paris-tour with the pen on the map!

Land-train-center

I’m not saying it’s easy or comfortable to check the hour every 15 minutes or run after trains and metros. But what I can promise you is that it is definitely worth it!

Minutes after my plane landed, I was at the info desk, where I bought my round-trip train ticket to get to the center of the city. I tried to ask for some indications in English, but people always answered me in French. Then I ran as fast as I could to catch the train. The trip to Notre Dame lasted 45 minutes. So, my fist landmark check in Paris was the Cathedral.

9 km walking

From Notre Dame I crossed the Pont Notre Dame, I passed by the City Hall, Theatre de la Ville, Tour Saint-Jacques and Theatre du Chalet. Then I went out and took a stroll by the Seine and admired the huge building on the opposite side, resembling a big fortress – the Royal Palace.

I stopped at the Pont Neuf for some good shots. Next was the Pont des Arts. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see the famous bridge with those millions of locks hanged to it, but I took consolation in finding some on the waterfront at the entrance to the bridge, where there were a few panels which quickly gathered hundreds of padlocks.

Amazing places

From there, I went to the courtyard of the Louvre. I was amazed by its size! Among the columns of one of the gates, I saw the famous glass pyramid, located in another kind of courtyard. The Louvre building is impressive…and huge! I continued my tour by walking beside the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and Jardin des Tuileries. It was there where I discovered some of the most wonderful autumn colors. I think that after reaching this place I began to fell shattered by regrets about not having more time to stay and fully enjoy the landscape.

Unique architecture

The next place I visited was Place de la Concorde, of which I caught a glimpse from a distance, precisely from the Bourbon Palace, then I went on the Alexandre III bridge, from where I could admire the palace and the Eglise Saint-Louis des Invalides. I then passed through Grand Palais and Petit Palais, other architectural masterpieces.

I could not miss a walk on Champs-Elysees, the bohemian part of the city, paved with cobblestones. After that, I went down to the Seine among the Av Montagne, through luxury stores and chic boutiques. Then I saw the Canadian Embassy and the Theatre des Champs-Elysées. I arrived at the Flamme de la Liberte, I walked past the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Palace of Tokyo – in the same large white building whose name I can’t recall and I saw Jardins du Trocadero and Palais de Chaillot.