As of last summer, everyone I knew had been to Paris except me. Back when I lived in the UK visiting Paris was so easy, I thought “I can go anytime”. Then after graduating from uni, I moved to Australia, and well…Paris never happened. So in 2022 while I was back in England, since I was staying for longer than usual I figured “Why not finally jump on the Eurostar?”. Here’s my first-timer’s solo in Paris itinerary and tips for 3 amazing days exploring the French capital (without wasting any time in queues).
DAY 1 – WEDNESDAY
By the time I’d caught a taxi from Gare du Nord, dropped my bag off at the hotel, and then got the métro to Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre it was lunchtime. So, after a stroll across Pont Neuf to admire the Seine river view, I stopped for food at Le Bar Du Caveau in Place Dauphine. It was a balmy summer’s day and sitting in the leafy shade of this historic square on Île de la Cité with a glass of rosé, I felt immediately relaxed. The food, service, and ambience were just perfect.
After lunch, I wandered past Notre-Dame (under renovation) and Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole. Then I crossed Pont de la Tournelle to the left bank and made my way to Musée d’Orsay. The largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world was a must-see for me and it was incredible.
From the d’Orsay museum, I walked to Saint-Germain-des-Prés, before getting the métro to Lamarck and taking in the sights of Montmartre and Pigalle. Earlier I’d made a dinner reservation at Le Pantruche in South Pigalle, my final destination for the day. This bistro had a lovely cosy atmosphere, the food was delicious and the service was friendly.
Tip #1:
On your first visit to any Paris Métro station, purchase “Un Navigo Easy avec un carnet” from the ticket booth attendant. The card comes pre-loaded with 10 rides and currently costs €16.90. Top up at any of the machines with a purple card reader on the front, or via the Île-de-France Mobilité app. The Citymapper app is also super handy for navigating Parisian public transport.
Day 1 step count: 17,119
DAY 2 – THURSDAY
My second day started early so I could get crowd-free pics of the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. At 6 am I got the métro to Trocadéro, then walked to Avenue de Camoens for tower views. After that, I got another métro to Charles de Gaulle–Étoile for a view of the Arc de Triomphe sans traffic.
The next métro stop was Concorde to spend some time taking photos around Jardin des Tuileries. Then I daydreamed by a pond for a bit while I waited for the Musée de l’Orangerie to open at 9 am. As my pre-booked ticket was for the first timeslot available there was no queue (my fave), and no massive crowd to see Monet’s beautiful Water Lilies series.
It’s only a 10-minute walk to the Louvre from l’Orangerie. After an hour of admiring the Nymphéas and other great impressionist artworks, I had a quick brekkie of coffee and quiche in the museum café then headed to Musée du Louvre for my 10:30 am booking.
Musée du Louvre is spectacular – also huge. I’d allowed myself 2 hours to see the highlights and ended up spending 3 hours there. I wanted to make sure I left before midday when it starts to get crazy busy, but it was just so awesome I hung around slightly longer than planned. That’s 3 hours without queuing to get in, or for a selfie with Mona Lisa.
If you’re short on time like I was, it’s a smart idea to have a list of what your must-see Louvre things are. Try to do some research on which wings of the museum those things are in. Grab a visitor map when you arrive and hopefully, you can avoid spending any precious time getting lost in there 🤞
Tip #2:
You need a timed entry ticket for both l’Orangerie and the Louvre and they’re near each other. I made back-to-back advanced bookings for these two attractions using my Paris Museum Pass. This worked out especially well for the Louvre as my e-ticket allowed me to use the Carrousel entrance instead of Pyramide to completely avoid queuing. I got the 48-hour Paris Museum Pass which activated from when I first used it at Musée d’Orsay on day 1 – worthwhile if you plan to visit at least 4 sites over 2 days.
From the Louvre I strolled about 5 mins away to Jardin du Palais-Royal for a light outdoor lunch at Villalys. It was a peaceful, shady setting, with good food, wine and service – ticked all the boxes. I spent the late afternoon chilling at my hotel to recharge and rest my feet.
At about 7:30 pm, I caught the métro to Alma-Marceau and walked 5 mins to Le New York for dinner with a view of La Tour Eiffel. It’s really quite insane how reasonably priced this café/bar was considering its location. The food was excellent too, highly recommend!
When I’d finished scoffing my order of snails, burger and chocolate mousse, I found a spot on Champ de Mars to see the evening’s first tower sparkles. For a different perspective, I walked back to the métro station via Passerelle Debilly footbridge. So stunning.
Day 2 step count: 37,188
DAY 3 – FRIDAY
Since I’d had pretty early starts the previous 2 days, I decided to take things slower on my last morning in Paris. I bought some pastries and fresh juice from the Franprix store next to my hotel. Then I photographed myself enjoying said pastries and juice on my room balcony, wearing silky PJs like an absolute diva.
Once I was done fart-arsing around, I checked out and got a métro to Varenne, arriving at Le Musée Rodin by its opening time of 10 am. I showed my Paris Museum Pass again and walked straight in, but apparently, this gallery is rarely overcrowded enough to have long entry queues. With its impressive, landscaped sculpture garden and art collection housed inside the rococo Hôtel Biron, this was another gem of a site to explore.
Next, I made my way to Cardinal Lemoine on the métro and walked to Panthéon. Originally intended to be a church, the Panthéon became a place to honour those who died fighting during the revolution. It also honours people that have made a significant contribution to French culture and society. The Panthéon’s dome has one of the best views of the Paris skyline too!
Tip #3:
If you have a Paris Museum Pass you can skip the entry queue for the Panthéon nave and crypt. However, if you want to check out the view from the dome, you’ll need a supplementary timed ticket for the ‘Panorama’ which costs €3.50. The queue to purchase the additional ticket on arrival was short. If you don’t have a museum pass, a combined Panthéon entry and Panorama ticket is €15.00.
Before lunch, I walked about 10 mins from Panthéon to the Arènes de Lutèce public garden. Dating from the 1st century, Arènes de Lutèce is one of the only remaining visible structures from when Rome ruled this part of Europe. Back then Paris was just a small settlement called Lutetia, or Lutèce and this space was an amphitheatre. I hung around for a while contemplating the ancient history and watching some guys play pétanque, then caught a métro from Jussieu to Sully – Morland.
My last meal in Paris was in the picturesque Place des Vosges at a restaurant called La Place Royale. I thought Paris’s oldest public square would be the perfect spot for a final afternoon en terrasse. The food was tasty, but the location made it really memorable. After a wander through the gorgeous square, I went to have a quick look at nearby Place de la Bastille and Canal Saint-Martin. It was then time to head back to the hotel to grab my bag and return to Gare du Nord.
Day 3 step count: 19,996 (yes I am p’ed off that I didn’t make it to 20k 😂)
WHERE I STAYED
A lot of Paris guides advise staying as close as possible to the main attractions during your first time in the city. I personally don’t mind staying in quieter neighbourhoods and making slightly longer commutes. Le 12 Hôtel is situated in the 8th arrondissement, about a 15-minute walk from Opéra Garnier, Galeries Lafayettes and Printemps in the Grands Boulevards area. The nearest stations are Saint Lazare and Europe.
Each comfortable, soundproof guest room has a private bathroom. My room also had a sunny balcony that offered a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower which I loved. There were the usual flat-screen TV and tea/coffee-making facilities as well. Le 12 Hôtel serves a daily continental buffet breakfast which I didn’t try on this trip – next time though. I wouldn’t hesitate to rebook in the future.
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