Best of Paris....in 2 days


Day 1
1. Sacre-Coeur
Enjoy a peaceful morning at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris or Sacre-Coeur Basilica. It is located in Montmartre on a hill top. The view of the city is spectacular from here.

Take a breathe, calm your minds and enjoy the the stunning architecture and interiors of the basilica and the peaceful surroundings lined with trees.

2. Louvre Museum
Visit the world famous Louvre Museum in the afternoon. If you are visiting on a Wednesday or Friday you can stay till 9:45 PM and explore the 30000+ artworks.
I have explained how we avoided crowds and had a great time at the Louvre in a separate post.

Day 2

3. Arc de Triomphe






Another prominent monument in Paris which you shouldn't miss. Start the day by climbing to the top of Arc de Triomphe and taking in the spectacular view of the Paris city.

Few things to keep in mind about the Arc
a) It can get very crowded. So go early or late at night and book the tickets online in advance.
b) This is also the place where people of Paris protest. So check the news before you go.
c) You have to climb 284 steps to reach the top. There is a lift that takes you three-fourths of the way but you have to climb 46 steps to reach the top.

4. Champs-Elyssee
From Arc de Tripmphe you can either walk for 25 mins to get to the center of avenue des Champs Elyssee or you can hop on the metro and ride couple of stops (Franklin Roosevelt) to save some time. Enjoy a stroll through the grand avenue with its numerous shops and restaurants.

5. Pont Alexander III

A short walk from Champs-Elyssee, you will come to one of the most spectacular bridges Pont Alexander III. Go for a walk along the Seine River and enjoy the views.

6. Notre-Dame
After lunch, we decided to visit the popular Notre-Dame Cathedral. We knew that there will be lot of crowd and we might have to stand in the queue for a while. But it was not bad. In 20 minutes we were inside the cathedral. We wish we had read about the history and architecture of this cathedral before we went in. It was very beautiful and even with hundreds of people surrounding us, it was still peaceful.

7. Luxemberg Gardens
Luxemberg Gardens is a short bus ride from Notre-Dame. We strolled around the gardens and looked at the palace from the outside.

The garden is beautiful to have a picnic lunch or just to rest your feet for sometime after all the walking you have done in the city.

8. Eiffel Tower
We saved the best to the last. Eiffel Tower isbeautiful at all times but it is spectacular in the evening. Go before sunset and stay long after to see the twinkling lights in the tower. The best view is from Trocadero but it is also extremely crowded. We did not go to the top of the tower as we just wanted to enjoy the view for a while. But if you have time then you should definitely do it. Just book the tickets in advance and skip the lines.