Days in a city

Globetrotters – 48 hours in Paris

DAY 1 – Crème de la crème

Morning	Champs Élysées
Afternoon	Musée du Louvre / Notre-Dame
Evening	Eiffel Tower

A good place to start would be the Arc de Triomphe which will take your breath away. If the line isn’t too crazy, consider heading to the top for the perfect view of the chaos on the roundabout below, not to mention great views over the city and of the Eiffel Tower. After coming back down, walk the length of Paris’ most famous and fashionable street, the Champs Élysées (perhaps making a stop in a shop or two), and continue to Place de la Concorde. Further along is the Jardin des Tuileries and then you’ll reach the next major Parisian icon, the Musée du Louvre, but most likely if you’re a Globetrotter then you won’t have time to spend the remainder of the day in there (unless it’s one of the key things that brought you to Paris, in which case perhaps start your day there). From the Louvre it’s not a far walk to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, which is free to go inside. Also close from here is Sainte-Chapelle and the Ile St-Louis which makes for a nice stroll.

Seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night is simply spectacular, and on the hour the lights sparkle for 5mins. The view from the top is even more impressive at night or sunset which is why if possible, it’s worth saving it for late in the day (and if the lines aren’t too bad). If you really want to splash out you can have dinner at the top, but on the other hand, you could have a picnic on the Champ du Mars or check out the nearby Trocadéro area.

DAY 2 – More Parisian Icons

Morning	Montmartre
Afternoon	Pompidou & Luxembourg Gardens
Evening	Cruise the Seine

Start the day with another fantastic viewpoint over the city, however from a different perspective. Head to Montmartre and either walk up the hill or hop on the short funicular to the entrance of the massive Sacré-Coeur Basilica. Enter the Basilica or climb one of it’s towers for even better views. Then walk down the hill and explore the Montmartre area (though some might find it a bit too touristy and tacky).

Get back on the Metro to the centre of town and check out the fascinating architecture of the Pompidou centre. The Musée National d’Art Moderne museum inside is unlike any other contemporary art gallery and highly recommended if time allows. After lunch head out to the Luxembourg Gardens which is a very popular spot for the locals to hang out when the weather is nice. Assuming that it is, a nice way to spend the evening would be doing a seine river cruise.

Vacationers

Follow the Globetrotters itinerary for Days 1-2.

DAY 3

Morning	Art museum/s
Afternoon	More culture!
Evening	Moulin Rouge / Pigalle

If you have more time in Paris, I think it’s safe to say on this occasion you will become a bit of a ‘culture buff’, as more time in Paris means more culture. Follow the Globetrotters itinerary for Days 1 & 2, however if you did not take the time to explore the Louvre on Day 1, perhaps take some time on your third day for this and/or take your pick to visit perhaps the Musée d’Orsay, Musée Rodin or Musée Picasso (note: currently closed until Spring 2014).

If your budget allows a dinner at the Moulin Rouge is another Parisian experience you’re unlikely to ever forget, but many tourists just stop by to get a picture outside. Nearby Pigalle is the very bustling and adult oriented (though safe) Red Light District with a number of bars and places to eat.

Culture buffs

This is a hard one, because there is just so much culture in Paris! Spend another day or two taking your pic of some of the following, and there’s so much more I’m sure many would comment that this is not even scraping the surface:

Orangerie Museum
Opéra Garnier
Napoleon’s Tomb
Trip to Versailles
Latin Quarter
Galleries Lafayette department store

Days mapped out

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