City Guide: Spending a Weekend in Paris

Paris, the city of love, the city of light! After living so close to Paris for 28 years (yes even the farthest side of Belgium is still close), it was finally time to visit this city of dreams. My bother and my sisters and I (Joachim) decided on a weekend and went to see this city booming with culture, history and beauty!

In general, I’m not a big fan of cities. The crowds, industry and atmosphere aren’t appealing to me. I must say though, Paris has converted me to a city lover. This city is built on a history you can feel in every stone you look at! Let me take you on a trip of a lifetime. Here’s a full itinerary of the ultimate weekend in Paris. FYI We arrived on a Friday midday and left Sunday late afternoon.

Day 1: Cultural escapades

The best way to get around in Paris is with the small rental city bikes called Vélib. They are scattered around the city are a great way to explore Paris. All you need to do is download the app! I thought Paris would be huge, but if you are staying around centre Pompidou, nothing is more than a 15 minute bike ride away.

More about Velib and how to rent them at the end of the blog!

Arc de Triomphe

Start off your first day at one of the more famous landmarks, this monument towers out above all others. There is an eternal flame which gets lit every day at 6:30. To get to the Arc itself, use one of the two underground tunnels located at the end of the Champs D’Elysee and the Avenue de la Grande Armee.

To get to the top of the Arc de Triomphe you will have to wait in line to buy a ticket (children under 17 will get in for free) and climb 40 stairs. You’ll get an amazing view over the Champs D’Elysee. If you are going to climb the Eiffel tower I would suggest waiting for the view from the Eiffel tower since it is a lot better! When you are on top of the Eiffel tower you will also be able to fully grasp the hugeness of the Arc De Triomphe.

Walking underneath it, makes you feel epic small.

Champs D’Elysee

After admiring this historical giant, make your way over this big shopping street in the direction of the city center. This landmark of Paris has high-end shopping malls and stores on both sides and for those who are interested. A lot of luxury car tours around Paris leave from this place. We saw some deals where you could drive a Lamborgini through Paris for 20 minutes for 89 euro.

Grand Palais and Pont Alexandre III

After crossing the Franklin Roosevelt place, you will find the Grand Palais on your right side in the middle of a little park. Next to it you also find the Petit Palais, its little brother and a statue dedicated to Winston Churchill which was made when he did the victory walk over the Champs D’Elyssee during WWII.

The most overly decorated bridge of Paris! Right next to where the photo was taken on the right hand side where the pop up bars and lunch boats.

Behind the park, lies the Pont Alexandre III that crosses the Seine. This bridge is definitely one of the most ornate bridges of Paris, with its golden coated statues and old street lights. In the Seine on the East side of the bridge, there are a couple of boats that are perfect for having lunch or some drinks by the river. In summer they also have a pop-up bar on the side of the Seine! We got lucky since the weekend in October that we went was still really warm!

Place de la Concorde

Make your way in the direction of the Louvre through the place de la Concorde. This big square has amazing features and in the middle there is an obelisk which is brought over from Egypt in 1830. It took the French two years to get it to France and another year to put it up.

Louvre

As you walk to the Louvre, you will cross the Jardin des Tuileries which is definitely worth a little stroll. Walking from this side is the best way to take in all the beauty and immenseness of the Louvre! You will pass beneath the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, a much smaller version of the real one and arrive at the place du Carrousel, the little roundabout in front of the Louvre. Here you will be engulfed with the beauty of the whole structure.

The main entrance to the Louvre itself! Due to the terror treath the smaller entrances were closed.

The best tip for the Louvre is: Take your time! I am not the biggest fan of museums in general but this one really impressed me! We strolled through it for 45 minutes and then realized we didn’t even see ten percent of the whole collection! That moment we decided to take an audio guide (which costs another five euro) and do the masterpiece tour. This tour guides you through the history of the museum and also the masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus of Milo. You also will receive some interesting information so it is definitely worth the extra money!

This shot is taken from the inside of the pyramide with the setting sun in the back.

Tavel Hack: The Louvre usually has huge waiting lines. On Wednesday and Friday evening the museum is open until 10 pm instead of 6 pm. Not a lot of people know about this so take advantage of it. We went on a Friday at 6 pm and literally walked in without any lines. This also showed in the fact that there were about ten people in front of the Mona Lisa instead of the usual hundred. Another bonus for European citizens: ’till the age of 26 you get in for free by showing your ID. Also there are multiple entrances to the Louvre. We walked passed the Louvre and there was a line of 2 hours to get in. We then went to the Le Carrousel de Louvre entrance, which is located next to the Arc de Carrousel and literally walked in without waiting till the ticket boot.

When facing the Arc de Carrousel with the Louvre in your back, the entrance will be on the right and left hand side of the Arc.

Eiffel Tower

La moment supreme you all have been waiting for: The Eiffel Tower! If you are using the subway, go to Trocadero station. If you’re using the Vélib bikes, there is a hub around there as well. Walk from here in the direction of the Jardin de Trocadero to get an amazing view of the Eiffel tower in between the two buildings.

This is the view you will get if you walk through the two buidlings.

At the Eiffel tower, you have the choice to get a ticket to the second floor or to the top of the tower. Definitely opt to go all the way to the top as the view from there is amazing! Check out the Arc de Triomphe and you will grasp how gargantuan it really is!

If you love statues, you’ll find them all over Paris!

Travel Hack: The Eiffel tower always has a waiting line. Get there half an hour before opening and it won’t be too long. We got there at opening time and it took us about an hour to get to the top (because you have to wait to get a ticket, wait to get in the second elevator and so on). If you are short on time, buy your ticket online. You have to do this some time ahead though as they sell out about two weeks in advance. Or just get a “skip the line”ticket. More about these tickets later.

Centre Pompidou

After seeing the Eiffel tower, go over to centre Pompidou for a nice brunch. This cosy area of Paris is perfect to get a chill drink in the sun and have some lunch. Also, check out the building that lends its name to the place. After seeing all these historical buildings it is a nice change to see a modern built one.

Travel Hack: Check out the new sculpture “Domestikator” Centre Pompidou just bought. The Louvre classed it as too vulgar so be warned. More about it here.

Notre Dame

Of course, you can’t go to Paris without seeing the Notre Dame. This famous cathedral from the Disney movie is pretty impressive. Explore the whole island, it has other beautiful lesser known buildings. If you want to get a drink next to the Cathedral, be aware that it’s expensive. We paid about €6 for a coke here!

On my left hand side is the line, waiting to enter the Notre Damn. It was at least 70 meters long!

Travel Hack: Since the entrance to the Cathedral is free, so the ‘waiting line’ is not an official one. It is mostly because people tend to linger in the entrance hall instead of directly entering the Cathedral. We didn’t feel the need to go in there but someone gave us the tip that if you are alone or with two, to just sneak in front and enter without waiting. Don’t know if it works but you are certainly not doing anything wrong.

The building is amazingly decorated with many different figures. Whereever you look you can spot dozens of them.

Musea D’Orsay

This Impressionistic museum is rated one of the top museums in Paris. It is definitely worth the visit! Located in the old train building of Paris, just on the side of the Seine.

Travel Hack: It is opened on Thursday till 9:45 instead of 6 pm so, again, if you go around six that day, there are less waiting lines! Another tip is to combine it with the Museum Rodin, which is a museum dedicated to statues. If you buy a combined ticket at museum Rodin, where the waiting lines are a lot shorter, you can just enter Museum D’Orsay without waiting. To cut the lines at Museum Rodin, just tell the guard you want to buy a ticket from the machine and he will let you pass. Not a lot of people know about it so there’s no line.

Palais de Luxembourg

This beautiful palace with accompanying ground is ideal for an afternoon stroll. This building built in 1615 has been wel kept and used through the time making it a stunning hystorical sight! It has a 25 hectare green garden filled with statues and large bassins of water to cool down during the summer months.

The catacombs of Paris

One of the must-see places in Paris. There are catacombs under the whole of Paris that stretch for kilometers. Located in the 14th arrondissement is the entrance to the part of the catacombs you can see.

Travel Hack: The line here can get pretty long and you can wait up to two hours. So if you arrive on the late side, there is a chance you won’t get in. I would suggest getting the “skip the line” tickets here. You can get them for most touristic places in Paris and they will shorten your waiting time. The “Skip the line” tickets do cost a bit more as the normal tickets for the catacombs are twice as expensive. This means 35 euro instead of 17.

Butte-aux-Cailles

After seeing the catacombs head over to this suburb of Paris close to the Catacombs where all locals go to get a drink at night and a bite to eat.

Sacre Coeur

For the last day start off in the area of the Sacre Coeur. This stunning Basilique is a must see place in Paris. Walk up the 222 steps to the top of the hill the Montmartre or take the cable cart Funiculaire de Montmartre.

The whiteness of the structure is incredible. It must be well maintained by Paris.

Travel Hack: Since it is a touristy area there are a lot of scams going on. Watch out for people playing “find the ball” on the street going to the Sacre Coeur. Everyone who is gathered around and playing is in on the scam and you will see them wearing earpieces while there is a guy with a phone close. While you are engaged in the game, they will try and pickpocket you. Secondly while walking the stairs of there will be groups of men trying, sometimes with force, to put a bracelet on your arm. After they put it on, they will ask a high price for it. If you refuse they are known to even get aggressive. Just push through while saying “non merci” and keep your arms close to your body.

Place du Tertre

This little artist square is filled with local artists showing and selling their paintings. You’ll find so many different styles there. If you are looking for a good souvenir, get your portrait made here or just stop for a nice lunch and coffee.

You can see the work in progress as dozen of artists are working while having their stall open.

Love wall

This little wall made out of 612 tiles of enameled lava, on which the phrase ‘I love you’ is written 311 times in 250 languages. Perfect for a great Instagram shot!

Can you find “I love you” in your language?

Moulin Rouge

While you are in the neighbourhood it would be a shame not to visit this iconic building and get a few shots!

Some practicalities

Getting there

By train: The easiest way getting there is taking the Thalys or the TGV. Try buying your tickets as far ahead as possible since last minute doesn’t exist with these tickets.

By car: Driving there is easy to but it takes longer then the train. Also parking spaces are rare in Paris and getting around with car is not that easy since there are a lot of one way streets.

Getting around

By bike: Check out Velib. These city bikes are available everywhere in the city. The cost is 1,7 Euro per day and you can book them in advance or just book them at one of the Velib stations. Download the app to see which stations have bikes and available spots to drop your bike off. You do need a credit card to use the bikes.

By Foot: Paris is not as big as you would think. If you have the time it is possible to walk through Paris. From the furthest point of interest, the catacombs, to Sacre Coeur it is an hour and a half.

By metro: The metro services are solid too. We did notice that the bike often would be faster than the metro since you sometimes have to get 2 different lines.

If you love seeing statues, you will be satisfied in Paris!

Where to stay

Hotels and Hotels can get quite expensive in Paris. Be sure to check out Airbnb since there are a lot of place in the center that are not as expensive.`Check out Joachim’s Airbnb profile to see where we stayed!

If you use Airbnb for the first time. Be sure to make an account following this link. This will give you a €35 discount and us €15 Euro travel credit to!

I hope you weekend in Paris will be as magical as mine was! The city is amazing so just soak it all in! If you have any questions or remarks please post them in the comments and be sure to follow us at Instagram and Facebook for more travel hacks and shots!