24 Hours in Paris, France

Our recent trip to Paris, France, was everything I hoped it would be and more. If I’m honest, I doubted that I would like Paris. We passed on visiting the city of love on our trip to Europe in 2019 because we’d heard such negative reviews and stories about the city. We were hesitant to add Paris to our Europe itinerary on this trip but we are beyond grateful that we did.

Our day in Paris was perfect. The weather was perfect. The croissants and hot chocolate were perfect. Paris is perfect.

Where We Stayed

We waited until the last minute to book our accommodations in Paris—like a week before kind of last minute. We probably could have found a better deal if we had booked months in advance, but this trip to Europe was a last-minute ordeal. Fortunately, we found a great Airbnb just a 3-minute walk from The Louvre, a 5-minute walk from the Seine, and a 15-minute walk from Notre Dame. The neighborhood was trendy and lively, and we felt very safe, too.

We knew we wanted to start our day early and visit The Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries, and Palais-Royal before the city awoke. The location of this Airbnb was essential in pulling this off. We saw some of the most iconic sites in Paris, all before 9 a.m. Check out the difference between the crowds at 9 a.m. and the crowds at 11 a.m. in the photos below.

Our only complaints were (1) the apartment had a unique smell and (2) the apartment was very small. However, we would book this Airbnb all over again simply because it truly is in the best location.

8 AM

Sunrise in Paris in late September was just before 8 a.m. We decided to set our alarms for 7 a.m. and to hit the streets by 7:45. We made it out the door right on time and walked straight to The Louvre. Hands down, The Louvre at 8 a.m. was our favorite sight in the city. Of course, seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 11 p.m. is a close second. The Louvre was so peaceful in the early morning and we enjoyed seeing how surrounding French architecture painted the perfect backdrop for this iconic museum. We didn’t tour the museum on this trip, but we did enjoy walking around its exterior and peeking through the glass windows.

After The Louvre, we walked over to Palais-Royal. Google Maps took us to the wrong location at first, so make sure you save [this location] on your own itinerary. Again, the stunning French architecture left us in awe.

After Palais-Royal, we walked to Jardin des Tuileries and enjoyed a quiet morning in the park. The leaves were beginning to change on the trees and I’m convinced the perfect time to visit Paris is late September for this reason alone. If I lived in Paris, I would certainly run through the gardens. Just imagine with me how dreamy that would be.

9 AM

By the time we finished walking the gardens, we were ready for breakfast. I recognize that Cafe de Flore is a very “touristy” spot for breakfast in Paris, but it’s also arguably the most iconic cafe in Paris (don’t tell Les Deux Magots I said that). For this reason, we happily made our way to Cafe de Flore and ordered a ham and cheese omelet, two croissants, and one dark chocolate chaud (hot chocolate). I didn’t realize just how busy it would be by 9 a.m., but we still snagged a table outside right away and our food arrived promptly. Our waiter was also very kind—unexpected considering the reviews I read in advance spoke negatively about the service. The whole experience was a 10/10.

Our plan was to try as many croissants and hot chocolates as possible during our time in Paris. By the end of the day, we only tried two croissants and one chocolate chaud, though. We were just too busy to wait in line at Angelina (supposedly the best hot chocolate in Paris). You can make reservations at Les Deux Magots, which we did, but by the time our reservation rolled around, we were on the opposite side of the city. I’m glad, though, that Cafe de Flore’s chocolate chaud is forever fixed in my memory when I think about Parisian hot chocolate.

We took our time getting up from our table so that we could observe the mix of Parisians and tourists passing by. The best seats outside the Cafe are along Saint-Germain. We recommend arriving close to 7:30 a.m. if you hope to sit at one of these tables. We sat along Rue Saint-Benoît, also a great spot to sit, but the view of the main street was slightly obstructed here.

10 AM

After breakfast and people-watching, we took a short walk to Citypharma, a French pharmacy that I heard was the largest and had the best prices in Paris. It’s embarrassing how many hours I spent researching French skincare leading up to our trip. I have an extensive list on my phone of products I wanted to find for every skin concern under the sun (maybe I will share my list in a future blog post. Let me know if you are interested).

Why was I so excited to visit a French pharmacy? French women wear minimal makeup and focus more on skincare. They often use products like a tinted moisturizer or tinted sunscreen that evens their skin tone yet nourishes their skin at the same time. They also tend to take better care of their skin because they wear less makeup and want their natural skin to shine. I love this approach to makeup and skincare and knew I wanted to try a few French skincare favorites. You can purchase some of the products on my list in American stores, but these products are significantly cheaper at a French pharmacy. For example, one tinted sunscreen on my list was $11.99 at Citypharma. At a cosmetic shop at the airport, I found the same product for $42. Of course, airports tend to overprice their products, but I’m sure this second price point isn’t too far off from the average American price tag.

I have added four French favorites to my skincare regimen: Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre (a moisturizer that supposedly sits well under makeup), A313 (a retinol cream), Bioiderma H20 Micellar Water, and La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Sunscreen SPF 50. I love Bioiderma and La Roche-Posay, so I’m excited to try all of these new products!

11 AM

Next, it was time for another croissant. We had high hopes for Poilane Bakery because it is Ina Garten’s favorite in Paris. I’ve loved Ina Garten’s recipes for years so I figured we could trust her taste in pastries. Caleb preferred the croissant at Cafe de Flore over the one at Poilane. I think I agree with him but I did like Poilane’s choice of a darker chocolate. The chocolate in Cafe de Flore’s pastry was sweeter, the pastry itself was much flakier, and the ratio of chocolate to pastry was higher. Poilane’s croissant was good, but I would have liked it more if it had been flakier and had a higher ratio of chocolate to pastry. If you prefer a flakier, sweeter, and more chocolate-forward croissant, you will likely prefer Cafe de Flore. But, if you prefer more pastry than chocolate and you like a more bitter chocolate, try Poilane Bakery.

We enjoyed our croissant on our way to Rue de l'Université, a popular photo spot with a great up-close view of the Eiffel Tower. We had trouble finding the exact photo spot along Rue de l'Université, so here’s a pin that will hopefully help you find it more easily. Fair warning: this spot is popular, but finding an empty street with a view of the Eiffel Tower is pretty much impossible. I love the final photos, people and all, and can’t wait to display the one of Caleb and I around our home and in my work office.

Note: the closer you get to the Eiffel Tower, the more crowded Paris feels. You will also notice more illegal street vendors who may haggle you into buying a model of the Eiffel Tower, a drawing, etc. I would recommend steering clear of the area directly beneath the Eiffel Tower if you want to avoid this.

12 PM

Around noon, we hopped on the metro and headed back toward Saint Germain. We walked along the Seine and enjoyed browsing the stalls filled with books, postcards, paintings, and more. I bought a postcard for the collection we keep on our coffee table.

We were pretty worn out by the time we finished this walk along the Seine, so we found a bench to give our feet a break and ate some snacks we kept in our bag. We stumbled upon a French grocery store earlier in the day and I enjoyed a plum and some grapes. We also had some leftover British candy in our bags that we happily ate while enjoying the view.

Several years ago, I heard the song Paris by Ben Rector and immediately added “Listen to Paris while in Paris” to my bucket list. While we were sitting on a bridge over the Seine, Caleb remembered and started playing the song. Although it might sound silly, I teared up and enjoyed the moment that much more. We eventually walked back over to The Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries to people-watch some more. We even found a man playing the accordion in the park and that just felt fitting.

2 PM

Once we had enough energy to continue our wandering around Paris, we hopped on a bus that took us to Pont Alexandre III bridge. The bus ride to the bridge was an experience, to say the least. We happened to be in Paris during Paris Fashion Week and at the second stop on our route to the bridge, about 25 people with cameras and badges hopped onto an already crowded bus. There must have been a Fashion Week event near the bridge because we also saw many potential models and reporters taking photos in extravagant attire. It was fascinating to sit and observe.

These photos on the Pont Alexandre III bridge might be some of my favorites because of the unique view of the Eiffel Tower. I love that you can see the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, the bridge, pretty french buildings, and the changing trees.

4 PM

We ended the day with a trip to the Arc de Triomphe and some McDonalds. Classy, right? We love eating at McDonalds in other countries. Each country has unique menu offerings that are fun to try. Were these macarons the best I’ve ever had? No. Did they taste good after a long day of exploring Paris with my favorite person? Absolutely.

I hope you enjoyed our Paris recap! I hope even more that you have an opportunity to visit Paris soon too. Have a question about Paris or traveling in Europe? Leave it in the comment section below or send me a direct message on Instagram.