Paris in 48 Hours: See the Best, Skip the Stress

Iconic sights, dreamy pastries, and city strolls—here’s Paris in two perfect days.

View of Paris from Notre Dame

Dreaming of Paris but only have 48 hours to experience it? No worries, we’ve whipped up the ultimate two-day itinerary that lets you dive into legendary museums, nibble on fresh-baked croissants, wander breathtaking boulevards, and soak up the sights from sunrise to sparkling night. Whether you love art, history, shopping or shameless people-watching from a café terrace, this guide stitches together Paris’ greatest hits with some secret detours—plus plenty of culinary moments to make you feel like a Parisian with time to spare. 

Our top recommendations for a truly memorable two days in Paris: 

  • Musée d'Orsay 
  • Sainte-Chapelle 
  • Notre Dame 
  • Bateaux Parisiens River Cruise 
  • Galeries Lafayette 
  • Montmartre & Sacré Coeur – Walking Tour 
  • Les Caves du Louvre 
  • Le Marais & Hidden Gems Walking Tour 
  • Palace of Versailles 
  • Saint-Germain-des-Prés 
  • Opera National de Paris 

Day 1: Masterpieces and the Magical Heart of Paris 

Morning: Art and Iconic Sights on the Seine

Musée d'Orsay

Start your day at the stunning Musée d'Orsay. The setting alone (an old Beaux-Arts railway station) sets a dreamy tone, but it’s the world-class collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist works that truly wow. You’ll roam rooms filled with luminous landscapes by Monet, starry skies by Van Gogh, and beautiful Renoir portraits. Take around 90 minutes here—just the right amount to get a flavor for the collection and maybe a “wow” moment under those towering clock windows. 

Ready for your next stop? Exit the museum, cross the Seine on Pont Royal, and walk ten minutes to the majestic Sainte-Chapelle. This chapel is all soaring stained glass—fifteen panels in kaleidoscopic color—and feels peaceful even with a few other admirers around. 

Just a minute’s stroll away is the ever-inspiring façade of Notre Dame. While the interior’s currently closed for restoration, the exterior is still a show-stopper. Pause for a selfie with those legendary towers and tune into one of the musicians often playing nearby. 

Lunch: A Taste of Literary Paris 

Refuel in the oh-so-classy Saint-Germain-des-Prés—you can stroll there in 10 minutes or hop on the RER B from St-Michel Notre Dame to Saint-Germain-des-Prés for one stop. Grab an outside table at Café de Flore, where artists and philosophers have plotted and pondered for generations. The plush red banquettes invite you to linger, and the menu is loaded with French classics. We love the croque monsieur (crisp, cheesy, and comforting) and their impossibly thick hot chocolate. 

Afternoon: Seine Cruising & Chic Shopping 

Time to put your feet up… and let Paris glide by on a Bateaux Parisiens River Cruise. Make your way to Port de la Bourdonnais (hop on RER C to Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel) to board your boat. An hour gliding past Paris’ historic bridges, grand monuments and the Eiffel Tower is both scenic and soothing—you’ll see major landmarks from a fresh perspective, with plenty of photo ops. 

After the cruise, set your sights on Galeries Lafayette. Jump on Metro line 9 at Trocadéro, alighting at Chaussée d’Antin – La Fayette. Galeries Lafayette is an Art Nouveau wonderland—cascading balconies, a jaw-dropping glass dome, and a rooftop terrace with incredible Eiffel Tower views (free and always a surprise hit). If you fancy souvenirs, the food hall downstairs makes a fun stop: artisanal chocolates, olive oils and oh yes, macarons by the box. 

Evening: Hidden Gems, Wine, and Paris After Dark 

Round off your day with the Le Marais Hidden Gems Walking Tour (reached via Metro line 7 to Pont Marie or line 1 to St-Paul). This neighborhood is a stylish blend of centuries-old mansions, cutting-edge galleries, and bohemian cafés. The tour uncovers storybook courtyards and tucked-away streets where true Paris still thrives. 

Dinner tonight? Head to Les Philosophes—an atmospheric Marais bistro with a buzz of locals and visitors alike. The beef bourguignon here is rich and utterly satisfying, and if you’re feeling adventurous, their seasonal veggie tart is a joy. Save room for tarte tatin. 

End with a wine tasting at Les Caves du Louvre (about a 10-minute walk or an easy Metro ride on line 1 to Louvre–Rivoli). The vaulted cellars date to the 18th century, and staff here keep things friendly and informative as you sample a flight from regions across France. 

Day 2: Royal Grandeur, Montmartre and Parisian Nights 

Morning: Palatial Splendor at Versailles

Palace of Versailles

Set your alarm—today starts early with a trip to the Palace of Versailles. Hop on RER C from central Paris straight to Versailles Château Rive Gauche; the journey takes around 40 minutes. Stroll past sparkling fountains, gold-tipped gates, and perfectly trimmed hedges before exploring the opulent Hall of Mirrors and royal apartments. You’ll need at least 3 hours for the palace and famous gardens (open early for those who love a quiet wander). 

Lunch: Gardenside or Back in Town 

You’ll find plenty of options around Versailles for a midday bite—try La Petite Venise (set in the palace grounds) for refined Italian-inspired dishes and peaceful terrace seating. Their risotto du jour and pistachio tiramisu are both standouts. 

If you’d rather hurry back to the city’s action, take the RER C back and jump off at Saint-Michel for a riverside crêpe from Crêperie Genia (a favorite for ham-and-cheese buckwheat galettes and sweet caramel beurre salé crêpes). 

Afternoon: Montmartre Magic and City Views 

Head north to Montmartre via Metro line 4 (change to line 12 at Pigalle) for a walking tour of this picture-perfect neighborhood. The Montmartre & Sacré Coeur Walking Tour brings alive stories of artists, poets and cabaret legends who made this hillside village their home. The views from Sacré Coeur are some of Paris’ best, and strolling cobbled streets like Rue de l’Abreuvoir feels straight out of a movie. 

After your tour, pause for a coffee and a flaky pastry at Le Consulat, a charming café with a cult following for its vintage signs and bright awnings. 

Evening: Parisian Glamour & Final Treats 

Before dusk, ride Metro line 12 or 2 to Opéra National de Paris, an architectural showpiece near the heart of the city. Pause out front—the golden statues and shimmering façade look magical as the lights come up. 

For a last Parisian dinner, pick Café de la Paix nearby. It’s all crystal chandeliers and Belle Époque grandeur, but not stuffy. Their bouillabaisse (fish stew) is a highlight, especially when paired with crisp Sancerre. The scene here is joyous and just a little bit theatrical—a fitting finale. 

If you’re up for one last treat, climb to the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette (open late!) for a starlit view of the city—you might even spot the Eiffel Tower’s evening light show, the perfect last memory before you bid Paris adieu. 

 

In 48 hours you’ll have wandered regal halls, tasted unforgettable bites, soaked up world-famous art, and explored neighborhoods brimming with Parisian style. The only hard part? Not immediately booking your next visit! 

Enjoyed this? Check out Things to Do Near Palace of Versailles or Everything You Need to Know About Go City’s Paris Passes 

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Things to do in Paris when it Rains

Paris is that rarest of creatures: a city that’s beautiful both inside and out. Sure, you came here to stroll those swoonsome parks and boulevards arm-in-arm with your beau (or belle), to hand feed each other fresh fruits and fromages from the famous street markets and, of course, to pledge your undying love (and snap some selfies, natch) on the Pont des Arts. But there’ll be more than enough time for all that nonsense after it stops raining. In the meantime, don your most fashionable trenchcoat and ankle boots and dive into our guide to the best things to do in Paris when it rains, from world-class museums and galleries to chic shopping arcades, cozy cafés and subterranean mausoleums. The Best Rainy Day Museums and Galleries in Paris If you’re looking for something to do on a rainy day in Paris, the extraordinary museums and galleries that pepper the city should be your first port of call. There are well in excess of 100 across the city’s 20 arrondissements and here, for your delectation, are some of the finest. The Louvre This one needs no introduction, but we’re going to give it one anyway. With somewhere in the region of eight million annual visitors, the Louvre is the world’s most-visited museum. Unsurprising, perhaps, when you consider that it just happens to contain the Venus de Milo and da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, alongside many other priceless treasures; a collection that charts the whole history of humanity’s artistic endeavors. It’s the kind of place you can easily spend an entire day (indeed, it’s estimated that it would take 200 days to view all the art on display), so shake off your umbrella and settle in for the long haul. Musée d’Orsay Just across the Seine, Musée d’Orsay’s relatively compact size makes it a little more manageable for the casual art enthusiast. Step through the doors of this stunningly converted Beaux-Arts railway station for the planet’s largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art. We’re talking pieces by many of the movement’s masters: Monet, Manet, Renoir, Rodin, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Degas, Gaugin... the list goes on and on. Musée du Vin You might think you’ve died and gone to the grape beyond at the intoxicating Musée du Vin, where atmospheric vaulted cellars set the perfect scene for a glass of the good stuff. Discover the history of Champagne- and wine-making in these subterranean limestone caves, once used by the Order of Minim friars in the 15th Century, before sampling the delicious spoils of the museum’s own vineyard. Musée National Gustave Moreau This one’s a cracker, especially if you’ve just dragged yourself in from the rain-soaked streets with zero prior knowledge of what to expect. Spoiler alert: it’s not like the other museums. The former Moreau family home, this eye-popping extravaganza of 19th-century Symbolist art is dedicated to the life and works of Gustave Moreau, known for his somewhat trippy compositions featuring mythical creatures, otherworldly flora and hallucinatory hellscapes. Printed guides containing often rambling commentaries from the man himself, as well as a quite spectacular spiral staircase, add to the disorienting nature of the place. Musée Édith Piaf You’ll regret rien about a trip to the fascinating Musée Édith Piaf, a tiny apartment in the 20th arrondissement that was once home to the legendary Parisian chanteuse. The carefully curated collection of Piaf’s personal belongings here includes photographs, fan mail, platinum records and her famous black dress. Tours are by appointment only. Afterwards, brave the rain to visit the Little Sparrow’s final resting place in nearby Père Lachaise Cemetery. Check out our full guide to the best museums and galleries in Paris here. Rainy Day Shopping And, if museums don’t float your rainy-day boat, perhaps Paris’s legendary opportunities for retail therapy will. There’s everything from luxury mega-malls to grab-a-bargain flea markets and highbrow bookstores to keep the incurable shopaholic entertained, and these three are absolute wet-weather must-dos... Galeries Lafayette Haussmann A trip to the iconic Galeries Lafayette Haussmann can feel more like a religious experience than a mere shopping trip, thanks to its ornate galleries, five-story atrium and soaring glass-and-steel cupola. A cathedral to capitalism, it houses an A to Z of household-name and designer brands; 65,000 square meters of retail space that runs the gamut from Armani to Zadig & Voltaire, punctuated by bistros, cafés, salons and more. Once you’ve shopped til you’re (nearly) ready to drop, hit up the roof terrace (with your just-bought Prada parapluie, natch) for restorative widescreen views across Paris. Pro-tip: Galeries Lafayette also runs a variety of achingly Parisian add-on experiences including a catwalk fashion show and a macaron-making class. Booking is essential. Undercover Shopping Tailor-made for rainy days, Paris’s covered shopping arcades are an atmospheric throwback to more gentile times. Stroll beneath stained-glass ceilings, browse old-school wood-fronted stores and admire intricate mosaic tiling, ornate stucco clocks, and iron-and-glass domes and canopies in these masterclasses of 19th-century architecture. There are 20 or so of these elegant covered passages to explore around the 1st-9th arrondissements, each promising a tempting variety of bakeries and bistros, plus any number of chic boutiques, antique emporia, watchmakers, jewelers and bookstores, where great stacks of antiquarian books pile precipitously in corners and defy gravity on groaning, overstocked shelves. A Bonanza for Bookworms If ye delightful olde Librairie du Passage bookstore in Passage du Jouffroy has whet your appetite for yet more bookish pursuits, you’re in luck! Paris is an absolute mecca for book lovers, not least in the storied streets of its characterful Latin Quarter, a bohemian enclave on the Seine’s left bank once frequented by Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce and other such literary luminaries. Sit out the wet weather devouring a classic in one of the district’s hip café bars, popping out between showers to bag some more books in the semi-legendary treasure trove that is English-language bookstore Shakespeare and Company. Or wander down the Seine to find the Bouquinistes of Paris: a veritable army of booksellers that line the left bank, offering up a smorgasbord of antiquarian tomes, literary classics, childrens’ books, poetry, graphic novels, pulp fiction, art and more. And That’s Not All... No need to let a little rain dampen your sightseeing spirits. A Citroën 2CV tour is a great way to take in the city sights without necessarily setting a foot outdoors. Fun rain or shine, these whistlestop tours take in all the major landmarks and can cram in as many as three passengers at a time. Take the edge off any potential discomfort by booking one of the champagne packages. Or dodge the downpours by heading underground into the secret city that is the Paris Catacombs – a vast network of bone-chilling tunnels, passageways, sewers and secret chambers. This epic labyrinthine ossuary contains the mortal remains of some six million Parisians, relocated here from overflowing Paris cemeteries in the 18th and 19th centuries. So perhaps not one for a first date. If all else fails, simply do as the Parisians do when it rains: find a cute streetside café, order a croissant and a café crème and find yourself a prime seat for people-watching by the windows – at least until they fog up. Save on rainy day activities in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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