Fortunate enough to find yourself in Paris, but only have a day or so to explore? Don't worry! While one could easily spend years getting to truly know this beautiful city, it's also possible to get a small taste of its beauty in one eventful day (to whet your palate, perhaps, for a longer trip).
What follows, thus, is geared toward the first time Paris visitor, with an eye towards seeing some (and we emphasize that it is only SOME) of the amazing things Paris has to offer. We suggest using this itinerary as either a starting point for a longer trip, or take it verbatim and have a fantastic single day experience in one of the world's most breathtaking cities.
First, a note about layout: Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements municipaux (administrative districts) arranged in a clockwise spiral (think of a snail shell) with the First Arrondissement in the city center on the North bank of the Seine. And it is in this First Arrondissement that we'd suggest you start your one day in Paris itinerary, as it is home to some must-see spots like the Louvre, the Jardin des Tuileries and the Palais Royal.
As your base of operations in the First Arrondissement, we recommend a stay at the Westin Paris Vendome, which sits on the edge of the statute-filled and perfectly manicured Jardin des Tuileries and is a 10 minute walk to the Louvre (to the East), a 15 min walk to the stunning Palais Garnier (the famed opera house, which offers both self and guided tours) and a 30 minute walk (or short bike or car ride) to Île de la Cité, where you can catch a glimpse of both the Notre Dame Cathedral and Sanite-Chappelle. But first, breakfast. Beeline it to Angelina (the famed tea room and pastry shop), which opens at 8am and is a mere one minute walk from the Westin. They don't take reservations, and the line forms pretty early, so we'd suggest getting there no later than 7:30AM. Their breakfast/brunch options are the perfect way to start your day - gorgeously plated, delicious and pleasantly filling. Plus, they have a wide assortment of delicious teas and caffeinated beverages to put that pep in your step for a full day of wandering.
From there, you definitely have to spend some time walking the Jardin Des Tuileries. The gardens, first established by Catherin de' Medici in 1564, is chocked full of famous statutes including a number of Rodin pieces (such as "the kiss" and "Eve"). It's a gorgeous place for a stroll. Head east, towards the Louvre, and you'll get to see the Arc de Triomphe due Carrousel, the smaller sibling to to the larger, more well known Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile, both of which were, unabashedly, commissioned by Napoleon to celebrate his many military victories.
Then, keep walking East, because it's time for one of the main attractions - the Louvre. The Louvre is, as you no doubt know, the largest museum on the planet. And it is huge! You could spend months, MONTHS, without break, examining the various works of art and ancient artifacts located on site. We're partial to the Greek and Roman sculpture (indeed the Louvre houses, amongst many, many others, such famed pieces as "The Winged Victory of Samothrace" and the "Venus de Milo") and the breathtaking painted ceilings of the Galerie d'Apollon, but there are myriad other styles and ages to dig into. Even if museums are not customarily your thing, we'd strongly suggest blocking off a sizable chunk of time for this experience. The Louvre is unparalleled in the amount of shear beauty it houses and really can't be missed.
Two quick time saving suggestions: (i) enter the Louvre through the mall entrance (underground), as the line there is much, much shorter than the one you'll see snaking around the grounds and (ii) skip the Mona Lisa - the line is absurd, and you only get a total of 30 seconds to review it before you're more or less ushered out of the way. It's cool to see it, but there's too much else to see and do here to spend that much time on line. I mean, look at these ceilings!
After the Louvre, continue walking south to the Île de la Cité. Here you'll trade in some of the grandiose palaces and sweeping jardins for those narrow, cafe strewn streets Paris is also famous for. It's also home to both Notre Dame Cathedral (the restoration of which, thankfully, is well underway, after the devastating 2019 fire) and Sainte-Chapelle (a stunning Gothic style chapel with beautifully ornate stained glass windows).
At this point, it's probably time for lunch. If you are there Tuesday through Saturday (they are closed Sunday and Monday), continue south into the Latin Quarter section of the Fifth Arrondissement and check out KGB, a modern French gem, in a bright art gallery setting brought to you by William Ledeuil. It's the more reasonably priced cousin of Ze Kitchen Galerie, with a focus on small bites and a bit of Asian inspiration. While your there, be sure to swing by the Pantheon (the famed mausoleum commissioned by King Louis XV and housing the remains of, amongst others, Voltaire, Rousseau and Victor Hugo).
Alternatively, you could continue south a bit (into the Fifth Arrondissement) and head towards Rue Mouffetard, one of the oldest continuously operated streets in Paris (dating back to Roman times), with more food options than you'll know what to do with. Japanese, Korean, Syrian, Turkish, French (of course!), a ton of cafe's and creperies - it's all here, so take your pick and fuel up, because your not done walking!
Next, head back West towards the Sixth Arrondissement for the second stunning jardin on our list - Le Jardin du Luxembourg, an absurdly well-manicured (we saw governmental gardeners, on their hands and knees, painstakingly trimming early spring flowers using scissors!) 57 acre garden that is also open to, and used by the public (there are, for example, basketball and tennis courts on site). The Jardin emanates from the front of the Palais du Luxembourg which was built in the early 1600's to be the royal residence of King Louis XIII's mother and is now the seat of the French Senate.
By now, its mid to late afternoon, and there are still two key events that you've got to tackle - that famed Parisian shopping and, the most important event in our minds, dinner! So head back north, through the Île de la Cité again, back into the First Arrondissement and to Westfield Forum des Halles, a beautiful shopping center with over 100 stores and twenty plus restaurants. Oh, and because this is Paris, just outside what is effectively a very attractive, semi-open air mall, you will find yet another eye catching piece of architecture - the église Saint-Eustache (see below).
From here you can head West a bit (towards and past the hotel) and spend some time wandering down Rue Saint-Honoré to continue your shopping adventures. Here you'll find stores like Hermes, Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior and others. Alternatively, or on your walk back, you could stay a bit closer and get an aperitif at one of the many bars and cafe's around Rue Saint-Denis, Rue Marie Stuart or one of the many other gorgeous little side streets dotting the area. But don't stray too far, because it's time for the main event (if you're food obsessed like we are anyway).
Dinner! Do yourself a favor, and make a reservation at Tekés before you finish reading this sentence. Just do it. Helmed by Chef Assaf Granit and Chef Dan Yosha, this all vegetarian, Israeli-Mediterranean restaurant is mind-blowing in its epicurean execution. Beautiful, imaginative and lovingly crafted in a serious but playful setting, Tekés is an amazing experience. From the vegetarian based cocktails (trust us, I know what you are thinking, but you need a beetroot based cocktail in your life) to the exciting plays on more traditional concepts like the "experimental chicken liver" (made from mushrooms (see above)), everything is delicious here. So immediately cognizant of the fact that we were in very skilled culinary hands, we asked the Chef to pick a number of plates for us (sort of an impromptu tasting menu). Chef Yosha (who has the air of a Rock front man - fun, energetic, serious about his art and a natural leader) kindly obliged and proceeded to wow us fo the next 2 hours with light, but filling veggie based magic. Some of our favorites included the Maccabi Haifa (asparagus, burrata and Parisian lemon) (see below), the Vardinone (kohl rabi, carpaccio, pistachio and smoked ricotta and the aforementioned Experimental Chicken Liver (and one of our group doesn't even like mushrooms!). True story - we were fortunate enough to have had dinner at a three starred Michelin restaurant a few nights before (which was great), but if we had to choose between the two, we would pick Tekés every time. It was a truly amazing meal. Bonus Tip - if you have a small group, ask to sit at the bar so you can be closer to the open kitchen action.
And there you have it, one fun-filled (but not overly packed) day in Paris, designed to give you a quick taste of one of the most beautiful, iconic and visited cities in the world. We hope this brief itinerary is helpful and works its way into your plans. If you do use it, drop us a line and let us know of any comments, suggestions, etc. Happy travels!
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