One day in Paris: itinerary and highlights

Few areas of Paris offer a view of the Eiffel Tower like the Trocadéro, the square on Chaillot hill from which Gustave Eiffel's iron structure stands out across the Seine.

Crossing the bridge takes you to the Champ de Mars, the vast garden at the foot of the tower: from here you can climb it with an admission ticket, or admire it up close before continuing along the river.

Following the Seine toward the east, perhaps by tourist boat instead of on foot to save time, you reach the Île de la Cité, the island on the Seine where Notre-Dame stands, the Gothic cathedral still undergoing restoration work after the 2019 fire, reopened for visitors from December 2024.

On the same island is the Sainte-Chapelle, the 13th-century royal chapel known for its fifteen-metre-high stained-glass windows which, on sunny days, bathe the interior in coloured light.

Continuing along the right bank, you pass in front of the Louvre, the world's most visited museum: even just crossing the courtyard with its glass pyramid, without entering, remains an almost mandatory stop for anyone walking this stretch of the city.

From here on, Montmartre, the hill that hosted painters and artists for decades, dominated by the Sacré-Cœur basilica: the view from its steps, with Paris spread out below, is one of the widest in the city, and the streets around Place du Tertre still retain a village atmosphere.

On the other side of the city, the Marais shows a different face of Paris, made up of narrow streets lined with 17th-century palaces, independent boutiques, art galleries, and one of the densest concentrations of bars and restaurants in the city.

Whatever your choice, the bistros of Montmartre or the streets of the Marais remain equally suitable for dinner, depending on where you've spent the afternoon.

Whoever follows the Seine from the Trocadéro to the Île de la Cité all the way to the Louvre already sees the most representative part of Paris, then leaving the afternoon choice between Montmartre and the Marais.

The great avenues of Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe, as well as a true visit to the Louvre with its collections, remain chapters to postpone to a second day. A day along the Seine, from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre, is nonetheless enough to fall in love with the historic heart of Paris.