Amazing Things To Do With 6 Days In Paris
Paris is a city of beauty, history, and very friendly people. Yes, I said friendly people. On our first trip, I fully went in expecting to encounter rude people and to just check it off the list as a city you must see if you’re a traveler. Boy, was I wrong!! First the city is amazing, and I found that the Parisians are immensely helpful. While they don’t expect you to speak French, they truly show their appreciation by even the slightest try…even by greeting them with bonjour.
Where to Stay
Hilton Paris Opera. It’s a medium-size hotel but has a boutique feel. It’s in a restored 1889 building and is right beside the Saint Lazare train and metro stations, making it very convenient as a home base. You can walk to several sites, such as Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur Basilica, the Moulin Rouge, and the Louvre.
For those of you with minimal time, because you’re reading this on your phone, or you’re like me and don’t really like to read a lot, here’s the bite-sized list that you should do in that order:
- Eiffel Tower– Yeah, yeah, I know this is a Captain Obvious one, but how can I not list it?!
- The Champs-Élysées
- Arc de Triomphe
- The Louvre
- Notre Dame Cathedral Paris
- Montmartre
- Sacre-Coeur Basilica
- Versailles
- See a show at Moulin Rouge
- Have coffee, lunch, or drinks at a café with sidewalk seating
- Eat Crêpes!
And if time allows, or you have a few bonus days, do this:
- Take the train to Epernay (Champagne Region)- Stroll along Champagne de Avenue and stop into the various Champagne Houses. Spend the night in this quaint town if you have time.
- Take a day trip to Normandy– Be sure to snag a bottle of Normandy’s famous apple brandy to take home.
For those who fancy a deeper read, here’s more information on each.
Eiffel Tower
Why is the Eiffel Tower important to see? Well, it’s only one of the most well-known structures in all the world! While it may be a bit cliché to do, it won’t disappoint. If you buy a skip the line tour for one thing, do it for this! The lines will almost always be long, and the tour guides will give you a nice history leading up to your appointment time.
You’ll get the best views of Paris from the top. If you want, you can even book dinner in the restaurant. We didn’t, but we have friends who have enjoyed it. They said the food was good, but not outstanding…BUT the nighttime views are insane!!!
The Champs-Élysées
The Champs-Élysées is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long and is the most beautiful and well-known avenue in Paris. “Champs-Élysées” is French for “Elysian Fields,” a paradise in Greek mythology. It connects the Arc de Triomphe with the Place de la Concorde and is considered one of the world’s most famous commercial streets.
Arc de Triomphe
Sitting at the top of the Champs- Élysées, you should do it on the same day to maximize your time. It’s open from 10:00 am – 11:00 pm. Take in some shopping, then visit this historic monument after. It’s a quick tour, only taking about 45 minutes. You can buy tickets in advance, but you do not have to adhere to any specific reservation time.
The Louvre
Go into the Louvre with a plan. There are over 35,000 objects on display, so it will take you numerous visits to see it all. First, make sure you buy your tickets in advance. Since it’s so big, I recommend reading this great 2-Hour Visit post from a fellow blogger.
The post mentioned will hit the highlights and will even map it out for you in how much time you need to spend on each of the top items. I listed the top items below for you:
- The Horses of Marly – Guillaume Coustou
- Joan of Arc Listening to the Voices – François Rude
- Sleeping Hermaphroditus
- Apollo Sauroctonos (Apollo lizard-killer)
- Vénus de Milo
- Man Formed by Prometheus and Animated by Minerva — Jean-Simon Berthélemy
- Winged Victory of Samothrace
- Cupid and Psyche — François Edouard Picot
- The Coronation of Napoleon — Jacques-Louis David
- The Death of Marat — Jacques-Louis David
- The Young Martyr — Paul Delaroche
- Mona Lisa — Leonardo Da Vinci
- Mysteries of Christ’s Passion — Antonio Campi
- Autumn — Giuseppe Arcimboldo
- Liberty Leading the People — Eugène Delacroix
- The Raft of the Medusa — Théodore Géricault
- Portal of the Palace Stanga-Rossi-di-San-Secondo — Pietro Da Rho
- Il Moro (the Moor) — Nicolas Cordier
Notre Dame Catherdral Paris
The Notre Dame Cathedral Paris or Notre Dame de Paris (Meaning ‘Our Lady of Paris’ in French) is a Gothic cathedral located in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It has its main entrance to the west. The island is on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité.
While it’s still being rebuilt following the fire, you should absolutely visit. It sits on the Île de la Cité. The neighborhood alone is beautiful, sitting in the middle of the Seine. You might even consider doing a small-group guided walking tour of the island.
Montmartre & Sacre-Coeur Basilica
I recommend spending the entire day in this awesome area of the city…say like noon to early evening. The area isn’t huge, but you can spend the day stopping in little shops, sipping wine, and visiting Sacre-Coeur Basilica, which sits on the highest hilltop in the neighborhood.
You’ll find wonderful small museums and art galleries, lots of appealing boutiques along Rue des Abbesses, and appealing cafes and bistros on almost every corner.
Versailles
You should plan to spend the whole day at Versailles. We didn’t have time to do it on our first trip as we opted to go to Normandy for the day instead, but it’s worth it. We did it on a 13-hour layover in Paris on our way to Egypt. It’s very easy to get to from the airport by train should you decide to do it on a purposely planned long layover.
The one big piece of advice about Versailles is that it’s ALWAYS crowded. We went on what they said was a less crowded day. If it was, then I’d really hate to see it when it’s really crowded. This is the other attraction to buy tickets for ahead of time. We bought them directly on the official website.
Moulin Rouge
Every evening on the legendary stage of the famous Parisian cabaret, the Moulin Rouge troupe, comprising 60 artists and dancers, thrills and enchants audiences all over the world. Trained in classical dance, the Moulin Rouge ballet performs on stage, demonstrating discipline in upbeat choreographies.
If you’re traveling with kids, the Moulin Rouge is open to all ages. While you don’t have to dress up, shorts, flip flops and sportswear are not allowed. In short, dress how you would if you were going out to a theatre to see a play…chic casual, and you’ll be fine.
Get Lost!!!
Lastly, be sure to spend a day just wandering around and getting lost in the city. Take your time, enjoy sitting and having lunch at an outdoor table at a café. Order some crêpes. A totally unscheduled day in Paris is one of the best ways to discover Paris!
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