Two days in Paris is enough to walk the city's iron and stone spine from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre, with time to cross the Île de la Cité and sit inside Notre-Dame. The itinerary below covers roughly 8–10 km of walking per day across the 1st, 4th, 6th, and 7th arrondissements, with one short metro hop each day to preserve energy for the afternoon.

Day by day

Day 1: Left Bank: Eiffel Tower, Invalides, Musée d'Orsay

  • Eiffel Tower — 1.5–2 hr. Book the 09:00 AM summit slot at toureiffel.paris. Go up the east pillar lift, exit at the second floor for the glass panel, continue to the summit. Crowds are lightest before 10:00.
  • Walk Champ de Mars to Pont d'Iéna — 20 min. Riverside path. Best angle for tower photos is from the Trocadéro side (north bank); cross the bridge for the classic framing.
  • Hôtel des Invalides & Army Museum — 1.5 hr (€15 entry). Napoleon's tomb is in the Dôme des Invalides; the golden dome is 107 m tall. The courtyard courtyard is free to walk through.
  • Rest valve — Café du Marché, 38 Rue Cler (15 min walk from Invalides). Order the €14 plat du jour at the zinc counter. Rue Cler is a pedestrian market street — useful for fruit and provisions.
  • Musée d'Orsay — 2 hr (€16; free first Sunday of the month). Enter from Rue de la Légion d'Honneur. Floors 2 and 5 hold the Impressionist galleries; allocate 45 min per floor minimum.
  • Seine riverside walk east toward Notre-Dame — 30 min. Quai Anatole France is shaded and quiet by early evening.
  • Total: ~8 km walking; 0 metro segments today.

Day 2: Right Bank: Notre-Dame, Saint-Germain, Louvre

  • Notre-Dame Cathedral — 1 hr (free, timed ticket required; book at notredamedeparis.fr). Tuesday 09:00 is the quietest slot. The restored nave and new choir stalls are the main interior draws.
  • Île Saint-Louis walk — 30 min. The smaller island east of the Île de la Cité. One main street (Rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île) lined with fromageries and fruit stalls; no shops that require stopping.
  • Rest valve — Berthillon, 29–31 Rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île. The shop has served sorbets and ice cream since 1954. Queue moves in 10–15 min.
  • Metro line 7 from Pont Marie to Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre — 5 min (1 metro ticket).
  • Louvre Museum — 2.5–3 hr (€22; book timed-entry online). Enter via Carrousel du Louvre underground to skip the pyramid queue. Priority route: Denon Wing second floor (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory), then Sully Wing ground floor (Egyptian antiquities). Skip Richelieu unless you have extra time.
  • Tuileries Garden — 30 min. The formal garden between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. The central allée is a straight 700 m walk; the café chairs overlook the central basin.
  • Total: ~7 km walking; 1 metro segment.
Traveller Tips
  • Book both the Eiffel Tower (toureiffel.paris) and Notre-Dame (notredamedeparis.fr) timed tickets before your trip — neither has reliable walk-in availability.
  • The Navigo Easy card (€2 for the card) loaded with 2 single tickets (€2.55 each) covers both metro rides needed across 2 days.
  • Louvre Museum Pass holders still need a timed-entry reservation — book at louvre.fr/en/visit/hours-admission. Free slots appear at 09:00 Paris time, 3 days in advance.
  • Musée d'Orsay last admission is 17:00 (closes 18:00 Tuesday–Sunday; 21:45 on Thursdays). Arrive by 16:00 to see the Impressionist floors without rushing.
  • Rue Cler market street (Day 1 lunch area) has a Monoprix supermarket at No. 47 — buy water, snacks, and picnic items at supermarket prices, not café prices.