Things to See in Paris in Two Days

Like many travel enthusiasts, it has also always been my dream to visit Paris. I spent two days in Paris with my guy. It was a short trip but we tried to make the most of our time on hand.

We booked a hotel called Hôtel Eiffel Kensington, which looked beautiful from outside. In fact, the architecture of all the buildings in Paris is just wonderful and so majestic. You can spend hours just admiring the exteriors of regular buildings, the tiny balconies, the artistic railings, and the windows.

About Our Stay

Our hotel room was small but was located in a great place. Great, because we could see the Eiffel tower from our window. The room had space only for a bed which was comfortable and a bathroom which was spacious enough to do the job.

There was a wall-mounted television, tiny bed side tables and they had even managed to fit in a desk, and a chair in the corner of the room with barely any space left to walk around. However, the room was still cute and we loved it. Our cozy room with a view!

We mostly took the subways to travel around the city which is extremely well connected. Every time we went underground I would get disappointed because I did not want to miss any second admiring the beautiful streets, shops, people, cafes, trees, and of course the artistic buildings in Paris. It is true, what you hear about Paris, there is romance in the air, a happy feeling to elate the spirits.

On our first evening in Paris, we just explored the city by walking around our hotel, entered a few souvenir shops, enjoyed a cup of delicious coffee in a cafe, and found a lovely restaurant in the corner of a narrow street, close to the hotel. Eating dinner outside on the streets of Paris was a whole new experience. It felt private yet connected to life in Paris.

Day 1

We got up early to go see the Eiffel tower. We saw it from outside, from inside, and from the top. Initially I did not find it super impressive, but the more I saw the Eiffel Tower, the more I fell in love with it. The Eiffel Tower is always there and seems to follow you around when ever you go! Every thing about Paris is wonderful because of it. There was a long queue to enter the Eiffel Tower but it was worth the wait.

When you are in Paris, two things are mandatory:

Seeing the Eiffel Tower
Seeing Paris by boat

After walking for several hours, we took a rest stop around Eiffel Tower to eat. We relished hot crepes and ate cone ice creams.

Next thing on our list was the 1-hour River Seine Cruise. Seeing Paris in a boat and gliding under the marvelous bridges was the most heart warming experience. The guide did a great job in explaining the history of all the monumental buildings and the famous bridges that we came across on the ride. (More photos towards the end of the post)

Our next stop, was to see the Catacombs of Paris but it had the longest waiting line that I have ever seen my life and since we were running short on time, we couldn’t do it, maybe next time! But, if you have the time, then seeing the Catacombs is considered to be a must!

We then saw Arc de Triomphe and sat in the famous Luxembourg Gardens to enjoy a leisurely sunset.

Day 2

We started the day by visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral. After the magnificent sights of the church, we joined a walking tour that took us around the city. The guide narrated interesting tales about every street and monument we crossed on a nearly 4-hour walk. I always enjoy doing walking tours, the slow leisurely pace to experience a new city suits me well. We ended up at the doorstep of the Louvre which was the last stop on our itinerary for the day.

The Louvre Museum is one of the most historic and largest museums in the world. Right at the entrance, the museum took my breath away. The glass pyramid serves as the entrance and also the first art piece you experience at the Louvre.

When we entered inside, we completely lost track of time. There is so much to see in so little time! Four to five hours flew by and before we knew it, the staff was kicking us out because the museum was closing. We attempted to locate the Mona Lisa but got hopelessly lost within the museum. Several of the exhibits and especially the Napoleons war rooms brought tears to my eyes. The grandeur and scale of the art at Louvre is breath-taking! Peppered in amongst the museum visitors were also aspiring artists who sat with their sketch books, sketching away their versions of art pieces by the masters.

It was time for us to leave the Louvre and also this beautiful city. We rushed back to our hotel, grabbed some sandwiches for dinner, packed our bags, and took a bus back home.