09:00 – 10:00
Le Ju'
€10Breakfast
4.8(13K)· Paris
Convivial sidewalk brasserie popular for breakfast & brunch, plus daily lunch & dinner sets.
2 Days in Paris: The Perfect First-Trip Itinerary
Paris · 2 days · First trip
Two days is enough to fall for Paris — as long as you spend them on the essentials and skip the deep-cut detours. This plan is the confident, first-trip version of the city: the landmarks you came for, gardens to catch your breath, and well-placed meals so you never wander hungry. Everything is arranged to flow on foot, with each day building from a relaxed breakfast to a memorable dinner.
Day 1 concentrates on the historic core and the grand western sweep of the city, pairing Gothic showpieces like Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle with the open greenery of the Jardin du Luxembourg before climbing toward the Arc de Triomphe. Day 2 is built around the Louvre, a slow float down the Seine, and a finale in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower — the postcard Paris, done at a humane pace.
You can open this exact itinerary in the Wayfaro app and regenerate it for your own dates, party size, and pace — so the plan below is a starting point you can make entirely your own.
This is a real itinerary generated by Wayfaro. Open it in the app to regenerate it for your own dates and preferences.
Day 1: Gothic Icons, Grand Gardens & the Arc de Triomphe
Start with a relaxed breakfast at Le Ju', a convivial sidewalk brasserie that's a low-key way to ease into the day before the sights get busy. From there, you're perfectly placed for the morning's two Gothic headliners, which sit within a short walk of each other: the towering 12th-century Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris, with its flying buttresses and gargoyles, and the jewel-box Sainte-Chapelle, whose 13th-century stained-glass windows are the real reason to line up early.
After that concentrated dose of history, the 17th-century Jardin du Luxembourg is the ideal reset — formal gardens, patterned trees, and statues to stroll among before lunch at Brasserie des Prés. The afternoon shifts to the city's grand western axis: wander the manicured Jardin des Champs-Élysées, then walk up to the Arc de Triomphe, the triumphal arch whose observation deck earns the climb. Cap the day with dinner at Restaurant LE Drugstore, where inventive plates with Asian and American accents make a stylish end to the evening.
Day 1
8 stops- 11 min walk · 817 m
10:15 – 11:00
Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris
€394.7(96K)· Paris
Towering, 12th-century cathedral with flying buttresses & gargoyles, setting for Hugo's novel.
- 8 min walk · 601 m
11:15 – 11:45
Sainte-Chapelle
Free4.6(49K)· Paris
Ornate, 13th-century, Gothic chapel with relics & notable stained-glass windows of biblical scenes.
- 19 min walk · 1.4 km
12:00 – 12:45
Jardin du Luxembourg
Free4.7(127K)· Paris
17th-century park with formally laid-out gardens, trees planted in patterns & statues on pedestals.
- 12 min walk · 905 m
13:00 – 14:00
Brasserie des Prés
€20Lunch4.7(8.9K)· Paris
- 8 min by transit · 2.6 km
15:15 – 16:00
Jardin des Champs-Élysées
Free4.5(2.5K)· Paris
Iconic formal gardens landscaped by André Le Notre in 1667, with theaters, palaces & statues.
- 26 min walk · 1.9 km
17:10 – 18:25
Arc de Triomphe
€324.7(295K)· Paris
Iconic triumphal arch built to commemorate Napoleon's victories, with an observation deck.
- 4 min walk · 329 m
19:00 – 20:00
Restaurant LE Drugstore
€20Dinner4.6(5.6K)· Paris
Inventive dishes with Asian & American influences served in a sophisticated locale.
Day 2: The Louvre, the Seine & the Eiffel Tower
Fuel up first at Kozy Pompidou, an all-week brunch-and-coffee spot, then head straight to the Louvre Museum while you're fresh — this former palace holds everything from Roman sculpture to the Mona Lisa, and mornings are the calmest window to take it in. When you've had your fill of galleries, the adjacent Tuileries Garden is a natural decompression, an expansive 17th-century garden dotted with statues and bronzes, before a sit-down lunch at Le Relais du Louvre.
The afternoon trades your feet for the water: a Seine sightseeing cruise with Vedettes du Pont Neuf lets you see the city glide by from the river, a welcome mid-day rest for tired legs. Afterward, make your way to the Jardin de la Tour Eiffel for that unmistakable view, then settle in for dinner at Les Cocottes to close out your two days.
Day 2
7 stops09:00 – 09:30
Kozy Pompidou | All-week Brunch | Coffee
€20Breakfast4.8(5.7K)· Paris
- 17 min walk · 1.3 km
10:00 – 11:15
Louvre Museum
€634.7(371K)· Paris
Former historic palace housing huge art collection, from Roman sculptures to da Vinci's "Mona Lisa."
- 12 min walk · 911 m
11:30 – 12:15
Tuileries Garden
Free4.6(118K)· Paris
Expansive, 17th-century formal garden dotted with statues, including 18 bronzes by Maillol.
- 16 min walk · 1.2 km
13:00 – 14:00
Le Relais du Louvre
€20Lunch4.7
- 13 min walk · 970 m
14:45 – 15:45
Paris Seine River Sightseeing Guided Cruise Vedettes du Pont Neuf
€174.2(1.1K)
Don’t miss the chance to relive the magic of the Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony: step onto this cruise along the Seine River and sail past the very riverb…
- 15 min by transit · 4.8 km
17:00 – 17:45
Jardin de la Tour Eiffel
Free4.5(2K)· Paris
- 9 min walk · 662 m
19:00 – 20:00
Les Cocottes
€30Dinner4.6
- That's the trip — time to head home. Safe travels!
Good to know
- Book timed-entry tickets ahead for Sainte-Chapelle and the Louvre Museum — both draw long lines, and reserving a slot saves you the wait.
- Wear broken-in walking shoes. These two days cover a lot of ground on foot, from garden paths to the long avenue leading to the Arc de Triomphe.
- Do Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris and Sainte-Chapelle back to back — they sit close together, so pairing them keeps your morning tight and efficient.
- Slot the Vedettes du Pont Neuf Seine cruise into the afternoon, when a seated float down the river is the perfect antidote to a museum-heavy morning.
- Reserve dinner in advance at spots like Restaurant LE Drugstore and Les Cocottes — popular tables fill up quickly.
Best time to visit
Paris rewards visitors in every season, but the shoulder months of spring and autumn hit the sweet spot: mild days, softer light on the stone facades, and thinner crowds at the big museums. Summer brings long, warm evenings and a lively buzz in the gardens, though the marquee sights are at their busiest. Winter is quieter and atmospheric, with cozy brasseries and shorter museum lines the reward for cooler weather. Because this itinerary leans on indoor landmarks, walkable gardens, and reservable meals, it works comfortably year-round.
Questions travelers ask
Is 2 days in Paris enough?
For a first trip, yes — two days is enough to cover the icons without feeling rushed. This itinerary deliberately clusters nearby sights (Notre-Dame with Sainte-Chapelle, the Louvre with the Tuileries Garden) and builds in gardens and a Seine cruise so you're not sprinting between landmarks. You won't see every corner of Paris, but you'll hit the essentials at a pace that still leaves room to sit, eat well, and enjoy the city.
How much walking does this itinerary involve?
A fair amount — both days are designed to flow on foot, linking the historic core, the Jardin du Luxembourg, the Champs-Élysées gardens, and the Tuileries Garden. Comfortable shoes make all the difference, and the afternoon Seine cruise on Day 2 gives your legs a genuine break.
Do I need to book tickets in advance?
For the big-ticket interiors — Sainte-Chapelle and the Louvre Museum — timed-entry reservations are strongly recommended to skip the longest lines. The gardens and the Arc de Triomphe are more flexible, and dinner reservations at popular brasseries like Les Cocottes are worth locking in too.
Can I adjust this plan for my own trip?
Yes. Open this exact itinerary in the Wayfaro app and regenerate it for your own dates, group size, and pace — swap stops, restaurants, or timing, and the plan rebuilds around your preferences.
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