Paris is one of those rare cities that just has an endless amount of things to do and see, but it IS possible to see it in a weekend if you do it right!! I visited Paris for the first time a few years ago and came home feeling like I hadn’t really ‘seen’ Paris, I felt like I had spent most of my time in museums, and hadn’t experienced the city. BUT, on my recent trip to Paris I really felt like we ‘saw’ Paris in only a few days! So, I figured I’d tell you how in this little travel guide, just in case you also have a limited time in Paris and want to see it all!
I should also say that I took an insane amount of photos, and will definitely include wayyy too many in this post-ha! The other thing to note is that I have not included any museums, and that is because, as I mentioned above, this guide is if you only have a few days in Paris, and well, museums just take up a lotttt of time! One more thing to note is that this guide isn’t super long, and that’s because I am only including the things that I LOVED, and that I think you will love too! So! Let’s get started!
Paris Bike Tour
OKAY. This is my number 1 recommendation when it comes to seeing Paris!! For real, especially if you have never been to Paris. In just 4.5 hrs. you get to see allll of the big Paris monuments, like the Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre Museum etc. Whereas seeing all of this would take you forever to see by yourself. This way you get to quickly see all of it, and then you can go back to the places you love afterwards!
Your tour guide tells you the history behind these places and guides you through the streets of Paris, it is super reasonably priced, just $40/person for a 4.5 hr. tour that also includes a boat tour on the Seine River at the end! We did the night bike tour, but they also offer one during the day. We used Fat Tire Tours, and I couldn’t recommend them enough!
A Day Trip to Colmar & Strasbourg
Colmar:
Colmar is officially one of my favorite places on earth, sorry to be dramatic, but it’s TRUE! I know it seems a little weird to have leaving Paris on a Paris travel guide. BUT, a day trip to Colmar is just SO worth it!! Paris is beautiful and amazing, but it is a very big city, and you don’t get that quaint french village feel. So, if you want to experience that, Colmar is the place for you! We took a train, but you could also drive (although taking a train is a lot faster, the train goes 300km/hr – yes I’m serious). If you do choose to take the train, it takes about 2.5 hours to get there, so it is easily doable as a day trip!
This town is the one they based the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast off of, and if you need anymore convincing, just take another look at those photos up there!! Every. Single. Corner is beautiful and that is no exaggeration. Okay, so below are my top 3 things you need to see/do in Colmar!
La Petite Venice
Arguably the most beautiful spot in Colmar, I’d recommend going early the the morning, so you can walk the streets by yourself! Also, just take time to wander around Colmar, it is SO worth it!!
Le Boudoir Bakery
This was my mom’s absolute favorite meal of the entire trip. We had breakfast here and it was just SO yummy and so french, plus the interior was super cute too! Get the complete breakfast option, and choose the chocolate croissant, you’re welcome in advance.
Canal Boat Tour
We didn’t do this, but we regretted it! It was cheap and looked so dreamy to boat down those pretty streets! If you’d like to go, all of the info is here!
Strasbourg:
We did Colmar and Strasbourg in one day! On our way back to Paris, we stopped in Strasbourg, which is another uber cute french city! Most of the trains from Colmar to Paris require you to change trains in Strasbourg anyways, so why not book your connection a few hours later so that you can see both towns! I personally liked Colmar more, but I think it was totally worth it to visit Strasbourg as well! Strasbourg, France is a lot bigger than Colmar, and therefore less quaint, but there is also more to do. Here are the three things you must do in Strasbourg:
Petite France
Similar to Petite Venice in Colmar, this is the cutest part of Strasbourg, there are also a bunch of cute restaurants and shops in this area!
Cathédrale Notre Dame
This stunningggg church is one of my favorites that I’ve seen. The exterior is so dang detailed (!!!), and so unique, the inside is stunning as well. A must see!
Get a Pretzel
Fun Fact: This area used to be apart of Germany, so their food has both French and German influences, so make sure to grab a soft pretzel!
Montmartre
Montmartre is probably my fave area in Paris, it is much more quaint and cozy than the rest of Paris. Plus, it is SO pretty with so many parks and pretty streets, it is a must-see in my books! OKAY, below are my must-see/do for this little neighborhood!
Discover Walks Tour
I 100% would recommend that you start with a walking tour of Montmartre! The tour that we did was so interesting and brought you to all of the best spots! Just like the bike tour, it was great to see all of the best spots quickly, then revisit the spots we loved! They take you to Moulin Rouge, Sacre Coeur, Pablo Picasso’s Home/studio, Rue de l’Abreuvoir and lots more! It’s also FREE, they just suggest that you tip your guide.
Sacre Coeur
The famous church is stunning in and of itself, plus, it is located at the natural top of Paris, so there is a beautiful view of the city below! On the walking tour they will bring you to the best view of the church!
Rue de l’Abreuvoir
AKA the prettiest street in Paris. Yeah, it’s just a street, but it’s just so pretty and perfect, it’s definitely worth the stroll!
La Maison Rose
Ah, the instagram famous pink cafe! It is on the street I mentioned above, I haven’t eaten here, but apparently it’s amazing! It’s worth it for the photo if you ask me-ha!
Arc de Triomphe
I don’t think all of the Paris monuments are worth seeing, but this is one that IS! You can go to the top, which I haven’t done, but I would personally do that over going to the top of the Eiffel tower (cause you get a view of the Eiffel Tower – duh). We took the underground tunnel to get to the arc, and it was pretty neat to see it so close up! Plus it’s cool to have to go through a tunnel lol. It’s also right on Champs-Élysées, which is another must-do that I’ll get to soon!
Must-See Streets
Let’s be honest, basically every street in Paris has me going “wow, wow, wow” #notexaggerating. BUT, there are three streets in Paris that I think you just need to see, all three are so different and, well, so flippin’ pretty! Here they are:
Champs-Élysées
The most famous street in Paris?? I don’t know, but it gets all the hype for a good reason! It’s chocked full of fancy, over-the-top shops, restaurants, and endless things to do! It’s kinda like how the stores in Times Square are so crazy fancy, it’s just so fun to see! Like the Abercrombie and Fitch on Champs-Élysées is the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen, you gotta check it out! Anyways, it’s just fun to explore!
Rue Crémieux
The famous rainbow street! A little cobblestone street with pastel rainbow homes, it’s off the beaten path, and not very busy, and a fun little stop if you ask me! It’s also the best photo-op, haha! #shameless
Rue de l’Abreuvoir
I know, I know, I already talked about this street, but it deserves to be on this list, cause, it’s just that good!
The Latin Quarter
You will see this on the night-bike tour if you choose to do that, but if not, I would still make time to come here one evening! It was just the most lively street, with SO many restaurants. Basically, it was really poppin’ and I think it would be so fun to have dinner there, or just go to see it!
Best Eiffel Tower Views
I didn’t think it was necessary to actually put the Eiffel Tower on this list, cause I mean it’s like putting Times Square on a New York guide (what’s with all these NY references, I don’t know lol). HOWEVER, here are what I think are the best places to view the Eiffel tower, and the best places for photos!
Trocadero
This is the classic spot that you see alllll of those Eiffel Tower photos from, and for a good reason too! You can get a dreamy tower photo without all of the crowds, this is obviously a great spot!
Carousel
There are two carousels by the Eiffel Tower, the one that is farther from the tower is the one I’m talking about! It makes for such great photos with the carousel AND the Eiffel Tower, ah it’s so dreamy!
Rue Buenos-Ayres
We accidentally stumbled upon this spot, but man, isn’t it just the perfect view?! I made sure to take a photo of the street sign so I could share it with you haha!
Parc du Champ de Mars
This is the grass area in front of the tower that you’ll often see photos of, it’s just so classic I had to include it!
Square Rapp
Okay, so I sadly didn’t make it to this spot, but it looks like the prettiest view, check out a photo of it here!
Where to Eat
Okay, so I’m not really including places to eat because we just found spots along the way depending on where we were that day, plus the hours of restaurants are SO WEIRD, it’s almost impossible to plan! However, here’s what you do need to eat:
Laduree
One of my fave things we did was get Macarons from this spot! They have locations all over the place, but go to the one on Champs-Élysées, it’s so fancy and decadent. I’m not actually a huge macaron fan, but these are YUM! Bonus points if you buy some from McDonalds and compare the two like we did hahaha!
Sip Coffee in a Cafe and People Watch
Basically the one thing I wanted to do in Paris -ha! There are cafe’s everywhere, so just sit outside, drink your coffee, and enjoy!
Eat at Least One Crepe (Or Twenty)
There are truly crepe places everywhere and they are so yummy and so fresh, and great snack or meal to grab!
Eat at Least 75 Pastries
Haha, it felt like the only places to buy food were bakeries but, they are all so yummy, just don’t think about all the carbs cause you’re in Paris! I personally love the chocolate croissants!
Berthillon Ice Cream
Your guide will take you here on the bike tour I mentioned earlier (the nighttime one). But, if you don’t go on the night bike tour, make sure to stop here! It is said to be the best ice cream in Paris, and well I’d believe it! So yummy, and so worth the stop!
Picnic at Parc du Champ de Mars
We had a Picnic at Tuileries Garden, but I wish we had done the classic, right in front of the Eiffel Tower #regrets Anyways, don’t make the same mistake!
Disneyland Paris
Okay, so I originally included all my Disneyland recommendations in this post, but it got WAY too long, so I made a separate post that you can read HERE! I tell you what to do in Disneyland Paris if you’ve been to Disneyland California!
Well, that’s it! We had the most magical time in Paris, and I hope this guide helps you to have as amazing of a time as we did!! It really is possible to see Paris in a weekend! ALSO! Check out the rest of my travel guides HERE!
