Things to Do in Paris in 15 Days

A favourite destination for travellers from all over the world, Paris is one of those places you must visit at least once in your lifetime. However, no matter how many times you've been to the City of Light, you'll always find something new to see, do or discover in Paris

In any case, with a 15-day itinerary in Paris, you can enjoy the most popular attractions, explore less touristy areas and immerse yourself in Parisian culture, as well as venture beyond the city limits to discover some magical places such as Monet's Gardens or the Forest of Fontainebleau. I hope you enjoy the guide I have prepared for you!

Take the tourist bus around Paris

I recommend starting the morning of your first day by taking a Paris sightseeing bus route for a quick tour of the city. This is an open-top bus that travels around the city, taking in the most important tourist attractions. This will give you a quick overview of the beauty of Paris and the places you will visit in more depth later on: the Eiffel Tower, the Opéra Garnier, the Musée du Louvre, the Champs-Élysées and many more.

• Timetable: This type of service is usually available from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Buses depart approximately every 40 minutes.
• Ticket price: From €36 per person.
• Duration of the visit: The entire tour lasts approximately 2 hours.

Musée du Louvre

The Louvre's collection of works of art is impressive; it is not for nothing that it is considered one of the best museums in the world. With a total of 30,000 pieces on display, it is practically impossible to see everything in one day, so buy your tickets for the Louvre in advance and skip the queues, and spend the day absorbing as much as you can. Be sure to visit the three Great Ladies of the Louvre: the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Mona Lisa.

• Opening hours: From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Admission price: Admission is around £15 for adults.
• Duration of visit: To see the main works, you should allow at least two hours.

Discover the Rue Cler market

Start the morning of your second day at the most famous market in Paris. Rue Cler is located in the heart of the 7th arrondissement, an area of Paris commonly associated with the French nobility, full of historic mansions. It is close to important Parisian monuments and museums such as the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée Rodin and Les Invalides. Spend a few hours of your morning exploring the market stalls and stop for lunch at one of the local eateries.

• Opening hours: From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays.
• Admission price: It is a free street market open to the public.
• Duration of visit: It will depend on what you want to do and whether you stop for lunch or a coffee. Allow about 30 minutes to see the stalls and walk around the market.

Visit the Eiffel Tower and the Place du Trocadéro

The most iconic symbol of the French capital is a 30-minute walk away, taking you along the left bank of the Seine. You can climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower and take beautiful photographs of the city from the top of Paris.
Inside the tower you will find first-class restaurants, and if you make a reservation for lunch or buy your ticket for the Eiffel Tower in advance, you can skip the queue.

Place du Trocadero

Leaving the Eiffel Tower behind and crossing the Seine via the Pont d'Iéna, you will find the Place du Trocadero, ranked as the best place to take photos of the Eiffel Tower at sunset.

• Opening hours: From 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m.
• Admission price: From €10.70. The price increases if you want to go to the top and use the lifts.
• Duration of visit: Allow approximately 1.5 hours to visit the second floor and 2.5 hours if you want to go to the top.

Visit the city of Versailles and its most important tourist attraction: the Palace and Gardens of Versailles. Considered the most illustrious and opulent castle in all of France, it is a clear example of the most outstanding achievements of French art during the 17th century. For a time, it was the home of the French kings until the fall of the monarchy, and today it tells the story of the country's past as an impressive history museum. Be sure to visit the luxurious Hall of Mirrors, the Queen's bedroom, the King's Apartments and the chapels.

Canal Saint-Martin

Start the morning of your fourth day with a leisurely stroll through the beautiful scenery around the Canal Saint-Martin; enjoy the view, relax with a coffee and have a snack at a nearby café. If you want even more relaxation, you can book a cruise on the canal and let yourself be carried away by the current.

To get to the next destination, take metro line 8
at the République metro station and get off at the Invalides station.

Musée Rodin

From the Invalides station, the Musée Rodin is a 10-minute walk away. It is dedicated entirely to the life and work of the famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin. When you visit this museum, you will have access not only to his most important works, but also to the workshop spaces where he brought so many creations to life.

• Opening hours: The Rodin Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Admission price: Tickets start at €12 for adults.
• Duration of visit: Allow at least an hour to see the entire museum.

Les Invalides Complex

Continue your tour of Paris's 7th arrondissement. Just opposite the Rodin Museum is the Les Invalides complex. Visit the Hôtel des Invalides, Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb, the Esplanade des Invalides and the other museums in the complex.

• Opening hours: From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Admission: From €14 for an adult ticket.
• Duration of visit: Allow approximately 2 hours to tour the complex and museum area.

Considered one of the most charming regions in all of France, the Loire Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Loire region is located 2.5 hours from Paris, and every day small group tours depart to explore the valley's most famous castles. Due to the length of the journey,a trip from Paris to the Loire Castles will take at least 12 hours in total; this is enough time to see the most important landmarks.

Although the itinerary may vary depending on the company you hire for the tour, most tend to include the most famous and impressive castles:

• Château de Chenonceau.
• Château de Cheverny.
• Château de Chambord.

Château de Fontainebleau

Chateau de Fontainebleau is a less visited destination, although just as beautiful as Versailles. Located just 1 hour from Paris, it is a favourite weekend getaway for Parisians.

For seven centuries, French kings and emperors lived in its chambers, and a succession of them worked on refurbishing and embellishing its spaces. A good plan is to spend the morning touring the castle and the afternoon hiking in the forests of Fontainebleau.

• Opening hours: From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Admission price: Tickets start at €12 for adults.
• Duration of the visit: A two-hour excursion will allow you to explore the castle and its surroundings.

Take a tour of the Seine

The Seine is the soul of Paris. On your return to the city, as night falls, you can take a night cruise on the Seine to enjoy the spectacle of the night lights illuminating the main Parisian monuments.

Le Marais Quartier is located in the city's 3rd arrondissement. It was once the Jewish quarter of Paris, but today it is home to the most fashionable art galleries in several architecturally significant buildings.

In this district, you can have lunch at an alternative restaurant, shop at a cutting-edge fashion atelier, and all while admiring contemporary art at the many museums scattered throughout the area. Below, I'll share my favourites, but I invite you to explore Le Marais for yourself. A new art spot may have popped up in the last few days!

• Musée National Picasso-Paris.
• Musée Carnavalet.
• Musée Hunting and Nature.
• Musée Cognacq-Jay.

Giverny is less than an hour from the capital, and day trips to this destination depart from Paris. Therefore, a visit to the village of Giverny, the Claude Monet Foundation, the home of the famous artist, and the accompanying gardens is an experience you will appreciate if you are spending 15 days in Paris. On the tour of the house, you will see Monet's personal collection, consisting of more than 200 Japanese woodcuts and works of art by his favourite Impressionist contemporaries.

But without a doubt, the garden is the space in which Monet invested the most time and effort. Divided into different plots separated by low hedges, each has its own theme, harmony and colour palette. Take note of the Japanese bridge that the artist had installed and, as you cross it, admire the water lilies resting peacefully on the waters of the pond.

• Opening hours: From 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Admission price: Tickets start at €9.50 for adults.
• Duration of visit: A tour from Paris takes at least 5 hours, including the round trip.

Spend the morning at Les Jardins des Luxembourg

The Luxembourg Gardens are the heart of Paris' Left Bank and are considered by many to be the most charming park in the city due to their lush gardens, which were built in different stages and incorporate as many styles as you can imagine.

• Opening hours: From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Admission price: approximately €14 for adults.
• Duration of visit: Walking through the gardens and admiring the sculptures will take you 30 to 40 minutes.

Mouffetard Market

Leaving the Luxembourg Gardens via Boulevard Saint-Michelle, a 15-minute walk away, you will find the Mouffetard Market. You can buy local gourmet food in one of the oldest and liveliest shopping streets in Paris, a permanent open-air market whose roots date back to the Neolithic period and which locals frequent for their daily shopping.

The Catacombs of Paris

Leaving from the Mouffetard Market, you can walk for 20 minutes to the entrance of the Catacombs or take the same route by taking bus 59 from Les Gobelins station.

The remains of approximately 6 million people rest here, making a visit to the Catacombs of Paris one of the most amazing experiences you can have in the French capital.

• Opening hours: Tours start at 10 a.m., and the Catacombs close at 8:30 p.m.
• Ticket price: Tickets start at €29 for adults.
• Duration of the visit: The two-kilometre route takes about an hour.

Ile Saint-Louis and Île de la Cité

Paris is made up of two natural islands located on the River Seine. Start the morning of your tenth day by visiting the important historical monuments that were built here.

Ile Saint-Louis is the smaller of the two and is mainly residential. With its narrow streets, it feels like you've been transported to a 17th-century French village. Île de la Cité, on the other hand, is home to some of the most impressive Gothic buildings in Paris, such as Notre-Dame Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle Basilica and the Conciergerie prison, where Marie Antoinette spent her last days before her death.

• Opening hours: Sainte Chapelle is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Admission price: Tickets start at €11.50.
• Duration of visit: The tour to see the interior of Sainte-Chapelle takes about 30 minutes.

Place de la Bastille

From Île Saint-Louis to Place de la Bastille, the walk takes only 13 minutes, crossing the Seine via Pont de Sully. This square is an important Parisian icon; its capture by the armed people during the early days of the uprising marked a significant milestone in the development of the French Revolution.

Head to the 18th arrondissement to discover what was the centre of a thriving artistic community in the early 20th century. Impressionist and abstract art geniuses such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Duchamp, Dalí and Monet lived in this area of Paris. Today, Montmartre is known for its thriving nightlife, but some of the historical and cultural icons you should visit are:

• Sacre-Coeur Basilica.
• Dalí Museum
• Moulin Rouge.
• Place du Montmartre.

Spend the morning at the Musée Jacquemart-André

Housed in a former 19th-century mansion and decorated in period style, this museum displays paintings, sculptures, furniture and all kinds of antiques collected by Édouard André and Nélie Jacquemart.

• Opening hours: From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Admission price: Basic adult admission tickets are available starting at €15.
• Duration of visit: Allow at least one hour to see the entire museum.

Discover the Arc de Triomphe

Just a 15-minute walk from the Jacquemart-André Museum is one of the most iconic Parisian landmarks (along with the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame): the Arc de Triomphe. Commissioned by Napoleon himself in honour of the soldiers who died fighting in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, this monument houses the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

• Opening hours: From 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Admission price: Free access to the square. Admission to the museum costs approximately €13.
• Duration of visit: Approximately 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Enjoy an afternoon of shopping in Paris

Take advantage of your privileged location to spend an afternoon shopping in Paris's most commercial streets. Paris's luxury shopping avenues are: the Champs-Élysées, Avenue Montaigne and Rue Royale. If you like fashion, you're sure to enjoy a visit to the Galeries Lafayette shopping centre, located on Boulevard Haussmann.

Spend the morning in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Quarter, a neighbourhood located near the Seine, was the former centre of the French existentialist movement. Historically, this place is associated with figures such as Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, and today it is one of the most elegant luxury neighbourhoods in Paris, as well as an artistic centre with many prestigious museums and art galleries.

Among the monuments that can be found in this neighbourhood is the famous Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pres. Built in 990 and partially destroyed during the French Revolution, today it houses one of the oldest bell towers in France.

• Opening hours: From 8 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.
• Admission price: The abbey is open to the public free of charge.
• Duration of visit: Allow 30 minutes to tour the church and its surroundings.

Montparnasse Cemetery

A 20-minute walk from Saint-Germain-des-Prés, you'll find another legendary Parisian spot that's worth exploring. The Montparnasse Cemetery not only boasts a beautiful design, but also houses the remains of important historical figures, with sculptural and beautiful tombs everywhere you look.

• Opening hours: From 8 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. or 6 p.m. depending on the season.
• Admission price: Admission is free.
• Duration of visit: If you bring a map of Montparnasse showing the exact location of the tombs, you can complete the entire tour in less than 2 hours.

The Latin Quarter is located between the 5th and 6th arrondissements of Paris. Known worldwide for its youthful atmosphere, it is home to the most famous Parisian higher education institutions: the Sorbonne, École Normale Supérieure, École des Mines de Paris, Panthéon-Assas University, Schola Cantorum and the Jussieu university campus.

You can spend a whole day exploring its monuments and gardens or sampling its cuisine, for which a gastronomic tour of the Latin Quarter is very useful. Some points of interest worth exploring are the Musée De Cluny and the Pantheon in Paris.

Enjoy an unforgettable experience by visiting Disneyland Paris during your holiday. Since its opening in the 1990s, this amusement park has become one of the favourite weekend getaways for Parisians, so you'll find a variety of transport options in Paris. Spend a full day on this excursion and take the opportunity to ride the best attractions at Disneyland Paris and, of course, visit the best restaurants in the Disneyland complex.

• Opening hours: From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. During summer, until 10 p.m.
• Ticket price: A one-day ticket with access to all attractions (both parks) is available from €74.
• Duration of the visit: You should set aside the whole day to enjoy this excursion.