Visit the best attractions of Paris in a day

Paris is a city with a lot of history and even more attractions so if you want to see the best of it in a day, it helps to go with an expert guide who will take care of logistics and tell you the story of the city as you go, including the characters, facts, myths and lore and will make the experience unforgettable.

Your day starts at the base of Montmartre hill from where you’ll where you’ll meet your guide and your small group of no more than 15 people, then take the funicular to Sacré-Cœur Basilica. After taking in stunning views of the city, your guide will lead you through the winding streets of Montmartre, stopping off at the neighborhood vineyard, artist hangout Place du Tertre, and a reconstructed windmill, much like those made famous by the cabaret club (and movie) Moulin Rouge.

Next you’ll catch the subway - Paris’ best mode of transport - for a short trip to the Île de la Cité, Paris’s oldest district. As you explore the winding streets and step inside the world-famous Notre Dame Cathedral, you’ll learn how Paris grew from a Roman outpost into the crown Jewel of Europe.

From the Île de la Cité, it’s only a short walk to the Louvre, where you’ll enjoy a 1-hour lunch break (with recommendations from your guide) before diving into the largest art museum in the world, to see some of its most spellbinding works of art. The highlight is, of course, da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Your guide will help you understand why the painting is so significant and how, after all these years, it has managed to maintain its reputation as one of the world’s greatest works of art.

After another short subway ride you’ll find yourself staring up at the Eiffel Tower from the best vantage point at Trocadéro Plaza, learning the incredible story of how it was built.

At the Tower your guide will depart but as a parting a gift they’ll leave you with a skip-the-line ticket for the second floor and a ticket for a one-hour Seine river cruise that you can use immediately (we’d recommend it since it’s almost sunset) or save for the next day. Cruising from west to east and back again, this boat tour (audio included if you wish), passes such monuments as the Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre, and Notre Dame, allowing you to get a new vantage point on sites you saw earlier plus many beautiful bridges including the Pont Neuf.

And that’s it; in just one day you’ll have seen Paris by foot and water, skipping its longest lines to see its most popular attractions, plus a few local favorites along the way.

Sites Visited:

• Montmartre
• Notre Dame
• Île de la Cité
• Louvre
• Trocadéro Plaza
• Eiffel Tower (non-guided)
• Seine Cruise