One Day Layover in Paris - The Shadrian Chronicles

When we had the chance for a long layover in Paris, we couldn’t say no. Paris has so many highlights, seeing it all is impossible in one day. Check out our guide below for planning your own layover!

How long do you need to see Paris?

For a good view of the biggest highlights in Paris, you need at least 6 hours between arriving and departing. If you only have 4 hours or less, we don’t recommend leaving the airport. Between 4 and 6, you can see a few of the highlights, but make sure you focus on the items you want to see the most.

Below we outline our walking plan for visiting Paris during an 8 hour layover.

Getting to the City

There are two international airports in Paris, the main one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). From CDG you can take a taxi, uber, or the train (the RER). The train will be your cheapest option, and the ticket machines only accept credit cards or debit cards with chips. Train tickets run about 10 Euros. The taxi rides are much more expensive, usually around 50 Euros to downtown Paris, and up to 60 Euros if during peak times.

Once you have your train ticket, head to the station and catch your train into town. The RER train has a stop right next to the Notre Dame Cathedral (Saint Michel – Notre Dame) so this is a great place to start your day in paris.

Highlights in Paris

In order of how we recommend to see things, below are the highlights for a one day tour for your first visit to Paris:

Notre Dame Cathedral – This is your first stop on the tour. Usually the lines can get pretty long here, so if you do plan to go inside, make sure you have time to see all of the things you want to catch. Entrance is free and the Cathedral is quite impressive inside or out.
The Lourve Museum – Everyone wants to check out the Lourve, mainly for the famous Mona Lisa, however there are a lot of other incredible works in the museum. If artwork is not your thing, at least check out the Lourve area, the architecture is still pretty amazing. The Lourve tickets can be purchased online, so plan ahead to save yourself some time.
Touleries Garden – After checking out the Lourve, head down to the gardens located just west of the museum. They are beautifully manicured and great for pictures. The park is on your walk to the Arc de Triomphe.
Champs Elysees – One of the most famous streets in the world, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a mecca for shopping and cafes. At the end of the Touleries Garden starts the Champs Elysees, so as you make your way to the end, check out the shops and grab a bite to eat at a cafe. This is a great place to people watch and take a break as well.
Arc de Triomphe – The arc is located right in the middle of a large road round-a-bout. There are tons and tons of people and cars going around all the time. You do NOT need to cross the street, there are stairs located just before the round-a-bout to get you to the arc. You can purchase tickets online to get inside and go to the top. Views from the top are pretty amazing.
Eiffel Tower – Probably the one most important stop on your tour. The tower has a huge park in front of it, so you can get those much desired Eiffel Tower pictures. You can also purchase tickets to go up in the tower online. If you have time and are around at night, the eiffel tower at night is definitely a highlight.

Other Highlights

If this isn’t your first time to Paris or you have already hit up all of those listed above, don’t worry there are plenty of other highlights to check out in Paris!

Palace of Versailles – The palace itself is a full days worth of exploring. Give yourself a lot of time to check out the 3+ square miles.
Catacombs of Paris – You can get lost in the catacombs that encompass the underground side of Paris. Take a tour of the catacombs to see part of the over 6 million people buried here.
Luxembourg Palace and Gardens – The palace is a pretty cool place to check out. Located on a pretty large estate, the area is a great place to spend a few hours exploring.
Orangerie Museum – One of the many museums in Paris, this museum is full of impressionist and post-impressionist art.
Musée d’Orsay – Another of the museums, full of art from Paris.
Disneyland Paris – This one is pretty self explanatory.

Getting back to the Airport

Once you are done enjoying the City of Love, head back to the airport. Make sure you give yourself at least 2 hours for customs, check-in, and grabbing a bite to eat before getting on the plane.

The taxi runs about 50 euros up to 60 Euros during high traffic times. The train (RER Line) will be your best option back.