Things to Do in Paris in 15 Days

A favorite destination for travelers all over the world, Paris is one of those places you should 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 learn in Paris

Anyway, with a 15-day itinerary in Paris you can enjoy the most popular attractions, explore less touristy areas and soak up the Parisian culture, as well as go beyond its limits to discover some magical places like the Monet Gardens or the forest of Fontainebleau. I hope you enjoy the guide I've prepared for you!

Take the sightseeing bus around Paris

I recommend starting the morning of your first day by taking the Paris sightseeing bus route for a quick tour of the city. This is an open-top bus that tours the city through the most important tourist spots. This way, you will get a quick glimpse of the beauty of Paris and the places you will later visit in depth: The Eiffel Tower, the Opera Garnier, Musée du Louvre, Champs-Élysées and many more.

• Schedule: This type of service is usually available from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. Buses depart approximately every 40 minutes.
• Ticket price: From 36 € per person.
• Duration of the visit: The complete tour lasts approximately 2 hours.

Louvre Museum

The Louvre's collection of works of art is impressive; not for nothing is it considered one of the best museums in the world. With a total of 30,000 pieces on display, touring it all in one day is practically impossible, so buy your Louvre tickets in advance without queuing 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.

• Hours: From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Admission fee: The entrance fee is around 15€ for adults.
• Duration of the visit: To see the main works you must set aside at least two hours of itinerary.

Meet 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 French nobility, filled with historic mansions. It is close to important Parisian monuments and museums such as the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée Rodin or Les Invalides. Spend a few hours of your morning browsing the stalls and stop for lunch in some of its shops.

• Hours: From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday, with a break on Mondays.
• Admission fee: It is a free street market and open to the public.
• Duration of the visit: It depends on what you want to do and if you stop for lunch or coffee. Estimate about 30 minutes to see the stalls and walk around the market.

Visit the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero Square

The most iconic symbol of the Parisian capital is a 30-minute walk 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'll find top-notch restaurants and, if you make a reservation for lunch or buy your Eiffel Tower ticket in advance, you can skip the entrance line.

Place du Trocadero

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

• Hours: From 9:30 am to 11:45 pm.
• Entrance fee: From 10,7 €. The price increases if you want to go up to the top and if you want to use the elevators.
• Duration of the visit: It takes about 1.5 hours to visit the second floor and 2.5 hours if you want to climb 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 a museum of impressive history. 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 take a canal cruise and let the current carry you along.

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

Rodin Museum

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

• Hours: The Rodin Museum is open from 10 am to 4 pm.
• Admission fee: The ticket costs from 12 € for adults.
• Duration of the visit: Book at least one hour to visit the entire museum.

Les Invalides complex

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

• Hours: From 10 am to 6 pm.
• Ticket price: From 14€ the adult ticket.
• Duration of the visit: Book approximately 2 hours to tour the complex and the museum area.

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

The Loire region is located 2.5 hours away from Paris and tours depart daily with small groups of tourists setting out on an adventure to see the valley's most famous castles. Due to the length of the trip, an excursionfrom Paris to the Loire Châteaux 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 usually include the most famous and impressive châteaux:

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

Chateau de la Fontainebleau

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

For seven centuries, French kings and emperors lived in its chambers, so a succession of them worked on the conditioning and beautification of their spaces. A good plan is to spend the morning touring the castle and in the afternoon make a mountain excursion to the forests of Fontainebleau.

• Hours: From 9 am to 5 pm.
• Ticket price: The ticket costs from 12€ for adults.
• Duration of the visit: In a two-hour tour you can visit the castle and the surrounding area.

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 night lights that illuminate the main Parisian monuments.

Le Marais Quartier is located in the 3rd arrondissement of the city. It was once the Jewish quarter of Paris but today it is the place where the hippest art galleries have their home in several architecturally significant buildings.

In this district you can have lunch in an alternative restaurant, shop in an avant-garde fashion atelier, and all this while admiring the contemporary art of the many museums scattered around the place. Here are my favorites, but I invite you to explore Le Marais for yourself, and you may find some new art nooks and crannies have popped up in the last few days!

• Musée National Picasso-Paris.
• Le Centre Pompidou.
• Musée Carnavalet.
• Museé Hunting and Nature.
• MuseéCognacq-Jay.

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

But the garden is undoubtedly the space in which Monet invested the most time and effort. Divided into distinct plots separated by low hedges, each has its own theme, harmony and color palette. Pay attention to the Japanese bridge that the artist had installed and, when you cross it, admire the water lilies resting peacefully on the waters of the pond.

• Hours: From 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Admission fee: The ticket costs from 9,50 € for adults.
• Duration of the 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 the left bank of Paris and are considered by many people the most charming park in the whole city due to its lush gardens built through different stages and integrating as many styles as you can imagine.

• Hours: From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Admission fee: 14€ approximately for adults.
• Duration of the visit: Touring the gardens and admiring the sculptures will take you 30 to 40 minutes.

Mouffetard Market

Leaving the Luxembourg Gardens along the 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 with roots dating back to the Neolithic era and frequented by locals for everyday 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 the 59 bus from Les Gobelins station.

Here lie the remains of approximately 6 million people, so visiting the catacombs of Paris is one of the most amazing experiences you can live in the French capital.

• Hours: Tours start at 10 am, and the Catacombs close at 8:30 pm.
• Admission fee: The price starts at 29€ per adult ticket.
• Duration of the visit: The two-kilometer route takes about an hour.

Ile Saint-Louis and Île de la Cité

Paris is composed of two natural islands, located on the Seine River. 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 mostly residential. With its narrow streets, it gives the sensation of transporting you to a 17th century French village. Ile de la Cité is home to Paris' most imposing Gothic buildings such as Notre-Dame Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle Basilica and the Conciergerie prison, where Marie-Antoinette stayed during her last days until her death.

• Opening hours: Sainte Chapelle is open to the public from 9 am to 5 pm.
• Ticket price: The ticket price is from 11,50€.
• Duration of the visit: The tour to appreciate the interiors of Sainte-Chapelle will take about 30 minutes.

Place de la Bastille

From the Ile Saint-Louis to the Place de la Bastille the walking tour is only 13 minutes, crossing the Seine by the Pont de Sully. This square is an important Parisian icon, its seizure by the armed people during the early days of the revolt marked a significant milestone in the development of the French Revolution.

Head to the 18th arrondissement to see what was in the early 20th century the center of a thriving artistic community. This area of Paris was home to geniuses of impressionist and abstract art such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Duchamp, Dali and Monet. Today, Montmartre is distinguished by a thriving nightlife, but some of the historical and cultural icons you should visit are:

• Sacre-Coeur Basilica.
• Dali Museum
• Moulin Rouge.
• Place de Montmartre.

Spend the morning at the Musée Jacquemart-Andre.

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

• Hours: From 10 am to 6 pm.
• Admission fee: The basic adult ticket is available from 15€.
• Duration of the visit: Book at least one hour to visit the museum in its entirety.

Visit the Arc de Triomphe

Just a 15-minute walk from the Jacquemart-Andre Museum is one of the most iconic Parisian landmarks (along with the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame): Paris' Arc de Triomphe. Ordered to be built by Napoleon himself, in honor of those soldiers who died fighting in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, this monument houses the Tomb of the Anonymous Soldier.

• Hours: From 10 am to 11 pm.
• Admission fee: Free access to the square. The entrance to the museum costs approximately 13 €.
• Duration of the visit: From 45 to 1,30 hours approximately.

Enjoy an afternoon of shopping in Paris

Take advantage of your privileged location to spend an afternoon shopping in the most commercial Parisian streets. The Parisian luxury shopping avenues are the following: Champs Elysees, Avenue Montaigne and Rue Royale. If you like fashion, you will certainly appreciate a visit to the Galeries Lafayette shopping mall, located on Boulevard Haussman.

Spend the morning in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Quarter, a neighborhood located near the Seine, was the former center of the French existentialist movement. Historically, this place is associated with figures such as Simon de Beauvoir or Jean-Paul Sartre and today is one of the most elegant upscale neighborhoods of Paris, as well as an artistic center with many prestigious museums and art galleries.

Among the monuments that can be found in this neighborhood 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 am to 7:45 pm.
• Admission fee: The abbey is open to the public free of charge.
• Duration of the visit: Estimate 30 minutes to visit the church and its surroundings.

Montparnasse Cemetery

A 20-minute walk from Saint-Germain-des-Prés you will find another mythical Parisian corner worth exploring. The Montparnasse Cemetery not only displays a beautiful design, but also houses the remains of important historical figures, with sculptural and beautiful tombs everywhere you look.

• Hours: From 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. depending on the season.
• Admission fee: Admission is free.
• Duration of the visit: If you bring with you a map of Montparnasse showing the exact location of the tombs you can do the whole tour in less than 2 hours.

Between the 5th and 6th arrondissements of Paris lies the Latin Quarter. Known throughout the world for its youthful atmosphere, it is home to the most famous Parisian centers of higher learning: The Sorbonne, École Normale Supérieure, l' École des Mines de Paris, Panthéon-Assas University, the Schola Cantorum and the Jussieu university campus.

You can spend a whole day exploring its monuments and gardens or sampling its food; 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 de Paris.

Live an experience to remember by visiting Disneyland Paris on your vacation. Since its opening in the 1990s, this amusement park has become one of Parisians' favorite weekend getaways, so you'll find a variety of transportation options in Paris. Dedicate a full day to this excursion and take the opportunity to ride the best attractions of Disneyland Paris and of course visit the best Disneyland restaurants in the complex.

• Hours: From 10 am to 6 pm. In summer, until 10 pm.
• Ticket price: The one-day ticket with access to all attractions (both parks) is available from 74 €.
• Duration of the visit: You must book the whole day to enjoy this tour.