One day in Paris

Going up the Eiffel Tower is best done with reserving a time. Otherwise you may spend all your time in Paris waiting in line there. I recommend getting the earliest train possible to Paris. When returning, you will need to be at the station 90 minutes before departure, so get the latest train back that you can. A quick visit to many places doesn't sound enjoyable, unless you mean just walking by something. There are walking tours that cover a segment or theme in Paris. (Paris Walks) There are also tours where you are driven around Paris (sometimes in an iconic Deux Chevaux). A boat ride on the Seine takes an hour and you can see the Eiffel Tower and other sights along the way. Sit up top if you do this, for the best views. It is narrated and cheap. Walk-ups usually are available, but you can reserve ahead of time online for a specific time. Most of the major sights will require reservations. What times are your trains arriving at and departing from Paris?

You've already purchased your Eurostar tickets. What day of the week will you be in Paris? Approximately what time do you arrive in Paris? What time has Eurostar told you to be at Gare du Nord for your return train?

Besides the Eiffel Tower, what would be your perfect day? Strolling through a park, an art museum, historical monuments???

Regarding lunch and dinner, again what type of experience? A quick bite so can can do more sightseeing or a relaxed meal on a terrace or a small bistro or a grand brasserie or ???

What is your dream of Paris?. Do that. With little time my preference would be to pick two things and then see what else is nearby but you have to do what you long to do. It is very little time so I would not want to spend it waiting in lines (going up the ET even with tickets will involve lots of line standing). but of course it is your dream to go up the ET well then organize to do that and let much else go.

Less is more. Figure out what will make your day and do that.

Yes, it's important to let us know which day of the week you will be there in case it's a day when some things are closed.

What time does your train arrive ? What time does your train depart ?

We are taking the earliest train from London (6:01 am) arriving at Gare du Nord at 9:30am on Thursday, June 5. We've chosen to return on the next to the last train going back to London 8:12pm (20:12).

@jeanm We probably would like a small bite for lunch and possibly a nice bistro for dinner.

Make that an early dinner, as you need to be at the station 90 minutes ahead of your departure time., so 6:40. Maybe a nice bistro lunch instead?

Most restaurants have dinner hours beginning at 7:00, or possibly 6-6:30 (unusual). Lunch can be special and leisurely, as the mid-day meal can be the main one.

Okay, first thing to do is book your Eiffel Tower tickets IF that is your priority. The rest of your day can fall into place after that.

As Judy said, you have to check in to Gare du Nord around 90 minutes prior to departure. Look at your ticket, it will show the exact time. So, let's say 7:45 pm.

I would suggest a nice lunch supplemented by a cafe or patisserie stop during the day. You could always have a picnic on the train back to London.

Again, what would make a day in Paris meaningful to you? Art, history, gardens, ...?
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hey hey lctilson
do you have tickets to the eiffel tower already (toureiffel.paris)? how many is in your party? since your are going high summer season, tickets sell out weeks/months in advance, buy direct from site. skip the lines does not mean skip security.
get to tower as early as possible (9:30am to 11pm), take a taxi cab from train station, no wasting time. i'm sure you may be waiting, how long who knows and if there are tickets left.
it will be crowded all over paris, my own opinion is take a tour:
paris-by-tuktuk.com
look at what tours are available and where they go, you can see alot of paris with stops for photos.
cedricsparis.com
tour in an old 2CV car, check where tours go (hour or two)
cvparistour.com
look at tours, see all you can see on this day, we did one and love it. but we were there 7 days.
ask them if they can drop you off be train station, food places around or in train station. we packed a picnic with sandwiches or chacuterie board, bottle wine (have a corkscrew) bought in train station.
there is also a dining car on the eurostar. one thing to remember is there is an hour time difference between london & paris
have a great trip and enjoy. we loved the ride from london to paris.
aloha

Oh this is a fun question. A guided tour would certainly be a fair investment to maximize/prioritize a good chunk of your day. Though I find Paris to be the kind of place where you could easily enjoy the day, see a lot, and not actually go inside a single building. Here’s my DIY outline:
Take the Metro straight to the Citie stop. Get a gander of Notre Dame (don’t go in), and see Saint Chappelle (I’ve never waited in line here though some have.)
Cross Pont Neuf towards the Louvre. Pop into Palais Royal gardens. Good cafes around here, enjoy a coffee. Walk past the Louvre through Tuleries to Place de Concord. (The Orangerie is a great museum you can see relatively quickly if you’re inclined.
Take the metro from Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. Resist the urge to walk the Champs, it’s a dud.
Take another metro to Trocadero. See the Eiffel Tower from there and cross the Seine for a closer look. Lots of cafes restaurants over this way along Champs du Mars and eastward. Depending on how it’s all timing out, I’d probably hop a boat back towards Notre Dame. Enjoy a meal in Latin Quarter, and it’s an easy jump on the metro to Garde du Nord. (Extra credit: check out Hotel de Ville for a minute on the way back.)

No, you don’t go up the Eiffel Tower this time. Sacrifices must be made. Surely, you’ll be back one day to get the full experience without the pressure.

We did this in 2023 February! We took the 7am Eurostar to Paris, and returned by the 9pm. We had to wait a few minutes for the Bayswater tube station to open in the morning on the way to St. Pancras (interesting conversation with the station master and street cleaners), so make sure you know how you are getting to St. Pancras early in the morning. On the positive side, the immigration lines were very short and did not need more than a few minutes to go through.

Our trip was a birthday gift for my son, and all he wanted was to see the lights twinkling on the Eiffel Tower. However, once the day trip was confirmed, he also wanted to do some shopping, and I wanted museum time, so we settled on the Musee d'Orsay. So we took the route of fewer things in greater detail....I would not have liked to rush through a lovely city like Paris....and we both decided we want to go back someday.

Even though our train back wasn't till 9pm, we had to rush to the Gare du Nord after the 7pm Eiffel Tower 'twinkling' and the station was busy. We bought sandwiches at the station to eat for dinner. So with your earlier train, I don't think you will be able to have a sit-down dinner in Paris. Make the most of your lunch - we chose to eat ours at the Musee d'Orsay to maximize our time there.

Enjoy your trip!

Thank you so much, MapLady, for your very helpful advice. I've got it all down in my notes. Sounds like a good plan.

Many thanks, awrzesinski, for your schedule ideas. I have your suggestions in my notes, as well. We appreciate the effort in sharing.

tickets to the Eiffel tower do not sell out months in advance. Most tickets are released precisely 7 days ahead at 1 pm Paris time. The Eiffel Tower will still involve lots of line waiting even with tickets. When I did it with my grandchild two years ago we had timed tickets and it still took 70 minutes to get to the elevator. We luckily had no line to the top because it had been closed and opened up suddenly and most people were not aware it was open and we hopped right on -- but that line can easily be an hour long. And then you line up to get back down. If the ET is your dream than organize to do that.

On meals. You can't do dinner with that time frame and the need to check in for the Eurostar 90 minutes ahead. So if you want a nice French meal do a nice bistro lunch and carry a picnic for the train.