Paris in 24 hours

You can get a tantalizing taste of Paris in 24 hours. You won't be able to see all the landmarks in so little time.

You can go broad or go deep. You could see one, maybe two places in that amount of time. For instance, you could do the Eiffel Towwer, a nice lunch and then Musee D'Orsey. The other option would be to stroll the streets of Paris around the Notre Dame area.

24 hours will just give you a tantalizing glimpse and make you want to return when you can spend a lot more time.

You will get a feel at best and food for thought for future and longer visit.

Is it possible? Yes, but what you can or should do in those 24 hours greatly depends on some hows, whens and wheres? Flying into, say, CDG at noon and flying out of the same airport at noon is a different animal than flying or training in at 9:00 PM and flying or training out the evening of the next day. There's also a bit of difference if an arrival flight is international or domestic as you may be significantly more jet-lagged on one versus the other.

So what is your 24 hours looking like? How are you arriving and from where? How are you departing and from where in Paris? Where is your next destination?

No, it is not possible.

In my opinion, it's better to spend 24 hours in Paris than 0 hours in Paris, so if 24 hours is what you have, by all means go for it.

With such limited time, you'll need to do your homework in advance to make the best use of every minute. You don't have anywhere near enough time to see everything, so read up on the various sights, museums, and areas and pick the ones that are most appealing to you. Then note their opening and closing hours and (if applicable) options for getting tickets in advance. You do not want to waste any of your precious time waiting in long lines.

On a brief visit to a city, an open-top bus tour is often a good way to get a quick glimpse of the highlights, so that might be something to consider.

The success of a quick trip like this is IMHO a realistic plan. We once had a layover in London and arrived at the hotel at 5 -- I quickly booked a ticket for the Savoy for a Gilbert and Sullivan, we went to a pub and had fish and chips, saw the show and walked across Westminster Bridge -- a very satisfying evening for experiencing a bit of London.

With only 24 hours I'd reflect on my dream of Paris and do that one thing and then add on a couple of others and not try to cram a lot of tourist monuments and museums into the experience. Perhaps have one great meal if that is your thing, or seek out the most glorious views etc.

Thank you for your helpful information.. I’ve decided to see Paris another time. The round trip train from Amsterdam is too expensive for a 24 hour getaway. Thank you all!

Ah, new information! Correct. A lot of money and travel time for so short a visit.

Good thought. 24 hours if you have a reason to be there anyway (layover, ending of trip elsewhere and flying out of CDG) can be done. Good advice on that already.

But going specifically there and back just for 24 hours isn’t a great use of time or money.