Paris in a day

Have done something similar years ago, but Paris to London - completely mental, but fun. Work out which sites are a priority and go from there. I would get a taxi from the Gare du Nord station to the Eiffel Tower and if you have pre booked tickets you can catch lift (or walk two flights), to either 2nd floor or the top. I would then take a Vendettes River Seine cruise which leaves directly in front of the Eiffel Tour. We sat up top and the female guide gave a wonderful overview of Paris history as we passed the sites. The boat then returns to the Eiffel Tower. Last trip because it rained heavily, we picked up a Hop on Hop off Bus tour which took us around the various places - we got off and then on again at the Notre Dame, but waited 30 minutes to get in (it was late August 2025) But, buses can get caught in traffic jams, so a taxi might be quicker or even the metro, but the latter option really doesn’t allow you to see much of Paris.

For the Louvre you would need pre booked tickets otherwise expect a long wait in the queue- personally I would skip the Louvre if time is limited. London has fantastic museums and art galleries (although not the Mona Lisa) As for meals, you can grab a baguette at one of the many many bakeries in Paris, unless you see a restaurant you particularly like. Other posters might have some suggestions for restaurants, but if you want a cheap meal with some ambience, a Bouillon might be the ticket.
Have a wonderful day in Paris

Using public transport efficiently is important to utilize your time. You will learn that ofcourse already in London. But nevertheless get an idea before you go how it works in Paris too.

I am not a frequent visitor to Paris, but know with using Metro line 1 you can see most of the places you want to see / visit within easy reach. Metro line 1 runs between La Défence / Grande Arche and Château de Vincennes and calls at Hôtel de Ville, Châtelet les Halles, Palais Royale - Musée du Louvre and Charles de Gaulle Étoille / Arc de Triomphe.

-Hôtel de Ville for an easy walk to Notre-Dame.
-Châtelet les Halles for a direct connection with Gare du Nord.
-Charles de Gaulle Étoille / Arc de Triomphe for Metro line 6 to Trocadéro for going to the Eiffel tower.

Going inside in one of the places you mention will eat up a whole lot of your time. But if this is your preference I respect this. For the Louvre you have to book a time slot and the best entrance with the shortest queues is Carrousel du Louvre, close to the metro station. Know that the museum is open every day, except Tuesday.

https://www.louvre.fr/en/visit

Edited: For Notre-Dame you can book ahead if you want to reduce waiting time, but according the website only possible a few hours before your visit. Admission is free.

https://www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/visit/reservation-free/

From Trocadéro metro station you can walk to Place du Trocadéro for having that famous and fantastic view of the Eiffel tower. Instead of using one of the elevators you can walk using the stairs to the first floor, having most of the time the shortest queues.

Metro line 1 calls at Place de la Concorde and Champs-Élysées, in case it is of interest.

Other forum members here have more experience with the metro and certainly can tell more about buying tickets and things like that.

https://www.ratp.fr/en/plan-metro

Wil, you do not need a prebooked ticket to go inside of Notre Dame. I don't think you can even book one until a few hours before.

The line is always long but moves very quickly.

You do need tickets if you want to climb the towers of Notre Dame though, but not just to visit the church.

DebH - Thanks for making this clear. I will edit my post.

Think it's worth booking ahead if you want to reduce waiting time. According the website it's free doing this. If the line moves fast enough as you say than it isn't necessary.

I love museums and I have been to Paris 4 times. The only time I've been to the Louvre was the first trip, but I've been to the British Museum on many trips-on one trip I went there twice. With only one day, the time-consuming Louvre(and selfie mobs at Mona Lisa) would be a lower priority than Notre Dame and the Seine cruise. If you like Impressionist Art, I think the Orsay is easier to see in a short period of time.

Cala knows of what she speaks. Of all the things you want to see, the Louvre will eat up most of your time. Even with tickets, you need to stand in a long line because everyone needs to go through security. And it's very crowded ALL the time, so making your way through it is daunting. And, of course, it's absolutely enormous, so it's time-consuming trying to get where you're going.

7-8 hours is a very short visit. You still need to transport between sites, which eats up a lot of time too. You cannot go up the Eiffel Tower and go through the Louvre too. There just won't be time, even with tickets in hand to both.

I would suggest you seriously prioritize what you want to do. Then map a route between sites. Do what you can and be prepared to abort the plan to get yourself to the Gare du Nord in time for your return train.

With only 7-8 hours in Paris, I wouldn’t spend time in any museums, as they would take up too much of the little time you have.

I would start by exploring the Île de la Cité and the Île Saint-Louis, spend a couple of hours walking in and around them. This is the historic center of Paris and its most beautiful area. Go inside Notre Dame for a quick visit if the line isn’t too long.

From there, walk through the Tuileries Garden and continue along the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. Go up to the top for the best panoramic view of Paris.

Then head toward the Eiffel Tower via the Trocadero, which has the best Eiffel Tower views. I wouldn’t go up the Eiffel Tower, as it takes too much time for such a short visit.

Then walk to Luxembourg Garden and people watch for a bit.

Then go back to London.

I would agree with others who say skip the Louvre, it will eat too much of your time. The line at Notre Dame does move quickly so I would start there. Then I would follow a self guided walking tour through the Marais area and along the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower (I believe there is a good one in Rick’s book). If you can get a timed ticket for the tower then do that, but if you can’t, maybe don’t bother going through the security lines just to stand under it. Instead, head for the Arc de Triomphe as it has great views of Paris, so that is a great option if you can’t get tickets for Eiffel, don’t walk the Champs Élysée, it’s mostly just big outlet stores, take the metro to save some time. Paris is very walkable, and it is the best way to see it. All along the Seine there are small booths selling various items, and it’s fun to just stroll and look. Do t try to cram too much in, it will only be frustrating.

I agree with those who say to skip the Louvre, for all the reasons they give. It will take up all your time. Also, the Champs Elysees is another waste of time, IMO. Instead, walk around Ile de la Cite or along the left bank of the Seine. The bouquinistes along the way are a fun place to find unique souveniers, with the bonus of there being many cafes, etc. to sit with a coffee or aperitif and soak up the Parisian ambience, with a possible bonus of a good view of Notre Dame. See the Eiffel Tower from below or from the Trocadero. If you want to see an art museum, the Orsay or Cluny or Rodin, to name just a few, will be a treat with less hassle than the Louvre. Notre Dame is well worth a visit and the line moves quickly, I've read. If need be, because of time constraints, use the metro, but a cab will let you see Paris as you go from place to place, so a bit of bonus there. Or an iconic scenic ride in a Deux Cheveaux to see the big sights, with commentary.

No quick meal ideas, but a fun snack is getting a crepe (with jam perhaps?) from a street vendor...rather iconic, and tasty. If near a Breizh Cafe, they have yummy Breton crepes (savory, not sweet) and make a tasty lunch, but not a "quick" meal. An hour perhaps, but part of the Paris experience is having a lunch at an outdoor cafe or bistro and watching Paris go by while you sip your wine.
Make the most of your day in Paris. It is a great city! Amusez-vous bien!

Not about any of the Paris sites, but about Eurostar travel. First, buy tickets as far ahead as you can, generally get more expensive the closer you get to your travel dates. Two, carefully read the information about what time you need to arrive at the station to get your train. Between London and Paris, it's usually 75-90 minutes ahead of departure time (security, border passport check, etc.). If you miss your train because you're late, it's on you. It is unclear if your 7-8 hour estimate includes those times, so you may have less time than you think you have (plus the 5 hours of train travel time, of course). Also, you change time going (Paris is one hour ahead of London) so you need to be mindful of that so you don't miss your return train.

Consider springing for higher class tickets at least on the way for a quicker check in time plus a meal on the train, which will help get you off on the right foot for your sprint through Paris. It looks like you can book tickets for June 2027 now, a random check of Fridays looks like basic tickets are $69 each way per person with same day return, next level service $126 each way, if you take very early and very late trains.

If you only have one day, don't even think about the Louvre (unless art history is your lifelong passion and the Louvre is your ultimate bucket list item.) There is your whole "one day" gone in a mighty gulp. Look at it from the outside, take picture of the pyramid and move on.

A Seine river cruise will give you a lot of the highlights without actually visiting each monument. You'll get an overview of Paris including the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame and the cruise gets you off the crowded city streets.

This might not be a popular opinion, but it's mine and I'll share it - you don't need a guided tour. Paris is literally the most famous city on Earth, you already know a lot more about it than you think. I mean THERE is the Eiffel Tower, THERE is the Arc de Triomph. THERE is Notre-Dame. THERE is the Louvre. THERE is Sacre-Coeur. These things are all right out there in the open, you don't have to hunt them down to see them and you can read any guidebook for more information on them.

Start at the Louvre, stroll through the Tuileries, cross the Place de la Concorde, stroll down the Champs-Elysées, cross under to the Arc de Triomph, then hop on the metro at Étoile and go to the Eiffel Tour, catch a bateau-mouche there at the river, see Notre-Dame from the cruise. Have dinner at a pre-selected restaurant (to save time searching for one) catch an Uber back to Gare du Nord, and you've "seen" Paris in one day.

walk through the Tuileries Garden and continue along the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.

I absolutely would not spend part of my precious few hours in Paris walking along the Champs-Elysées. Yuck.

Also:

Then head toward the Eiffel Tower via the Trocadero, which has the best Eiffel Tower views. I wouldn’t go up the Eiffel Tower, as it takes too much time for such a short visit. Then walk to Luxembourg Garden

With such a short time in Paris, you definitely don’t have time to walk to the Luxembourg Gardens from Trocadero either !

hey hey beauhansen03
my own feeling is "go for it!" being once in a lifetime opportunity to "sample"
paris will be busy & crowded in high high season of june along with the heat. there is so much to see and do, walking/roaming will take time i don't think you really have with crowds, long lines to attractions (skip line is buying tickets early, you still have to go through security). the places you want to see are the same places thousands & thousands want that sometimes causes chaos, upset/grumpy people & kids. been there done that even though we stayed days on our vacation.
agree with CL about eurostar. book in advance for reduced fare, know exact date and time, arrive early & read seating classes, time change london-paris/ paris-london, don't miss train. enjoy the ride, we loved it. you can always pick up snacks/food at station instead of on train. we had a picnic
while your time in paris is short, i'm suggesting couple sites to check out that allows you to see more in paris that you may like.
2cvparistour.com
few tours to check out, like "grand CV paris tour" or "the famous montmartre" (one of my favorites places to see) ask driver/guide for a short photo op at lesjetaime.com ( the i love you wall in many different languages) short stop for a marilyn moment over the vent shooting up air, our driver stopped for our photo shot moment.
cedricsparis.com
similar tours of paris, a retired firefighter started company and has a few guides for paris. do some research of places/things to see, when you contact ask them and they will do what they can to fill in your needs wants, fun way to see more of paris for your day trip, we loved it.
paris-by-tuktuk.com
retro-tour.com
sidecar tour through paris
citywheels-paristours.com
rides in classic vintage cars through paris. depending on how long you wanted tour to be, we did 2 or 3 hours
depending on what prices/budget you're hoping, had a separate bank account "go go paris", deposited every weekly payday until our trip which was nice to have moola when we went. day trip of a lifetime is so so worth it.
depending on train time back to london, stay need station, roam around the neighborhood with many shops, restaurants, cafes.
as Judy says stop for a crepe (sweet or savory), i was on a "mission" for souffles, found at la cuisine dr chef phillipe for a passion fruit one and friend had a grand marnier. so so so yummy. enjoy it, have fun, have a glass of champagne
aloha

Thank you everyone for such great information! This gives me a lot to think about as we continue to plan.

I would consider leaving it to the professionals:

https://www.goldentours.com/london-to-paris-day-tours-by-train

I have not taken a tour with this company, but these options look good.

It is absolutely not necessary to pay someone to book a one-day tour to Paris from London. Nor is there any advantage to seeing what someone else thinks you should see while there.

My suggestion for the Hop on Hop Off Bus (which takes you around Paris for about 2hrs) is weather related. If it is pouring with rain or stinking hot, walking might be a bit of a slog. Depending on how you want to hoof around Paris, e.g., using taxis, it took us over an hour (on a Friday night) to get a taxi at the official rank at Gare du Nord station. I noticed a lot of people started ordering Ubers which arrived quickly. It might not be so busy during the day

My wife and I (American, late 40s, good health) are planning to go to London in June, and we stumbled across Rick’s suggestion that Paris could be touched on in a day via the Eurostar. Since this is likely our only opportunity to see Paris, our thinking is one day to “sample” it is better than none!

When I see "40s, American, and healthy", I think that seems like you should have another 40+ years to see Paris properly.

Any reason you think you only have this one trip in your future? Maybe Paris in June of 2028?

Personally, I love Paris. But I also think London is relatively central to so many things - in the UK - that I'd be prioritizing London and nearby areas instead of a London with a few hours in Paris tacked on. Otherwise, if you're planning now for June 2027, why not a London and Paris true pairing - either expanding the total trip length (what is it currently?) to give you time to add days to Paris and do an open-jaw into LHR out of CDG sort of thing. For me, if I was originally planning a week in London, but thinking of Paris for a day, I'd rearrange my plans and do a 4 days London/4 days Paris mix.

I totally agree with Tom. Paris, to me, is the greatest city in the world - certainly one of the most romanticized. It deserves your full attention at another time.

I absolutely would not spend part of my precious few hours in Paris
walking along the Champs-Elysées. Yuck.

Well, sorry, but that is the DIRECT path to take from the Tuileries to the Arc de Triomphe. If you think it is such a bad walk, then take a bus or taxi. But if you want to see the Louvre AND Notre Dame AND the Eiffel Tower (as the OP said) and you have only a few hours to do so, a linear path is the quickest way to cover the distance.