I first visited Paris as a young girl to visit Disneyland, with only hazy memories of the experience. I went back to Paris many years later in 2017, the first stop of my first ever solo backpacking trip, a two-week expedition around France. You could almost say that Paris changed my life.
Ever since, I've traveled the world, both solo and with friends and family, stepping foot on six of seven of the world's continents. I've been traveling all my life, but it was that moment in Paris, all alone, when I realized I could do anything I set my mind to. It launched me into a life of global escapades, chasing a dream of visiting every country in the world.
On top of that, it just so happens to be one of the world's most romantic cities. So all these things combined, when my partner and I were swiftly approaching our one-year anniversary, I knew Paris was where I wanted to celebrate. So cliche, but so perfect.
We spent a long weekend in the city, retracing many of the steps of my 2017 trip and stumbling across new and delightful spots yet unvisited to us. Of course, it's one of the most famous cities in the world and there are countless guides out there and so much information on what to do and where to go.
Instead of trying to tell you every single thing there is to do in this remarkable city, I've kept it simple, offering you a look into how we spent our long weekend there and perhaps inspiring you for your own trip to the city of love. So, here is my long weekend guide to Paris:
By flight: Paris is serviced by Charles De Gaulle International Airport (unfortunately one of my least favourite airports; I think many other travelers would agree). We flew to Paris from Munich with Air France, a short one-hour flight. I also flew into CDG when I arrived in 2017 from Vancouver. CDG is northeast of the city, connected to Paris with public transport by the metro or bus.
→ Find out how to get into Paris from the airport on public transport.
Public transport can be quite a long journey from the airport and we landed late at night so we opted for an Uber into Paris instead, a drive of about an hour, which cost us just under €50.
By car: If you have your own wheels, you can travel to Paris by car. There are many underground parking garages in Paris, most of which are open 24 hours.
→ Find out about parking in Paris from the official Paris tourism office.
By train: You can reach Paris by train from across the continent, either by Eurostar or with SNCF. You're most likely to arrive at Gare du Nord, the busiest railway station in Europe, but there are a number of other major train stations in Paris, depending on where you're coming from - be sure to check your ticket! Gare du Nord is connected to the rest of Paris by metro and bus.
By bus: FlixBus services Paris with direct connections from 377 cities!
Paris is huge! The city is made up of 20 arrondissements arranged in a spiral pattern outward from the city centre starting at the Louvre and working their way clockwise out. They are basically city districts and they each have their own mayor. Naturally, you might be a bit overwhelmed when trying to figure out how to get around.
By foot: Once you're in a certain arrondissement you should explore on foot; some of the best parts of Paris are not the specific landmarks but rather the iconic street corners, often filled with outdoor dining and colourful floral displays on the shops, restaurants and cafés.
By public transport: Paris is well-connected with an extensive metro line which I have always enjoyed riding. It's easy to figure out and likely gets you most places you need to go. Buses are available as well.
By car: If you have your own wheels, you might wish to explore Paris by car, although parking might be a bit tricky to find.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Paris.
By bus tour: A very popular way of exploring Paris is to join a hop-on, hop-off bus tour which stops at all the major landmarks and attractions across the city.
By bike tour: Paris is great for cycling and a popular way of getting around among locals, so why not hop on a bike tour to explore the city?
By Uber: If you want to get somewhere a bit further away or a bit faster, or you're simply just tired from walking all day, Uber is readily available and pretty affordable for getting around Paris.
As this was a trip to celebrate our one-year anniversary together, we wanted something a bit fancier that still felt true Parisian. Unfortunately, the place we booked looked amazing online but reaaaaally disappointed us - I definitely can't recommend staying at the Hotel Saint-Pétersbourg.
But, since this is Paris, there are countless options to suit every budget and neighbourhood. Last time I was here in 2017, I stayed at a hostel. You can also splurge and book one of the city's most expensive rooms!
We had so much fun trying out lots of different places in Paris to eat - from breakfast to coffee and dinner, and of course, the classic croissants and macarons.
Breakfast & Brunch
1. Kozy Kanopé
2. Wild & The Moon
3. Bon Bouquet Café
This was our favourite one!
Coffee & Pastries
1. Ladurée
2. Black Sheep Coffee
3. The French Bastards
Lunch & Dinner
1. Le P'tit Wagram
2. Loulou
3. Sphere
This is where we went for our anniversary dinner. It's a fine dining experience and honestly one of the best meals I've ever had. We did the five-course set menu and I had the vegetarian option, a French-Japanese fusion, and it was exquisite. Reservations required!
We spent a long weekend in Paris, retracing many of the steps of my 2017 trip and stumbling across new and delightful spots yet unvisited to us. Of course, it's one of the most famous cities in the world and there are countless guides out there and so much information on what to do and where to go.
Instead of trying to tell you every single thing there is to do in this remarkable city, I've kept it simple, offering you a look into how we spent our long weekend there and perhaps inspiring you for your own trip to Paris.
NOTE: We visited in August and of course all the museums we wanted to visit were booked out way in advance (namely the Musée d'Orsay, Musée Marmottan Monet, Musée du Louvre, Musée National Picasso and the Musée de l'Orangerie) so none of them are included in this guide but I would love to go to each of them! I visited the Musée d'Orsay in 2017.
So, here is what we did during our long weekend guide to Paris:
Wander around the iconic streets and street corners
One of our favourite things we did every day each weekend was simply wandering around pretty streets, turning whichever way took our fancy, photographing as many flower-ardorned cafés as we could.
Each arrondissement is worth a wander, but these photos are from:
- 1st - around the Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries and the Notre Dame
- 6th - around Saint-Germain and the Jardin du Luxembourg
- 7th - around Musée d'Orsay, along the Seine, Champ-de-Mars and the Eiffel Tower
- 8th - around Champs Elysees
- 9th - around Palais Garnier and the Galeries Lafayette
- 16th - around Trocadéro and the Arc de Triomphe
I also recommend the 18th, including Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur, which I visited in 2017.
Take in the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe
This is hands down my favourite landmark in Paris to visit. Of course, the Eiffel Tower is the most famous in Paris so I would skip going up that so that of course you can actually see it on the horizon line! You can't see it if you're standing on top of it so instead I recommend going up the Arc de Triomphe instead.
To reach the top of the Arc, you can either climb a spiral staircase of 284 steps or ride the elevator. The view is outstanding with 360-degree panoramic views of the entire city and every arrondissement in Paris.
See the Eiffel Tower from the garden in front of Musée de l'Homme
This peaceful garden is near the famous Place du Trocadéro which is always overflowing with people trying to get Eiffel Tower photos. Just walk a bit into the gardens and you'll probably have the view to yourself!
→ Check out my guide to all the best viewpoints of the Eiffel Tower!
See the Eiffel Tower from the Place du Trocadéro
Perhaps the most famous viewpoint of the Eiffel Tower is the Place du Trocadéro, a large stone platform across the Seine from the Champ-de-Mars. It's always busy but it's also always worth it, especially at night when every hour on the hour the Eiffel Tower twinkles with sparkling lights!
→ Check out my guide to all the best viewpoints of the Eiffel Tower!
Lit up at night
Cross the Seine on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim
This bridge has one of the prettiest views overlooking the wide Seine River and the impressive Eiffel Tower standing just on the riverbank. Prime photo spot!
→ Check out my guide to all the best viewpoints of the Eiffel Tower!
Take photos at the end of Avenue de Camoens
I found this spot on Instagram and it's truly such a fabulous photo spot with a pretty view of the Eiffel Tower behind a stone fence at the dead end of Avenue de Camoens. The sweetest solo backpacker girl took our incredible couple photos, a memory of our anniversary weekend we'll cherish forever.
→ Check out my guide to all the best viewpoints of the Eiffel Tower!
Wander through the Jardin de Tuileries
Near the Louvre, this beautiful garden stretches for many blocks along the Seine and is home to statues, arches and in summer, a fun outdoor theme park!
Visit the Louvre
As I mentioned at the top of this section, because we visited in August, all the museums we wanted to visit were booked out way in advance, including the Louvre. However, even if you don't have tickets for the inside, a wander through the grounds to see its iconic glass pyramids is so worth it - especially at golden hour!
Cross the Pont des Arts
This used to be the famous love lock bridge in Paris where lovers would place a lock on the bridge and throw the key into the Seine below but the bridge got so heavy that the locks were removed for safety reasons and it's not permitted anymore.
Still, it's one of the prettiest bridges in Paris and you should definitely walk across it and take in the views of the Seine and looking toward the Louvre.
Walk along the Seine from the Notre Dame to the Pont des Arts
One of the prettiest sections of the Seine is to walk from the Notre Dame Cathedral, reopened at the end of 2024 after a massive fire, all the way to the Pont des Arts with views of the Île de la Cité as you go and boats going up and down the river.
Pont Neuf
Go shopping at Galeries Lafayette
Paris' most famous department store, Galeries Lafayette is a sprawling palace of luxury shopping from food, accessories, clothes and more (sort of like Harrod's in London). We found it quite overwhelming and far too crowded on a summer Sunday in August, though...
Hang out in Jardin du Luxembourg
One of the most famous gardens in the world, known for its iconic green chairs, is the ultimate hang out spot in Paris. You'll often find locals reading books or snoozing in the sun.
Browse the stalls at Les Bouqinistes de Paris
Stretching 3km along the Seine, these iconic green wooden book boxes feature historical books and artwork to explore and shop. There are about 900 boxes here, making it the world's largest open-air bookshop!
Attend the immersive Van Gogh exhibit at Atelier des Lumières
As all the museums were sold out, we instead found this immersive art exhibit bringing Van Gogh's incredible works to life. A lifelong fan of Van Gogh's work, this 45-minute show sets his paintings to music and the experience truly left us both with goosebumps.
→ Check out the reel I made about our experience at the Van Gogh immersive art exhibit!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
