24 Hours in Paris
Covers Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Porto and Bruges, with timed entries, airport fares and closing days checked at the source.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
Paris is the city where one night feels shortest, because everything you came for is in it. It still works, if you pick a lane. From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B runs every 6 to 15 minutes to Gare du Nord and Châtelet-Les Halles. Paris je t'aime, the city's tourism office, puts the ride at 35 to 50 minutes, and the airport fare is $15.70 (£11.80; €14). From London, Eurostar does St Pancras to Gare du Nord in 2 hours 16 minutes.
This plan is built around a Friday. That is the Louvre's late night, open until 9 p.m., so you can see the museum in the afternoon without losing the morning to a queue. The rest of the first day is free: Notre-Dame, the Marais, a square, two bridges and the tower from the Trocadéro. Saturday morning is Montmartre and a food street, then the train out. If you are choosing between short breaks, compare it with 24 hours in Bruges or our ranking of city breaks by train from London.
At a glance
- Best for
- Couples and solo travelers who want the river core, one great museum and a long dinner
- Skip it if
- You want Versailles, the Eiffel Tower summit and several museums in one trip
- Airport to center
- RER B to Châtelet-Les Halles, about 35 minutes, $15.70 (£11.80; €14) single
- One night, mid-January
- $96 (£72) for a 3-star double on Kayak (January 15, 2027); $162 (£121) on June 11, 2027
- Arrive by
- 10 a.m. on a Friday; the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays and stays open late only on Wednesdays and Fridays
In this guide
The 24-hour plan
- 10:30 a.m.
Notre-Dame de Paris
Start inside the restored cathedral on the Île de la Cité. Entry is free and open from 7:45 a.m. on Fridays; a free time slot can be reserved online, but the queue without one moves.
- 12:30 p.m.
Falafel on Rue des Rosiers (L'As du Fallafel)
Cross to the Marais for a falafel pita eaten standing on the street of the old Jewish quarter, the cheapest good lunch in central Paris.
- 2:00 p.m.
Place des Vosges
Five minutes east. Walk the arcades of the oldest planned square in Paris and sit in the garden before the long walk west along Rue de Rivoli.
- 4:00 p.m.
The Louvre (Friday late opening)
Friday is one of two late nights, open until 9 p.m., so an afternoon slot gives you three unhurried hours. Book a timed slot online before you fly; non-EEA visitors pay the higher rate.
- 7:30 p.m.
Pont des Arts
Leave by the Cour Carrée and cross the footbridge to the Left Bank as the lights come on along the Seine.
- 8:00 p.m.
Dinner on Rue de Buci, Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The short market street off Boulevard Saint-Germain is lined with cafés, bistros and wine bars that serve late; pick one with a full terrace.
- 10:00 p.m.
Eiffel Tower sparkle from the Jardins du Trocadéro
One metro ride west. The tower sparkles for five minutes at the start of every hour after nightfall; the Trocadéro terrace is the classic place to watch it for free.
- 9:00 a.m. (Saturday)
Sacré-Cœur, Montmartre
The basilica opens daily at 6:30 a.m. and entry is free. Go early for the view over the rooftops before the Montmartre crowds arrive.
- 10:30 a.m.
Pastries on Rue des Martyrs
Walk downhill along the food street of the 9th, with bakeries, cheese shops and cafés, then on to Gare du Nord for the RER B back to the airport.
The route is 8.5 miles (13.6 km) from stop to stop in a straight line; the real walk is longer.
The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays (and January 1, May 1, December 25) and closes at 6 p.m. except on Wednesday and Friday, when it stays open until 9 p.m.; on a Saturday or Sunday arrival, do the Louvre first and move dinner and the sparkle later. Notre-Dame opens from 8:15 a.m. on weekends. The Marché des Enfants Rouges in the Marais has been closed since a fire on the night of October 11-12, 2026.
How the 24 hours work
The first day runs east to west along the Seine. You start at Notre-Dame, which is free and opens at 7:45 a.m. on weekdays and 8:15 a.m. on weekends. You can reserve a free time slot online, but the cathedral says the queue for people without one keeps moving. From there it is a short walk into the Marais for lunch on Rue des Rosiers and a rest in the Place des Vosges, then a long, flat walk along Rue de Rivoli to the Louvre.
Book one thing ahead: the Louvre. Since January 14, 2026, adults from outside the European Economic Area pay $36 (£27; €32); EEA visitors pay $25 (£18.50; €22). US and UK visitors pay the higher rate. The museum recommends a timed slot for everyone, and made reservations compulsory from October 17 to November 1, 2026. It is closed on Tuesdays and on January 1, May 1 and December 25. It closes at 6 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and weekends, and at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays. Last entry is an hour before closing.
If you arrive on a Saturday or Sunday, swap the order: Louvre at the 9 a.m. opening, then Notre-Dame and the Marais. If it rains, stay longer in the Louvre and skip the Trocadéro. The tower sparkles for five minutes at the start of each hour after dark, until the last show at midnight in winter and 1 a.m. in summer, so a late dinner costs you nothing.
Where to stay for one night
Stay in arrondissements 1 to 7 or 9 to 11. We priced them on Kayak for one Friday night, two adults, 3-star or better, guest score 8 or higher, with taxes and fees in Kayak's stay total:
- The 11th, near Bastille: the cheapest qualifying room on January 15, 2027 was $96 (£72), on Rue du Chemin Vert, a ten-minute walk from the Place des Vosges. The 11th is the cheapest part of central Paris and full of neighborhood bars.
- The 10th, by Gare de l'Est: the cheapest on June 11, 2027 was $162 (£121). You are a few minutes from Gare du Nord, which suits the RER B and the Eurostar.
- The Marais or Saint-Germain: the best addresses for this route, usually at a clear premium over both.
The hotel adds the Paris tourist tax. In 2026 it is $6.20 (£4.60; €5.53) per adult per night at a 3-star and $9.50 (£7.10; €8.45) at a 4-star, regional surcharges included. Kayak's total may not include it.
Getting in from the airport (and the station)
The RER B is the fastest public option. It runs from 4:50 a.m. to 11:50 p.m. towards Paris and stops at Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles and Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame. You need the Paris Région Aéroports ticket, $15.70 (£11.80; €14); an ordinary metro ticket, $2.90 (£2.10; €2.55), is not valid. Note that the Navigo Jour day pass does not cover the airports either. The old RoissyBus to Opéra stopped running on March 1, 2026.
Taxis from Charles de Gaulle charge fixed fares: $63 (£47; €56) to the Right Bank and $73 (£55; €65) to the Left Bank, pickup included. A booking supplement applies if you order one ahead.
Arriving by Eurostar, you are already at Gare du Nord, on the metro and the RER B. For a shorter stop at the airport, see our Paris Charles de Gaulle layover guide.
What to eat in 24 hours
- Falafel on Rue des Rosiers. L'As du Fallafel is the best-known counter on the street; eat the pita standing up in the lane.
- A bistro dinner on Rue de Buci in Saint-Germain: steak frites, onion soup or a plate of oysters at a terrace that serves late.
- A croissant and a café crème on Rue des Martyrs, the bakery and cheese street that runs down from Montmartre.
- A jambon-beurre, a baguette with ham and butter, from any bakery as a snack between stops.
- A glass of wine before dinner in the 11th, where natural wine bars are a local habit.
One change for food lovers: the Marché des Enfants Rouges, the covered market in the Marais, has been closed since a fire on the night of October 11-12, 2026, with no reopening date. For more cities where eating is the point, see the best food cities for 24 hours.
If you only have 12 hours
Keep Notre-Dame, the Louvre and the Seine, and drop Montmartre. A Friday is ideal: Notre-Dame in the morning, lunch on Rue des Rosiers, the Louvre from mid-afternoon, then dinner in Saint-Germain and a metro ride back to Gare du Nord. Our guide to planning a 24-hour trip explains how we cut a route down.
What 24 hours costs
Per person, two adults sharing a January room:
- Hotel, half a $96 (£72) double: $48 (£36)
- Tourist tax, one night at a 3-star: $6.20 (£4.60; €5.53)
- RER B airport tickets both ways: $31 (£24; €28)
- Four metro singles: $11.40 (£8.60; €10.20)
- Louvre, non-EEA adult: $36 (£27; €32)
That is about $133 (£100) before food and drink, or about $166 (£124) with a June room. The Navigo Jour, $13.80 (£10.30; €12.30), only beats singles if you ride five times or more in a day.
Getting there from the US and the UK
Every US hub we track has a scheduled nonstop to Charles de Gaulle: New York JFK, Newark, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Washington Dulles, Atlanta, Miami and Dallas/Fort Worth. From the UK there are flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester and Edinburgh, but from London the Eurostar is the better trip: 2 hours 16 minutes from St Pancras, center to center.
US and UK passport holders need no visa for a short stay. The EU's Entry/Exit System has been running at all Schengen external borders since April 10, 2026, so expect fingerprints and a photo on your first entry instead of a passport stamp. ETIAS is not yet running: the EU will announce a start date several months ahead, and the fee is set at $22 (£16.80; €20). See our entry and transit rules guide.
When to go
Spring and early fall are the easiest months for walking the river. Summer brings the longest evenings, the latest tower sparkles and the higher hotel price of the two dates we checked. Winter is gray and short on light, but the Louvre is calmer. The Eiffel Tower's own site says new fares apply from January 11, 2027, and that stairs tickets have needed a reservation since September 29, 2026.
Paris’s Snack Score
How well Paris works for 24 hours and one night: six factors, scored 0 to 10 the same way for all 45 cities. Our verdict here is a conditional one, which takes 0.3 off the weighted average. How we score
- Sights in a dayEditors · 30%10.0
- FoodEditors · 15%10.0
- After darkEditors · 10%9.0
- Compact routeData · 15%5.9
- Airport to centerData · 15%7.6
- One-night costData · 15%4.6
The numbers behind the score
- Airport to center
- 35 min from Charles de Gaulle International Airport: RER B train to Châtelet-Les Halles (Paris Région Aéroports ticket), $15.70 (£11.80; €14)
- One night, Friday
- $96 (£72) on January 15, 2027 · $162 (£121) on June 11, 2027 (11th arrondissement (Bastille, Rue du Chemin Vert) and 10th arrondissement (Gare de l'Est))
- Day ticket
- Navigo Jour, all zones 1-5 (not valid on airport services): $13.80 (£10.30; €12.30)
- 24 hours, per person
- $110 (£82): half the average room, the airport ride both ways and a day ticket (entries extra)
- Nonstop from the US
- All 10 of our 10 US hub airports
- Nonstop from the UK
- All 5 of our 5 UK airports
- Train from London
- 2 h 16 min from London St Pancras International (Eurostar)
Hotel prices: Cheapest 3-star-or-better double, 1 night (Friday), 2 adults, Kayak stay total including taxes and fees, guest rating 8+, Kayak neighborhood filter arrondissements 1-7 and 9-11, checked 2026-10-21. January: Hotel du Chemin Vert (3 stars, 8.0, 11th) $96; June: Exe Panorama (3 stars, 8.3, 10th) $162. The Paris tourist tax, $6.20 (£4.60; €5.53) per adult per night at a 3-star, is collected by the hotel and may not be in Kayak's total..
Weather month by month
Best months for walking around by our weather score: July, August, September. Daytime highs and lows, rain days (1 mm or more) and sunshine hours are 2016–2025 averages for Paris (Open-Meteo historical weather archive).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 45 | 49 | 54 | 61 | 67 | 75 | 78 | 78 | 71 | 63 | 52 | 47 |
| High °C | 7 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Low °F | 35 | 36 | 39 | 42 | 49 | 56 | 59 | 59 | 54 | 49 | 41 | 38 |
| Rain days | 13 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Sun (hours) | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| Weather score | 3.3 | 5.0 | 6.3 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 8.0 | 5.2 | 3.8 |
Where Paris ranks
Tickets and tours you can book
Paris: 3-Course-Dinner Cruise on the Seine with Live Music
Drinks depend on the option you pick; the page is unclear about what the basic option pours. Check-in closes 15 minutes before departure. Most Seine cruises with commentary score under 4.5, which is why a dinner cruise is the pick here.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Paris: Eiffel Tower Summit or 2nd Floor Reserved Access
The $56 seen today is a sale price (struck through from $77). The tower's own lift tickets are EUR 23.50 to the second floor and EUR 36.70 to the summit (about $26 and $41), so you are paying for the reservation and the host. Open until 11pm, with last lifts at 10:45pm, so it works as a night visit.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Mona Lisa & Louvre Masterpieces Tour with Reserved Access
The page contradicts itself on whether the museum ticket is in the price, so check the option you pick. The Louvre's own price is EUR 32 for visitors from outside the EEA (about $36). Closed on Tuesdays.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Frequently asked questions
Is one day enough in Paris?
For Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Seine and Montmartre, yes, if you book the Louvre and keep to one side of the city. It is not enough for Versailles or several museums; those need another day.
How much is a Louvre ticket for Americans in 2026?
Since January 14, 2026, adults from outside the European Economic Area, including US and UK visitors, pay $36 (£27; €32). EEA visitors pay $25 (£18.50; €22). Under-18s enter free. A timed slot is recommended for everyone.
What day is the Louvre closed?
Tuesday, plus January 1, May 1 and December 25. It is open until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays and until 6 p.m. on the other days.
How do I get from Charles de Gaulle to central Paris?
Take the RER B to Gare du Nord or Châtelet-Les Halles, about 35 minutes, with the $15.70 (£11.80; €14) airport ticket. A taxi has a fixed fare of $63 (£47; €56) to the Right Bank and $73 (£55; €65) to the Left Bank.
Can you do Paris as a day trip from London?
Yes. Eurostar runs St Pancras to Gare du Nord in 2 hours 16 minutes, and its first train leaves at 6:01 a.m. One night is still the better plan, because it gives you the Louvre's late opening and a dinner without watching the clock.
Is Notre-Dame free to visit?
Yes. Entry to the cathedral is free, with an optional free time slot online. The treasury costs $13.50 (£10.10; €12).
Further reading
Official sources
- Musée du Louvre - Hours and admission (official) – Closed Tuesdays; late opening Wednesday and Friday to 9 p.m.; non-EEA adult $36 (£27; €32), EEA $25 (£18.50; €22) from January 14, 2026; reservations compulsory October 17 to November 1, 2026; checked October 21, 2026
- Île-de-France Mobilités - 2026 fares – Metro single $2.90 (£2.10; €2.55), Paris Région Aéroports ticket $15.70 (£11.80; €14), Navigo Jour $13.80 (£10.30; €12.30), not valid at airports; from January 1, 2026; checked October 21, 2026
- Île-de-France Mobilités - Getting to the airports – RER B every 6 to 15 minutes, 4:50 a.m. to 11:50 p.m. towards Paris; checked October 21, 2026
- Paris je t'aime (official tourism office) - From Paris-Charles de Gaulle – RER B 35 to 50 minutes; fixed taxi fares $63 (£47; €56) Right Bank, $73 (£55; €65) Left Bank; RoissyBus withdrawn March 1, 2026; page updated September 23, 2026; checked October 21, 2026
- Paris je t'aime - Notre-Dame de Paris – Hours, free entry, optional time slot, treasury $13.50 (£10.10; €12); checked October 21, 2026
- Paris je t'aime - Marché couvert des Enfants Rouges – Market closed until further notice after a fire on October 11-12, 2026; checked October 21, 2026
- Ville de Paris - Tourist tax from January 1, 2026 (PDF) – 3-star $6.20 (£4.60; €5.53), 4-star $9.50 (£7.10; €8.45) per person per night, surcharges included; checked October 21, 2026
- Tour Eiffel - The lights (official) – Sparkle for five minutes at the start of each hour from nightfall until closing; checked October 21, 2026
- Tour Eiffel - Rates and opening times (official) – New fares from January 11, 2027; stairs tickets need a reservation from September 29, 2026; checked October 21, 2026
- Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre (official) – Open daily 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., free entry; checked October 21, 2026
- Eurostar - London to Paris – Direct in 2 hours 16 minutes; first train 6:01 a.m.; checked October 21, 2026
- Kayak - Paris hotels, January 15 and June 11, 2027 – Cheapest 3-star+ double rated 8+ in arrondissements 1-7 and 9-11: $96 (£72) January, $162 (£121) June, stay totals; checked October 21, 2026
- Wikipedia - Charles de Gaulle Airport – Airlines and destinations table for US and UK nonstops; checked October 21, 2026
- eu-LISA - Entry/Exit System fully deployed – EES deployed at all Schengen external borders as of April 10, 2026; checked October 21, 2026
- European Commission - ETIAS – ETIAS not in operation; start date to be announced months ahead; fee $22 (£16.80; €20); checked October 21, 2026
