They say it can take anywhere from four to nine months to visit the entire art collection at the Louvre.
And that’s just one museum!
But don’t let that get you down. Even if you don’t have months to tackle all the museums and historic landmarks in Paris, you can still see most of it in on a Paris walking tour.
And the best part…
Most landmarks are outside… so you can glimpse down a courtyard, gate, or unassuming alley to discover Paris’s best kept secrets.
On this Paris walking tour, you’ll discover Paris’s best highlights and neighborhoods…
Paris Walking Tour Start
8th arrondissement: Champs-Elysées and Concorde
Begin at Étoile and the Arc de Triomphe, then walk down the Champs-Elysées, Paris’ most renowned – and most crowded – shopping street.
Here you’ll find impressively-decorated designers’ stores and an ample amount of movie theaters. Dining selections include fast food chains, pizzerias, delis, bakeries, and cafés.
Image by jean-louis zimmermann
Continue down to Place de la Concorde, the biggest square in the city and home to an Egyptian obelisk. [45 mins]
Paris Walking Tour: Option 1
Skirt left around the square to join the Rue de Rivoli, one of the major streets. It’s also rife with designer shops, and runs along the Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden). You can walk through the gardens (home to impressionist museum L’Orangerie) or down Rivoli.
Image by Trekity
OR
Paris Walking Tour: Option 2
7th arrondissement: The Eiffel Tower and the Quais
Roam around beneath the tower, then head down the Quai de Branly toward Place de la Résistance and the Quai d’Orsay. This will take you along the river past the Musée d’Orsay, once the railway station Gare d’Orsay.
Image by Trekity
You can stay on the left bank and continue on to the islands this way, or you can add Place de la Concorde, the Jardin des Tuileries, and Rue de Rivoli to your route by crossing one of the bridges (called ponts) to the right bank (the Pont d’Invalides, Pont Alex III, or Pont de la Concorde). If you pass one of the first two, you’ll also see the Grand et Petit Palais, respectively an exhibit hall and the city’s fine arts museum.
1st and 4th arrondissements: The Louvre and City Hall
Beyond the Tuileries is the Musée du Louvre. You can walk through its courtyard and see the glass pyramid – and its inversion underground in the gallery that leads to the museum’s lobby. [25 mins]
Image by zoetnet
Continuing eastward, the Quai des Tuileries will lead you to the Place du Châtelet, home to two theaters built by Haussman, and L’Hôtel de Ville, the City Hall. [30 mins]
Image by PhillipC
5th arrondissement: The Left Bank and The Latin Quarter
Cross the Pont Notre Dame or the Pont d’Arcole onto Île de la Cité, a natural island at the heart of the city. The Cathédrale Notre-Dame will be to your left. (The long line to get inside might be intimidating, but it always moves fast.) [5 mins]
Next, cross the Pont au Double to the left bank. To the right is the historic English-language bookstore Shakespeare and Company (featured in the films Before Sunset and, more recently, Midnight in Paris). [5 mins]
If you have the time, consider continuing past the bookstore (going back west on the left bank) to the Place Saint-Michel. To the right, if you’re facing the fountain, the Rue Saint André des Arts houses a number of excellent crêperies.
To the left, Rue de la Huchette offers a number of shops, Greek and Lebanese street food, ice cream shops (the artful Amorino being of note: they’ll sculpt your ice cream to look like a rose), and lively bars. You’re delving into the heart of the Latin Quarter, where the music and noise seldom settle down. Take the time to veer right and walk a bit of Boulevard Saint-Germain if you can. [3o min]
Image by Asp Explorer
Cross the Pont de la Tournelle to visit the Île Saint-Louis before you set foot back on the right bank – and stop for a cone at world-famous Berthillon while you’re at it. [10 mins]
Image by Trekity
11th arrondissement: Bastille
Boulevard Henri IV, at the far east end of the island, will bring you to the Place de la Bastille, where the prison-fortress once stood. [10 mins]
Image by jean-louis zimmermann
3rd arrondissement: The Marais
From there, you can slip into the Marais – once home to much of Paris’ nobility, and later to much of the city’s Jewish community – between the Boulevard Beaumarchais and the Rue Saint-Antoine. Tucked inside are Victor Hugo’s home, the Picasso Museum, and the Place des Vosges, the city’s oldest planned square where countless art galleries now reside.
Image by JKD Atlanta
Congratulations! You’ve just successfully walked the width of the city.
But there’s one more area must-see area…
Paris Walking Tour End
18th arrondissement: Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur
You could wind your way through the Marais and eventually take Boulevard de Magenta to get there, which would take about an hour.
But if you’re ready to be off your feet, slip into the Bastille metro station and take the Line 5 to Gare du Nord, then take the Line 4 to Barbès Rouchechouart. Just a little further down Boulevard de Rochechouart is Montmartre and Pigalle, an area known mostly for the Moulin Rouge.
Head into the slim streets uphill from the Boulevard de Rochechouart and you’ll soon come to the Funiculaire, which will take you to the basilica – or you can take the stairs.
If the timing’s right, watch night settle over the city from the top, then head down into the quarter for dinner.
Image by greenmelinda
Average Costs
- Walking: Zero!
- Metro: Currently €1,70 per ticket, and €12,70 for a book of 10 tickets.
Note: Paris is not built on a grid, but rather a pattern-less web on either side of the Seine. Don’t let that scare you… there are plenty of long, wide streets and open squares where the landmarks are, and signs will guide you from one to the next.
###
About the Author: Molly Bradley is an American raised in France and other parts of Europe. She is a recent graduate of Oberlin College and an even more recent transplant to Portland, OR, where she writes about affordable luxury travel and food worth traveling for.
 |
|
Great walking tour of Paris! It is a great way to get a taste of Paris and a great overview of the city! I love that you have given estimated times for each of these things, and that the tour ends around sunset/dinner time in Monmarte (the view from Sacre Couer is a great way to end the day around sunset.)
I agree Shanna. Molly – our guest writer – has lived in Paris for the past 12 years and is fluent in French and all things culinary. I was thrilled to have her input and remember quite a bit of the walking highlights the last time I visited Paris. It’s such a lovely city for walking.