Day in Paris on my own

[CathScarlett]

I'm going to be in Paris on my own for a day. I'll arrive at the airport at 9am on a Monday and then have the whole day to do whatever I want. I've only been to Paris once before, when I was a child, so I'm looking for any advice on how best to plan the day to see everything.

I'd like to go up the Eiffel Tower, have a cruise down the Seine, visit the Louvre, and eat at the Ritz (only because I went to the London one a long time ago and it was such an amazing experience I'd love to see the Paris one). Is it realistic to do all of these things in one day? Or am I missing anything out that's a definite must see?

The Louvre is huge, really a 2 day job.
I'd prioritise that, if on my own, because it's easier to see and appreciate what you want in a museum when not refereeing kids or men solo. You can "pop by" the EiffelTower on way to or from Louvre. Eiffel Tower isn't much to see in the flesh, but you can say you've done it. 😉

You could do as they are far enough away to jump on a boat from one to the other. Queue might be high for the Louvre and as another said it’s huge! Depends if you stop at every piece of art though, I missed out whole sections I found boring (didn’t appreciate)

Thanks for these replies. I must admit, I'm no art lover, but I thought that since I was in Paris I should see the Mona Lisa. I would literally make a beeline for that painting and wouldn't really stop for the rest.

Does anyone have any suggestion for what I could do in the evening?

Are you there overnight? The cruise down the Seine at night is lovely, the buildings are lit up as is the Eiffel Tower. You can still (I think?) pre book the Louvre to skip the queue - we did that years ago.

Yes if you’re going to cruise the Seine, do it at night (pretend you’re with Cary Grant sliding past Notre Dame )

Personally I wouldn’t bother going up the Eiffel Tower. The magic is seeing it imo, going up is just a lot of shuffling along slowly in queues and whilst the view from the top is nice, it’s a bit underwhelming.

During the day a hop on hop off bus. It allows you to see the sights and obviously get off if you want to check something out. The Louvre is expensive to get in with long queues and often majorly overcrowded so I'd give it a miss as you're only going to see a single overrated painting.
I would do the evening boat cruise as well

I've been to Paris a dozen times and I've never been inside the Louvre. It's massive and overwhelming, and the Mona Lisa is apparently tiny with crowds of people around it.

There are plenty of amazing things to do otherwise.

The Mona Lisa tiny and always surrounded by tourists.
If you only want to see that in the Lourve, it will take you about 5 minutes.

If you want to see a view, I like Tour Montparnasse rather than the Eiffel Tower. Much less busy, and then you can see the view with the Eiffel Tower in it rather than from it, iyswim.

I'd book a food tour, and do the hop on hop off bus or a bike tour.

Don't bother with the Louvre this time of year as the queues are a mile long, then you have to buy a ticket, and it's absolutely enormous and heaving with people. If you must go, go on the late opening from 6-9.45pm but I think that's only the first Saturday of the month.

The restaurant at Tour Montparnasse is lovely and you get great views over the city at sunset.

Musee d’ Orsay.

Quieter than the Louvre and choc full of impressionists.

Favourite museum in the world.

I'd forget the Louvre and go to the Musee d'Orsay which is a much more accessible (less pretentious) gallery, unless you like queues I wouldn't bother actually going up the Eiffel Tower, there is a little known tour of the underground catacombs where the "walls" comprise skulls and the other bones... amazing to be honest and you learn a lot about Paris's history BUT if you only have a day then you may consider that for another time. My advice would be to take a boat down the Seine, stop on and off at the Musee d'Orsay, ditto Notre Damme if it's accepting tourists, have a walk through the Toilleres (spelling?) gardens to the Arc de Triumph, eat outside in the park, go to the bohemian quarter at Mont Matre (avoiding the people trying to fasten a bracelet to your arm and then making you pay for it), have a French soup and wine in Montmartre square....basically soak up the atmosphere and prepare yourself for a longer trip next time. Apologies for the poor spelling.

Musee Marmatton if you love Monet's work. If not, then the Musee d'Orsay.

... and the Mona Lisa is minute - impressive as it's a masterpiece but not worth the price or the wait.

Okay, I might knock the Louvre on the head. It's a shame because my hotel is right next to it.

The restaurant at Tour Montparnasse is lovely and you get great views over the city at sunset. I'll have a look at that, thanks very much!

The hop on, hop off is an excellent call! Thanks for all of these responses!

If the Louvre is right next to your hotel, just go at opening time? Less crowds/queues. The Louvre is worth seeing, but totally agree about Mona Lisa, it's a "see it to see it", like Eiffel. Enjoy your trip! ✈

You can book a time to visit the Louvre when you book online, so no queues. I loved it and would have loved it more without DS, but if you don't really like art then it's a lot of money to look at the back of a lot of other people's heads.

I would just wander if I was on my own. Walk, stop for coffee when I want, go on a river cruise for sure... I would definitely book the Ritz for lunch though, imagine doing that solo, how decadent!! Do it.

I'd see the mona Lisa. Just go straight for that then leave. It is tiny and there will be a crowd in front, but push and and see it. Its world famous, why miss it? I'd go to Montmatre, gorgeous. I'd café a coffee on rue de rivoli.

you know what I mean

Louvre museum tickets are 17.00 euro unless you're under 26 and an EU citize