Two days is short for a city like Paris — but more than enough to see the essentials if you plan your route well. The key: avoid criss-crossing from one bank of the Seine to the other. So we group the sites by area, one day per bank, with short metro journeys. Here is the itinerary we recommend for a first weekend in Paris, backed by indicative prices from January 2026.
Day 1: the right bank (Eiffel Tower, Champs, Louvre)
The first day covers the west and centre of the right bank, from the Trocadéro gardens to the Louvre. Start early: the queues at the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre grow fast by mid-morning.
- 9am — Eiffel Tower. Go up to the summit (ticket €45) or to the 2nd floor if you want to save time. Book your time slot online without fail: without a booking, expect a 1 to 2 hour queue. The finest opening view of the weekend.
- 11am — Trocadéro & Champ-de-Mars. Cross over for the postcard photo, then head back up westwards. Metro line 6/9 to Kléber, 10 min.
- 12.30pm — Arc de Triomphe. Climb to the terrace (€13) for the view over the twelve avenues. Allow 45 min with the queue.
- 2pm — Champs-Élysées. Walk down from the Arc to the Concorde (2 km, ~30 min), with lunch along the way. Free, and one of the most beautiful avenues in the world.
- 4pm — Louvre. Entry €22, skip-the-line strongly recommended (a booked time slot is compulsory). In the late afternoon the light is soft and the crowds thin out. Aim for the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, then the Egyptian Antiquities.
- Evening — the Seine. Finish with a Seine river cruise (€18) departing from the Pont de l'Alma or the Pont Neuf: Paris lit up, without walking.
Total entries day 1 (full route): Eiffel Tower €45 + Arc de Triomphe €13 + Louvre €22 + cruise €18 = €98, excluding transport. We come back to the pass vs tickets trade-off below.
Day 2: left bank & Île de la Cité (Orsay, Notre-Dame/Sainte-Chapelle, Montmartre in the evening)
The second day heads down to the left bank and the Île de la Cité, before climbing up to Montmartre in the late afternoon for the sunset. Again, everything can be done on foot or a few metro stops apart.
- 9.30am — Musée d'Orsay. Entry €16. The former railway station holds the finest Impressionist collection in the world (Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh). Allow 2 hours. Book the time slot, the morning queue is real.
- 12pm — Île de la Cité. Cross the Pont Royal then follow the Seine to the Sainte-Chapelle (€13): its 13th-century stained-glass windows are one of the visual shocks of Paris. Right next door, the Conciergerie (€11.50) if time allows.
- 2pm — Notre-Dame. The cathedral has reopened: entry to the nave is free (queue possible), and the climb to the towers €13 for the gargoyles and the view. Lunch in the neighbouring Latin Quarter.
- 4pm — Latin Quarter & Panthéon. Stroll along the Rue Mouffetard, then the Panthéon (€11.50) and its view over the rooftops from the dome. Optional depending on your pace.
- 6pm — Montmartre. Metro to Anvers or Abbesses (line 2/12, ~20 min). Climb up to the Sacré-Cœur (access free) for the sunset over Paris, then dine at the Place du Tertre. The finest way to round off the weekend.
Total entries day 2 (dense route): Orsay €16 + Sainte-Chapelle €13 + Notre-Dame Towers €13 + Panthéon €11.50 = €53.50, excluding transport.
Is a 2-day pass worth it?
This is the real question for a weekend. Two passes hold up in the comparison over 48 hours: the 2-day Turbopass (~€90), all-in with the Eiffel Tower and transport, and the 2-day Paris Museum Pass (€79), limited to museums and national monuments. Here is the bill with separate tickets, on the full itinerary above.
| Item | Separate tickets | Turbopass 2d | Museum Pass 2d |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eiffel Tower summit | €45 | Included | Not covered |
| Arc de Triomphe | €13 | Included | Included |
| Louvre | €22 | Included | Included |
| Musée d'Orsay | €16 | Included | Included |
| Sainte-Chapelle | €13 | Included | Included |
| Notre-Dame Towers | €13 | Included | Included |
| Panthéon | €11.50 | Included | Included |
| Seine cruise | €18 | Included | Not covered |
| Transport 2 days | ~€19 | Included | Not included |
| Total to pay | €170.50 | ~€90 | €79 + extras* |
On this dense route, the Turbopass saves ~€80 and avoids the queues. The Museum Pass works out cheaper only if you give up the Eiffel Tower and the cruise and your weekend is 100% museums — in which case €79 covers the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, Notre-Dame and the Panthéon, more than enough to pay it off. You still have to add transport, which is not included.
✅ A 2-day pass is worth it if…
- It's your 1st trip and you're aiming for the must-sees
- You string together 2-3 paid sites per day
- You want the Eiffel Tower and transport → Turbopass
- Your weekend is 100% museums → Museum Pass
❌ Separate tickets are enough if…
- You take it easy at 1-2 paid sites per day
- You favour terraces, neighbourhoods and free sites
- You mainly aim for free things (Champs, Montmartre, Notre-Dame nave)
- You stay near everything and walk a lot
Honestly: over a relaxed weekend at 2 sites per day, the gap with separate tickets narrows, and a pass is not always necessary. To decide based on your exact route, run it through our savings calculator, or read the Paris pass comparison and the is the Museum Pass worth it? analysis.
Museum Pass: official link coming soon — meanwhile, see the all-in Turbopass.
Turbopass Paris 2 days — Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Orsay and transport included, skip-the-line
See the Turbopass offer →Our tips for a successful weekend
Three habits make all the difference over 48 hours. Book your time slots in advance — the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Orsay all require a timed booking, even with a pass. Start early each morning to get ahead of the queues. And keep some free things in reserve: the Champs-Élysées, the Sacré-Cœur, the Notre-Dame nave and a wander through the Latin Quarter cost nothing and count for a lot in the memories.
Got an extra day? Our 3-day Paris itinerary adds Versailles and a full day in Montmartre, and makes the pass even more worthwhile. And if the Eiffel Tower is your absolute priority, read which passes really include the Eiffel Tower.
Our verdict for a weekend in Paris
Two days is enough for the essentials if you split by bank and book your time slots. On budget, a 2-day pass wins as soon as you're aiming for the Eiffel Tower plus 2-3 paid sites per day: the Turbopass for all-in, the Museum Pass for a 100%-museums weekend. At a slow pace, separate tickets remain an honest option — check with the calculator.
See the Turbopass offer →