Visiting Paris as a tourist is an experience in and of itself. There is such a variety of activities to do! It can be hard to fit it all into one day and feel like you got the best experience possible. We highly recommend stopping at a cute cafe before venturing out to other areas. To make those ventures more superb, here are a few tricks to make the most of a short amount of time.

Palace of Versailles

The cheapest way to visit the palace is to book your ticket ahead of time. If you forget or are unsure if this is on your list, you can still visit and tour but it will be more expensive. We recommend booking the Passport Ticket to provide access to the Palace and the Gardens. There are other ticket options if you are interested in the equestrian show or the fountain show.

Recommended Schedule: Start at the gardens as they open at 8 AM and allow yourself plenty of time to explore (they are huge!). Then move on to the palace closer to 9 AM when it opens. We did the audio guide and it was extremely helpful. After the tour, just beyond the gardens are other activities. There are options for going on a paddle boat and getting a snack. Plan for at least half a day if not longer.

**Hot Tip: For the audio guide, it is great if you have your own plug in headphones. They do not offer them so you have to hold it up to your ear the whole time. It was busy when we went a couple of hours after opening time, so the earlier the better.

Address: Place d’Armes 78000 Versailles France

Website: Palace of Versailles

The Louvre

The Louvre is placed behind a beautiful park area that is filled with fountains, snack carts, and kids play areas (including a mini outdoor trampoline park!). We ordered our tickets a few days before hand and chose to go in the afternoon with the timed entry pass.

Recommended Schedule: Get your timed entry ticket for the time you hope to arrive if possible, earlier in the day is better if you are wanting photos without the crowds. Take your photos in front of the pyramid first then head away from the pyramid. A little ways up there is staircase going down. Take these stairs and get in line at the bottom. With your timed entry ticket, you can get in at any time by getting in this line. Though the line was longer in the afternoon, it was shorter than the one upstairs. After taking your tour, go through the shops in the downstairs area (my fave was the vintage clothing store).

Address: 75001 Paris, close to 2nd arrondissement

Website: The Louvre Tickets and Admission Times

Eiffel Tower

On the first evening we chose to get a picnic and sit in the Eiffel Tower park. On a whim we decided to summit it. The ticket stand area had a short line and it was just before sunset. *** Hot Tip: check which ticket line you are in before waiting in said line. There are multiple options that range from stairs/lift to summit, lift/lift to summit, and only going to the second level. Just below the second level is the restaurant. Other tip: the food in the restaurant is expensive and there is no guarantee you will get to sit on the edge with a good view. Take this into consideration before attending. The cost is also different depending on age and which level you want to go to and how you choose to get there. We stayed longer on the second level to watch the sunset before taking the elevator to the top. Watching the lights from the top was absolutely beautiful! The top was chilly and outside so I was happy to have my jacket. The middle level is inside and has the souvenir shops and snack shops.

Address: Champ de Mars, 5 Av. Anatole France, 75007 Paris

Website: Eiffel Tower Tickets

Looking for something more unique in Paris? Keep an eye out for our next post. Want more tips? Click here to read about London — How to Have a Great First Experience in London!

Looking for guided tours to these attractions? Links below!

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