Paris in a Day Small Group Tour with Skip the Line Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower, Montmartre & Seine River Cruise

Paris is a city with a lot of history and even more attractions so if you want to see the best of it in a day, it helps to go with an expert guide who will take care of logistics and tell you the story of the city as you go.

Your day starts at the base of Montmartre hill where you will meet your guide, then take the funicular to Sacré-Cœur Basilica.

After enjoying the stunning views of the city, your guide will lead you through the winding streets of Montmartre, stopping off at the neighborhood vineyard, artist hangout Place du Tertre, and a reconstructed windmill, much like those made famous by the cabaret club (and movie) Moulin Rouge. 

Next, catch the subway - Paris’ best mode of transport - for a short trip to the Île de la Cité, Paris’s oldest district. The City of Light started on this very island, growing from a Roman outpost into the most populous and prosperous city in Europe.

Above it rises Notre Dame. Severely damaged by a recent fire, she still stands proudly in the heart of the city; testament to the genius of its design and the endurance of France. Your guide will bring you as close as the ongoing restoration will permit to give you the best views possible. 

Cross the river into the historic Latin Quarter with its gothic churches and winding, cobbled streets ending at Place Saint-Michel, a gathering place for locals and visitors alike. Discover La Conciergerie, the prison where Marie Antoinette was kept before she was beheaded; Place Dauphine, possibly the prettiest square in Paris; and gorgeous Pont Neuf bridge. 

A short walk down the Seine brings you to the Louvre, where you can enjoy a 1-hour lunch break (with recommendations from your guide) before diving into the largest art museum in the world, to see some of its most spellbinding works of art.

The highlight is, of course, da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Your guide will help you understand why the painting is so significant and how, after all these years, it has managed to maintain its reputation as one of the world’s greatest works of art.  

After another short subway ride, you will find yourself staring up at the Eiffel Tower from the best vantage point at Trocadéro Plaza, learning the incredible story of how it was built. 

At the Tower, your guide will depart but as a parting gift, they’ll leave you with a skip-the-line ticket for the second floor and a ticket for a one-hour Seine River cruise that you can use immediately (we’d recommend it since it’s almost sunset) or save for the next day.

Cruising from west to east and back again, this boat tour (audio included if you wish), passes such monuments as the Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre, and Notre Dame, allowing you to get a new vantage point on sites you saw earlier plus many beautiful bridges including the Pont Neuf.  

And that’s it; in just one day you’ll have seen Paris by foot and water, skipping its longest lines to see its most popular attractions, plus a few local favorites along the way. 

Departs

Varies, please see the calendar.

Start times

9.00 am

Duration

9 hours (including 1-hour lunch break)