A while ago, a good friend called me and said, “I’m going to Thailand and I have a 6-hour layover in Paris . What do you recommend I do?” I immediately remembered the famous urban legend about the American tourist who came to the Paris tourist office and asked the clerk the same question. “Madam,” the clerk said in a serious tone, “I suggest you go to the banks of the Seine, sit down there, and start crying.”
So is this what I suggested to my friend? Of course not 🙂
After I found out who he was traveling with and what times he could be in Paris, I built a special itinerary for him, and I want to share this itinerary with you in case you or your friends are coming to Paris for less than 24 hours.
Connection in Paris – a few basic assumptions before we start traveling
The itinerary before you is built on a number of basic assumptions regarding your connection. It is very possible that some of these assumptions are not relevant to you. In such a case, try to improvise with the itinerary in order to adapt it to your needs, and if that doesn't work, then you are always welcome to take a look at other Paris itineraries that I have created in the past and try to adapt one of them to your needs. Another option would be to go to the Paris attractions page on the website, choose one attraction, visit it, and return to the airport.
So after all this introduction, here are some basic assumptions that need to be met for this itinerary:
Do you have a long connection in Paris (over 5 hours)?
If your connection lasts 4-5 hours or less, I would recommend giving up the idea of going to Paris and staying at the airport. True, theoretically you can get from the airport to Paris in about half an hour and back in about half an hour. However, in practice it doesn't even work that way. There's always a chance that you'll get into trouble and end up in the wrong place, the train will be late, a sudden strike will break out, and other nonsense. So, don't worry about the nerves and stress.
Have you arrived for a few short hours? Go have a cup of coffee, spend some time in duty free, read a book and get on the plane to your next destination. Paris will be patiently waiting for you the next time you visit.
You don't come in the middle of the night.
If you arrive between 22:00 PM and 04:00 AM and only have a few hours, I would recommend you give up. Public transportation does not operate at night (it stops at 01:00 AM), which makes getting to and from the airport relatively expensive. Add to that the fact that Paris, unlike Tel Aviv, is not really a non-stop city, and by midnight most of the entertainment venues are closed and many parts of the city feel deserted. So if you were thinking about a “Midnight in Paris” style connection tour, I would think again.
You arrive at Charles De Gaulle Airport.
Charles de Gaulle is the main airport in Paris and most international flights to far-flung destinations such as the Americas or the Far East pass through there. The great advantage of this airport is the fact that it is connected by a suburban train directly to the center of Paris (RER B line). This allows you to reach the center of Paris in just over half an hour (provided you take the direct train and not the commuter train which passes through quite a few stations).
If you are arriving at Orly Airport, you will need to improvise a little to adapt the route I am about to write about to get to and from the airport. However, to understand the improvisation, I recommend that you first read the route as it is and at the end I will write about the changes needed to adapt it to Orly Airport.
The route before you is a modular route.
Since some of you will reach 5-6 hours and others will reach 8-12 hours or even more, and since everyone walks at their own pace, I preferred to create a relatively long route that can be suitable for those who walk quickly and have been in Paris for a relatively long time. However, as you will see, I added several departure points in the route from which you can easily reach the airport. This way, you can take only the relevant parts of the route and adapt it to your pace.
A 4-5 hour itinerary for people making a connection in Paris
So after all these introductions it's time for the route itself. From Charles de Gaulle airport take the RER B train. The station is in Terminal 2 and to get there simply follow the signs that say Gare SNCF. You can buy tickets at the train station very easily using self-service machines and once you've done that go to the relevant platform where the train will be waiting for you.
Note: Only take the train that goes directly to Paris and not the commuter train. This will save you a lot of time because the suburban train stops at every station, making it extremely slow. You can tell if it is an express train or a commuter train by watching the monitor that shows which stations the train will stop at (the fewer stations there are between the airport and Gare du Nord, the better).
Please get off at Les Halles station and go above ground to Porte Saint Eustache gate. We have started the tour!
Instead of a map: Under the title of each station is its address, and each address is a link. Click on it, and the place will immediately open in Google Maps.
Montorgueil Street and Saint Eustache Church
rue Montorgueil , and 2 impasse Saint-Eustache
After you exit the metro gate, you will see the magnificent Church of Saint-Eustache , which in my opinion is one of the 10 must-see churches in Paris . If the church is open, you are welcome to enter and enjoy its stunning beauty and excellent music (in case someone is practicing the organ there).
After you leave the church, I suggest you find a good place to eat (after all, no one bets on airplane food, right?). You will be happy to find that Rue Montorgueil is one of the most culinary streets in Paris and you will find an abundance of boulangerie, patisserie and promezieres. If you feel like eating at a restaurant, let me recommend one of these two restaurants:
- At the Pig's Foot – A legendary restaurant in Les Halles from the days when Irma Le Douce would hang out there and workers would unload goods at the wholesale market and go eat onion soup there. The wholesale market has long since moved to Rungis, but the legendary onion soup, which some would say is the best in Paris, is still there.
- Lobster bar – Located on the same street as Au pied du cochon but a few minutes walk from it. Serves excellent seafood at completely reasonable prices.
- The Pig with an Ear – An excellent French bistro located just north of St. Eustache. In addition to good food and friendly service, you will find painted tiles that show you what the wholesale market looked like in the old days.
The New Bridge (Pont Neuf)
pont Neuf , and place Dauphine
After you've finished eating, return to the Church of Saint-Eustache and cross the park south. Go south on rue de pont neuf and notice that at number 31 you'll see a sign indicating that this is (probably) where the famous playwright Molière was born (others will claim that he was actually born at 96 rue Saint-Honoré, and there's a sign there too, but it's not on our route).
Continue straight to the bridge and cross it. If you want to learn a little about this special bridge, you are welcome to enter the article Pont Neuf – the revolutionary bridge that changed Paris . This is a great time to look west and see the Louvre , the Pont des Arts , the Left Bank and the Eiffel Tower.
If you want to rest a little, go down to the Vert Galant garden, and if not, then go to the charming Place Dauphine, where Yves Montaigne and Simone Signoret lived. If you didn't eat when you visited around Rue Montreuil, you are welcome to sit at La Rose de France , a very nice restaurant located in the square.
Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame
After you have finished visiting the Place Dauphin, walk east along the banks of the Seine until you reach Boulevard du Palais. There you can see the oldest clock tower in Paris on the corner . Walk south on the Boulevard and take a look at the impressive buildings of the Court and Sainte-Chapelle . If you have time, if there is no long line at the entrance and the weather is nice, it is recommended to enter the Sainte-Chapelle church. Another option is to visit the flower market located east of the court (you have to cross the road and continue straight with your back to the court). If you have visited the flower market (which on Sundays becomes the bird market) return to the Boulevard, turn south and walk to the banks of the Seine. There you will turn east and walk straight until you reach the Notre-Dame church.
Until recently I would have recommended you to visit the church, but on April 15th Notre Dame caught fire and is currently closed to the public. Instead, you are advised to walk east parallel to the south side of the church until you reach the Pont de l'Archeveche.
Cross the bridge to the left bank while admiring the Notre Dame Cathedral and the damage it suffered from the fire. If the sight of the burnt Notre Dame has you wanting to reward yourself with something sweet, let me recommend the excellent patisserie A. Lacroix located at 11 Quai de Montebello.
Rene Viviani Garden and Shakespeare & Company
square René-Viviani , and 37 rue de la Bûcherie
Continue west on Quai de Montebello and cross the road to the Square Rene Viviani. If the weather is nice and you want to rest a bit, this is simply a great place, thanks to the flowers, the view of Notre Dame and the oldest tree in Paris that is located there.
After you're done enjoying this lovely garden, head west to the Shakespeare & Company store. There you'll find a great bookstore and a cute cafe (if all the food so far wasn't enough for you). If you're not a bibliophile, just head west until you reach the Saint Michel metro station.
Check your watch: Isn't it time to head back to the airport? If so, head into the station and take the RER B towards Charles de Gaulle Airport. Do you have some time left? So let's continue.
Cluny Museum, Sorbonne and Luxembourg Gardens
28 rue Du Sommerard , place de la Sorbonne , and jardin du Luxembourg
Go south on Boulevard Saint-Michel and look left to see the Roman baths. Continue a little further and turn left onto rue de Somerard. You will find a lovely square there and to the left is the Cluny Medieval Museum . If you have time, you are welcome to enter the museum and if not, you can just sit in the lovely garden opposite. And if you are already there, go to the statue of Michel de Montaigne , rub his foot and make a wish. If it works for the Sorbonne students, it can still work for you :).
After you've finished rubbing Montaigne's foot, head back down rue des Écoles towards Boulevard Saint-Michel and continue south. On your left, you'll see the main entrance to the University of Paris, the Sorbonne, in all its glory. The guard won't let you in, but you can at least enjoy the nice square and its cafes.
Continue south again until you reach the Luxembourg Gardens. You are welcome to enter and enjoy one of the most charming gardens in Paris. If you happen to have time, you are welcome to do the Luxembourg Gardens walking tour that I prepared with the kind help of Joel Tamenlis.
Time to head back to the airport? Just outside the Luxembourg Gardens is an RER B station that will take you to Charles de Gaulle. Got more time and more leg strength left? Keep going.
Montparnasse
Leave the Luxembourg Gardens and continue south on Avenue de l'Observatoire. Enjoy the garden and the charming statues within it (some of which are by the famous Carpeaux statue, which Amiram Tsabari wrote about in the article Carpeaux's Scandalous Dance ). Continue to the statue of General Ney and the famous cafe La Closerie de Lilac, which was a favorite of Hemingway . Here you have two options:
The first option, if you have enough time, is to do the Montparnasse route , which starts not far from here. If you don't have the time or energy for that, go to Port Royal station and take a train back to Charles de Gaulle airport.
This is where we finished the route. I hope you enjoyed it.
Two questions that will surely arise after reading this article:
Just before we finish, here are two questions that I have a feeling quite a few of you will ask. So allow me to “preemptively cure the plague” 🙂
What happens if you land at Orly Airport?
You probably remember that before I started detailing the route I said that my basic assumption was that you would land at Charles de Gaulle Airport. If you landed at Orly, I recommend that you take the Orly Bus from the airport to Denfert Rochereau Square. From there, enter the metro of the same name and take the RER B train towards Charles de Gaulle Airport . Get off at Les Halles station and start your trip.
When you feel like it's time to go back, take the RER B train south from Saint-Michel, Luxembourg Gardens or Port Royal, get off at Denfert Rocherau and take the Orly Bus to the airport. Another option, if you don't feel like getting around too much on public transport, is to simply take an Uber to Orly Airport. It's not that expensive and should take you about 25 minutes (assuming there are no traffic jams of course).
What happens if you actually feel like climbing the Eiffel Tower?
In this case, take the RER B from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Saint Michel station. From there, take the RER C towards Versailles and get off at the Eiffel Tower station . Since there are long lines and your time is extremely short, it is highly recommended to buy tickets in advance. You can find all kinds of options for buying tickets in the article dealing with attractions in the 7th arrondissement.
After you climb the Eiffel Tower, and if you have enough time left, you are welcome to do the Art Nouveau route that starts not so far from the Eiffel Tower. For the brave and those with free time, it is recommended to do the Julia Child route that will bring you, ultimately, very close to Les Halles station, where you can take a train back to the airport.
Did you manage to get a taste of Paris in a pinch and fall in love?
If you've decided that your next connection will become a real vacation, all the information you need to prepare is in the Paris guide I prepared for you.
More on the subject
Happy Spring Holiday. Reading the articles and recommendations over and over again makes me miss the city. And now I'm trying to entice friends/family to come with me and travel the addictive city. The truth is, you can enjoy it alone too. And again, thank you for the wonderful and interesting blog.
Thank you very much for your support and happy holidays.
Thank you very much for a great route. It suited the time I had in Paris. I followed the route for the most part and ended at the Cluny Museum. I really enjoyed it.
I was happy to help 🙂