What to visit in Paris when you just have 6 hours?

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Fins

A wonderful city! Paris is famed throughout the world for the beauty and variety of its monuments. Towers, churches, palaces, archways, bridges or fountainsâ€¦ Just 6 hours, is just not enough for this city!! I'll give it a shot for you: Paris wouldnâ€™t be Paris without the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame , the Sainte Chapelle or the SacrÃ© Coeur.

Tour Eiffel: One of the most famous monument in the world (324 metres, 10,100 tonnes), the Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel in 1889 for the World Fair, where it was the star attraction.

Arc de Triomphe: Raised over command of Napoleon Ier, the Arch of Triumph dominates the Avenue of the Champs-ElysÃ©es. Its construction began in 1806 and ended in 1836, 15 years after the Napoleon's death. It is possible to reach the roof of the monument. The perspective of The Louvre - Concorde Square - Grand Arch of Defense is superb. It's one of the most beautifull panorama of Paris.

Notre Dame: Masterpiece of gothic architecture, the cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris,imaginated by Bishop Maurice de Sully was built between the 12th and the 14th centuries (1163-1345).

La Sainte Chapelle: Jewel of gothic architecture.

Le SacrÃ© Coeur: The Sacred Heart - Montmartre hill. From the earliest days , Montmartre has been a place of worship: the Druids, the Gauls, the romains temples dedicated to the gods Mars et Mercury; St Peter's church rebuilt near the Royal Abbey of Montmartre on the XII century by King Louis the VI and his wife AdÃ©laÃ¯de of Savoy; finally the Sacred Heart Basillica erected at the end of the XIX century.

If you like shopping, there will be plenty of opportunities also. Have fun!

Didier A

I would recommend a city tour with a bus or a cruise, so you can see most sights.
Cityrama offers 2 differents options:
a 2 hour tour covering most sights, except Montmartre
or also the Open tour bus: let say it is a like a regular line covering the touristical sights. There are 3 lines.
You can stop wherever you want. The frequency is of the busses is 30 minutes.

Andy Roberts

If you've never been to Paris before and only have six hours then I would advise against rushing around and trying to see several different places. Having said that, it is perfectly feasible to take a metro train and visit one area a fair way away from wherever the bus drops you.

It would be then be possible to combine a sightseeing trip around Notre Fame and the banks of the river Seine with a taste of bohemian Paris on the Left bank, during which you would also visit a cafe bar for lunch in the backstreets around the Rue de la Huchette.

Alternatively the location of the Sacre Coeur provides a great view over Paris, without the queuing involved at the Eiffel tower. In that area there is also a busy square with outdoor dining and portrait painting.

But you might prefer to nip in to a small supermarket or grocers and buy some provisions for a pleasant picnic right down by the bank of the river at Pont Neuf.

The main thing is that you have your appetite whetted to return another day without a bus waiting! Maybe make your own way to Paris with one of those Eurostar Deals from London, or ride a motorbike across the Alps from Italy, that would be fun.

Pete

No question... hit an art museum, preferrably the Louvre. Pick ONE wing to see before you go in, though, or you can be overwhelmed. (It would take days to see everything.)

If you'd rather start with the impressionists and go forward from there, go across the Seine to the D'Orsay. That can be done in about 2 hours, and is a fanastic old train station.

(EIther way, buy a ticket online before you go, so you can by-pass the often long lines to purchase a ticker.)

Definitely, go to a bistro or a sidewalk cafe for a break and some great food.

If you don't like art, you might prefer to buy a ticket to climb to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral. (The church itself is free, and well worth the view of the windows.)

Barring all that, if you're there for an evening, you might enjoy one of the jazz clubs on the left bank.

Mama

Having lived in France for many years, I think I have a great solution to your 6-hour dilemma.

In order to "see" the sites without having to move from place to place and so that you can still enjoy the magical ambiance of Paris, I would suggest a 1-2 hour cruise on the famous Bateaux-Mouches. You'll get a great cruise down the Seine River, see many of the monuments and sites that Paris is so famous for and you'll drastically reduce the time it takes to do so.

Then, hop on the Metro and get on the line which goes to "les Tuileries" and exit the Metro station to go into les Jardins des Tuileries. This is one of the most wonderful spots that Paris has to offer. The gardens (les jardins) are located just outside of the Louvre Museum. You'll get a glimse of real Paris. People in the park walking their dogs, jogging, sitting on a bench reading a book, tourists looking lost with maps, a pretty little carosel... And while there you can get a cup of coffee or a snack and just enjoy an afternoon in Paris.

Frankly, I think you should save the other things for when you have more time. No way to really enjoy Paris while you are standing in an endless line full of people waiting to enter or see (fill in tourist attraction here).

Since you'll need to count the time it takes to manage the metro and walk from one place to the other without missing your bus... that would be my best solution.

Bon voyage!

sunshine *

I was in Paris last weekend for the first time...what a beautiful city! You would love it!

Last day we had only 7 hours. So we had the cruise from Eiffel tower (it's only one hour and it costs â‚¬11). This will give you a very good idea about all the main sightseeing of Paris. The cruise brought us back to Eiffel tower. From there, we walked parallel to Seine (it's a lovely walk and there is no way to get lost or confused) and we saw again (but this time much closer) all the monuments that we saw during the cruise. It took us only 2 hours (with stops) from the Eiffel Tower to Museum Orsay (which is after the Louvre and Notre Dame). When you reach Notre Dame, you can visit the Latin quarter for a good Italian ice-cream and an excellent Greek souvlaki :-)

The Latin quarter is only 10 minutes walking distance from the Luxembourg gardens (they are really amazing! - I haven't seen something more beautiful) and the Pantheon. Luxembourg metro is outside the entrance of the Luxembourg gardens. So you can take the metro from there and go back to your original stop. The whole Paris is very easy to walk (it's not like London) and everything is quite close to each other. Also French transport system is very good (there is no way to face any delays).

6 hours is not enough for sightseeing but it's enough to fall in love with Paris :-)
Have a good time! :-)

Logan

umm, get something to eat. Paris is known for there food.

Alexa

eiffel tour.
and stop at a local cafe
then take a boat tour down the seine river, its right next to the eiffel tour

MOI

yeah i think people are right... the eiffel tower at least from the top u will see the whole city :):):) and la tour eiffel is near of les champs elysÃ©es so u can go there after..
good luck because 6 hours not only in paris but in any city is just enough to see one monument and to have regrets don't be able to see more....

Kathy K

I would visit the Eiffel tower and enjoy the view.

SiAN

It depends on what you are interested in. And where abouts your bus stops. I'm assuming that it stops somewhere central.

Paris is a wonderful city just to wonder around by foot. I recommend checking out Notre Dame Cathedral and the surrounding area.

If you are into art galleries, forget the Louvre - the queue will be too long. The Musee D'Orsay is my favourite art gallery. Lots of impressionism, beautiful Monets etc.

And of course the Eiffel Tower, although if you want to go up there will be queues. The Arc de Triumph is also near there.

Have fun in Paris. You will want to return for longer. It's an awesome place (my second favorite city after Barcelona).

michelle pc

Definitely the Eiffel Tower. And you're going to want to go shopping at the Champs Elysee, if you plan on spending some dough. And the Louvre!!!

Steven

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