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Jul 30, 2025

One Afternoon in Paris: A Walking Itinerary to Soak Up the City’s Spirit

There it is, you’ve got an afternoon in Paris, just enough time to glimpse the City of Lights, to breathe in a bit of essence de Paris. What to do, what to do??? Don’t worry, we’ve got you! With Memories France's list of insider tips you can take that afternoon and be a true Parisian, if only for a few hours. 

First, put on your walking shoes because we’ll be covering some ground, the better to soak up as much of the city’s different facets as possible, from the major sights to some more local color. 

Place de la Concorde & Champs Elysées

A good place to start is the Place de la Concorde, since you can look right up the street -- not just any street, but the Champs Elysées! -- and see the Arc de Triomphe. You can take some good Instagram shots there. Save some views for the Eiffel Tower which is particularly photogenic from this angle! Oh and by the way, not to creep you out, but this is where the guillotine stood during the Revolution and they beheaded both the king and Marie-Antoinette. 

Tuileries Gardens

Stroll on then to the Tuileries Gardens and take in the French formal gardens, all sculpted bushes, fountains and footpaths. Visitors have been taking leisurely walks here since the royalty lived in the old palace, also called the Tuileries, that was burned down in the brief Commune period of the 1870s. If you're in the mood for trying some sweet Parisian treets, we highly a world-famous macaron (or two!) from Pierre Hermé (at Memories we love the Ispahan particularly) on the rue Cambon, just across the street, off the Rue de Rivoli. Or if it’s chilly you can have one of the renowned hot chocolates (and one of their selection of beautiful patisseries) from Angelina on the Rue de Rivoli itself. If the line is too long, go into the shop and grab a hot chocolate to go, then enjoy it on a bench in the park.

The Louvre

Continuing on, you can get a great shot of the Louvre and I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid. Although it seems so eternally part of the Louvre now, it scandalized everyone back in the 90s. See if you can’t capture the old Louvre façade through the one of its clear panes in a portrait of old-meets-new.

Les Bouquinistes

Take one of the bridges over to the Left Bank, making sure to browse through those quaint green stalls of the iconic “bouquinistes,” with their old tomes for sale. They’ve been part of the Paris landscape  since the Middle Ages! If you don’t find a book that speaks to you, see if you can’t get a vintage snapshot of old Paris among their old postcards. They make fantastic souvenirs.

Pont des Arts

Don’t forget more pics from the lovely Pont des Arts, which was part of Napoleon’s plans refurbish the city in his image. From here you'll get great views of both Notre Dame, and down towards the Eiffel Tower.

Pont Neuf

Cross over the Pont Neuf – which means “New Bridge,” even if its Paris’s oldest, built starting in 1578! Tourists crowd over it now, but it used to be full of jugglers, acrobats and quack doctors, even tooth pullers! In days of yore, the police used to post detectives on either end, figuring if someone they sought hadn’t crossed the Pont Neuf then they couldn’t be in the capital at all. From the side close to the Samaritaine department store, you'll get some wonderful photos of the Eiffel Tower. And if you fancy a little high end shopping, or just want to see what a Parisian department store can look like, drop into the Samaritaine for a quick peep.

Place Dauphine

From the statue of Henri IV on horseback, cross and head into the small square. Now you’ll find yourself on the Ile de la Cité behind the Palace of Justice, the highest courts in the land, but to us, its one of Paris’s prettiest squares (it's really a triangle!) one of the first in the city to have a streamlined look, since it was willed by royal decree (its name means Crown Prince’s Square). Superstars of French Cinema Simone Signoret and Yves Montand lived here, as did Camille Pissarro, Impressionist painter, before them. Well before that, it was from this place that right before his death in 1314 the Grandmaster of the Templars, Jacques Demolay, cursed the line of the French king residing in that palace who had condemned him. That particular line, with its heirs and spare, died out within a generation.

La Conciergerie

You’ll now head left our of the square to the river, and keep walking past the Conciergerie with its looming, gloomy towers that you might recall from the Olympics opening ceremony starring a headless Marie-Antoinette. She (and many, many others) did indeed spend her final days here before being carted off to the Place de la Concorde, for this this one-time royal palace was turned into a giant holding cell for the guillotine with the Revolution.

The Flower Market

After that you’ll be ready for the budding blossomy green goodness of the flower market for some refreshing scents and a change of scenery. 

Notre Dame Cathedral

Cross the flower market, bearing right, and this will take you on to Notre Dame, the cathedral of Our Lady of Paris. We can guarantee no hunchbacks for you, or dancing goats, but now it's reopened back to the public it's once again a must see in Paris. If you have more time in Paris and want to learn more, join our guided tour and let an expert guide talk you through the fascinating story of the Cathedral, from medieval builders to the 2019 fire and it's spectacular renovation and rebirth.

Shakespeare & Company Bookstore

Cross over now back to the Left Bank to visit Shakespeare and Company bookshop, a fixture that could almost be the official gate into the Latin Quarter. If you didn’t find anything chez les bouquinistes, maybe this English-language selection will hold a treat just for you – don’t forget to use your vintage postcard as a bookmark! This iconic bookstore has been here since 1951, hosting the Beat poets and several generations of writers and poets since. And if you need a pick me up before continuing your explorations, drop into the café next door for a coffee and slice of the legendary lemon tart.

The Latin Quarter

If you’ve still got time and haven’t yet worn holes in your shoe soles, continue on your stroll through the winding streets of the Latin Quarter. This historically studenty neighborhood is filled with shops full of intellectual books and cafés with lounging young people discussing them. Finish up with an 'aperitif' on a café terrace in the heart of this center of learning at the charming square right in front of the venerable old Sorbonne, which vies for the title of Europe’s oldest university. Now you can run and catch your train, plane, or automobile, safe in the knowledge that you’ve seen the essentials of the City of Lights. In fact, given that you’ve experienced essence de Paris, you too are christened a Parisian, at least in spirit. Paris is, after all, a moveable feast.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this stroll through quintessential Paris — the perfect afternoon snapshot of the city's charm, history, and beauty. If you're staying longer and want to go deeper, we’d love to welcome you on one of our guided tours. Come explore with a local, like a local!

If you're looking for more tips, itineraries, and insights into Paris, check out our social media!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our blog! We are a small Paris-based tour company that prioritises a boutique personal experience where we can share our passion for our heritage and community with every individual that joins us. If you'd like to take a tour then head over to our website for an unforgettable trip to the city of lights. Also, check out our social media @memories.france for everything you could need to know for coming to Paris, from how to use the metro to coffee shops closest to each major monument, there is something for everyone!

Angelissa, Siobhan & the Memories France Family



Like what you see? Read our other blogs here!

One Afternoon in Paris: A Walking Itinerary to Soak Up the City’s Spirit

There it is, you’ve got an afternoon in Paris, just enough time to glimpse the City of Lights, to breathe in a bit of essence de Paris. What to do, what to do??? Don’t worry, we’ve got you! With Memories France's list of insider tips you can take that afternoon and be a true Parisian, if only for a few hours. 

First, put on your walking shoes because we’ll be covering some ground, the better to soak up as much of the city’s different facets as possible, from the major sights to some more local color. 

Place de la Concorde & Champs Elysées

A good place to start is the Place de la Concorde, since you can look right up the street -- not just any street, but the Champs Elysées! -- and see the Arc de Triomphe. You can take some good Instagram shots there. Save some views for the Eiffel Tower which is particularly photogenic from this angle! Oh and by the way, not to creep you out, but this is where the guillotine stood during the Revolution and they beheaded both the king and Marie-Antoinette. 

Tuileries Gardens

Stroll on then to the Tuileries Gardens and take in the French formal gardens, all sculpted bushes, fountains and footpaths. Visitors have been taking leisurely walks here since the royalty lived in the old palace, also called the Tuileries, that was burned down in the brief Commune period of the 1870s. If you're in the mood for trying some sweet Parisian treets, we highly a world-famous macaron (or two!) from Pierre Hermé (at Memories we love the Ispahan particularly) on the rue Cambon, just across the street, off the Rue de Rivoli. Or if it’s chilly you can have one of the renowned hot chocolates (and one of their selection of beautiful patisseries) from Angelina on the Rue de Rivoli itself. If the line is too long, go into the shop and grab a hot chocolate to go, then enjoy it on a bench in the park.

The Louvre

Continuing on, you can get a great shot of the Louvre and I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid. Although it seems so eternally part of the Louvre now, it scandalized everyone back in the 90s. See if you can’t capture the old Louvre façade through the one of its clear panes in a portrait of old-meets-new.

Les Bouquinistes

Take one of the bridges over to the Left Bank, making sure to browse through those quaint green stalls of the iconic “bouquinistes,” with their old tomes for sale. They’ve been part of the Paris landscape  since the Middle Ages! If you don’t find a book that speaks to you, see if you can’t get a vintage snapshot of old Paris among their old postcards. They make fantastic souvenirs.

Pont des Arts

Don’t forget more pics from the lovely Pont des Arts, which was part of Napoleon’s plans refurbish the city in his image. From here you'll get great views of both Notre Dame, and down towards the Eiffel Tower.

Pont Neuf

Cross over the Pont Neuf – which means “New Bridge,” even if its Paris’s oldest, built starting in 1578! Tourists crowd over it now, but it used to be full of jugglers, acrobats and quack doctors, even tooth pullers! In days of yore, the police used to post detectives on either end, figuring if someone they sought hadn’t crossed the Pont Neuf then they couldn’t be in the capital at all. From the side close to the Samaritaine department store, you'll get some wonderful photos of the Eiffel Tower. And if you fancy a little high end shopping, or just want to see what a Parisian department store can look like, drop into the Samaritaine for a quick peep.

Place Dauphine

From the statue of Henri IV on horseback, cross and head into the small square. Now you’ll find yourself on the Ile de la Cité behind the Palace of Justice, the highest courts in the land, but to us, its one of Paris’s prettiest squares (it's really a triangle!) one of the first in the city to have a streamlined look, since it was willed by royal decree (its name means Crown Prince’s Square). Superstars of French Cinema Simone Signoret and Yves Montand lived here, as did Camille Pissarro, Impressionist painter, before them. Well before that, it was from this place that right before his death in 1314 the Grandmaster of the Templars, Jacques Demolay, cursed the line of the French king residing in that palace who had condemned him. That particular line, with its heirs and spare, died out within a generation.

La Conciergerie

You’ll now head left our of the square to the river, and keep walking past the Conciergerie with its looming, gloomy towers that you might recall from the Olympics opening ceremony starring a headless Marie-Antoinette. She (and many, many others) did indeed spend her final days here before being carted off to the Place de la Concorde, for this this one-time royal palace was turned into a giant holding cell for the guillotine with the Revolution.

The Flower Market

After that you’ll be ready for the budding blossomy green goodness of the flower market for some refreshing scents and a change of scenery. 

Notre Dame Cathedral

Cross the flower market, bearing right, and this will take you on to Notre Dame, the cathedral of Our Lady of Paris. We can guarantee no hunchbacks for you, or dancing goats, but now it's reopened back to the public it's once again a must see in Paris. If you have more time in Paris and want to learn more, join our guided tour and let an expert guide talk you through the fascinating story of the Cathedral, from medieval builders to the 2019 fire and it's spectacular renovation and rebirth.

Shakespeare & Company Bookstore

Cross over now back to the Left Bank to visit Shakespeare and Company bookshop, a fixture that could almost be the official gate into the Latin Quarter. If you didn’t find anything chez les bouquinistes, maybe this English-language selection will hold a treat just for you – don’t forget to use your vintage postcard as a bookmark! This iconic bookstore has been here since 1951, hosting the Beat poets and several generations of writers and poets since. And if you need a pick me up before continuing your explorations, drop into the café next door for a coffee and slice of the legendary lemon tart.

The Latin Quarter

If you’ve still got time and haven’t yet worn holes in your shoe soles, continue on your stroll through the winding streets of the Latin Quarter. This historically studenty neighborhood is filled with shops full of intellectual books and cafés with lounging young people discussing them. Finish up with an 'aperitif' on a café terrace in the heart of this center of learning at the charming square right in front of the venerable old Sorbonne, which vies for the title of Europe’s oldest university. Now you can run and catch your train, plane, or automobile, safe in the knowledge that you’ve seen the essentials of the City of Lights. In fact, given that you’ve experienced essence de Paris, you too are christened a Parisian, at least in spirit. Paris is, after all, a moveable feast.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this stroll through quintessential Paris — the perfect afternoon snapshot of the city's charm, history, and beauty. If you're staying longer and want to go deeper, we’d love to welcome you on one of our guided tours. Come explore with a local, like a local!

If you're looking for more tips, itineraries, and insights into Paris, check out our social media!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our blog! We are a small Paris-based tour company that prioritises a boutique personal experience where we can share our passion for our heritage and community with every individual that joins us. If you'd like to take a tour then head over to our website for an unforgettable trip to the city of lights. Also, check out our social media @memories.france for everything you could need to know for coming to Paris, from how to use the metro to coffee shops closest to each major monument, there is something for everyone!

Angelissa, Siobhan & the Memories France Family



Like what you see? Read our other blogs here!

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