How to spend 12 hours in Paris

Heidi-Marie Travel , , , , , 22 Comments
Eiffel Tower

What would you do with twelve hours in Paris? I bet you would not know where to start!

I had the chance to spend approximately twelve hours in Paris in the summer of 2018. I was in Holland for a three-week work-related course and I planned with a colleague to make a night trip to Paris by bus in order to spend about twelve hours there. We expected to arrive in Paris around 6.00 am and to leave around 6.00pm. The bus ride was fairly comfortable.

On arrival in Paris, we firstly headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral to take a picture in front of it. The Notre Dame is a medieval Catholic cathedral and a widely recognised symbol of the city of Paris. We knew that there would be too long a queue to enter the Cathedral so entering it was not in our plans. For me, a picture in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral was enough. The clock was ticking ….

me in front of Notre Dame Cathedral

Our next stop was a cruise on the Seine River. The choice of the cruise was strategic because from the river, we could see the iconic Eiffel Tower and other tourist sights. You can’t go to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower, even if from a distance! I bought a miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower as a souvenir to keep the memory alive. Here I am on the Seine River cruise with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

me on a boat ride on the Seine River

Subsequently, we were off to the Montparnasse Tower Panoramic Observation Deck to get a bird’s eye view of Paris. At 200 metres above the city, it offered breathtaking views of the city and its monuments. It reminded me of the amazing views of London from the London Eye.

panoramic view of Paris from the observation deck of Montparnasse Tower

This is a picture of me on the observation deck of Montparnasse Tower.

me on observation deck

Thereafter, we walked through the streets and did some general sightseeing. The architecture was lovely. It reminded me of my trip to Vienna some years earlier.

Parisian architecture

For lunch we bought some fruit juice, croissants and sandwiches as we were on a rather tight budget. And, lest I forget, for breakfast we had some snacks that we brought along with us from Holland.

After walking aroud for a while and doing some window shopping, we had to admit that our feet were hurting. There was only so much that we could do in 12 hours! Morever, we needed to head towards the bus station in Charles de Gaulle Airport in order not to miss the return bus to Holland. Fortunately, we made it in time. Here I am in front of the bus.

me in front of bus station

I was glad to have seen Paris, the city of love, if only for a few hours. On another trip to Paris in the future, I would love to dine at Maxim’s which, in the mid 20th century, was regarded as the most famous restaurant in the world. I would also love to see the can-can dance in the Moulin Rouge which is a cabaret in Paris. Dreams are free!

Vive la Paris!

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