Got 48 hours in Paris? We got you covered with the only Itinerary you need to see

Look no further than this itinerary when you have just 48 hours to spare in this beautiful city of romance and love, Paris.

Paris is best explored on foot, really! Get your best walking shoes on and soak up your senses with the best this city has to offer.

Think Paris, think art, culture, architecture, gastronomy and fashion. Paris will not suddenly blow you away, it will slowly charm you with its spells. Over the course of two days, we have the perfect itinerary for you to build up that ecstasy step by step finally to leave you dreamy and mesmerised with this city.

48 hours in Paris: The Must Do's

Day 1

Start your day with the French croissant and Café au lait at Laduree, Champs Elyseses

In Paris, every baker is a master baker and everyone’s croissant is a work of art; baking is in their genes. Have the classic Parisian breakfast; take a croissant and with a Café au lait.

Choose Ladurée at Champs Elysees, one of the most famous patisserie in Paris for your breakfast. The setting itself is so Parisian; a tea-room dating back to 1860s with its ceilings decorated with frescos. Also, their double-decker macarons are worth drooling over and are available in quirky flavours; try the rose and salted caramel. There is also a selection of pastries, the best and the most creative in Paris.

Fun fact: Gossip Girl fans, Laduree is Blair Waldorf's favorite dessert shoppe and the series shows Blair enjoying her Rose petal macaroons from the tea-room. You know where to get some Upper-east side taste now!

Visit the most visited museum in the World: The Louvre

It is time to put your historian hats on and go to the Louvre, the largest and the most visited museum in the world. Take a 15-20 minute walk from Laduree pastisserie to the Louvre museum.

With a collection of more than 35,000 pieces of art and 3,08,000 objects, you cannot see everything in the museum unless you are literally sprinting around it. Decide on your must-see things, our recommendations are: The Mona Lisa (Of, course the masterpiece and her enigmatic smile), The Coronation of Napoleon (second biggest painting in the Louvre), the virgin portrait (A masterpiece by Raphael), the Victory statue and the Venus de milo, the Dying slave (Michaelengelo) and the Egyptian wing (one of the largest collection in the world and arranged in a way to tell a story).

Louvre fascinated us but certainly left us exhausted and hungry. A nutella crepe each (at 2 Euros each- excellent value from one of the stalls right outside the Louvre metro station) recharged us for the rest of the day.

Take around a good 5-6 hours to enjoy the Louvre and head back to the Champs Elysees street to devour one of the finest concert shows .

A Few Tips:

-To have a glitch free Louvre experience, book the tickets online to avoid long queues, carry a bottle of water and some snacks with you, take an audio guide and please be patient amidst the crowd if you want a one-on-one with the Mona Lisa.

-Before you exit the museum, please do not forget to click the customary pictured in front of the glass pyramid.

Enjoy a slice of heaven at the world-renowned Lido Show

Before heading over for the Lido Show, we chose a little Italian cafe for our dinner at Champs Elysees. Our rule of thumb to get away from tourist-trap restaurants at famous avenues: Look into the by-lanes and you are sure to find a gem.

The main act: “Be my guest for a slice of heaven” says Franco Dagone, the writer and director of the Lido Show and he cannot be any more closer to the truth. The show with all its flamboyance, sensuality, intimacy and elegance is a tribute to Paris. The show features breathtaking sceneries, 23 different acts, a stage with a real ice skating rink and of course, the beautiful bluebell girls and the handsome Lido boys. Sip your complimentary bottle of champagne as you are blown away and dazzled by this musical extravaganza.

Tip: Get an awesome 50% discount on same day tickets for the Lido at the Culture kiosk. Check their addresses in Paris here (the main kiosk in Madeleine is a short walk away from Champs-Élysées). This is the biggest bargain you can get here and not many people know about this. I was lucky to come across this while trawling through the Lido’s reviews on TripAdvisor.

Transportation Tip: Paris is a large city but with the Metro, everything is easily accessible. Take a bunch of 10 tickets at one go, it is cheaper for EUR 14 compared to the EUR 1.9 for a single ticket.

Day 2

Kickstart your morning at the monumental public square- Place Saint Michel

Repeat yesterday’s regime for breakfast but at a different cafe this time. Try Le Progres, a typical french restaurant at the Place Saint-Michel public square . A double espresso with some cookies and cakes should help clear the mind and senses.

Take a walking tour to know the significance of Paris

Paris is a completely different city at night, all its monuments are lit up and of course the hourly glittering of the Eiffel tower is a scintillating sight to see. We took a walking tour (of course with our favourite New Sandeman Europe) early afternoon. The tour starts right in front of the fountain at Place Saint-Michel. It gave us excellent insight into continental’s Europe most visited city: the gargoyled Notre-Dame Cathedral, Fontaine Saint-Michel, Arc de Triomphe at Champs-Élysées and the Tuileries Garden outside the Louvre. These excellent guides have a unique story to tell about their city and I will let you hear it from them, instead of reciting history here.

A visit to Paris is incomplete without watching the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night, we saved the best for the last

Little did anyone know that a temporary structure being installed in Paris for the World Fair in the early 1900s would 100 years later become synonymous with its name. Yes, that structure is indeed the Eiffel Tower, there is nothing quite like this.

Break a Parisian law! Click the Eiffel tower when it lits up the night sky. There is supposedly a law to prohibit people from clicking the Eiffel tower when it is lit up and the law has not even been modified in the 21st century. The reinforcement of this law you see is not very practical now. It sparkles every hour after 10 pm for 5 minutes, so a little planning helps. Wait, till Paris casts its magic on you.

It is true what the poets say about Paris; it is the city of love. There is something enthralling about this city. You want to come here with the person you love, once in your lifetime!

P.S.

If you are wondering where to stay: Staying in Paris can be a little tricky and its prices are one of the highest in Europe, especially during peak summers. We chose an Ibis near the Gare du Nord Station in the 9th Arrondissement; the hotel was ideally located within all major attractions, a short walk away from the metro and quite light on the pocket.

If you suddenly crave for Indian food: Eating Indian food outside India creates two dilemmas for me, I am sure for most Indians. First, I don’t like the high prices and second, I dread frozen or Ready-to-Eat food; Until we came across The Sangeetha Restaurant (a famous South Indian restaurant chain) near the Gare-du-Nord station. The food is delicious, fresh and reasonably priced; perfect remedy for the sudden hunger pangs for Indian food.