Paris in 2 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Two days, the two sights everyone actually books for
Two days is the Eiffel Tower and free Seine walk on day one, then the Louvre and Sainte-Chapelle on day two, both mandatory timed entry. It’s a sprint through the paid sights with a genuinely free evening walk built in, and it nests into the 3-day , 4-day , 5-day , 6-day and 7-day versions of this same route if you have more time.
Book these before you go
- Reserve Eiffel Tower timed entry ; the stairs-only EUR14.80 slot to the second floor is the cheapest way up.
- Book Louvre timed entry , or skip-the-line access on GetYourGuide if the official dates are gone; it’s closed Tuesdays.
- Reserve a Sainte-Chapelle 30-minute slot at tickets.monuments-nationaux.fr , or check availability on Viator if morning slots are gone.
- Compare budget stays in the Marais on Booking.com .
The 2-day route at a glance
| Day | Focus | Est. daily cost |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Eiffel Tower (stairs option) + free Notre-Dame nave | EUR40-60 |
| Day 2 | Louvre + Sainte-Chapelle | EUR60-90 |
Day 1: The Eiffel Tower and the free walk along the Seine
Morning: The cheapest ticket up the Eiffel Tower is the stairs-only climb to the second floor at EUR14.80, roughly EUR9 less than the second-floor lift (EUR23.50) and over EUR20 less than the summit (EUR36.70). All three are timed entry, booked up to 60 days out through toureiffel.paris , so fix your date before you land. From the top, the Champ de Mars below is free to walk, and Trocadero across the river is the free wide-angle photo everyone actually wants.
Lunch: A boulangerie sandwich and pastry runs EUR5-8 total, roughly a third of a sit-down bistro bill, and there’s one on nearly every block back from the tower itself.
Afternoon: Walk the Seine east, roughly 45 minutes at an easy pace, or take the Metro (flat EUR2.55 fare) to Ile de la Cite. Notre-Dame’s nave is completely free, no ticket required; book a free timed slot at resa.notredamedeparis.fr if you want to skip a second queue, but slots only open a few hours ahead, so don’t plan around getting one in advance.
Evening: Dinner in the Latin Quarter. A formule (fixed two-course menu) runs EUR18-28 at most bistros, and service is already included in the price, so tipping is a rounding-up gesture, not an obligation. Book an evening Seine cruise for about EUR19 if you want the illuminated version of today’s walk, or skip it, the riverbank at night is free and covers most of the same view.
Day 2: The Louvre and Sainte-Chapelle’s stained glass
Morning: The Louvre costs EUR22 for EEA residents, EUR32 for everyone else, mandatory timed entry, closed Tuesdays. Book at ticket.louvre.fr as early as your dates allow; the free first-Friday-evening slot (6pm-9pm, every month except July and August) is the single best deal in the building if an evening visit fits your schedule instead of a morning one. Pick two or three galleries rather than the whole museum, the Mona Lisa crowd is real, but the Objets d’Art and Near Eastern rooms are usually calm.
Lunch: Rue de Rivoli or the Palais-Royal arcades both have quick boulangerie-standard lunches under EUR10.
Afternoon: Reserve a 30-minute Sainte-Chapelle slot for EUR16 EEA or EUR22 non-EEA; a 10am booking has to be used by 10:30am, so don’t wander in late. The stained glass alone earns the ticket price, and it’s a two-minute walk from Notre-Dame.
Evening: Compare budget stays in the Marais or Latin Quarter before committing to a neighborhood; both keep you walking distance from everything covered over these two days.
Is 2 days actually enough for Paris?
It’s enough for the two headline paid sights and one good free evening walk, but you’ll see almost nothing of Montmartre, the Marais, or the Catacombs. Treat this as the highlight reel on a tight budget, not the full trip, and if you can stretch to 4 or 5 days you’ll get a noticeably less rushed version of the same city for not much extra spending.
Do you need to book both the Louvre and Sainte-Chapelle in advance?
Yes to both. The Louvre requires a timed slot for every visitor and is closed Tuesdays, while Sainte-Chapelle runs mandatory 30-minute entry windows even for Paris Museum Pass holders. Book both the moment your dates are fixed, since morning slots at each sell out first in peak season.
Load a Navigo Easy card (EUR2, reloadable) at your first Metro station rather than hunting for paper tickets; they stopped being sold entirely after 31 December 2025.