How To Spend Four Days In Paris – Day 2 of 4

After spending our first of four days on the left bank, it’s time for our second day that was spent entirely on the right bank of Paris! We checked-in to a studio apartment in Le Marais near to the Hotel De Ville station, so we were able to start our journey from here on foot!

Early in the morning, we were woken up by the amazing smell of fresh bakes from the Boulangeries Saveurs de Pains below our apartment. Needless to say, this was one of the best experiences in France – to enjoy the freshest possible croissants and baguettes for breakfast.

Boulangeries Saveurs de Pains below our apartment.

Following a geographically convenient route, the itinerary for the day was:

Picasso Museum
Centre Pompidou
Champs-Élysées
Arc de Triomphe
Montmartre – Le Mur Des Je T’aime
Boulevard de Clichy
Montmartre Hill
Sacré Cœur Basilica
Moulin Rouge

Picasso Museum / Centre Pompidou

Starting from Le Marais, we first visited the Picasso Museum since it was extremely nearby. If you’re having the Museum Pass, then it is fully covered under the pass. Otherwise, if time is tight for you, you can skip it and head straight to Le Centre Pompidou.

Le Centre Pompidou - A multi-coloured machine, inside-out, of a modern art museum
Very flexible interior space for the exhibitions. Did you know that each floor is the size of two football fields?
The beautiful Paris view from above Le Centre Pompidou

Lunch – GrandCœur

We only managed to visit one exhibit at Le Centre Pompidou for about 2 hours, before we walked towards the nearby brasserie, GrandCœur, for a casual lunch. We’ve found this brasserie on our Google Maps and decided to visit here since it had very good reviews. It was pretty decent for the price we’ve paid, i.e., €23 for a set lunch consisting of an entrée, a main dish, and a dessert.

The quaint brasserie is located within a pretty courtyard

Champs-Élysées / Arc de Triomphe

After lunch, we walked towards the direction of Champs-Élysées, a shopping district that would probably burn a hole in your wallet. Even though I did not shop there, walking down the streets of Champs-Élysées was one of my favourite parts of the day. It was fun to stroll down the shops-lined streets, stop for a bite of macaron, and then continue on towards Arc de Triomphe.

Champs-Élysées - Stroll down the shops-lined streets and stop for a bite of macaron!
Arc de Triomphe - Remember to go up to the observation deck to catch the panoramic view of Paris from above the monument

Montmartre – Le Mur Des Je T’aime

From Arc de Triomphe, we then took the metro towards Abesses station to begin our journey in Montmartre. If you have difficulties in climbing up the stairs, remember to take the lift out from Abesses station as the staircases were quite challenging at this station.

Right next to the exit of the station, look for a small garden square – it is where Le Mur Des Je T’aime, a huge famous love-themed wall, is located.

Boulevard de Clichy & La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre

Take a minute to appreciate a wall full of different love languages before you walk towards the bottom of Montmartre hill named Boulevard de Clichy, a place lined with bars, restaurants, and some arts and crafts shops.

You can check out the calendar for the mass held at Sacré Cœur here.

Boulevard de Clichy
From Boulevard de Clichy, slowly ascend up the Montmartre hill to the Sacré Cœur basilica
La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre

Moulin Rouge

There are different takes on whether or not its worthy to go for the Moulin Rouge show – if you’d want a full Montmartre experience, then go for it at the end of the day as there are multiple night showtimes available (7pm, 9pm, and 11pm). If you’re not up for it, then you can have your dinner at one of the restaurants nearby the area.

For me, I skipped the show and went to a nearby supermarket, grabbed some saucisson, cold cuts, and cheese to go with my leftover baguette back at the apartment. It was quite a way to end the night, don’t you think?

After yet another day full of wonders and romance, we made sure to rest well for our next day in Versailles! Do check out my other posts on how to spend four days in Paris.

Details of Places of the Day

Picasso Museum

Hours (Tue to Fri): Everyday, 10:30am – 6:00pm
Hours (Sat to Sun): Everyday, 9:30am – 6:00pm
(last admission at 5:15pm, rooms are cleared 20 minutes before museum closing time)
Hours (24 Dec & 31 Dec): Everyday, 9:30am – 5:00pm (rooms cleared at 4:40pm)
Closure: Mondays, 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec
Fee: Museum Pass / €12.50 (Free for EU citizens age 25 and under)

Centre Pompidou

Hours: Everyday, 11:00am – 10:00pm (ticket office closes 1 hour before closing time)
Hours (Thu): 11:00am – 11:00pm (ticket office closes 1 hour before closing time)
Closure: Tuesdays, 1 May
Fee: Museum Pass / €14 (€11 for EU citizens age 25 and under)

Grand Palais

Hours: Everyday, 10:00am – 8:00pm
Hours: Wednesday, 10:00am – 10:00pm
Closure: Tuesdays, 1 May, 14 Jul, 25 Dec
Fee: According to exhibitions (Reduced prices for EU citizens age 25 and under)

Arc de Triomphe

Hours (1 Apr to 30 Sep): Everyday, 10:00am – 11:00pm (cash desks closes 30 minutes before closing time)
Hours (1 Oct to 31 Mar): Everyday, 10:00am – 10:30pm (cash desks closes 30 minutes before closing time)
Closure: 1 Jan, 1 May, 8 May morning, 14 Jul, 11 Nov morning, 25 Dec
Fee: Museum Pass / €12