Start your weekend in Paris early at the Louvre Museum, which opens its doors at 9am every morning except Tuesday. With an advance ticket or a priority access tour, you can dedicate two and a half focused hours to the masterpieces you really want to admire: the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Liberty Leading the People. Leaving via the Pyramide entrance, walk through the Tuileries Gardens towards the Place de la Concorde for a breath of open air.
After lunch in a brasserie around the Palais-Royal, head to the Eiffel Tower along the Quai d'Orsay or by metro. The walk from the Champ de Mars takes you in about thirty minutes towards the Hôtel des Invalides, crowned by its golden dome. Built under Louis XIV as a refuge for veterans, the complex now hosts the Musée de l'Armée and Napoleon's tomb. A complete visit takes 4 hours, but 2 hours are enough to see the most striking armoury and the imperial crypt.
End the afternoon at the Arc de Triomphe, where the panoramic platform offers one of the most spectacular views of the Champs-Élysées. The monument stays open until 10:30pm in winter and 11pm in summer, allowing you to watch the sunset from above. To round off the first day, options abound: a show at the Moulin Rouge in Pigalle, a dinner cruise on the Seine or a stroll through Bastille, Oberkampf or rue Mouffetard, three lively districts known for their bars and bistros.
