How to Visit Paris on 8 miles a Day

Wednesday, 26 March, 2025, sunny and cool

I believe if one desires to know and understand a place, one walks it. Best learning about Paris by walking and using its fabulous Metro. There exists miles of Paris monuments, museums, and parks to explore. Each sight we visit offers a unique glimpse into Paris’s rich history, culture, and artistry. 

Tuileries Garden

Tuileries Garden stretches between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. Created in the 16th century by Catherine de’ Medici, this beautifully manicured garden represents a serene oasis in the middle of Paris. Containing long tree-lined paths, symmetrical flowerbeds, fountains, and sculptures, it provides a peaceful escape with plenty of benches to relax. The garden is home to several prominent sculptures and water basins, and the Musée de l’Orangerie.

Musée de l’Orangerie 

This museum is mainly about Claude Monet. Favorite artists on the walls including Renoir, Rousseau and Cézanne as well as Picasso, Soutine and Matisse. l’Orangerie is not of the stature of its sister museum d’Orsay, but its paintings are well worth a visit. And its oval rooms were built to contain Claude Monet’s gigantic “Les Nymphéas,” painted in his gardens at Giverny.

On the day following the Armistice in 1918, Claude Monet gave the French state his own symbol of peace: a panoramic painting of over 330 lineal feet. Monet had started this project three decades earlier with the intent to create a landscape of blue water dotted with water lilies, willow branches, and cloud reflections. His eight panels, covering over 2000 square feet, envelops one in a seal of blue and calm. 

Blue is not my color. However, Monet seemed to get it right. 

Place de la Concorde

At the eastern end of the Tuileries lies Place de la Concorde, one of Paris’s largest and most historically significant squares. The Obelisk of Luxor, a gift from Egypt, stands at the center of the square, surrounded by fountains and statues. This square is notable for its role during the French Revolution, where many events took place, including the execution of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

Get Thee Under the City

Take your pick: Catacombes or Sewers? Both offer unique perspectives of early Paris. When imagining the sewers, Metro lines, and catacombs, I imagine gophers gone amuck like in my front yard. I expect a sinkhole to greet me some morning. Paris becomes a captivating maze of underground tunnels. 

Les Égouts de Paris 

The Paris Sewer Tour (Les Égouts de Paris) offers a fascinating underground journey through the city’s historic sewer system. Located near Pont de l’Alma on the Seine and near the Eiffel Tower, this museum provides insights into the engineering marvel that keeps Paris clean. 

We walked through tunnels while learning about the evolution of the sewage system, dating back to medieval times and modernized by Paris architect Baron Haussmann in the 19th century. The tour is surprisingly clean, with only a mild underground scent, and gives a completely different perspective on the city’s infrastructure.

Panthéon

The Panthéon represents a remarkable monument that blends architectural grandeur with historical significance. Originally built as a church dedicated to Saint Genevieve, it later became a mausoleum honoring France’s greatest figures. Its neoclassical design, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, features a striking dome and Corinthian columns. Inside, the crypt lie the remains of influential individuals such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie and hubby, and Émile Zola. 

The fixed point from which the pendulum hangs allowed it to swing freely while showing the gradual shift in direction—a direct visual proof of Earth’s rotation.

Louvre – Home to more than Mona Lisa

We have our Museum Pass and have booked our entry for after 5PM. Unfortunately, late arrival makes little difference in the hoards of Mona lovers. We do gain entry fairly promptly, at least my Paris standards. However, popular rooms are jammed packed and noisy.

Visiting the Louvre Museum is an unforgettable journey through art, history, and culture. As the world’s largest museum, it houses over 35,000 works of art across 9 miles of galleries. Walking through its vast halls, visitors encounter masterpieces like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the majestic Winged Victory of Samothrace (my favorite), and the timeless beauty of Venus de Milo. Rodin is also,well-represented here with some of his greatest works: The Thinker, The Kiss, and The Gates of Hell.

The Louvre’s architecture itself is stunning, from the grand glass pyramid at its entrance to the ornate ceilings and Renaissance-style facades inside. The museum is divided into three wings—Denon, Sully, and Richelieu—each offering treasures from ancient civilizations, European paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts. One must prioritize must-see artworks as the Louvre can take hours. Even with planning, the museum is generally overwhelming.

My “Dogs” Are Barking

As we Americans say, my feet have had enough. Walking in and around Paris’ most iconic landmarks and standing on marble floors enjoying countless masterpieces, my dogs are barking.

Dining Repeat

While a nice Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses proved perfect for lunch, for dinner we decide to enjoy a repeat performance on the terrace of L’Escargot Montorgueil. If excellent once, it must be excellent a second time.

We smartened up with a carafe of chilled Chardonnay. 

We close our weary Wednesday in Paris as an 8.7-mile, 25,120-step, 20-floor day. 

À ta santé