Two Days in Paris on a Budget for Art Lovers

France With proper planning and ticketing, art lovers can visit most of Paris' famous museums and palaces at a reasonable cost.

Reader Trinh Hang (over 40 years old, Hanoi) shares her experience visiting museums, art galleries, churches, and castles in Paris (France), after a trip with her daughter in 2023.

Paris is the most visited city in the world, and is also home to priceless masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, and painting. It is also one of the most expensive cities in the world. Visitors to Paris will have countless options for sightseeing and sightseeing, but if you have little time and money, you will need a smart schedule and the right ticket purchase.

To spend two days visiting the most famous destinations in Paris, you can buy the 48-hour Paris Museum Pass (55 euros) which allows entry to 55 attractions, including all the most famous museums, castles, churches and monuments such as the Panthéon, Louvre, Versailles and Arc de Triomphe.

If you have two days in Paris, art enthusiasts can refer to the following suggestions.

Day 1: Central Paris

To travel in the center of Paris, you should buy a Paris Visite Travel Pass, Zones 1 to 3 (Paris only), which allows you to travel from zone 1 to zone 3 of Paris using all public transport in the city, for 13.55 euros (about 350,000 VND). This card helps you save time, effort and money instead of buying each trip separately.

Louvre - the most famous museum in the world

The Louvre is nothing short of masterpieces. The Louvre will amaze you with its vast collection of sculptures, jewelry, coins, ancient books, household items, weapons, textiles, and the oldest writings ever discovered by scientists.

The Louvre is located in the heart of Paris, so you can get there by metro or bus. The only problem with getting into the Louvre is booking. You need to book early if you want to get into the museum on the day you want. The Louvre is often fully booked 1-2 months in advance. If you don’t book, even if you have purchased a ticket, you may still have to wait in line for 3-4 hours.

So, if you plan to visit the Louvre, as soon as you get your visa and arrive in France, the first thing you need to do is book a ticket to the Louvre. The museum has its own website for this, so you just need to register for an account and choose the date and time you want to visit. If your schedule changes, you can completely edit the registered date and time, as long as the museum still has available slots that day. It may take a week to visit the entire Louvre. If you are short on time, visit the most typical places in 3-4 hours.

Orsay Museum

In case you can't get tickets to the Louvre, another place that can satisfy your love of art is the Musée d'Orsay. This is also a famous destination in Paris and similarly, requires reservations. However, it is a bit easier to book than the Louvre. Here you will "meet" Van Gogh, Cézanne, Renoir, Manet, Monet, Picasso and many other giants of the world of fine art. In particular, the Musée d'Orsay organizes daily experiential activities for children that the Louvre rarely has, so it attracts quite a lot of students.

The Musée d'Orsay building is also an architectural masterpiece located right on the banks of the Seine River, where you can take beautiful photos with views of ancient Paris.

Paris Opera

Music lovers, especially opera lovers, must visit the Opera House (Palais Garnier) in Paris, one of the city's prides. It is also the model for many other opera houses around the world.

The theater was built in the Napoleon III style, the facade and interior are elaborate and magnificent, every space is decorated. Every detail of the building shows the high aesthetics, the ingenuity and financial ability of those who built it.

Sainte-Chapelle, Conciergerie and Notre-Dame

Sainte-Chapelle is also a symbolic building of Paris next to Notre Dame Cathedral. Photo: Trinh Hang — Sainte-Chapelle is an iconic building of Paris, next to Notre Dame Cathedral. Photo: *Trinh Hang*

If you are fond of religious works of art, you cannot miss Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, two of the symbols of Paris. The Conciergerie was originally a royal palace, but later became a prison, where one of the most famous prisoners in French history - Marie Antoinette - was imprisoned. The Conciergerie still has many of her artifacts today.

Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie are located on the same street, while Notre-Dame is only about 600 meters away. You can walk along the Seine to visit this cluster of three monuments. Notre-Dame is undergoing renovations after a fire in 2019, and is expected to reopen in 2024. However, admiring this cathedral from the outside is enough to overwhelm visitors with its scale and the level of sophistication of every detail.

Centre Pompidou

The Centre National d'Art et Culture Georges-Pompidou is a prominent museum in Paris, housing collections of modern and contemporary art. It is also a unique building with an elevator on the side of the building. When you reach the top floor, you will have the opportunity to admire the whole city.

Not only is the National Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou is also a large library and the venue for many cultural events in Paris. You can find many works about Vietnam here.

Day 2: Outside of central Paris

To go to places far from the center of Paris, buy a Paris Visite Travel Pass, Zones 1 to 5 (Greater Paris area), which allows you to travel from zone 1 to zone 5 of Paris by all public transport, for 28.50 euros (about 750,000 VND). If you buy 2 Zones 1 to 5 cards, it will be a waste, because on the first day you can only travel in the center of Paris. And if you buy 2 Zones 1 to 3 cards, on the second day you cannot go to zone 5, where there are famous castles. Therefore, you should plan your schedule each day to buy the most suitable card. Cards are sold at every metro station in the city.

Palace of Versailles

Château de Versailles is one of the world's most famous palaces, symbolizing power and prosperity during hundreds of years of reign of many French kings. Coming to Versailles, visitors will be surprised by the unique architecture, luxurious interior, and ornate decorative details that have long been the world's standard of beauty.

Versailles is about 15 km and 45 minutes by train from the center of Paris, the tour time is about 3-4 hours. If you have enough energy to explore, do not miss the vast forest and the separate mansions of Château de Versailles, where you can satisfy your beauty and sophistication.

Fontainebleau Castle

Also a famous castle of many French kings, Château de Fontainebleau still preserves many artifacts, especially of Napoleon and his relatives. Fontainebleau does not have the "brilliant" architecture and decoration like Versailles, but has special historical significance, being the site of many important events in French history.

Unlike other castles in Paris, Fontainebleau is located in a beautiful, peaceful village, without the crowded feeling like in the heart of the bustling capital. You can relax and see another Paris, when walking from the train station to Fontainebleau. The castle has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.

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