This guide is for you if you have a short stay in Paris, or a first day you want to get your bearings, and you are thinking of seeing the main sights from a private car in four hours. It helps you pick the day of the week, choose between a morning and an afternoon start, and decide which interiors to add or leave for another day.
Pick the day of the week first
Three things in the Paris calendar change how this half day goes.
Tuesday and the Louvre. The museum closes every Tuesday, and on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Our stop is outside, at the glass pyramid and the Tuileries, so a Tuesday works for the tour itself. If you want to go inside afterwards, pick another day. The Louvre stays open until 21:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays, which makes those good days for a morning tour and an evening in the galleries. It recommends booking a time slot for every visitor, and at some busy periods booking is required for almost everyone. Check the official site before you go.
The first Sunday of the month. The city gives the centre over to pedestrians that day. Paris Centre, the area of the old first to fourth arrondissements around the Louvre and Notre-Dame, is closed to most traffic from 10:00 to 18:00. The Champs-Élysées follows suit, from 11:00 to 18:00 between April and October and from 10:00 to 17:00 between November and March. Only a few kinds of vehicle are let in, at 20 km/h. If your date is a first Sunday, tell us when you book, because the order of the stops will shift around it.
Notre-Dame and its services. The cathedral opens at 07:50 on weekdays and at 08:15 at weekends, and stays open later on Thursdays. Its hours can change for ceremonies and special events, so look at its website the week before.
Morning or afternoon
The tour runs either way. The choice depends on what you want to do inside.
A morning start gets you to Notre-Dame when the queue is at its shortest. Entry is free. You can join the line without a booking, but the cathedral recommends reserving a time slot to avoid waiting at busy periods. Slots are usually released the day before, two days before or on the day itself, on its website or app.
An afternoon start suits people who want the city in the late light and an evening of their own afterwards. Every evening at 18:30, the flame on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe is rekindled. Since the drop-off can be wherever you are going next, you can ask to finish near the Étoile and see it.
The Sacré-Cœur, at the top of Montmartre, is open every day from 06:00 to 22:30, and entering the basilica is free. It stands at 130 metres, and it has one of the widest views over the city. The dome above it has its own seasonal hours and a charge.
What four hours can and cannot do
Paris traffic sets the order, so the stops move around while the list stays the same. The car carries you between five places that would take a full day on foot and on the metro. What it does not do is take you inside. Museum and monument entrances are not included, and the driver does not guide inside them. If the Louvre is the point of your trip, a licensed guide can be booked for it.
Because the car is private, the day can bend. Stay longer at Montmartre and skip the Tuileries, or add a stop on the way. Tell your driver at the start.
The tour can also start at Gare du Nord or at the airport, with your luggage in the car. That makes it a way to fill the gap between a Eurostar arrival and a hotel check-in.
The metro, or a car
Be honest with yourself about this one. The metro covers this ground well. The Arc de Triomphe sits above Charles de Gaulle–Étoile, on metro lines 1, 2 and 6 and RER A, and the Sacré-Cœur has metro and bus stops nearby. If you are travelling light and like to walk, the metro does the job for very little.
What you pay for with a car is the time between stops. You avoid changes, stairs and the climb up to Montmartre, and you do not carry your bags through crowded stations. Pickpocketing and phone snatching are common on public transport and at busy tourist sites across France, and that matters more on a first day, when you are still looking at maps. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
Adding the Eiffel Tower
Our Trocadéro stop gives you the tower from across the river. Going up is a different plan. It needs tickets bought in advance, and about two hours, so it suits a longer day. Tell us and we will build it in.
The tower sells timed tickets online. Summit tickets by lift go on sale 90 days ahead, and the official advice is to book them as soon as they open. July, August and the Christmas holidays sell out fastest. There are two security checks, so arrive 15 to 20 minutes before your slot. Large bags are not allowed and there is nowhere to leave them, which is another reason to keep them in the car.
What to bring
- Something to cover your shoulders inside Notre-Dame.
- Shoes you can walk in. Montmartre is a hill, and the Tuileries are long.
- A small bag that zips shut, worn in front of you in crowds.
- Any timed tickets saved on your phone: Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits first-time visitors with little time, families who would rather not run a group through the metro, and anyone with limited mobility who wants the door opening at each stop.
Think twice if what you really want is the inside of the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay. That is a day of museums, not four hours in a car. And if you have a whole day to spare outside the city, look at our Versailles and Giverny day trip. Our guide to day trips from Paris sets the four options side by side.
Groups of more than 16 travel in two vehicles on one booking. Message us with your numbers.
Questions people ask
Can we go into Notre-Dame?
Yes, and entry is free. The treasury inside charges for entry. Allow time for the queue, or book a slot.
Will the driver wait while we go up the Sacré-Cœur dome?
Yes. The car and driver are yours for the four hours, so the time you spend at each stop is up to you.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. The details are on our cancellation page.
Booking the half day
Check your date against Tuesdays, first Sundays and the Notre-Dame calendar, then decide on morning or afternoon. The stops, pick-up options and what is included are on the Paris private tour by car page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
