Photo: Reza Bina. Unsplash
48-Hour Artist’s Dream Trip to Paris: The Perfect Itinerary for Art Lovers
Guest Blogger: Vanessa Françoise Rothe
If you’re an artist — or simply an art lover traveling to France, the question isn’t if you should visit Paris, but how to make the most of your time there. Whether you’re stopping over before or after an art retreat or painting workshop in Normandy, spending two days in Paris can be an unforgettable experience. The enchanting city is filled with world-class museums, inspiring neighborhoods, and charming cafés where some of the greatest painters once gathered.
But is 48 hours enough to soak in the essence of the City of Light?
Absolutely—if you know where to go.
Art writer, painter and curator Vanessa Rothe has crafted the ultimate 2-day Paris itinerary for artists, ensuring you experience the must-see art, history, and culture that have captivated creatives for centuries.
Designed for painters, sketchers, and art lovers alike, this guide offers the perfect mix of inspiration, exploration, and relaxation. Even if you’re traveling with a non-painting spouse, there’s something for everyone.
Before or after your time at an art retreat or workshop with us, consider this perfectly paced itinerary to experience Paris through an artist’s eyes. Let’s dive in!
The instructors from Americans in Paris 2024: Adrienne Stein, CW Mundy, Quang Ho, Vanessa Rothe and Julie Snyder from Workshops In France
Landing in Paris
Landing in Paris, Charles de Gaulle airport and traveling to the city center is easy.
Here’s how:
1. Get an Uber and follow the directions on the app to meet your driver, or
2. Get a taxi from the official taxi stances at the exits. Do not be fooled by drivers who approach you and offer a ride into Paris – they often charge you way more than necessary. Licensed taxis charge a fixed rate to Paris:
– €56 from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and the right bank of the city (in either direction).
– €65 from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport and the left bank. You might have to wait for a while, but it is well worth it. Or
3. Prebook a private car hire firm to meet you. Vanessa recommends Blacklane Car Service. Book it before you leave the States.
4. Your hotel can also recommend a car service or arrange for you to be picked up at the airport.
Where to Stay in Paris
Vanessa recommends the following 3-star hotels in Paris:
In the 6th arrondissement:
Hôtel Deux Continents – clean, easy, nice. Great location!
Hôtel Des Marronniers, Hôtel L’Angleterre, and Millésime Hôtel.
L’ Hôtel, the previous home of Oscar Wilde.
In the 1st arrondissement:
Westin Vendôme, the Marriott and Hotel Duminy Vendôme. Great choices if you prefer to use points.
Keep in mind that Airbnb has many choices to fit your needs and budget.
The inside of the Musée d’Orsay
“Naissance de Venus” (Birth of Venus) by William Bouguereau, Musée d’Orsay
Day 1: A Perfect Start on the Left Bank
Choose your most comfortable shoes for Day 1, grab a quick café au lait, and head straight to some of the best museums in the world.
Musée D’Orsay or Musée Rodin. Do both!
The Musée D’Orsay and the Musée Rodin are both doable on the same day and within walking distance from one another. To make the most of your money and time, pre-purchase a museum pass here and they will tell you which door to enter. Just put in your date and purchase online.
If you can, arrive at the D’Orsay when it opens to avoid crowds. Start downstairs on the lower right and view the earlier works from the early to mid-1800s when refined Realism was the norm. Enjoy the incredible artwork, Naissance de Venus (Birth of Venus) by William Bouguereau. This large-scale masterpiece displays the artist’s superb skill as he realistically and beautifully renders flesh and figures.
Nearby on the lower right of the Musée is a work by Delacroix, Chase au Lions (The Lion Hunt) painted with passionate, rapid brushstrokes, creating unblended and undulating areas with vibrant movement and color. Delacroix was often cited as one of the inspirations for the Impressionists particularly due to his bold strokes that captured so much feeling and movement.
“Ploughing the Nivernais” Rosa Bonheur, Musée d’Orsay
Continue with the Landscapes
Next, move to the lower left of the museum to see the landscapes. Note that landscape itself was just being accepted as a viable subject of a work of art by the powers that existed in the art world at this time.
View works by Rosa Bonheur, who captured the beauty of the landscape, farmlands, and the animals of France in a realist style. Ploughing the Nivernais is a massive work from 1849 that won first prize in the art salon contests. You will want to enjoy all the other works by similar artists in this genre such as Gustave Courbet, especially his famous L’Atelier du Peintre painting of his studio showing the allegorical stages of his life. Now consider combining the rapid brushwork inspired by Delacroix, the new subject of the landscape; add some color and light, and you have the birth of Impressionism!
Time for Lunch
Before exploring the Impressionists, it’s time for lunch at the amazing Restaurant (yes, it’s just called the Restaurant) on the second floor. Take the escalators or the elevator, both are by the bookshop by the entrance.
TIP! To get a table, it’s best to arrive around 11:40 am and wait 20 minutes in line for a table.
Le Restaurant opens at 12 noon.
It is worth the wait, as they don’t take reservations! At 1 pm go up to the 5th floor (escalators are on your left when you exit the restaurant) and go to the Impressionists’ Wing. As an option, you could also have lunch at the restaurant on the 5th floor, located before the Impressionists’ rooms.
After lunch, marvel at the paintings by Monet, Pissarro, Morisot, Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, Degas, Caillebotte, and more.
Le Restaurant in the Musée d’Orsay
Dejeuner sur l’Herbe by Manet
Don’t Miss: Dejeuner sur l’Herbe
Of particular note is the painting Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe by Edouard Manet, who, although he inspired the Impressionists, was never part of their group, nor did he ever show with them.
Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe was inspirational – Manet painted everyday people in an everyday scene. It was considered scandalous as the work showed a nude woman looking right at the viewer while casually lunching with two fully dressed men. Having been refused at the Salon, it was later displayed at the first Salon des Refusés with many other works that did not get in the fine art salon and gave courage to some of the artists to start the Impressionists movement. Some say Manet led the way.
Incredible works by Degas are a treat, so La Classe de Dance multi-figure work, and his sketches in pastel of women bathers are must-sees. Don’t miss the colorful and bold works by Van Gogh such as Starry Night Over the Rhone, which is simply delightful to stand in front of to admire the thick strokes of brilliant blue and yellow!
Leaving d’Orsay to Visit the Rodin Museum
Try to finish the Musée d’Orsay at around 3pm and stroll over to the Rodin Museum. It’s an easy 15-minute walk through residential streets. Start with a café and cake in the sculpture garden.
Follow up your Tarte Tatin with a 30-45 min tour of his turn-of-the-century home filled with paintings and statues by Auguste Rodin and the talented Camille Claudel. Outside in the gardens, you can marvel at the Portes de L’Enfer (Gates of Hell) which tell the story of Dantes, and The Thinker. While inside you won’t want to miss Rodin’s The Kiss and The Waltz by Camille Claudel.
Inside the Rodin Museum in Paris.
Time for Le Dîner at Brasserie Lipp
Take an Uber back to your hotel from 5 – 7pm and get some rest. At 7:00pm it’s time to find dinner and you will not be spoiled for choice! Vanessa recommends this Brasserie Lipp, (try booking through the open table app).
An even more special restaurant filled with history is Le Procope tucked away nearby in St Germain. You really can’t go wrong in Paris!
If you have already had enough delicious food for the day, stop by any of the Paul chain of cafes for a little salad and quiche, then go for a post-dinner cocktail at Wilde’s lounge in the back lobby of the home of Oscar Wilde. Located at L’Hotel on 13 Rue Beaux-Arts.
Day 2 – Louvre, Lunch, and Stroll Around the Left Bank and the Islands
Start the Day with Angelina’s
For a very special breakfast, Vanessa recommends Angelina’s at 226 Rue de Rivoli for a café au lait or a hot chocolate with cacao brought in from Africa. They are open at 7:30am and there is usually no line for breakfast but a huge line in the afternoons. They are famous for their hot chocolate and the Mont-Blanc, a vermicelles chestnut desert.
Getting into the Louvre
After your petit dejeuner, grab your previously bought 2-day museum pass and head over to the Musée du Louvre, one of the largest palaces and art museums in the world. Plan just a 3-hour tour here! Note that there are multiple entrances, so unless you really want to go through the main pyramid, consider these as well.
Mona Lisa
You will want to arrive as it opens and head to the Denon Wing. There you can follow signs to the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and then spend time in the Italian and French galleries next to it. The palace walls are lined with paintings to the sky, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace is more than enough to fill your soul. Enjoy the multitude of statues, décor, and ceiling designs in this wing.
Experience the Dutch Paintings
Alternatively, visit the Dutch paintings in the Richelieu wing such as Johannes Vermeer’s The Astronomer and small works that are marvelously realistic. There are multiple works by Rembrandt including the famed Self Portrait at Easel that should not be missed.
Cafe and a View
If you missed Angelina’s café in the morning, there is an Angelina’s mid-level in the Richelieu wing that has excellent views over the Louvre and a view of the Eiffel tower! Try to reserve if you can. Having viewed some of the top works of art in Paris, you will need time to contemplate all that you have seen! One of the best places for this is outside in front of the pyramid at Café Marly in the colonnade under the Richelieu wing. Enter from the side and go to the podium outside to get a table for two.
TIP! You need to act confident here, very French, not rude, just confident, and certain that you will obtain a table. Works every time.
If you need to watch your budget, walk straight over to the Arch du Carrousel and behind to the right of it you will find a little PAUL restaurant café cart. Just as good as anything at a nice restaurant, with a lower price tag, and you can still walk through the Tuileries Gardens.
The Tuileries Gardens just outside the Louvre.
Sennelier art store.
Inside the Sennelier art store.
Continuing an Artistic Stroll Back Through Time
After lunch and a photoshoot in the garden, start on your artistic stroll back in time. Walk under the Denon wing to the Seine River through the Porte des Lions, head to Pont du Carrousel (bridge), and then walk across and slightly to your left on Quai Voltaire, make a pit stop at the Sennelier art store. The Sennelier family still owns and runs this historic shop. Their grandparents made the paint for the impressionists and the owners proudly say, “If you need to see how long our paints last and hold up, just walk down the street to the D’Orsay and see!” Shop here for wonderful colors, art supplies, and Chinese inks and brushes.
Ecole des Beaux Arts
Upon exiting, walk south along the Seine and take your second right on Rue Bonaparte. Stroll down and on your right, you will see the gates to the fine art school, the Ecole des Beaux Arts de Paris. If you want to take an official tour, inquire here.
Recently Renovated Notre Dame!
Take a left on Rue Jacob and follow this street full of cute boutiques. Take a right on Rue du Seine and a quick left onto Rue de Buci, which will take you all the way along to the Rue Danton, where you come out and take a left and you will see the Seine River straight ahead and the Fontaine St. Michel.
Cross the street till you are on the sidewalk above the Seine River and enjoy the Bouquinistes selling old books, illustrated posters, and cute Paris trinkets, vintage and new, as you take iconic pictures of the Notre Dame in its full glory!
Notre Dame and the Center of the City
You can now go into the beautiful historical cathedral by booking ahead a time slot here.
TIP! In front of Notre Dame lies a brass star on a circle of concrete known as point zero. It’s the point that all distances in France are measured from. Try to find it!
Walk behind the church and start to cross over the bridge in the back leading to the smaller island of Isle St Louis.
TIP! Quickly turn around for an amazing photo of the flying buttresses and back of Notre Dame. Here you can see some of the oldest houses in Paris. You can grab some luxury French ice cream at Berthillon, if there is not a huge line.
Evening Cruise on the Seine
Head back over the bridge to Notre Dame and before you get to it go left and cross back over to the Left bank on Pont de l’Archevêché.
If you walk back towards the Louvre, you will see the famed bookstore Shakespeare and Company on your left where Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and other English-speaking authors would meet. Venture upstairs. If you buy a book here, have them stamp it with their special stamp.
At the end of a wonderful day, you can walk or take an Uber back to your hotel and rest. Perhaps take an evening cruise on the Seine where you don’t have to walk, but can sit back, enjoy a meal and see the monuments lit up for you. They are slightly touristic, around $100 each, but the sights are well worth it. If you are too tired, room service might be in order as you pack.
Blogger: Vanessa Françoise Rothe
In addition to her pursuit as an artist, Vanessa is also a curator, editor/writer, lecturer, and art dealer. She owned and ran Vanessa Rothe Fine Art in Laguna Beach, California for 12 years where she showcased top international contemporary realism and impressionism.
It was Rothe’s initiative to create the Americans in Paris fine art project starting in 2015, with travel, workshops and bi-continental exhibitions at the Salmagundi Club in New York in 2015, 2016, 2023, at VRFA Laguna Beach in 2021, and at Arcadia Contemporary and Galerie Prince du L’Oeil in Paris, 2018. This fine art project is currently in its eighth year, and thanks to its partnership with Workshops in France, the American in Paris workshops are now open to the public.
Check out more blogs about art workshops, tips and hacks for artists traveling in France and Scotland.
Barbizon and the Fontainebleau Forest
Impressionist paintings are among the most widely known and appreciated works of art ever created. Where did this start? What kind of work was being created right before Impressionism began… what actually happened in the Forest of Fontainebleau, located south of Paris in the 1860’s? How did that shape the art genres and even the French culture that we know and love today?
Scholarship to Professional Painter, Emiliano Marini
It was only a few years ago that Emiliano Marini applied for and was awarded a Scholarship to join us at Workshops in France. He was invited to paint at one of our premier art retreats or study in a workshop setting along with an international group of artists to focus on painting. We wrote this blog so that you could catch up with Emiliano’s journey and his artistic successes.
Vermeer to Van Gogh, Dutch Masters at Carrieres des Lumieres
This year we returned to the show titled; Vermeer to Van Gogh, The Dutch Masters and we were not disappointed. Included in the list of stellar painters from Holland are Vermeer, Rembrandt and Van Gogh. Imagine being transported inside these paintings when the projected masterpieces are monumental in size and you are able to observe the art pieces in ways you never imagined…
