When a business trip to Paris is planned, the priorities are generally the same: meetings, client appointments, events or training sessions.

In this context, many travellers assume they won’t have time to explore the city.

However, making the most of Paris during a business trip doesn’t necessarily mean spending a whole day sightseeing. A few hours well spent are often enough to turn a simple business trip into a more enjoyable stay.

But you still need to know how to make the most of it.

The biggest pitfall: waiting until you have a whole day

Many business travellers fall into the same trap.

They imagine that it takes a full day to visit a neighbourhood, explore a museum or enjoy the city.

The result: they don’t organise anything and end up spending their entire stay travelling between their hotel, transport and meetings.

The reality is often quite different.

In Paris, an hour or two is often enough to explore a neighbourhood, enjoy a lovely stroll or visit an iconic landmark.

The aim isn’t to see everything. It’s simply a matter of making the most of the time you have.

Make the most of downtime rather than looking for free time

Business trips often involve many moments that are underestimated.

For example:

• arriving in the late afternoon before a meeting the following day;
• a free evening after a day’s work;
• a few hours before a train or flight;
• a cancelled meeting;
• a free morning before an event.

Taken individually, these slots sometimes seem too short.

Taken together over several days, however, they add up to several hours that can be spent exploring the city.

The idea, then, is not to find free time, but rather to make clever use of the time you already have.

Choose a neighbourhood that makes getting around easy

The choice of hotel also plays an important role.

When a hotel is situated in an area exclusively dedicated to offices, the opportunities for exploring are often limited once the working day is over.

Conversely, certain neighbourhoods allow you to enjoy Paris straight away as soon as you have a bit of time to spare.

Montmartre is one such neighbourhood.

A stroll through the streets of Les Abbesses, dinner at a local restaurant or a walk up to the Sacré-Cœur can easily be arranged without any special preparation.

This proximity makes things considerably easier when you have a busy schedule.

Making the most of your evenings in a different way

After a day’s work, it’s often very tempting to head straight back to your room.

However, it is often in the evening that Paris reveals another side to its atmosphere.

Without planning anything too complicated, there are several ways to enjoy the city:

• having dinner at a local restaurant;
• taking a stroll through a lively neighbourhood;
• going to a show;
• discovering a café or a spot recommended by locals;
• simply strolling through the streets of Paris.

Sometimes just an hour is enough to completely change your perception of a business trip.

Do you absolutely have to visit the major monuments?

Not necessarily.

When you’re short on time, insisting on visiting the most popular attractions can even backfire.

The queues, travelling between sites and the organisation involved can quickly take up several hours.

In some cases, a stroll through a lively neighbourhood is more enjoyable than a rushed tour.

This doesn’t mean you should avoid the major monuments, but simply that you should tailor your plans to the time you actually have available.

Bleisure: a trend that’s here to stay

For several years now, more and more travellers have been extending their business trips by a few hours or a few days to explore their destination.

This practice has a name: bleisure, a portmanteau of ‘business’ and ‘leisure’.

The idea is simple.

Since a trip is already planned, why not take the opportunity to explore the city you’re staying in?

This trend now applies to both international travellers and French professionals who travel regularly.

Some practical ideas around Montmartre

If your schedule allows for a few spare hours, there are several activities that can easily be fitted into a business trip.

In under an hour, you can:

• reach the Sacré-Cœur;
• explore the Abbesses neighbourhood;
• take a stroll down Rue Lepic;
• admire the vineyards of Montmartre;
• enjoy the view of Paris from the hill.

If you have half a day, you can also visit the Montmartre Museum or explore several neighbouring neighbourhoods.

The advantage is that you can easily tailor your activities to the time you actually have available.

A business trip can also turn into a fond memory

Most business travellers mainly remember the meetings and appointments that punctuated their trip.

But the most enjoyable memories are often linked to moments spent outside the professional setting.

A dinner on a bustling street, a stroll at sunset or an unexpected discovery can sometimes leave a deeper impression than a whole day’s work.

Making the most of Paris during a business trip doesn’t necessarily take a lot of time.

It often takes just a few hours, spent wisely, to turn a simple business trip into a more enriching experience.

And when you’re staying in a neighbourhood like Montmartre, these opportunities are rarely far away.