Follow Felicity Long’s suggested itinerary to get a taste of Paris when your time is limited. It’s sure to leave you with a hankering to return for an extended visit to experience the full flavor of the City of Light.

You emerge from a morning of back-to-back meetings onto the cobblestone streets of Paris. Free at last in the City of Light! Trouble is, your flight home departs that evening, leaving you only four or five hours to see the sights.

What to do? For starters, divest yourself of your gear. Your concierge will be happy to stow it for you. Then head for the nearest Metro station and purchase a carnet de billets (pronounced karnay duh beeyay). Priced under 10 euros (about $12), it’s a package of 10 Metro tickets.

1. First, you need an overview. Avoid the dreary panoramic bus tours everyone else is taking and head instead for the boat dock at Vedettes du Pont Neuf (Metro: Pont Neuf or Louvre) and hop aboard to enjoy a narrated tour of the Seine. The one-hour trip costs about 9 euros and you’ll see some of the best views in town of Notre Dame, the Musee d’Orsay and Paris’ own Statue of Liberty. The narration is multilingual and offers historical details with a minimum of hokey patter.

2. Next-and you’re going to have to take my word for this-forget even trying to ascend to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The lines are long, the wind can be blustery and, quite frankly, it looks better from the outside anyway. Instead, head for the top of the Arc de Triomphe (Metro: Etoile) where you can drink in a 360-degree panorama while picturing U.S. tanks rolling down the Champs-Elysees on D-Day. Be sure to access the Arc via its underground walking path. Attempt to cross the street through traffic and you’ll take your life in your hands.

3. From Pont Neuf, cross the street to stroll the grounds of the Louvre and enjoy famed architect I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid, which holds pride of place by the museum entrance. Quick tip: Save your visit to the interior of the museum for another day. The crowds can be daunting and tourists throng the Mona Lisa.

4. Getting hungry? Bypass the expensive and heavily touristed eateries that line the Champs-Elysees in favor of just about any cafe or bistro in the Latin Quarter (Metro: St. Michel). Be aware that you can get a snack-such as cheese or ham sandwich on a crusty baguette-with your drink at a cafe, but must order food with your drinks at a bistro. A good rule of thumb is to order the prix fixe meal, which generally consists of three or four courses, including dessert, at a reasonable price. And, if the weather permits, sit outside-Parisians dress and comport themselves with flair, and the people-watching alone is worth the price of admission.