Trip highlights
- 1Louvre before 9:30am
- 2Le Marais on a Sunday morning
- 3Canal Saint-Martin evening walk
- 4Montmartre at dawn
- 5Day trip to Versailles
Daily spend
Where you're going
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Day-by-day plan
Arrival & Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Monday, April 5
Est. spend
$130
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive at CDG or Orly — take the RER B
Charles de Gaulle Airport, Terminal 2
CDG to central Paris on the RER B is 35 minutes and €12.10. Do not take a taxi unless you enjoy paying €60 to sit in traffic.
Buy a carnet of 10 metro tickets (€17.35) — covers all journeys within zones 1-2. Tap-to-pay also works on all Paris transit.
☀️ Afternoon
Check in and walk Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 75006 Paris
The neighbourhood that invented café culture. Walk Rue de Buci, Rue Jacob, and the Luxembourg Gardens. The church of Saint-Sulpice (free, opens at 7:30am) has a magnificent organ.
Musée d'Orsay
1 Rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 75007
The world's greatest Impressionist collection in a converted Beaux-Arts railway station. Monet's water lilies study, Renoir's Moulin de la Galette, Van Gogh's Bedroom. Book online.
Thursdays open until 9:45pm — smaller crowds and golden light through the arched windows after 6pm. Worth rearranging your schedule for.
🌙 Evening
Dinner on Rue de Buci or Rue des Canettes
Rue de Buci, 75006 Paris
Saint-Germain's narrow streets are packed with bistros. Brasserie Lipp (institution, steak tartare, Alsatian beer), or Polidor for old-school French food since 1845.
Arrive at 7pm — Parisians eat at 8:30pm so you'll get a table and the kitchen will be fully alive by the time you finish your entrée.
🍽️ Meals
Airport café
French · $10
Café de Flore
French café · $28 · Expensive but iconic. The croque-monsieur and café crème are a Paris rite of passage.
Brasserie Lipp
French brasserie · $65 · Cash preferred. The choucroute garnie is the dish.
The Louvre & Palais Royal
Tuesday, April 6
Est. spend
$105
per person
🌅 Morning
Louvre — first entry at 9am (book ahead)
Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Don't try to see everything. Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, Vermeer's The Lacemaker, and the Italian paintings section (room 712, the Mona Lisa). 3 hours maximum — after that it becomes a blur.
Enter via the Richelieu wing (Rue de Rivoli entrance) not the Pyramid — 60% shorter queue. Book the timed entry online or queue from 8:30am.
☀️ Afternoon
Palais Royal gardens
Place du Palais Royal, 75001
The colonnaded 18th-century garden attached to the Palais Royal — Daniel Buren's striped columns, independent art galleries and restaurants in the arcades. Serene after the Louvre crowds.
Sainte-Chapelle
8 Boulevard du Palais, 75001
The Gothic chapel on the Île de la Cité — 15 floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows from 1248, each panel a biblical narrative. In afternoon light, the interior glows blue and red.
Queue is always long. Buy online to skip the ticket desk. Go on a sunny afternoon for the best light through the windows.
Notre-Dame de Paris (exterior)
Parvis Notre-Dame, 75004
The cathedral is still undergoing restoration but the exterior and the parvis (square) are extraordinary. The flying buttresses on the east end are the most beautiful in Paris.
Interior reopened December 2024. Check restoration status before travelling — may require booking.
🌙 Evening
Île Saint-Louis evening stroll
Île Saint-Louis, 75004 Paris
Cross the tiny bridge from Île de la Cité to Île Saint-Louis — the quietest, most beautiful island in Paris. One main street, good wine bars, and Berthillon ice cream.
Berthillon is the island's legendary ice cream. The shop on Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île closes Mondays and Tuesdays.
🍽️ Meals
Café Marly, Louvre
French café · $22 · The terrace overlooks the Pyramid. Expensive, but the view earns it.
Aux Lyonnais
Lyonnais bistro · $38 · Classic weekday lunch menu. Quenelles de brochet (pike dumplings) and excellent Beaujolais.
L'As du Fallafel, Marais
Lebanese/Israeli · $12 · The best falafel outside the Middle East. Expect a queue on the street. Worth every minute.
Le Marais & Centre Pompidou
Wednesday, April 7
Est. spend
$145
per person
🌅 Morning
Le Marais Sunday morning walk
Le Marais, 75003/75004 Paris
The medieval Jewish quarter and now the coolest neighbourhood in Paris — Place des Vosges (oldest planned square in the city), Rue des Rosiers for Israeli food, and the Sunday market on Rue Bretagne.
Many Marais shops are closed Sunday morning — walk the streets and squares rather than shopping. The Place des Vosges arcades and Victor Hugo's house (free) are open.
Centre Pompidou
Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004
The inside-out building with its colour-coded pipes houses the second-largest modern art collection in the world. Matisse's famous cut-outs, Kandinsky, Duchamp. The view from the terrace on level 6 is one of the best in Paris — free.
Closed Tuesdays. The rooftop terrace is free and open — take the external escalator (covered in glass tubes) even if you don't pay for the museum.
☀️ Afternoon
Covered passages — Galerie Vivienne & Passage des Panoramas
Galerie Vivienne, 75002 Paris
Paris's 19th-century covered arcades are a different world — mosaic floors, glass ceilings, antique book dealers, tea rooms. The best: Galerie Vivienne (most beautiful) and Passage des Panoramas (oldest).
🌙 Evening
Oberkampf neighbourhood for dinner
Rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris
The most authentically local dining and bar street in central Paris — young Parisian crowd, natural wine bars, excellent small plates. Septime, Clamato, or Le Servan.
Septime is Paris's best restaurant under €100/head but books 4 weeks ahead. Clamato (same owners, no reservations, seafood) is equally special. Get there when it opens.
🍽️ Meals
Marché des Enfants Rouges
Market/various · $15 · Paris's oldest covered market. Moroccan and French stalls. The terrasse-brunch crowd starts 10am.
Café Charlot, Marais
French brasserie · $32 · Good steak, great people-watching from the pavement terrace.
Clamato, Oberkampf
Seafood/natural wine · $55 · No reservations. Arrive at 7pm. The oysters and sea urchin toast are remarkable.
Versailles Day Trip
Thursday, April 8
Est. spend
$100
per person
🌅 Morning
RER C to Versailles-Château-Rive Gauche
RER C — Versailles-Château-Rive Gauche
Take the RER C from central Paris to Versailles — 35 minutes from Gare d'Austerlitz, Gare de Lyon, or Musée d'Orsay stations. The Palace of Versailles is a 10-minute walk from the station.
Leave Paris by 8am to arrive before the tour groups. The palace opens at 9am — queue early.
Palace of Versailles — State Apartments
Place d'Armes, 78000 Versailles
The Hall of Mirrors, the King's Grand Apartments, and the Opera Royal. The excess is the point — Louis XIV built a country to match his ego. Book timed entry online.
The Passport ticket covers the palace, gardens, and Grand Trianon — worth the extra €10. Gardens are free except on 'Grandes Eaux' fountain days (check calendar).
☀️ Afternoon
Versailles gardens and Grand Canal
Jardins de Versailles, 78000
600 acres of formal gardens with geometric hedges, 50 fountains, and the 1.5km Grand Canal. Rent a rowing boat on the canal or just walk the main axis.
The Grand Trianon (Marie Antoinette's private estate) is less visited and arguably more beautiful than the main palace. Allow 1 hour.
🌙 Evening
Return to Paris — Canal Saint-Martin aperitivo
Canal Saint-Martin, 75010 Paris
Canal Saint-Martin is Paris's most charming neighbourhood at dusk — iron footbridges, tree-lined canal, organic wine bars. Get a glass at Hôtel du Nord or Chez Prune.
🍽️ Meals
Station croissant
French · $6 · Any Paul boulangerie near the RER station
Versailles garden picnic
French · $15 · Buy from the boulangerie in town before entering — estate food is expensive and average.
Chez Prune, Canal Saint-Martin
French bistro · $40 · The terrace on the canal is Paris at its most atmospheric. Book ahead in spring.
Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur
Friday, April 9
Est. spend
$105
per person
🌅 Morning
Montmartre at dawn
Sacré-Cœur, 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018
Walk up the hill before 8am — the cobbled streets are empty, the bakeries are opening, and the city below is still hazed in morning light. The Sacré-Cœur steps have the best view in Paris at sunrise.
Take the funicular (metro ticket valid) to the summit, walk down through the village streets — better than the reverse.
Montmartre village walk
Place du Tertre, 75018 Paris
Place du Tertre (the painters' square), Musée de Montmartre in Renoir's former home, and Lapin Agile — the cabaret where Picasso, Modigliani, and Apollinaire drank.
Avoid the tourist restaurants on Place du Tertre. Walk one street back for the same view and half the price.
☀️ Afternoon
Musée de l'Orangerie
Jardin des Tuileries, 75001
Monet's 8 giant Water Lilies panels in purpose-built oval rooms — installed according to his own instructions. One of the most immersive art experiences in the world. Never crowded.
Go in the afternoon for the best natural light. The Walther-Guillaume collection in the basement (Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso) is often overlooked.
Tuileries Garden walk
Jardin des Tuileries, 75001
The formal garden between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde — chairs at the fountains, good people-watching, and the geometric precision of French garden design.
🌙 Evening
Eiffel Tower at sunset — Champ de Mars
Champ de Mars, 75007 Paris
Don't queue for the tower itself tonight (do that another day at a timed slot) — sit on the Champ de Mars grass with a bottle of wine and watch the tower light up at dusk. Free and more Parisian.
The tower sparkles for 5 minutes every hour after dark. The 10pm show is the most photogenic. Nicolas wine shop on Avenue de la Motte-Picquet sells good Burgundy for €15–20.
🍽️ Meals
Montmartre boulangerie
French · $8 · Pain au raisin and café crème at any local bakery on Rue Lepic
Frenchie to Go
French/American · $22 · Gregory Marchand's casual counter — the hot dog with confit duck is not what you expect and exactly what you want.
Champ de Mars picnic
Picnic · $30 · Cheese from a fromagerie, jambon from a charcuterie, baguette from a boulangerie. Total cost ~€25, best dinner in Paris.
Markets, Père Lachaise & East Paris
Saturday, April 10
Est. spend
$140
per person
🌅 Morning
Marché d'Aligre
Place d'Aligre, 75012 Paris
Paris's most authentic covered market — North African spice stalls, French produce, wine merchants, and the covered Beauvau market hall. Open Tuesday–Sunday until 1pm.
Go before 11am for the best produce. The covered Beauvau market hall has excellent charcuterie and fromage.
Père Lachaise Cemetery
16 Rue du Repos, 75020 Paris
The world's most visited cemetery — Chopin, Proust, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, and Molière. The Victorian-Gothic atmosphere is extraordinary regardless of whose grave you seek.
Free map at the entrance. Oscar Wilde's tomb (covered in lipstick kisses, now glass-protected) and Édith Piaf's grave are the most visited. Jim Morrison's is usually surrounded by admirers.
☀️ Afternoon
Belleville and street art walk
Belleville, 75020 Paris
The hill of Belleville has the best free street art in Paris — descend towards the Butte aux Cailles neighbourhood for murals, independent cafés, and an authentically un-touristy Paris.
🌙 Evening
Final Parisian dinner — bistrot à vin
Le Baratin, 3 Rue Jouye-Rouve, 75020
Au Passage in Oberkampf or Le Baratin in Belleville — two of the best natural wine bistros in Paris. Small menus written on blackboards, excellent wine, genuinely kind service.
Le Baratin (Baratin = small lie in French slang) is run by a Chilean cook and has one of the best wine lists in Paris. Book 2 weeks ahead.
🍽️ Meals
Market breakfast at Aligre
French market · $10 · Espresso at the café overlooking the market stalls
Septime La Cave
Natural wine/small plates · $40 · Septime's wine cave — outstanding small plates and glasses of natural wine. No reservations for lunch.
Le Baratin, Belleville
French bistro · $55
Final Morning & Departure
Sunday, April 11
Est. spend
$100
per person
🌅 Morning
Eiffel Tower — timed entry (morning slot)
Champ de Mars, 5 Av. Anatole France, 75007
Book the 9am slot for the summit — clearest views before the haze builds, shortest queues of the day. The stairs option (floor 2) is €12 and has a different atmosphere.
Book online weeks ahead — walk-up tickets are rare. The summit view on a clear spring morning is as good as it gets.
Final coffee and croissant — Le Procope or nearby
13 Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, 75006
Le Procope (opened 1686, Paris's oldest café) on Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie is around the corner from most Saint-Germain hotels. Order café crème and a croissant beurre and refuse to be in a hurry.
Buy omiyage at the Laurent Dubois fromagerie on Boulevard Saint-Germain — vacuum-sealed cheese travels well in luggage.
☀️ Afternoon
RER B to CDG Airport
CDG Airport
Allow 3 hours before international departure. RER B from Châtelet–Les Halles or Gare du Nord direct to CDG Terminal 2 — 35 minutes.
Validate your Navigo or buy a single ticket (€12.10) at any metro station. RER trains to CDG stop at T2 then T3.
🍽️ Meals
Eiffel Tower area café
French · $15 · The Café du Commerce on Rue du Commerce has proper French breakfast at normal prices
Airport lunch
Various · $20 · CDG Terminal 2E has decent options post-security including a good boulangerie
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
April–May: mild, cherry blossoms in parks, pre-peak crowds. September–October: warm, vendange season, fashion week energy. Avoid August — half of Paris leaves and the other half is tourists.
🛂 Visas
France is in the Schengen Area. EU/EEA citizens need only a national ID card. US, UK, Canadian, Australian, NZ passport holders: visa-free for up to 90 days. No prior application needed.
💱 Currency
Euro (€). Cards accepted almost everywhere. Tap-to-pay is universal — even street markets and boulangeries. ATMs on every block (use Crédit Agricole or Société Générale to avoid withdrawal fees). Never exchange currency at airport booths.
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 17
ambulance: 15
tourist-helpline: +33 (0)8 92 68 30 00
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- Always greet shopkeepers with 'Bonjour Madame/Monsieur' before any request — skipping this is the fastest way to be treated badly.
- Restaurant set menus (formule) are extraordinary value — 3 courses for €18–28 at lunch in places that would cost double at dinner.
- The Navigo Easy contactless card (€2 at any metro station) is better than individual tickets for a week stay.
- Paris tap water is excellent — always ask for 'une carafe d'eau' (free tap water) at restaurants. Never accept bottled water without asking the price first.
- Pharmacies (green cross) are everywhere and pharmacists give serious medical advice — excellent for minor ailments.
- The Vélib' bike share is €5/day and the best way to see the city between metro stops.
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