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It is the middle of the morning and you are standing in a queue that bends round a courtyard, holding a ticket you bought on the spot, watching people with pre-booked slots walk straight past. Your feet already ache and you have not seen a single painting. This is how many first trips to Paris go wrong: the landmarks look close together on a map, but the city is bigger and more tiring than it appears, and the famous sites run on timed entry.
Four days is enough to see the headline sights and still sit down in a café without checking your watch, as long as each day is built around one part of the city. This itinerary groups the sights by district, tells you what to book before you fly, and explains how Parisian eating and etiquette actually work so you do not stumble into the tourist traps.
Plan by district, not by checklist
Paris is cut in two by the Seine. The Right Bank (Rive Droite) to the north holds the Louvre, the Marais, Montmartre and the grand avenues. The Left Bank (Rive Gauche) to the south holds the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, the Musée d'Orsay and, a little further west, the Eiffel Tower. Crossing the river is easy, but zigzagging between banks several times a day eats hours, so each day below stays within one or two neighbouring areas.
Three planning rules save the most time:
- Book timed entry for the big three before you fly. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles all sell dated, time-slotted tickets on their official websites, and the popular slots go first. Ticket types, entry rules and which parts of each site are open change, so check the official site rather than trusting a blog, including this one.
- Put the big museum in the morning and the walking in the afternoon. Museums are quietest at the start of the day, and a stroll along the river or through a garden is what you want when your head is full of paintings.
- Leave one block of each day unplanned. A courtyard you wander into or a long coffee on a terrace is often what you remember. Just make sure the bookable things are settled first.
Museums do not all close on the same weekday, and some venues close on a fixed day each week. Check the closing day for anything you care about before you fix the order of your days.
Where to base yourself
Your hotel district shapes how the trip feels, but all of the choices below are well connected by metro, and that matters more than the postcode.
Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain
On the Left Bank, these neighbourhoods are walkable, full of bookshops and bistros, and close to the Luxembourg Gardens, the Panthéon and the river. They suit first-time visitors who want to walk home after dinner.
The Marais
The Marais has narrow streets, courtyard mansions, independent shops and a busy evening scene. It is a good base for couples and anyone who likes eating out, and it is within walking distance of Notre-Dame and the islands. The trade-off is that its pavements are crowded on weekends and the lanes can be noisy late at night.
Montmartre
Montmartre feels like a village on a hill, which is both its charm and its drawback. Expect steep streets and stairs with luggage, and a lot of day-trippers around the basilica. The streets nearer Abbesses are calmer than those directly beneath Sacré-Cœur.
Whatever you choose, look at the walk to the nearest metro station rather than just the distance to a landmark. After a day on your feet, a short, flat walk back counts for more than a view. Paris also has a suburban rail network, so a base near a major station is useful if you plan to reach Versailles on your own.
Day 1: the Louvre, the Tuileries and the Latin Quarter
Start at the Louvre with a timed ticket and a plan, because the museum is too big to see in one visit and wandering without a target is the quickest way to burn out. Pick two or three areas. Many visitors go first to the Mona Lisa in the Denon wing, which is always crowded, then look at the other Italian paintings and the French galleries nearby, or head to the Egyptian and Greek collections, which tend to be calmer. Do not try to cover every wing. The glass pyramid in the courtyard is the main entrance, and there are other entrances that sometimes have shorter lines, so check the official site on the day.
When you come out, walk west through the Tuileries Garden. It is a formal garden with gravel paths, ponds and green metal chairs you can move wherever you like, and it is the right place for a break after the museum. At the far end is the Place de la Concorde, with its Egyptian obelisk and fountains. From here you can look along the Champs-Élysées towards the Arc de Triomphe, which previews Day 3.
In the afternoon, cross to the Left Bank. The Île de la Cité is the natural link. Notre-Dame has been through a long restoration, so check the official site for what you can enter and how, and consider booking Sainte-Chapelle, whose upper chapel is a room of stained glass and needs a timed ticket. Then go on to the Latin Quarter, the traditional student district around the Sorbonne. The Panthéon is a neoclassical building that serves as a mausoleum for prominent figures of French history, and the crypt and dome are the reasons to go in.
Just beside it is Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, a church with an elaborate carved stone rood screen and the shrine of Sainte-Geneviève, the city's patron saint. It is a quiet counterpoint to the bigger sights. For dinner, walk down towards Rue Mouffetard, a sloping market street, or into Saint-Germain, and avoid the rows of near-identical restaurants directly beside the river, which cater to passing trade.
Day 2: Montmartre, Pigalle and the village on the hill
Go early. Montmartre is much calmer before the tour groups arrive, and the stairs below Sacré-Cœur are easier before the heat of the day. Take the metro to Abbesses, whose station keeps a famous Art Nouveau entrance, and pause at the small square. In the garden beside it is the Mur des je t'aime, a wall tiled with the words "I love you" in many languages. It takes five minutes, and it is more charming in the quiet of the morning.
From there, walk up through the streets towards Sacré-Cœur. You can use the funicular or the steps, and both are fine. The basilica is a white-domed church, and the steps in front of it give a wide view over the city. Inside it is a place of worship, so keep your voice down and dress modestly. The dome can be climbed on a separate entry for a higher view.
Behind the basilica lies the Place du Tertre, where artists set up easels and offer portraits and caricatures. It is lively and photogenic, but agree the cost with an artist before they start drawing, and do not accept a bracelet or a sketch pad pressed into your hands. Streets like Rue Lepic and Rue des Abbesses have more everyday character, with bakeries, cheese shops and small food stalls. The Musée de Montmartre is housed in an old house with a garden, and its grounds are a calm place to sit.
The red windmill of the Moulin Rouge is at the foot of the hill, on the boulevard de Clichy in Pigalle. It is an easy walk down, but this area is nothing like the village above: it is loud, busy and full of nightlife and souvenir shops. Look at the exterior, take a photo, and decide in advance whether you want a cabaret show, which needs booking. If not, go back up for a quiet dinner in the streets around Abbesses, where there are more local bistros than around the tourist heart of the hill.
Day 3: Versailles, or the grand axis and the river
This is the flexible day. Choose according to your energy and the weather.
Option A: the Palace of Versailles
Versailles is the former royal palace on the edge of Paris, reached by a regional train from the Left Bank or by other public transport. It is a full day, because the palace, the gardens and the wider estate are huge. Book timed entry, and check whether the gardens need a separate ticket on the day you go, since the musical fountain shows run only on set days. The Hall of Mirrors is the best-known room, and the King's and Queen's apartments repay a slow look. The walk from the palace to the Trianon buildings and the Hamlet is long, so many visitors hire a bike or a small electric cart inside the park. Go early, since the main entrance queue grows quickly, and carry water and a snack, because food inside the grounds is limited.
Option B: staying in the city
If you prefer to stay in town, spend the morning at the Musée d'Orsay, a former railway station that houses Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting. It is easier to take in than the Louvre, and the big clock window on the upper level is worth a look. In the afternoon, take the metro to the Arc de Triomphe. Use the underpass to reach it, because the roundabout around the arch is chaotic and crossing it on the surface is dangerous. The viewing terrace shows how the avenues radiate from the monument.
Then walk down the Champs-Élysées. It is a broad avenue lined with shops and cafés, and it is more about the sweep than the stores, so treat it as a walk towards the Place de la Concorde, then drop into the Tuileries or cross the river.
A river cruise in the evening
Either way, the Seine at dusk is worth an hour. Cruise boats leave from several piers near the Eiffel Tower and the Île de la Cité, and they pass under the old bridges, beside the Louvre and Notre-Dame, and past the Eiffel Tower, which sparkles at intervals after dark. A seat on the upper deck gives the better view, though it is colder when the boat moves. Check the commentary languages before you board. If you would rather not cruise, walk along the river banks or across the Pont des Arts for the same lights without a ticket.
Day 4: the Marais and the Eiffel Tower at golden hour
The Marais works best earlier in the day, before the weekend crowds fill its lanes. Start at the Place des Vosges, a square of red brick and stone arcades around a garden, laid out as a planned square long before the grand boulevards. It is a good place for a breakfast pastry on a bench. Victor Hugo's former home on one corner is open as a museum.
From there, wander the streets nearby. The Musée Picasso occupies a grand private mansion, and the Musée Carnavalet, in neighbouring mansions, tells the history of Paris. Check their closing days before you plan around them. Rue des Rosiers is the heart of the old Jewish quarter, and its falafel counters and delicatessens are a favourite for a quick lunch. Expect a queue at the popular counters, and know that some places close on the Sabbath, so a Saturday visit can be disappointing. The covered Marché des Enfants Rouges offers food from many countries under one roof and is another good place for lunch.
Take a break after lunch, then head west for the tower. The Eiffel Tower works well with a timed ticket for a late afternoon slot, so that you go up in daylight and watch the lights come on. Decide in advance how high you want to go: the lower levels can be climbed by stairs and give a good view of the city, while the summit is reached only by lift, needs its own ticket and often sells out. Security checks happen at the base.
The most photographed views of the tower are actually from outside it. Cross the river to the Trocadéro terrace for the classic frontal view, or walk the Champ de Mars, the long lawn behind the tower, for a relaxed picnic. Both cost nothing, and the tower lights up as it gets dark. If you have energy left, finish on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, a quieter bridge that frames the tower with fewer people.
Eating and drinking the Parisian way
Food is one of the real pleasures of the trip, and a few conventions make it easier.
Breakfast and the bakery
Breakfast is typically light: a croissant or pain au chocolat with a coffee. Look for a boulangerie that bakes on site. A good croissant is flaky and airy rather than heavy, and a bakery with a short queue of locals is usually a good sign. For lunch on the move, a jambon-beurre is a baguette with ham and butter and is a classic quick meal.
Lunch and the set menu
Many bistros offer a plat du jour (dish of the day) or a formule at lunchtime, a set menu of two or three courses. This is usually better value than ordering à la carte, and it is a good way to try the classics:
- Steak frites, a simple steak and chips, usually ordered by how well done you want it, and French cooks lean towards the rarer side.
- Soupe à l'oignon, onion soup topped with melted cheese.
- Confit de canard, slow-cooked duck leg with crisp skin.
- Bœuf bourguignon, beef stewed in red wine.
- Croque-monsieur, a toasted ham and cheese sandwich, found in most cafés.
- Crêpes, thin pancakes, sweet or savoury, best from a place with a hot griddle in view.
Customs that help
- Say bonjour when you enter a shop, bakery or café, and merci, au revoir when you leave. It is the normal courtesy, and skipping it is noticed.
- Ask for une carafe d'eau if you want free tap water with a meal. Otherwise you may be given bottled water.
- A table is yours for the evening. Waiters will not bring the bill until you ask for it, so say l'addition, s'il vous plaît when you are ready.
- Prices at a café often differ between the counter, a table inside and the terrace. Check the menu board before you sit.
- Service is included in the bill by law, and the menu usually says so. A small extra for good service is a courtesy, not an obligation.
Choosing where to eat
Restaurants right beside the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre or the basilica are aimed at passing visitors. Walk two or three streets away and look for a short handwritten menu in French, a lunchtime crowd of office workers and a menu that changes with the seasons. For drinks, a glass of the house wine is the normal choice, and a demi is a small draught beer. If you want something sweet, an éclair or a macaron from a pâtisserie makes a good afternoon snack.
Getting around and avoiding the common mistakes
The metro is the fastest way across the city, and stations are rarely far apart in the centre. Ticket types, zones and passes change, so check the official transport website for the current options and for a pass that fits your stay. Lines are numbered and the direction is named after the station at the end of the line, so find the final station on your route and follow the signs for it. Keep your ticket until you leave the station, as inspectors check. Many stations have long staircases and no lifts, so pack light and plan for stairs if you have limited mobility.
These are the mistakes that cost visitors the most:
- Turning up without a ticket at the big sights. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Versailles all work best with a booked slot.
- Trying to see everything in one day. Keep to one major sight in the morning and one or two lighter things after lunch.
- Ignoring pickpockets. They work the metro, the queues at the main sights and the approaches to the basilica. Keep bags closed and in front of you, and keep phones out of back pockets. If a stranger pushes a petition or a bracelet towards you, say no and keep walking.
- Accepting unlicensed rides at the station. Use official taxi ranks rather than people who approach you in the arrivals hall.
- Wearing new shoes. Paris is cobbled in many places, and you will cover a long distance each day.
Summer brings long days and crowds, while spring and autumn tend to be gentler for walking. Rain is possible in any season, so a light waterproof is more useful than an umbrella on a crowded pavement. Before you set out each morning, check that the museum or monument you want is open that day, then spend whatever time is left on the nearest terrace with a coffee and nothing booked.
Official sources and further reading
Opening times, entry rules and prices change, so check them on the official sites before you travel:
- Paris Info (Paris tourist office): Official visitor information for Paris.
- France.fr: Atout France's official guide to the country.
- France.fr: Atout France's official guide to the country.
