Itinerary

5 Days in Paris: The Complete Itinerary

Five days in Paris lets you go past the postcard. You’ll see the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, yes, but you’ll also have time for the neighborhoods where Parisians actually spend their weekends — the canal-side wine bars, the covered passages, the food markets that haven’t been discovered by Instagram yet. This itinerary balances big sights with slow exploration. You’ll earn your croissants.

Best time to go: May–June (long days, warm evenings) or September–October (crowds thin, light gets golden).

Quick Overview

Day 1: Eiffel Tower, Invalides & Saint-Germain

Morning — Eiffel Tower & Champ de Mars

Book the 9 AM slot online (€29.40 to the summit). Arrive 15 minutes early. The Eiffel Tower stands 330 meters tall, was built in just 2 years for the 1889 World Exhibition, and draws roughly 7 million visitors annually — making it the most-visited paid monument in the world. Take the elevator to the second floor, then to the top. On a clear day, you can see up to 70 km in every direction. Budget 90 minutes.

Walk through the Champ de Mars to the École Militaire end, then over to Rue Cler — a real Parisian market street. Pick up bread, cheese, and fruit. Eat on a bench like a local.

Where to eat: Les Cocottes on Rue Saint-Dominique — modern French comfort food in cast iron cocottes (pots). €16–22 for a main.

Afternoon — Musée Rodin & Les Invalides

Walk to the Musée Rodin (€13) — a mansion with a sculpture garden. The Thinker, The Kiss, and the Gates of Hell are all here, and the garden is one of the most peaceful spots in central Paris. Budget an hour.

Continue to Les Invalides — Napoleon’s tomb is here, under a massive golden dome. The army museum is surprisingly good if you’re into military history. Combined ticket €15.

Where to eat: Au Petit Tonneau on Rue Surcouf — old-school bistro, very local clientele. Blanquette de veau (veal stew) is their thing. €20–30 for a full meal.

Evening — Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Walk across the Pont Alexandre III (the most ornate bridge in Paris — good photos at golden hour) to Saint-Germain. Browse Shakespeare and Company, then walk through the Latin Quarter’s narrow streets. End with drinks at a wine bar.

Where to eat: Le Comptoir du Panthéon for steak frites and a carafe of wine. Classic, no-fuss, and about €35 per person.

Pro tip: Download the Bonjour RATP app for real-time Metro schedules. Google Maps works too, but the RATP app shows you which exits to take — useful in huge stations like Châtelet.

Day 2: Louvre, Palais Royal & Covered Passages

Morning — The Louvre

Enter at 9 AM through the Pyramid (book online, €22). The Louvre is the world’s largest and most-visited art museum — over 380,000 objects across 72,735 square meters of gallery space, drawing approximately 8.9 million visitors in 2024. Strategy: go directly to the Denon Wing for the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory, then loop through the Italian paintings. If those rooms are packed, start with the Egyptian wing — it’s excellent and way less crowded.

Two to three hours is the right amount. Any more and museum fatigue sets in.

Where to eat: Skip everything near the Louvre. Walk to Palais Royal (5 minutes) and eat at Café Kitsuné in the garden — a Japanese-French coffee shop with great matcha lattes and pastries. The Palais Royal garden is stunning and usually quiet.

Afternoon — Covered Passages

Paris once had over 150 glass-roofed shopping arcades — the world’s first shopping malls, built in the early 1800s. Only about 20 survive today, hidden throughout the city, and most tourists walk right past them. Start at Galerie Vivienne (the most beautiful, with mosaic floors and a vintage bookshop), then walk to Passage des Panoramas (the oldest, full of stamp dealers and bistros) and Passage Jouffroy (home to the Musée Grévin wax museum and an eccentric antique cane shop).

This whole area around the 2nd and 9th arrondissements is underrated. It feels like stepping into a 19th-century novel.

Where to eat: Canard & Champagne in Passage des Panoramas — duck in every form (confit, rillettes, foie gras) paired with champagne by the glass. About €25–35.

Evening — Opéra & Grands Boulevards

Walk to the Palais Garnier opera house. Even if you don’t see a show, the building is jaw-dropping from outside. If you have time, buy a self-guided tour ticket (€15) — the interior makes Versailles look understated.

The Grands Boulevards area has good nightlife. Rooftop bars on the department stores (Galeries Lafayette’s rooftop terrace is free and has a great view) are a solid pre-dinner option.

Where to eat: Bouillon Chartier — a Belle Époque canteen where three courses cost €15–20. Waiters scribble your order on the paper tablecloth. No reservations; the line moves fast.

Pro tip: Avoid the Champs-Élysées for eating and shopping. It’s the Times Square of Paris — chain stores, overpriced restaurants, and nothing you can’t find for less elsewhere. Walk it once for the Arc de Triomphe view, then leave.

Day 3: Montmartre, Pigalle & Canal Saint-Martin

Morning — Montmartre

Metro to Abbesses (the station itself has an Art Nouveau entrance worth photographing). Walk up to Sacré-Cœur for the panoramic city view. Free entry. Come before 10 AM.

Behind the basilica, the backstreets feel like a village. Walk Rue Lepic (Amélie’s neighborhood), check out the Montmartre vineyard (one of the last in Paris), and poke into the Musée de Montmartre (€14) where Renoir used to paint.

Where to eat: Le Coq Rico on Rue Lepic for rotisserie chicken. Sounds simple, but chef Antoine Westermann turned poultry into fine dining. Whole roast chicken to share for about €40 — easily the best chicken you’ll eat in your life.

Afternoon — South Pigalle (SoPi) & Canal Saint-Martin

Walk downhill into South Pigalle — the Moulin Rouge side of the neighborhood has gone from red-light to red-wine. Rue des Martyrs is one of the best food streets in Paris: bakeries, cheese shops, chocolate shops, wine bars. Graze your way down.

Metro to République, then walk to Canal Saint-Martin. Sit along the canal with a baguette and some wine from a nearby cave. The iron footbridges are photogenic. The locks open occasionally and it’s oddly satisfying to watch.

Where to eat: Pink Mamma near the canal — a 4-story Italian restaurant in a converted warehouse. No reservations, and the wait can be 30+ minutes, but the truffle pasta and the rooftop terrace are worth it. €15–25 per person.

Evening — East Paris

Stay in the 10th/11th arrondissement for dinner and drinks. Rue Oberkampf and Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud are packed with cocktail bars and restaurants. This is where Parisians in their 20s and 30s go out.

Pro tip: Paris bakeries close one day a week (usually Monday or Tuesday), and they stagger — so there’s always one open on your block. If your favorite is closed, walk two doors down.

Day 4: Versailles Day Trip

Getting There

RER C from central Paris to Versailles-Château Rive Gauche (40 minutes, €7.50 round trip with Navigo). Or take the train from Gare Montparnasse to Versailles Chantiers (20 minutes). Arrive by 9 AM when the gates open.

Morning — The Palace

Book tickets online (€21 for the palace, €27 for palace + gardens when the fountains are running). The Palace of Versailles has 2,300 rooms across 63,154 square meters, and the gardens span 800 hectares — making it one of the largest palace complexes in the world. Go straight to the Hall of Mirrors — 73 meters long with 357 mirrors reflecting 357 windows — it’s stunning even with crowds. Then work backward through the King’s and Queen’s apartments. Budget 2 hours for the palace.

Afternoon — The Gardens & Trianon

The gardens are huge. Rent a golf cart (€40/hour) or a rowboat on the Grand Canal. Walk to the Petit Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet — a fake village she had built to play at being a peasant. It’s bizarre and charming.

Pack a lunch or eat at La Petite Venise near the Grand Canal — it’s overpriced but the terrace overlooks the water.

Evening — Back in Paris

You’ll be back by 5–6 PM. Head to the Tuileries Garden for a walk along the Seine. Cross to the Left Bank and find dinner in the 5th or 6th arrondissement.

Where to eat: Chez L’Ami Jean in the 7th for Basque-influenced French cooking. The rice pudding dessert is legendary. About €50 for a full dinner. Reserve ahead.

Pro tip: The Versailles fountains only run on select weekends and Tuesdays (April–October). Check the schedule — the Musical Fountains show transforms the gardens.

Day 5: Le Marais, Île de la Cité & Your Picks

Morning — Le Marais Deep Dive

You probably walked through Le Marais on Day 2, but it deserves a full morning. Start at Place des Vosges — the oldest square in Paris, with a peaceful garden. Visit the Musée Carnavalet (free) for Paris history in a gorgeous mansion.

Walk Rue des Rosiers for falafel (Mi-Va-Mi or L’As du Fallafel, whoever has the shorter line). Browse the boutiques on Rue de Turenne and Rue des Francs-Bourgeois.

Where to eat: Marché des Enfants Rouges — the oldest covered market in Paris, operating continuously since 1615 (over 400 years). Stalls selling Moroccan, Japanese, Lebanese, and French food. Find a spot at a communal table. €8–15 for a generous plate.

Afternoon — Île de la Cité & Latin Quarter

Walk to Île de la Cité. If Notre-Dame is open, go inside (free) — the cathedral was built between 1163 and 1345, survived the devastating 2019 fire, and reopened in December 2024 after a 5-year restoration. Cross to the Latin Quarter and walk through the Panthéon (€11.50) — the neoclassical monument holds the remains of over 80 notable French citizens, including Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Alexandre Dumas, and Voltaire. The Foucault pendulum swings from the dome.

Wander the backstreets of the 5th arrondissement. Rue Mouffetard is a market street that’s been here since the Middle Ages. It’s touristy at the top but gets more local as you walk south.

Where to eat: Le Bouillon Racine — Art Nouveau interior, traditional French food, and a €20 lunch formule that would cost €50 in Saint-Germain. The pot-au-feu is excellent.

Evening — Final Night

Options for your last Paris evening:

Pro tip: Pack a scarf. Parisians wear them year-round, and you’ll want one for chilly church interiors and breezy Seine walks even in summer. Also, learn to say “l’addition, s’il vous plaît” (the check, please) — waiters in Paris will never bring it unless you ask.

Practical Info

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