🗼 5-Day Paris Itinerary

Begin at the Trocadéro for the classic Eiffel Tower photograph at sunrise before the crowds. Book the summit for mid-morning, then take a 90-minute Seine cruise from the Pont de l'Alma — you'll orient yourself to the entire city in one go. Evening in the 7th arrondissement around Rue Cler market street.

Arrive at the Louvre at opening time and spend 3–4 hours on the highlights. After lunch in the Tuileries, walk through the arcaded Palais Royal gardens — one of Paris's most serene and photogenic spots, almost always overlooked by tourists. End the afternoon browsing the boutiques of the 1st arrondissement.

Take the RER C direct from central Paris (45 minutes) to Versailles — arrive before 10am to beat tour groups to the Hall of Mirrors. Spend three hours in the palace then escape into the vast gardens; rent a bike or rowboat on the Grand Canal for the afternoon. Back in Paris by 7pm for a well-earned dinner.

Morning in Montmartre: Sacré-Cœur, the vineyard, and coffee in a local café away from the tourist drag. Cross the city to Le Marais in the afternoon — visit the Musée Carnavalet (free, brilliant history of Paris) and the Place des Vosges, then explore the trendy Haut-Marais boutiques until evening.

The Musée d'Orsay houses the world's greatest Impressionist collection — Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh all here. Walk across to Saint-Germain-des-Prés for lunch at Les Deux Magots or Café de Flore (touristy, but historically unmissable), then spend the afternoon in the Luxembourg Gardens before a farewell dinner in the Latin Quarter.