The museum city, the terrace city, the walk-until-your-feet-give-out city.
Paris works best as a 4-day city break. Paris rewards patience: the headline sights need pre-booked tickets, the museums need a day of their own, and the best of it is simply walking the quays and quarters between them. Four days lets you split the Eiffel and Champs, a Louvre-and-islands day, Montmartre and the Marais, and a Versailles day trip without a forced march. Come in spring or early autumn, book the Tower and the Louvre before you fly, and lean on the metro to cover the distances the walking cannot.
Ideal stay
4 days
Best months
Apr · May · Jun
Mid budget
170 EUR/day
Airport
From Charles de Gaulle
Four picks that cover the realistic range, from splurge to budget. Prices are low-season starting points; check live rates for your dates.
Landmark stay€€€Left Bank grande dame · Saint-Germain-des-Pres
The only palace hotel on the Left Bank, a restored 1910 landmark on Boulevard Raspail with a famous bar and brasserie. You are in the heart of Saint-Germain, walkable to the Musee d'Orsay and the Latin Quarter.
from ~500 EUR/night
Check prices
Design lovers€€Marais rooftop · Le Marais
A warm Italian-designed hotel on the edge of the Marais with a rooftop bar over the city. You are steps from the Pompidou and the Marais bars, on the metro between the Right Bank sights.
from ~200 EUR/night
Check prices
First visit€€Latin Quarter classic · Latin Quarter
A small classic hotel facing the Pantheon in the Latin Quarter, a short walk from the Luxembourg Gardens and Notre-Dame. Some rooms have balconies looking straight at the dome.
from ~180 EUR/night
Check prices
Budget€Design hostel · Canal Saint-Martin
A big design hostel above the Canal Saint-Martin with a rooftop bar and city views, with private rooms as well as dorms. It is one of the better-value central beds in an expensive city, on the metro to everything.
from ~45 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
A little history
Paris began as a settlement of the Parisii tribe on an island in the Seine, grew into the Roman town of Lutetia, and has been the capital of France for most of a thousand years. Notre-Dame was begun in 1163, and the medieval Latin Quarter grew around one of Europe's first universities. The Revolution of 1789 started here with the storming of the Bastille, and in the 1850s and 60s Baron Haussmann tore through the crowded old city to lay the wide boulevards and uniform limestone facades that define it today. The Eiffel Tower went up as a temporary exhibit for the 1889 World's Fair and was never taken down. Paris was the art capital of the 20th century, was liberated in 1944, and reopened a restored Notre-Dame in December 2024, five years after the fire.
Paris is known for
Pick the itinerary that matches your trip. Each one is a full day-by-day plan, not a list of 30 things to squeeze in.
2
days
Two days in Paris is a highlights sprint, and you will feel the rush, because the city really wants three or four. In 48 hours you can do the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe, and a Seine cruise on day one, then the Louvre, the islands, Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, and the Latin Quarter on day two.
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3
days
Three days is a comfortable length for a first visit and close to the sweet spot for Paris. It gives you the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, and a Seine cruise on day one, the Louvre with the islands, Notre-Dame, and Sainte-Chapelle on day two, and a Montmartre-plus-Orsay-and-Marais day three that balances a hilltop village with the great Impressionist collection.
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4
days
Four days is the sweet spot for a first visit to Paris, turning a sightseeing sprint into an actual holiday. Days one to three cover the essentials without rushing: the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, and a Seine cruise; the Louvre, the islands, Notre-Dame, and Sainte-Chapelle; then Montmartre, the Musee d'Orsay, and the Marais.
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Paris has a walkable center, so the neighborhood you pick sets the tone of the whole trip.
Le Marais
First visit
A dense grid of medieval lanes and grand mansions spanning the 3rd and 4th arrondissements, now the center's most fashionable quarter for shopping, galleries, and going out.
Saint-Germain-des-Pres
First visit
The Left Bank's classic literary quarter, home to the historic Cafe de Flore and Les Deux Magots, smart galleries, and the Luxembourg Gardens on its edge.
Montmartre
Romantic
The hilltop village of the 18th arrondissement, crowned by the white domes of Sacre-Coeur and threaded with steep cobbled lanes and staircases.
Colored months are the sweet spot. Struck-through months come with a warning. Each page covers weather, crowds, prices and what to pack.
Tight budget?
Paris on a budget: same trip, around 80 EUR a day
Read the budget guide →
Pairs well with
4 days is the sweet spot for Paris. Days one to three cover the essentials without rushing: the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, and a Seine cruise; the Louvre, the islands, Notre-Dame, and Sainte-Chapelle; then Montmartre, the Musee d'Orsay, and the Marais
The best months are April, May, June, September, October.
Paris sits above the European average. Plan roughly 80 EUR per day on a tight budget, 170 EUR for a comfortable mid-range trip, and 340 EUR and up if you want top hotels and restaurants.
Le Marais is the safest first-visit base. A dense grid of medieval lanes and grand mansions spanning the 3rd and 4th arrondissements, now the center's most fashionable quarter for shopping, galleries, and going out. It is walkable to Notre-Dame, the Louvre, and the islands, with the elegant Place des Vosges at its heart and a lively LGBTQ and bar scene at night. Central, stylish, and rarely dull.
Yes. Paris has a walkable center, so most of a short trip is done on foot. From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B train reaches Gare du Nord and Chatelet in about 30-35 min for 11.80 EUR, running every 10-15 min. The Roissybus to Opera costs about 13 EUR but crawls in traffic, and a taxi is a flat 56 EUR to the Right Bank, 65 EUR to the Left. From Orly, take the Orlyval shuttle to Antony then the RER B, or the T7 tram, or the direct Orlybus to Denfert-Rochereau.
From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B train reaches Gare du Nord and Chatelet in about 30-35 min for 11.80 EUR, running every 10-15 min. The Roissybus to Opera costs about 13 EUR but crawls in traffic, and a taxi is a flat 56 EUR to the Right Bank, 65 EUR to the Left. From Orly, take the Orlyval shuttle to Antony then the RER B, or the T7 tram, or the direct Orlybus to Denfert-Rochereau. It is the cheapest and usually the fastest option.
Paris is best known for Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre-Dame, Cafe terraces, Haussmann boulevards, Art and fashion. Paris began as a settlement of the Parisii tribe on an island in the Seine, grew into the Roman town of Lutetia, and has been the capital of France for most of a thousand years.