Paris in 4 days

Morning

• Eiffel Tower2h

  Start at the Eiffel Tower for your booked summit slot before the queues, then cross to the Trocadero for the head-on photo. Keep bags zipped in this pickpocket hotspot.

  TipBook a timed lift ticket to the summit online weeks ahead, the official site releases slots about 60 days out and they sell fast; walking up to the second floor by stairs is cheaper and rarely queued. Come for the first morning slot or after dark, when the tower sparkles for five minutes on the hour. Keep bags zipped tight, the base and the Trocadero across the river are prime pickpocket ground.

• Musee Rodin1h30

  Walk to the Musee Rodin for The Thinker among the roses, and look in on the Invalides dome nearby. A garden ticket is a quick option if you want to keep moving.

  TipThe sculptor's mansion and rose garden hold The Thinker and The Gates of Hell in one of the loveliest museum settings in the city, near the Invalides. A garden-only ticket is a cheap way to see the big bronzes outdoors if you are short on time or budget. It is closed on Mondays; come on a fine afternoon and pair it with the nearby Invalides and Napoleon's tomb.

Afternoon

• Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees2h

  Metro to the Arc de Triomphe and climb to the terrace for the view down the avenues, reached by the underground passage. Walk the Champs-Elysees down to Concorde and through the Tuileries.

  TipThe rooftop terrace gives a superb view straight down the Champs-Elysees and the twelve-avenue star, and it needs a timed online ticket to climb the 284 steps. Reach it by the underground pedestrian passage from the Champs-Elysees corner, never by crossing the traffic roundabout. Go late afternoon for the golden light down the avenue, and walk the Champs down toward Concorde rather than up it.

Evening

• Seine River Cruise1h15

  Take a dusk Seine cruise for the monuments lit up, boarding near Pont Neuf or the Eiffel Tower and sitting on the open deck. Keep to a standard hour-long boat over a dinner cruise.

  TipAn hour-long boat glide past Notre-Dame, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower is the easiest way to link the monuments and rest your feet, and it is magical after dark when everything is lit. Skip the pricey dinner cruises and take a standard Bateaux-Mouches or Vedettes du Pont-Neuf departure for around 15 EUR. Board at dusk for the sunset-into-lights transition, and sit on the open upper deck.

• 2h

  Dinner back in the Latin Quarter, easing into the quarter you are calling home. Eat one street off the tourist strip and finish with a drink around the Pantheon.

Morning

• Louvre Museum3h

  Be at the Louvre for your 9am slot and reach the Mona Lisa before the crush, then the Venus de Milo and the Italian rooms. Enter via the Carrousel and set an exit time so the museum does not eat the whole day.

  TipReserve a timed entry online, it is mandatory even with a Paris Museum Pass, and pick the first 9am slot to reach the Mona Lisa before the wall of phones forms. The Louvre is shut on Tuesdays and open late (until about 9pm) on Wednesdays and Fridays, when the evening is far calmer. Enter through the Carrousel du Louvre or Porte des Lions to skip the pyramid queue.

Afternoon

• Sainte-Chapelle1h30

  Cross to the Ile de la Cite for your Sainte-Chapelle slot in the bright afternoon, when the stained glass glows. Use the combined ticket for the Conciergerie next door.

  TipThis 13th-century royal chapel holds fifteen soaring walls of stained glass, best seen on a bright morning when the light pours through. Book a timed ticket online, and buy the combined ticket with the neighboring Conciergerie to see both on one visit. It sits inside a working courthouse so there is an airport-style security check at the gate; come at 9am opening to beat both the queue and the coach groups.

• Notre-Dame Cathedral1h30

  Walk to Notre-Dame on your free reserved slot to see the restored interior without the queue, then admire the buttresses from the garden behind. Wander onto the Ile Saint-Louis for a Berthillon ice cream.

  TipReopened in December 2024 after the fire, and the restored interior is dazzling. Entry is free but a walk-up queue of an hour is common, so reserve a free timed slot on the official app or website up to two days ahead to walk straight in. Go early or in the evening for the calmest visit, and book the separate tower climb if you want the gargoyle-level rooftop view.

Evening

• 2h30

  Stroll the Left Bank quays as the light goes and the bouquinistes pack up, then eat in the Latin Quarter near your base. Book anywhere well reviewed, and skip the neon set-menu traps by the river.

Morning

• Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur2h30

  Ride up to Montmartre early for the free Sacre-Coeur panorama before the touts and groups, then wander the quiet lanes behind, around the vineyard. Take the funicular up on one metro ticket if the stairs look steep, and watch your pockets on the packed steps.

  TipThe basilica is free and the hilltop steps give the best free panorama in Paris, best at sunset or early morning before the tour groups and the aggressive friendship-bracelet touts arrive. Skip the crush of Place du Tertre and wander the quiet lanes behind, around Rue de l'Abreuvoir and the vineyard. Take the funicular (one metro ticket) up if the staircase looks daunting, and watch your pockets on the packed steps.

Afternoon

• Musee d'Orsay2h30

  Metro to the Musee d'Orsay for your timed slot, going straight to the fifth-floor Impressionists before working down. Do not miss the view through the giant station clock.

  TipBook a timed slot online for the world's great Impressionist collection, housed in a former railway station. It is closed on Mondays and open late until about 9:45pm on Thursdays, the quietest and most atmospheric time to visit. Head straight up to the fifth-floor Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh rooms first, then work down, and catch the view through the giant station clock face.

Evening

• Le Marais3h

  Cross to Le Marais for the evening, browsing the boutiques and the arcaded Place des Vosges as the bars fill up. Falafel on Rue des Rosiers or a booked bistro, then a drink in the quarter's late scene.

  TipWander the lanes for boutiques, galleries, and the arcaded Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris and free to stroll. Come on a Sunday, when much of the quarter stays open unlike the rest of the city, and queue for a falafel on Rue des Rosiers at lunch. Duck into the free courtyards of the Hotel de Sully and the Musee Carnavalet (free permanent collection on the city's history) along the way.

Morning

• Palace of Versailles3h

  Take the RER C to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche, about 45 minutes, aiming to arrive for the 9am palace opening and avoiding Tuesdays. Use your pre-booked Passport ticket with a timed palace slot and start with the Hall of Mirrors while it is calmest, then the State Apartments.

  TipSet aside a half to full day: take the RER C to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche (about 45 min, one-way roughly 3.65 EUR), and avoid Tuesdays when many Paris museums close and Versailles is heaving. Book the Passport ticket with a timed palace slot online and arrive at the 9am opening; the Hall of Mirrors is calmest first thing. The vast gardens are free except on musical-fountain show days, so leave time to walk or rent a bike or cart.

Afternoon

• Palace of Versailles3h

  Spend the afternoon in the vast gardens, free except on musical-fountain days, walking or renting a bike or golf cart out to the Grand Canal, the Trianon palaces, and Marie-Antoinette's rustic hamlet. Pack a picnic or grab lunch near the estate, as the palace cafes are pricey and packed.

  TipSet aside a half to full day: take the RER C to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche (about 45 min, one-way roughly 3.65 EUR), and avoid Tuesdays when many Paris museums close and Versailles is heaving. Book the Passport ticket with a timed palace slot online and arrive at the 9am opening; the Hall of Mirrors is calmest first thing. The vast gardens are free except on musical-fountain show days, so leave time to walk or rent a bike or cart.

Evening

• 2h30

  Ride the RER C back into central Paris in the early evening, tired but done with the big-ticket sights. Book a farewell dinner in the Latin Quarter or Saint-Germain, spending up on your last Paris meal.

• 1h

  End with a slow walk along the Seine to see Notre-Dame and the bridges lit, a short stroll from your base. No journey home to plan, which is the point of basing central for four days.