Paris in 5 Days — City Plus Versailles

Activities

1. 08:30 Trocadéro photo + breakfast at Café Carette 1-1.5 hours

   Start with the canonical Paris photo — Trocadéro plaza directly facing the Eiffel Tower. Café Carette (3 Place du Trocadéro) serves classic French breakfast with the tower in the window. Free photo viewpoint year-round

   Cost: Breakfast $20-30 / €18-28 TIP: Best morning light 7-9 AM. The plaza is free; arrive early to skip the tourist crush by 10 AM. Café Carette's pastry counter is the takeaway option for budget travelers.
2. 10:00 Eiffel Tower (summit climb) 2-2.5 hours

   Built 1889 for the World Exposition. 324m, 1,665 steps to the top. Three observation levels — 57m (first), 115m (second), 276m (summit). The summit elevator is the headline experience. Book online 1-2 months ahead

   Cost: Summit $30 / €28; 2nd floor $20 / €18; stairs $10 / €11 TIP: Book online via the official Eiffel Tower website — without advance booking expect 2-3 hour queues. Choose the morning slot for the best light and shorter waits. The 'sparkle' light show runs on the hour from sundown to 1 AM.
3. 13:00 Lunch — Champ de Mars picnic OR Le Petit Cler bistro 1.5 hours

   Champ de Mars (the park beneath the Eiffel Tower) is the picnic spot — grab a baguette + cheese + wine from Rue Cler market for $20 / €18. Or Le Petit Cler bistro for sit-down French classics

   Cost: $20-40 / €18-37 TIP: Rue Cler is a 5-min walk from the Eiffel Tower — a working-class pedestrian street with multiple food stalls. The picnic on Champ de Mars facing the tower is the classic Paris lunch.
4. 15:00 Seine river cruise 1-1.5 hours

   1-hour boat from the Eiffel Tower or Pont Neuf piers. Pass under all the major bridges, see Notre-Dame from the water, Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Île de la Cité. The most-photographed Paris perspective

   Cost: $20-30 / €18-28 TIP: Bateaux Mouches (Pont de l'Alma) and Vedettes du Pont Neuf are the major operators. The 'sunset' or 'twilight' cruise (after 8 PM) is the most-photogenic version. Pre-booking online saves 20%.
5. 16:30 Champs-Élysées + Arc de Triomphe 2-2.5 hours

   1.9 km of grand avenue lined with luxury shops, theaters, and the iconic Arc de Triomphe (50m) at the western end. Climb the 280 spiral steps to the rooftop observation deck for the canonical view down 12 radiating boulevards

   Cost: Arc de Triomphe rooftop $16 / €15 TIP: Walk west-to-east from Place de la Concorde. The Arc de Triomphe rooftop is the daytime view; for sunset, the western side (looking down toward Place de la Concorde) is the iconic shot. Cross the underground passage — don't try to walk across the 12-way intersection.
6. 19:30 Dinner — Bouillon Pigalle or Le Relais de l'Entrecôte 1.5-2 hours

   Casual Paris dinner. Bouillon Pigalle (9th arr.) for affordable French classics at $13-22; Le Relais de l'Entrecôte (multiple branches) for the iconic steak-frites single-dish format

   Cost: $30-55 / €28-50 TIP: Bouillon Pigalle: no reservations, queue 45 min weekday evenings. Le Relais de l'Entrecôte: no reservations, queue 30-60 min. Both are walk-in only.

Meal Recommendations

Activities

1. 09:00 Louvre Museum (Mona Lisa + essentials) 3-4 hours

   The world's largest art museum — 380,000+ objects in 73,000 sqm. The Mona Lisa (Salle 711, Denon Wing), Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Code of Hammurabi are the canonical highlights. The architecture (former royal palace) is itself a destination

   Cost: $23 / €22 (free first Sunday) TIP: Book online via the official Louvre website. The Sully Court entrance has shorter queues than the Pyramid. Mona Lisa room is busiest 11-2 PM — try 9:30 AM or after 4 PM. Skip-the-line tickets via Klook or Get Your Guide.
2. 13:00 Lunch — Café Marly (Louvre courtyard) or Tuileries Garden 1.5 hours

   Café Marly is the Louvre courtyard café with covered terrace overlooking the I.M. Pei pyramid. Or walk to Tuileries Garden and grab a bistrot lunch at Le Saint-Régis

   Cost: $32-65 / €30-60 TIP: Reservations for Café Marly recommended. The Tuileries Garden has lakeside chairs ($1-2 / €1-2 fee) for picnic-style lunches. The Angelina café (228 Rue de Rivoli) is the hot-chocolate destination.
3. 14:30 Sainte-Chapelle 45 min - 1 hour

   Built 1248. 13th-century Gothic chapel with the most-spectacular stained-glass interior in the world — 15 windows covering 615 sqm, depicting 1,113 biblical scenes. The upper chapel is the photo destination

   Cost: $13 / €12 entry TIP: Inside the Palais de Justice (security checkpoint at entrance). Photography permitted but no flash. The afternoon sun illuminates the windows differently than morning — both work. Combined ticket with Conciergerie at $20 / €18.
4. 16:00 Notre-Dame Cathedral (exterior) 45 min - 1 hour

   Built 1163-1345. The 13th-century Gothic cathedral. Damaged in the 2019 fire and reopened December 2024. The exterior is the iconic photo from the Pont au Double or Pont Saint-Louis bridges

   Cost: Free exterior; interior $3 / €3 TIP: The cathedral is fully restored as of Dec 2024 — interior visits reopened. Reserve a time slot via the cathedral website. The exterior is photographed from across the Seine on the Île Saint-Louis side.
5. 17:30 Le Marais walking 1.5-2 hours

   The 3rd-4th arrondissement. Edo-era stone-paved alleys (Rue des Rosiers, Place des Vosges, Rue des Francs-Bourgeois). The most-preserved medieval district in Paris. Boutique shopping, cafés, and the Picasso Museum cluster

   Cost: Free walking TIP: Place des Vosges (built 1612) is the historical centerpiece. Pause at Café Mariage Frères for tea, or Bofinger for traditional Alsatian. The Jewish quarter (Rue des Rosiers) has the L'As du Fallafel destination.
6. 19:30 Dinner — Bistrot Paul Bert or L'As du Fallafel takeaway 1.5-2 hours

   Bistrot Paul Bert (11th arr.) for the textbook contemporary bistrot with the iconic Grand Marnier soufflé. Or L'As du Fallafel takeaway sandwich for the Marais street-food experience at $11 / €10

   Cost: $11-90 / €10-85 TIP: Bistrot Paul Bert needs 1-2 week reservations. L'As du Fallafel walk-in takeaway is the casual alternative — eat standing or on a Marais bench.

Meal Recommendations

Activities

1. 08:30 Montmartre walk (before crowds) 2 hours

   Walk up from Abbesses metro station (Line 12) through the cobblestone streets. The Place du Tertre (artists' square) and Sacré-Cœur Basilica are the destinations. Morning light is the only time the village isn't crushed with tourists

   Cost: Free walking TIP: Avoid the funicular tourist trap — the climb up Rue Foyatier (stairs) is the canonical approach. Skip the Place du Tertre painters who'll insist on sketching you for €40+. The actual art galleries are on Rue Lepic and Rue des Abbesses.
2. 10:30 Sacré-Cœur Basilica + dome climb 1-1.5 hours

   Built 1875-1914. The Romano-Byzantine white-domed basilica atop Montmartre's 130m hill. Free entry to the basilica; €8 / $9 to climb the 300 steps up the dome for the highest panoramic Paris view

   Cost: Basilica free; dome $9 / €8 TIP: Dome closes 6:30 PM (summer) / 5 PM (winter). The view encompasses the entire Paris skyline including the Eiffel Tower (4km away) and Notre-Dame. Photography permitted on the dome.
3. 12:30 Lunch — Le Consulat or Pink Mamma 1.5 hours

   Le Consulat (18 Rue Norvins) is the iconic pink corner café in Montmartre — featured in countless Paris postcards. Pink Mamma (Pigalle) is the Instagram-favorite contemporary alternative with a glass-roof rooftop

   Cost: $32-55 / €30-50 TIP: Le Consulat is tourist-priced but the location is the value. Pink Mamma needs reservations 2-4 weeks ahead — book via TheFork.
4. 14:30 Musée d'Orsay 2-2.5 hours

   Built 1900 as a railway station, converted to a museum 1986. The world's largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. Monet, Renoir, Manet, Van Gogh, Degas, Cézanne. The Beaux-Arts railway-station architecture is itself the experience

   Cost: $18 / €17 entry TIP: Book online to skip queues. The 5th-floor Impressionist galleries are the headline collection — head straight there. The clock-tower view from the café on the same floor is the iconic photo.
5. 17:00 Saint-Germain-des-Prés walking 1.5-2 hours

   The 6th arrondissement. Café de Flore, Les Deux Magots, Shakespeare and Company bookshop, Rue de Buci market street. The historic Left Bank intellectual quarter where Sartre, Hemingway, Camus held court. Walking-only district

   Cost: Free walking TIP: The Rue de Buci is the food street; the Saint-Sulpice Square has the iconic fountain; Le Bon Marché (the world's oldest department store, 1838) is the elegant shopping anchor.
6. 19:30 Dinner — Le Comptoir du Relais or Bouillon Chartier 2-2.5 hours

   Le Comptoir du Relais (Saint-Germain) is chef Yves Camdeborde's iconic bistrot. The dinner tasting requires 2-3 month advance booking; lunch is walk-in capable. Bouillon Chartier (9th arr.) is the alternative classic bouillon

   Cost: $30-95 / €28-90 TIP: Le Comptoir du Relais lunch is walk-in. The L'Avant Comptoir (next door) is the standing wine bar variant. Bouillon Chartier needs no reservation, queue 45 min.

Meal Recommendations

Activities

1. 08:00 Paris → Versailles (RER C) 45 min

   RER C from Pont de l'Alma or Champ de Mars stations to Versailles Château–Rive Gauche (35-45 min). €4.10 / $4.40 each way. The cheapest direct option to the palace

   Cost: $4.40 / €4.10 each way TIP: Buy a return ticket at the station — the queue at Versailles for the return ticket is longer than the inbound. The RER C runs every 15 min. Versailles Château–Rive Gauche station is a 10-min walk from the palace gates.
2. 09:00 Château de Versailles (palace tour) 2.5-3 hours

   Built 1661-1715 by Louis XIV. The Hall of Mirrors (73m long, 357 mirrors), King's State Apartments, Queen's State Apartments, the Royal Chapel. The seat of French monarchy until 1789. UNESCO World Heritage. The most-visited royal palace in the world

   Cost: $23 / €21 palace + gardens TIP: Book the timed-entry ticket online 1-2 weeks ahead — without it, expect 1-2 hour queues. The Passport ticket ($32 / €30) includes the palace + Trianon estates + gardens. Audio guide included in the standard ticket.
3. 12:30 Lunch — La Flottille (Grand Canal) or palace café 1.5 hours

   La Flottille (on the Grand Canal in the Versailles gardens) is the on-site restaurant — classic French. Or the palace café for casual lunch. Take a 30-min break before the gardens

   Cost: $30-55 / €28-50 TIP: Reservations for La Flottille via the palace website. The palace café is walk-in. The gardens have multiple food kiosks for picnic-style.
4. 14:00 Gardens of Versailles 2-2.5 hours

   800 hectares of gardens designed by André Le Nôtre. The Grand Canal, the Bassin de Latone, the Bassin d'Apollon. The Musical Gardens (April-October Saturdays-Sundays) feature the original Louis XIV fountain shows. The gardens are walking-intensive — 4-5 km loops

   Cost: Gardens free (except Musical Gardens days $14 / €13) TIP: Rent a bicycle ($8 / €7.50 for 2 hours) for the gardens — the loops are large. Or rent a rowboat on the Grand Canal ($14 / €13 for 30 min). The Musical Gardens days are the photogenic version.
5. 16:30 Grand Trianon & Petit Trianon (optional) 1.5-2 hours

   The Trianon estates are at the far end of the gardens — Louis XIV's pink-marble Grand Trianon as a private retreat from court ceremony, and Marie-Antoinette's Petit Trianon estate where she famously played 'shepherdess.' The Hameau de la Reine (queen's hamlet) is the photogenic farm-village mock-up

   Cost: Included in Passport ticket ($32 / €30) TIP: 30-min walk from main palace; 15-min via the petit train ($9 / €8 round-trip). Hameau de la Reine (queen's hamlet) is the most-photographed Marie-Antoinette site.
6. 19:00 Return to Paris + Dinner 1.5-2 hours

   RER C back to Paris, arrive 7:45-8:15 PM. Dinner in the Latin Quarter or Saint-Germain. The Le Comptoir du Relais L'Avant Comptoir wine bar is the casual closing

   Cost: $30-65 / €28-60 TIP: Arrive Paris by 8 PM for the Latin Quarter dinner. Au Pied de Cochon (Les Halles, 24h) is the late-night brasserie option. Pair with a glass of red wine.

Meal Recommendations

Activities

1. 08:00 Choose: Giverny (1-day) OR Loire Valley (long-day) 8-12 hours

   Giverny (Monet's gardens, 1 hour northwest of Paris) is the easier and more iconic day trip. Loire Valley castles (Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise, 2 hours southwest) is the deeper history experience requiring 9+ hours

   Cost: $55-150 / €50-140 TIP: Giverny is best April-October when the gardens are in bloom — closed November-March. Loire Valley works year-round but requires a guided tour or rental car. Both available via Klook and Get Your Guide.
2. 09:00 (Giverny) Train to Giverny (via Vernon) 1 hour

   Direct SNCF train from Saint-Lazare to Vernon-Giverny station, 45 min, $20 / €18 each way. Shuttle bus or 5km bike ride from Vernon to Monet's house and gardens

   Cost: $20 / €18 each way TIP: Tickets via the SNCF Connect app. Vernon station has bike rental ($5 / €5 for the day) — the 5km ride to Giverny along the Seine is part of the experience.
3. 10:30 (Giverny) Monet's House and Gardens 2-3 hours

   Where Monet lived 1883-1926 and painted the Water Lilies series. The pink-shuttered house, the famous Japanese bridge over the lily pond, the flower garden. Open April-October only. The most-photographed garden in France

   Cost: $13 / €12 TIP: Book online 1-2 weeks ahead. Best 9-10 AM (after opening) or after 4 PM (most tour buses gone). The Japanese bridge photo is the iconic shot.
4. 13:30 (Giverny) Lunch — La Capucine or Hotel Baudy 1.5 hours

   Giverny restaurants are limited but charming. Hotel Baudy was the historic hotel where Monet, Cézanne, and Renoir stayed — now an open garden bistrot. La Capucine is the casual village option

   Cost: $25-50 / €23-47 TIP: Reservations for Hotel Baudy. The 'Cézanne table' on the terrace is the historical photo. Pair with a glass of Sancerre or local Normandy cider.
5. 15:30 Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny 1.5 hours

   Across the road from Monet's house. Modern museum dedicated to Impressionism with rotating exhibits. The garden alone is worth the entry fee — designed in the Monet color-block style

   Cost: $11 / €10 TIP: Combined Monet + Museum ticket at $22 / €20 saves a few euros. The museum has a strong café for an afternoon coffee stop.
6. 09:00 (Loire alt) Loire Valley guided tour from Paris 12 hours

   Full-day Loire Valley castle tour: Château de Chambord (1519, Italian Renaissance, the Marvel of French Châteaux), Château de Chenonceau (built across the river Cher), Château d'Amboise (Leonardo da Vinci's grave is at Clos Lucé nearby). 12+ hours total

   Cost: $130-180 / €120-170 TIP: Guided tours from Paris via Get Your Guide. Self-drive option requires car rental + 2h drive each way. Recommend the Chambord+Chenonceau combo as the photogenic essentials.
7. 18:00 Return to Paris + Farewell dinner 2-2.5 hours

   Train back to Paris arrives 7:30-8:30 PM. Farewell Paris dinner. Save the splurge for tonight — Bistrot Paul Bert, Frenchie, or a Michelin lunch tasting

   Cost: $50-260 / €47-245 TIP: Reservations 1-3 weeks ahead. Frenchie or Bistrot Paul Bert for the contemporary bistrot. Guy Savoy / Alain Ducasse lunch tasting is the splurge.

Meal Recommendations