Whether it’s your first time in Paris or your 17th, the key to unlocking its magic is to blend tourist attractions with unscheduled wandering. This itinerary for 5 days in Paris is probably best for visitors who’ve been once or twice — or not at all. It’ll send you to some of the top highlights that must not be missed alongside some Instagram-worthy photo opps and experiences, with essential time to nosh, sit and people-watch.
I created this itinerary for my daughter’s first-ever visit — a dream she’d had since she was five years old that we tacked on to the end of her summer in Switzerland when she was 15 — having only been there once myself more than 25 years earlier. Five or six days in Paris is enough to do quite a lot and I suggest adding a Eurostar ride through the Chunnel to London if you’re coming from a far-away land. It only takes a few hours and it’s super cool (plus it lands you in one of my favourite cities on Earth; more content coming soon to help you explore). And, hey, you might as well make the most of a trip across the pond and stay a while.
A first-timer’s best itinerary for 5 days in Paris
Before we get to your 5-day Paris itinerary, a few tips, if I may:
- Be sure to do your hotel homework! Our airport pickup at Orly was provided by Booking.com (via Talixo Services GmbH) as part of my hotel booking thanks to a promotion that happened to hit while I was making the reservation. This is not sponsored in any way; I have never worked with Booking.com in any capacity. I also had a digital coupon that Booking.com sent me after not booking with them in a while and it ultimately gave me $180 in credits to use toward a future booking thanks to this reservation. While I normally book hotels via Expedia or directly, for this particular time of year (a peak week in July), Booking.com had the best rates and with these sweet little bonuses, was unmatched.
- If you need to exchange money from another country, either because you’ve just come from a side quest like we had in Switzerland with Swiss francs burning a hole in my wallet, or because you didn’t have time to do so before you left home, you’ll want to know that Paris has wildly fluctuating exchange rates depending on where you go. The absolute worst time and place to try to exchange currency is on the Champs-Élysées after the banks close for the day. You will be robbed — legally. Instead, make your way to 25 Rue Quentin Bauchart, 75008 Paris, which usually offers among the best rates in the city.
- There’s no need to buy a Navigo reloadable EasyPass or one-day Navigo card if you plan to spend a lot of your time in Paris walking, which is the absolute best way to see it. I decided to take my chances tapping my credit card when we needed to hop on the Metro and when I did the math later, I saved money with this on-demand approach. The math had already told me ahead of our visit that the Paris Visite Pass was not good value for us, either, though if you prefer to just have an unlimited-use transit pass to avoid thinking or doing math of any kind, it’s an option.
- Paris experts will tell you to avoid restaurants and cafes that are beautifully adorned outside with lots of floral decor, and in our experience, that was pretty bang on.
- If you plan on shopping, PACK YOUR PASSPORTS FOR THE DAY! To take advantage of VAT refunds at the airport when you leave, each store will have its own minimum spend required to get said refund, but they will not complete the necessary forms if you don’t have your passport in-hand. A copy will not suffice…ask me how I know. You may wish to carve out a shopping day so you can leave your passports in your hotel safe the rest of your trip.
- Post-COVID, you need timed-entry tickets for basically every attraction in Paris and some have strict windows in which they can be purchased (cough, cough, here’s looking at you, Catacombs), so do NOT expect to get tickets on the fly or walk up to a ticket office and waltz in then and there; plan ahead or risk disappointment.
- Be very aware of your belongings at all times. Don’t place purses or backpacks on the backs of your restaurant chairs; don’t hold your phone out in front of you on the side of the street unless it’s tethered to you; don’t ever walk away from your things no matter where you are, even for a second; and be hyper-vigilant of scammers and pickpocketers who will try to distract you, bump into you, put bracelets on you and more.
Some final notes: I created this itinerary for 5 days in Paris below based on our starting point at the CitizenM hotel, and everything was designed to flow efficiently based on (mostly) walking. If you plan to use the Metro more, you may find that there are different or better ways to clump together various neighbourhoods, sites and attractions. Additionally, there are so many more things we saw en route from point to point in this itinerary that I haven’t included on purpose — like golden-domed buildings, incredible architecture and cool art installations. And that’s because I want you to discover them on your own. There’s always something to find while you’re walking the streets in Paris. Consider this a starter guide and then make it your own.
Where to stay in Paris for first-timers
We stayed at the CitizenM Champs-Élysées, which was perfect in every way. A lot of people will tell you not to stay on the Champs-Élysées because it’s ultra-touristy, but for a first-time visit, it puts you at the heart of so much and within easy proximity to public transit. This hotel is right off the main drag, which means no walking down dark side streets with crappy lighting after dark; it has an awesome vibe (especially if you’re travelling with a teen in tow); the rooms are super funky; and the price is very good.
Rooms are small by North American standards, yes, but they’re laid out efficiently. Besides, you’re only here to sleep — you’ve got five days in Paris, baby!
Day 1 of the best itinerary for 5 days in Paris
As soon as you land, or even a day before, try to get Notre-Dame tickets. It’s a lottery for something like 10-15,000 available tickets each day, and while we didn’t luck out, it’s definitely worth trying! If going inside the Notre-Dame de Paris is important to you and you don’t get tickets, you can line up to attend a mass instead. Just be sure to arrive early because the line will get very long (it moves pretty fast, though) and don’t forget to bring a shawl if you’re wearing a tank top as bare shoulders are not permitted inside.
Today, you’re going to get your bearings and spend some time wandering up and down the Champs-Élysées to window shop. Look for the pretty Ladurée Bakery and Tearoom and the gorgeous L’Occitane store; ogle the Guerlain shop; marvel at the luxury flagship storefronts like Louis Vuitton, Dior and YSL; admire the architecture; pop into a pharmacy to get your hands on French skincare; or just stop at a cafe to watch the world go by if you like.
Head toward Place de la Concorde and the Tuileries Garden on foot and spend time picking your jaw up off the floor if it’s a nice day.
For the ultimate Instagrammable experience — that’s actually worth the cost — there’s an Officine Universelle Buly 1803 store just 10 or so minutes away on foot from the garden at 29 Rue de Richelieu, 75001. Be prepared to line up, for as little as 15 minutes but as long as two hours during peak periods. The products really are gorgeous; think boar-bristle hairbrushes embossed with your name in gold lettering. This is my kind of souvenir and I also brought home a personalized comb for my husband that he LOVES.
If the weather is on your side, take this opportunity to check out the Arc du Triomphe de Carousel, get lots of photos outside the Louvre and walk across the Seine to the left bank, where you can find a place to sit and admire the river that divides Paris. Today is really just about shaking off the jet lag and easing your way into Paris. Walk slowly, be present and stop to smell the proverbial roses.
Our dinner at LE Drugstore was quite good, but I’m not suggesting it was so good that you should dine there yourself if it’s out of your way. It’s very photogenic — fabulous on the outside with food presentation to match — and it has very good reviews, but they’re higher than what I would probably rate it (I’m a food snob, though). Look, it’s better than fine and if you’re staying on the Champs-Élysées like we were, go for it. The alternatives I was considering were Bus Toque, Le Petit George and La Cantina Chic in case you want to check those out.
If the sky is clear tonight, head to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle for five minutes at 9, 10 and 11 p.m. It’s open until 11 p.m. and you need tickets to actually go inside and climb the stairs.
Paris itinerary Day 2
If you want some great Arc de Triomphe roundabout shots with very few people and vehicles, get up at the crack of dawn and get yourself there by 7 a.m. at the latest.
This morning, it’s an Instagram breakfast at Carette (Trocadéro location). Please don’t have exceptionally high hopes for the food here; it’s really about the experience and photos. There are much better places to have breakfast in Paris. But if you like a wow-looking hot chocolate that translates on photos and videos, this is the place. Arrive just before they open to join the queue, because they don’t take reservations and every table will be filled within half an hour of the doors opening.
By 9 a.m., you’ll be ready to explore Place du Trocadéro and the Jardins du Trocadéro.
At 9:45 a.m., make your way on foot to Avenue de Camoens for quintessential Eiffel Tower pics. It won’t be too busy yet, so you should have a decent chunk of time to get some really beautiful shots.
Once 10 a.m. hits, walk to the Eiffel Tower and Champs-de-Mars to explore. Ahead of our trip, I asked my daughter if it was important to her to physically go up the Eiffel Tower or if she just wanted to see it up close. She chose the latter. And as someone who did the full experience 25 years earlier, I wasn’t disappointed by her choice. For those who grew up near Toronto’s soaring CN Tower, the Eiffel Tower is…well…pretty small! It’s neat to see it up close and it makes for some of the most perfect Paris photos you’ll take, though.
By 11 a.m., start walking to Rue Cambronne. Here, you can pop into Stohrer for a snack; it was the first patisserie in Paris and has been open since 1730. This whole street is adorable and you may want to find a cafe and just sit for a while to take it all in, which is one of the most Parisian things you can do.
At 1:30 p.m., we walked to Le Bon Marché to do a little indoor shopping since it was raining. And an hour later, we took the Metro (subway) to Shakespeare & Company, which has a fabulous adjacent cafe with a little courtyard if the line to get into the bookstore is as bananas as it was the day we were there. Then, you can wander over to Notre-Dame Cathedral in the Latin Quarter — even if you didn’t get tickets, it’s so beautiful to look at its exterior and shouldn’t be missed. This whole area — from Shakespeare & Co to the cathedral is buzzing and deserves mindful wandering, so slow down and find a few nooks and crannies for pics along the way.
By 4 p.m., walk to Sainte-Chapelle for your 4:30 p.m. pre-booked time slot. DO NOT MISS SAINTE-CHAPELLE! Though, if you can find time on your first day in Paris to go earlier in the day — around 9 to 10 a.m. — apparently the light beaming in makes it even more spectacular. Even my teen gasped when we walked in. It is simply breathtaking.
You won’t likely need more than an hour at Sainte-Chapelle, so by 5:15/5:30ish, walk to Saule Pleureur de la Pointe for pics and then head to La Marais to explore. It’s only a 20- to 25-minute walk and it’s a lovely walk at that on a nice day. La Marais is an amazing, vibrant neighbourhood and probably where I’d stay if we visit Paris again, though I still think the Champs-Élysées is my pick for first-timers.
For dinner, you could wander through the oldest food market in Paris, Marchez des Enfants Rouge (39 rue de Bretagne, open Tuesday to Sunday with varying hours) or make a reservation at Terra Pizza (67 Rue des Gravilliers, 75003 Paris) if market-eating isn’t your jam. Terra Pizza was fairly new on the scene when we visited and it was one of our favourite meals in Paris, so I’m not surprised to see through-the-roof ratings on Google. Everything from the salad to pizzas to cocktails was chef’s kiss.
If your nighttime weather was terrible on day one, this is your backup evening atop the Arc de Triomphe. Otherwise, head back to your hotel for a good night’s sleep. You’re going to need all the energy you can get for tomorrow.
Paris itinerary Day 3
It’s Versailles day! While technically not in the city of love itself, this is an absolute must on your itinerary for 5 days in Paris. I cannot recommend the tour we did nearly enough — it was simply fabulous from start to finish. I can’t even imagine a different way of experiencing Versailles and recommend this specific tour to everyone.
Choose a day of the week when the food markets in Versailles are open (it’s just a few days a week; usually Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays but check online to confirm) to get the full experience, and don’t worry if it’s raining. It was downright torrential for half of our tour and it was still amazing.
You’ll meet your tour guide at 8:15 a.m. near the André Citroën Metro station. There’s a Starbucks located at 2 Rue de la Pépinière, and s/he’ll be standing outside ready to note your name on the reservation list for the Versailles Bike Tour. Here, you’ll get your train tickets to take you to and from Versailles; both are open-ended, so you don’t need to worry about missing a specific train and you can return to the city centre at your leisure.
Once you arrive in Versailles, you’ll shop for your picnic-by-the-lake at the bustling market. After a few tastes from vendors at various stalls, you have about 20 minutes of free time to explore and spend your Euros (bring cash as not all vendors take credit cards). We chose some fresh butter, carved off with a wire loop before our eyes, yummy cheeses, cured meats and the most gorgeous macarons I’ve put in my mouth. I also grabbed an unforgettable half-bottle of red wine for just 12 Euros at one of the stalls, which our guide corked for me once we reached our picnic spot. Oh, and don’t worry about transporting your wares from the market — your bike is outfitted with pannier bags.
Next, it’s time to pick up your bikes and helmets (plus a rain poncho, if needed). Then it’s off to one of the best guided tours I’ve done anywhere. Even my hard-to-impress teen loved it. You’ll cycle some of the prettiest tree-lined paths along the Grand Canal and learn about the history of the city, its residences and marvel at the expansive green spaces.
After lunch, you’ll get to explore both of Versailles’ Trianon residences while your bikes are safely locked up, and after returning the bikes, you’ll walk to the Palace of Versailles in your small group to get in with your late-afternoon timed ticket. Once inside, your tour disperses and you’re on your own, which is nice because you can spend as much time as you like — including out in the gardens if you still have energy! Everyone heads back to Paris on their own timeline thanks to the train ticket you received in the morning. Truth be told, had we only done a classic Versailles tour that skipped the Trianons, we would have missed out on the most beautiful parts. In my opinion, while the Palace is usually considered the star of the show, it’s huge and packs people like sardines; the Trianon residences are less hectic and more magical.
This is a full-day tour, so don’t plan to do anything else except maybe some late-night eats. But we ate so much on this tour that we skipped dinner and just went back to our hotel and each had a slice of leftover pizza from the night before, fell into bed and went to sleep.
Paris itinerary Day 4
Our fourth day in Paris started with breakfast at Azur Cafe, which we chose because of its proximity to our hotel. It was quite good but I wouldn’t go out of your way to dine there if you’re not staying nearby.
With timed tickets for the Louvre today, we got a pretty early start and walked to Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (parallel to the Champs-Élysées) — one of Paris’s most luxurious streets, which is also home to the beautiful and historic À la Mère de Famille, stood here since 1761, where chocolate lovers can pick up some tasty treats — to just soak in some classic, historic Paris. Yes, all before 9:45 a.m.!
By 10 o’clock, we were in line for our timed-entry tickets, which is strongly recommended for any Louvre Museum visit, any time of the week, any time of the year. Having been to the Louvre before, I asked my daughter ahead of time what her priorities were in the museum — because you can’t see it all in just two or three hours. Heck, you could stay all day and not see it all. She wanted to see the Mona Lisa (Denon Wing: 1st Floor, Room 711) and Venus de Milo (Ground Floor, Room 345), of course, and the Greek goddess Nike overlooking a huge staircase in the Denon Wing that she’d seen on TikTok.
But perhaps the coolest thing we discovered while we were there was a portrait painted in 1539 of King Henry VIII‘s wife, Anne of Cleves, by artist Hans Holbein. If your kid is into musical theatre, s/he’ll know this painting well from SIX! The Musical. It was tied for the best find of the day alongside the outstanding couture exhibit, which we were grateful to explore on its last day at the Louvre.
Pro tip: Thankfully, the Louvre has moved the Mona Lisa into a much larger room since my last visit and she isn’t behind six feet of scratched plexiglass anymore. However, it’s still going to be the most-crowded space in the entire place during your visit, so head there first. Instead of aiming for dead centre, make your way to either side where you’ll move to the front faster and still have a wonderful view.
Before you leave, be sure to check out Cour Carrée (off Rue de Rivoli), which is the oldest square courtyard of the Louvre Palace. It’s gorgeous.
From here, cross the Seine and head to Rue Montorgueil for a snack, coffee or lunch. It’s a picturesque pedestrian street brimming with authentic Parisian market life.
Just 10 minutes away on foot, Les Passages Couverts de Paris 1 (5 Rue de la Banque, 75002; open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.) is one of the first examples of an early indoor shopping mall. Featuring glass-roofed “arcades” built in the late-1700s and 1800s, it’s adorned with decorative ironwork and early gas lighting.
Speaking of shopping, you can’t go to Paris and not hit Galeries Lafayette. But, specifically, you want the Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann location at 40 Bd Haussmann, 75009. This is where the Galeries Lafayette Coupole (dome) is — a stained glass masterpiece worthy of all your ogling. It’s also where the Jellycat Paris Patisserie Experience is, in the FAO Schwarz on the 5th floor, if you have a Jellycat-obsessed tween or teen with you, as well as a rooftop patio on the 8th floor that’s supposed to be wonderful — though it was closed due to bad weather during our visit, unfortunately.
And Galeries Lafayette isn’t just one building — just cross the street in any direction and there’s another, and another. The foodie wonders here alone are worth making the trek. It’s just one jaw-dropping moment to the next, really. We had a few sweet treats during the several hours we visited Galeries Lafayette and decided to cancel our dinner reservation at Francette (though I’m still upset we didn’t make it to dine there during our stay) in favour of staying onsite to enjoy Chef Ankur Chakraborty’s The Crossing, which was really good.
Paris itinerary Day 5
If you plan to be out all day without time to come back to your hotel before tonight’s must-do show, be sure to pack your Moulin Rouge ticket hard copies and adhere to the theatre’s dress code before you set off for the day. They will not let you in with digital tickets on your phone and if you turn up in jeans, for example, you’re going to be very disappointed when you have to miss your show or go shopping in a nearby thrift store in a hurry (again, ask me how I know).
Once that’s sorted, hit up Le BAB, Bar à Brioches for breakfast. This was hands down my favourite breakfast in Paris. It’s the city’s first artisenal brioche bar where everything is handmade daily — and it’s all brioche-based, even the croissants. GET. A. CROISSANT. Heavenly. It was the best croissant I had in Paris.
Because you planned ahead, and you already have your tickets for the Catacombs, head there via Metro around noon. This is not an attraction for everyone, though. If you don’t want to be near millions of actual human skulls, it’s not for you. If you can’t handle lots of narrow spiral stair-climbing, it’s not for you. If you get claustrophobic, it’s not for you. If you don’t like the dark, it’s not for you.
But…if you’re drawn to the macabre, an underground history of Paris or unique attractions with a real sense of place, the Paris Catacombs are definitely for you. Wear comfortable shoes because the ground is uneven in the tunnels, only go where you’re clearly allowed to go, and don’t bother with the audio guide as there is plenty of signage (and by the end both of our devices were broken anyway). One other thing to keep in mind here is that in certain areas, the ceilings are quite low and if you’re more than 5’10” or so be ready to duck!
By early afternoon, you can take a leisurely 20-minute stroll to spend some time at the stunning Luxembourg Gardens if it’s a nice day. If you’re feeling peckish, there are plenty of little food trucks for snacks or lunch, too. Find a bench and breathe in the flowers or wander over to the little makeshift pond where children are launching these cute little boats. It feels like you’ve gone back in time here.
For the balance of the day, you’re hopping on the Metro again to head to the Montmartre area. If you opted for a Paris Go City pass — which is excellent value if you find even just three things from its expansive list that you planned to do in Paris anyway — get on the Petit Train to avoid the very, very long and very, very steep walk up the hill to the Sacre Coeur. Once you arrive at the Blanche Metro stop (as soon as you come up the stairs, you’ll see the Moulin Rouge and know you’re in the right spot), look for the Petit Train de Montmartre signage — and get in line. It operates every 30 minutes, daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and this is the only way I ever want to go up that hill, ever.
If you’re lucky, the line to get into the Sacre Coeur will be short and you’ll have time to go inside. If not, marvelling at it from outside is just as impressive. And you’ll be hard-pressed to get a better panoramic view of Paris than from up here.
No matter what else you do in Montmartre this afternoon, please, please, please — go get the nut-covered ice cream at Bachir (7 Rue Tardieu). It’s just a five-minute downhill walk from the basilica and it was my favourite snack in Paris. If you’ve timed this right, you’ll have plenty of time to sit and people-watch while you enjoy your ice cream and then slowly walk back down the hill to the Moulin Rouge, popping into some of the interesting side streets on your way down.
Arrive at 6:30 p.m. to the iconic Moulin Rouge building for the ultimate Moulin Rouge experience: it’s the 7 p.m. dinner and show — the only show each evening that includes a meal. And the only time that my teenager thought she could stay awake for since the other showtimes are at 9 and 11 p.m. But here’s the best part — use my affiliate code MOMMYGEAREST5 to get a 5% discount on this ticket package if you download and use the Get Your Guide app for the first time; that’s a pretty big savings on an experience like this one. (You can use this same discount on any other first-time ticket/tour as well; it doesn’t have to be this one at the Moulin Rouge specifically.) Remember that you must bring your GetYourGuide voucher along with you, printed as a hard copy.
The Moulin Rouge show is a Paris staple. There’s a bit of topless nudity, of course, but it’s subtle because the outfits are so over-the-top that you barely notice. However, if you’re deeply religious or have made nudity taboo in your home, do be forewarned. It’s essentially The Rockettes but sometimes they don’t have sparkly bras on.
This was our big splurge of our Paris vacation, because when we first started planning, it was at the top of my kid’s list. And, honestly, it was worth every single penny. Our seats were great, the food was actually very good (I had low expectations because I figured it would be a tourist trap, but I was really pleasantly surprised) and the show itself was wonderful. Plus, we were back at our hotel and in bed by 10 p.m.
And that’s a wrap! You’ll check out the following morning and head home or jet off to some other fabulous place in Europe. Bon voyage!
DISCLAIMER: This trip was entirely self-funded and -organized with the exception of Terra Pizza, who generously hosted our dinner with zero expectations of what my content might look like. I also received a discount on our Moulin Rouge tickets thanks to Get Your Guide. All opinions are obviously my own since no third parties were involved in any way with my planning.
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