5 Days in Paris Itinerary

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
Published: July 18, 2024
Couple taking a selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower

You’ll have very little trouble filling a 5-day Paris itinerary, thanks to the City of Love’s swoonsome selection of bucket-list landmarks, must-see museums, gorgeous galleries and romantic river walks. And that’s just for starters! Dive in for our suggestions on how to spend five days in Paris, including:

  • The Eiffel Tower
  • The Louvre 
  • Père Lachaise Cemetery
  • Montmartre
  • The Marais 
  • Galeries Lafayette Haussmann
  • The Picasso Museum
  • … and much more!

Day 1: Tick Off a Big-Hitter or Two

Friends taking photos on top of the Montparnasse Tower

The Eiffel Tower is hands-down the most famous monument on the planet, so it makes sense to make a beeline for it on your first day in Paris. There are stacks of ways to see this wrought-iron masterpiece of Victorian latticework: you can queue for the elevator to the top, or if you fancy braving the queues (and the climb), you can walk up 674 stairs to the viewing platform on the second floor. If, however, you’d prefer to dodge the crowds and just enjoy the views of this architectural marvel, hit up the Montparnasse Tower – Paris’s only skyscraper – for some of the best in town. You can also catch a glimpse of the Iron Lady at her best from the Jardins du Trocadéro just across the Seine, or from the steps of the glorious Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre.

The Wall of Love in Montmartre, Paris

And, now that you’re in Montmartre, you might as well stick around for the afternoon. Sure, it’s all gone a bit ‘Paris theme park’ up here at the highest point in the city, but that’s all part of the fun. Wander the atmospheric cobbled lanes and scratch your selfie itch in front of the famous red neon sails of the Moulin Rouge windmill, by the Wall of Love and outside (or indeed inside) the café featured in the movie Amélie. Heck, you can even have your best facial features mocked, distorted and exaggerated in perpetuity, thanks to the caricature artists on the picture-postcard Place du Tertre. Now that's what we call a souvenir!

Day 2: A Spot of Culture

The Louvre Museum in Paris

City of Love, City of Light, City of Culture… Paris is home to some of the finest galleries and museums on the planet, and no mistake. Be sure to see at least one of ‘the big two’ (i.e. the Louvre or Musée d’Orsay) while you’re here. Can’t decide whether to tick the Mona Lisa or van Gogh’s equally enigmatic Self Portrait off your bucket list? Check out our guide to the best (and worst) of these Paris sightseeing titans here.

Place des Vosges in Paris's Marais neighborhood

Feeling suitably cultured, amble over to the Marais for a decidedly lazy déjeuner before exploring this charming district’s maze of cobbled lanes that lead to enchanting garden squares and oh-so-tempting pâtisseries. Pause at Paris’s oldest planned square, the Place des Vosges, where formal gardens flanked by 17th-century townhouses and atmospheric arcades provide a lovely location to just stop and watch the world go by. If you’re not already all cultured out, hit up the nearby Picasso Museum to ogle thousands of pieces – paintings, sculptures, illustrations, engravings – from one of the all-time greats. Pro-tip: the Picasso gift shop, just next door, boasts some of the coolest souvenirs in town.

Day 3: Picnic and a Walk

Cheese market in Paris

Whaddya mean you’re halfway through your 5-day Paris itinerary and you haven’t experienced the sensory joy of a street market yet? Well, now’s the time to rectify that. Make a beeline for one of these foodie meccas – Marché Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement, Marché Raspail in the 6th, and Marché des Enfants Rouge in the Marais are among the very best – and stock up on still-warm baguettes, pungent cheeses, glorious local charcuterie and, heck, maybe even a bottle of fine Bordeaux for a gratuitously decadent pique-nique in the park. Jardin des Tuileries by the Louvre is the vibe if it’s formal gardens, tranquil lakes and sculptures by Mailliol and Rodin that float your boat. Or bag a few #humblebrag snaps as you tuck in on the manicured lawns of the Champs de Mars, where the Eiffel Tower provides that essential picnic-selfie backdrop.

Couple having a picnic on the lawn by the Eiffel Tower

If you want to make a whole day of it, you could do worse than the wooded valleys, secluded hills and colonnaded Temple de la Sybille of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont on the edge of town. Then there’s the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes, the city’s largest public parks, which promise relative seclusion and room to roam (and picnic) amid botanical gardens, grottoes, chateaux, boating lakes and more. Heck, you could even consider finding a suitable lunch spot among the permanent residents of Père Lachaise, Paris’s biggest cemetery. This atmospheric stretch of parkland is chock-full of ornate headstones and gothic tombs, including such luminaries of the entertainment world as Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf, Chopin, and Jim Morrison of The Doors. There’s a great guided tour you can take while you’re there, too!

Day 4: Shop Til You Drop

The Galeries Lafayette Haussmann shopping mall in Paris

There are plenty of ways to lighten your wallet in Paris. Why not spend day four of your trip doing precisely that? Bonus: because Paris is so achingly pretty, you can effortlessly combine it with a little sightseeing and a lot of café culture. Hit up the iconic Galeries Lafayette Haussmann where the ornamental galleries and soaring atrium topped by a huuuuge steel-and-glass cupola vie with 65,000 square meters of prime retail space as the star attraction.

Covered shopping arcade in Paris

You could easily spend a whole day in here, but that would be to overlook Paris’s equally charming 19th-century shopping arcades. These atmospheric throwbacks to a more gentile era are all stained-glass ceilings, old-school wood-fronted stores and intricate mosaic tiling. Some even have iron-and-glass domes and canopies, pure masterclasses of Victorian architecture and engineering. There are around 20 to explore across the city, each promising hip boutiques, antique emporia, old-school watchmakers, jewelers and bookstores, as well as any number of tempting beautiful bistros and cute cafés from which to take it all in over espresso and croissants.

Day 5: Bonus Bucket-Listers

Tourists looking through the famous clock face at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris

You want your last day in Paris to be as special as the first, am I right? With that in mind, consider the big-ticket items you’ve missed and whether now’s the time to fit them in. Didn’t go to Musée d’Orsay on day 2? Now’s your chance. Been lured Quasimodo-style by the bells of Notre-Dame Cathedral? Get yourself down to Île de la Cité, the tiny island in the middle of the Seine that’s also home to the remarkable Conciergerie and medieval Sainte-Chapelle, as well as a must-visit flower (and sometime bird) market.

Woman browsing outdoor bouquinistes book stalls in Paris

Or you could meander around the storied lanes of the Latin Quarter, following in the footsteps of such legendary wordsmiths as Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway. This left bank enclave still exudes literary cool, thanks to hip cafés with book-lined shelves, the unmissable Shakespeare and Company Bookshop, and the army of Bouquinistes (open-air booksellers) that line the banks of the Seine. Or just soak it all in (and much more besides) on a relaxing sightseeing cruise that takes in the Pont Neuf, Jardin des Tuileries, Louvre and Grand Palais.

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Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Freelance travel writer

Stu caught the travel bug at an early age, thanks to childhood road trips to the south of France squeezed into the back of a Ford Cortina with two brothers and a Sony Walkman. Now a freelance writer living on the Norfolk coast, Stu has produced content for travel giants including Frommer’s, British Airways, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, and now Go City. His most memorable travel experiences include drinking kava with the locals in Fiji and pranging a taxi driver’s car in the Honduran capital.

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A couple lean in for a kiss at a cafe table
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Why we love Paris in February

What could be better than a trip to the City of Love for Valentine’s Day? If you’re wondering if February is a good time to visit Paris, the answer is hell yes! Whilst Paris in February may not have the new growth of spring or the heat of summer, it does have a surprising number of events to look forward to. What’s more, although you might think Paris in February would be packed out because of the presence of Valentine’s Day, the month sits firmly within the city’s low season meaning there’s fewer other visitors and the possibility of cheaper hotel rates too. Here are just some of the reasons we love Paris in February. Paris without the crowds Although you can never say that Paris is free of visitors, it certainly can seem like that when comparing the flow of people into the city’s museums in February to that during the months of July and August. So why not take advantage of the reduced crowds to get up close with the Mona Lisa in the Louvre or climb the 674 steps to the viewing platforms of the Eiffel Tower with a guide in tow. The one exception is the big day of February 14 itself, when entry to the tower is regularly booked up months in advance. If you’re planning to pop the big question, don’t get caught out by this! Celebrate Crepe Day One of Paris’s lesser-known celebrations, Crepe Day nonetheless holds a special place in the hearts of many Parisians. Taking place on February 2, it stems from the Catholic festival of Candlemas or La Chandeleur. It seems to have developed out of the Popes of centuries past giving food to the poor as part of the mid-winter holy day. It has become a way of marking the last days of winter and the first days of spring. Look out for special dinner menus incorporating all things crepe, or grab one from a stall during the day. Discover the bizarre love stories of Versailles Perhaps the grandest estate ever built, the Palace of Versailles and its expansive gardens became one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1979 such is its importance. The main residence of the kings of France for 200 years, its rooms and corridors have seen their fair share of strange love stories. For instance, Louis XIII never allowed his queen to spend a single night here. To wander these historic spaces, where gold glints off crystal, marble and old master paintings, is an ideal thing to do on an overcast February day whether you’re traveling as a couple, as a group or if you’re a solo visitor. See Paris at its most glamorous The end of February welcomes many of the world’s top models to the boulevards of the French capital for the half-yearly Paris Fashion Week. The country’s top designers and fashion houses – the likes of Chanel and Dior – host lavish events to coincide with the release of their latest collections. Many take place in unique settings such as the Grand Palais exhibition hall and the Carrousel du Louvre underground shopping mall. Should you arrive in Paris at the beginning of the month instead, you don’t have to miss out on the opportunity for some retail therapy. Great savings can be had with the end of the winter sales period – stores of all budgets slash their prices even further. Revel in the Chinese New Year festivities Firecrackers popping around Paris. Performers leaping to the sound of cymbals. Colorful parades taking over the streets. It can only be Chinese New Year, which falls at the start of February (or very end of January). Paris’s size means it’s able to boast several ‘Spring Festival’ celebrations. The largest happens in the 13th arrondissement’s Asian Quarter (Quartier Asiatique). The area’s street parade usually has around 2000 participants with ancestry in China and its neighboring countries. But that’s nothing compared to the 200,000 who turn up to get involved and admire the meticulously choreographed lion dances and sample traditional New Year cuisine. Join the carnival parade Chinese New Year isn’t the only street festival to take place in Paris in February. There is also the small matter of the Paris Carnival, or La Promenade du Boeuf Gras, coinciding with Mardi Gras. Held in one form or another since the 16th Century, the carnival starts with a parade of masked figures at Place Gambetta in the 20th arrondissement. It makes its way to the Place de la République where the celebrations continue as a street party. Make a day of Paris’s monuments to love Offering views of Notre Dame Cathedral,, the Pont des Arts is better known to many as love lock bridge. Literally millions of padlocks marked or engraved with lovers’ initials have been attached to its railings – creating a sea of metalwork estimated to weigh around 45 tons. Amidst the winding streets of Montmartre lies the 40 square meter Wall of Love. Made up of over 600 individual ceramic tiles, they include the words ‘I love you’ roughly 300 times in 250 different languages, including Inuit and Esperanto. No words are needed to visit the heart of Voltaire, situated beneath a marble statue of the writer-philosopher in the Salon d’honneur (Hall of Honor) at the National Library. But if that’s a little bit ghoulish, you can instead hover above the buildings of Paris with a romantic balloon ride on the Ballon de Paris Generali – the world’s largest. Explore the hidden side of Paris Taking place over a long weekend, the Face Cachée (Hidden Side) event is another wonderful thing to do in Paris in February. Around 120 venues and organizations are involved in creating unique experiences. They allow the public to enter parts of the city usually closed off, or experience events they would never otherwise be able to. There are no such limitations with the Palais Garnier Opera House – the reputed home of the Phantom of the Opera. It opens its doors throughout February for self-guided and guided tours of its extraordinary interiors. Ways to save in Paris in February Checking out the discount rails of the department stores isn’t the only way to save in Paris in February. Go City All-Inclusive and Explorer passes get you a great deal on admission to many of the city’s top attractions. All you need to do is pick the right pass for you and start exploring to save!
Ian Packham
Two women enjoy a walk along the banks of the Seine
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Cheap things to do in Paris

Paris has a reputation for being très cher – very expensive. But, au contraire, it doesn’t have to be. There are a huge number of fun things to do which don’t cost the earth. If you’re heading to the City of Light on a budget – and even if you’re not – check out these cheap things to do in Paris. You won’t regret it! Feel like a local Budget travelers are likely to find themselves in the further reaches of the Paris suburbs, meaning potentially expensive taxi fares to the world-famous landmarks dotted on and around the River Seine. However, as you might expect, there are a variety of cheaper alternatives. Not only that, but some can become attractions in themselves. A great addition to trips aboard a Hop-on Hop-off sightseeing bus are the city’s public buses. Route 89 takes in the sights of the Latin Quarter, including the Panthéon and Jardin du Luxembourg. The north-south route 69 incorporates the Bastille, Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral. When the sometimes-fickle Paris weather holds, one of the most charming ways to explore Paris is by bike. The bike-sharing stations of Vélib’ are located across greater Paris. A mix of pedal and hybrid electric cycles, they have rates starting at just €1 for 30 minutes use. Whilst covering 41 square miles, the majority of Paris’s major landmarks are centrally located, making an afternoon stroll an excellent way to absorb the city’s atmosphere. So why not wander along a portion of the Seine, or follow the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe towards the masterpieces of the Louvre? Check out the markets You’re unlikely to discover a lost artwork by Monet or Degas among the stalls of Saint-Ouen flea market, located in the same neighborhood as the Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge. But even if you don’t, a bit of friendly-haggling with the stallholders can still get you a bargain. One of the largest flea markets in the world, stalls hold everything from vintage fashion to diamond bracelets. There’s no better place to discover Parisians’ love of food and fine ingredients than the oldest covered market in Paris. Founded in 1628, the Marché des Enfants Rouges – or Market of Red Children, after the orphanage of the same name – is a great place to pick up some freshly-baked bread or a bunch of flowers. Should it get your stomach growling, there are also a good selection of cafés and restaurants, many of whom use produce direct from the market’s stalls. Thursdays and Sundays sees another market appearing in the park to the north of Place de la Bastille. In addition to groceries, there’s also a good number of tempting objet d’art and other trinkets you’ll wonder how you ever lived without. Discover the city’s green spaces No list of cheap things to do in Paris should be considered complete without mentioning the city’s array of parks and gardens. Among one of the best is the Jardin des Plantes botanic garden. Largely formal in style, there are few better places for a romantic walk, whilst the small zoo’s collection of animals is sure to enthrall the kids. It’s easy to forget about the city beyond once inside Parc Monceau too. Created by the Duke of Chartres in 1778 as one of the world’s first public parks, it contrasts with the Jardin des Plantes because of its informal English landscaping style. But for a park like few others, head to the Promenade Plantée, also known as the Coulée verte René-Dumont. Similar to New York’s High Line, but opened a full 15 years beforehand, this elevated park gave a long-abandoned railway viaduct a new lease of life as an urban oasis. Take in the views In a city without the skyscrapers of New York or London, the Eiffel Tower has been the main vantage-point for citywide views since it was first erected in 1889. But for views of the Iron Lady herself you’ll need to turn your attention to the opposite end of the Champ de Mars and the Tour Montparnasse (Montparnasse Tower). Although its observation tower is not the cheapest thing to do in Paris, the bar on the 56th story has equally beguiling vistas plus lively conversation for the cost of a drink. Paris is also an excellent place to grab a street-side cup of coffee or plat du jour as you watch the world go by. If you’re keen to break through the frosty exterior some Parisians exude, many bars host a happy hour. Usually sometime between 5PM and 8 PM, just look for the advertising boards outside. Grab a bargain It’s unlikely you’ll have such luck with the stores of Rue Faubourg du Saint-Honoré outside of January or July, but there are several ways to feel a million dollars without having to splash that sort of cash. For instance, top department store Galeries Lafayette hosts regular 30 minute fashion shows curated by some of the biggest names in the industry and complete with catwalk models. Elsewhere, Shakespeare and Company has been supplying the English-speakers of Paris with reading material since 1951. As well as the new books you would expect, you’ll also find a treasure trove of secondhand tomes and also a free reading library. Would-be authors can even stay the night in exchange for helping out – it’s been estimated that more than 30,000 people have stayed since the store first opened its doors. Seeing Paris on a budget Just because you have a budget to stick to doesn’t mean you have to miss out on Paris’s big-ticket attractions. It’s possible to fully explore with Go City – allowing you to save on attraction admission and expensive overseas credit card charges without having to say goodbye to flexibility. Together with our recommendations for cheap things to do in Paris, Go City can help create an unforgettable vacation. You can stay up to date with all the latest tips by connecting with @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook.
Ian Packham
Arc de Triomphe at Sunset
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Make the Most of Paris: Free Sights Near Arc de Triomphe

No ticket? No problem. Paris delivers free wonders just steps from the Arc de Triomphe!

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