How many days in Paris? 4 days, planned neighbourhood by neighbourhood
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Paris rewards four days organised by district. The mistake most first plans make is zig-zagging: Louvre in the morning, Eiffel Tower at lunch, Montmartre before dinner. Each of those is 30-40 minutes apart by metro. Group the city into the islands and the Louvre, the Left Bank, Montmartre, and the Marais, and you spend the time looking rather than commuting.
Short answer
Three days covers the essentials if you skip Versailles. Four days adds a slower Marais day and an evening on the Seine. Versailles needs a full fifth day of its own.
The 4-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Île de la Cité and the Louvre
Morning. Start at Notre-Dame, which reopened in December 2024 after the fire; entry is free and a timed slot on the cathedral's site saves queueing. Walk 5 minutes to Sainte-Chapelle (about €13) when the 13th-century windows catch the morning sun; book a slot, security is shared with the law courts.
Afternoon. Cross Pont Neuf and walk 15 minutes along the river to the Louvre. Timed tickets are compulsory; it is closed on Tuesdays. Prices rose for 2026 and visitors from outside the EU now pay more than EU residents, so check the official site. Pick two wings, not the whole museum: the Denon wing (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory) and the Richelieu wing's Napoleon III apartments take 3 hours.
Evening. Walk through the Tuileries to Place de la Concorde, then back east to the covered Galerie Vivienne (built 1826). Dinner at Bouillon Chartier on Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, a working-class canteen since 1896, where mains cost about €10-14; there is no booking, so queue before 7pm.
Enter the Louvre through the Carrousel du Louvre underground entrance (99 Rue de Rivoli) rather than the glass pyramid; the line is usually shorter.
Day 2: Left Bank: Orsay, Saint-Germain and the Eiffel Tower
Morning. Musée d'Orsay opens at 9:30 (about €16, closed Mondays). The Impressionists are on the 5th floor; go there first, before the groups arrive, then work down. Allow 2.5 hours.
Afternoon. Walk 10 minutes into Saint-Germain-des-Prés: Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots for the history (expect €7 for an espresso on the terrace), then the Luxembourg Gardens, 15 minutes south. Take Metro 6 or walk 35 minutes along the river to the Eiffel Tower.
Evening. Book a timed Eiffel Tower slot around sunset. The lift to the top costs about €35; the second floor is about €23, or less if you take the 674 steps. Afterwards cross Pont d'Iéna to Trocadéro: the tower sparkles for 5 minutes on every hour after dark.
For a picnic, buy from the shops on Rue Cler, a pedestrian market street 10 minutes from the tower, and eat on the Champ de Mars.
Day 3: Montmartre and Canal Saint-Martin
Morning. Take Metro 12 to Abbesses, the deepest station on the network: take the lift, not the 200 stairs. Walk up Rue des Abbesses and the stepped streets to Sacré-Cœur (free to enter) in about 15 minutes. Place du Tertre is full of portrait painters; the quieter Rue de l'Abreuvoir and the vineyard of Clos Montmartre are 3 minutes away.
Afternoon. Walk down to Pigalle and take Metro 2 four stops to Jaurès, then walk along Canal Saint-Martin with its iron footbridges. Du Pain et des Idées on Rue Yves Toudic is one of the city's best bakeries (closed at weekends).
Evening. Eat in the 10th or 11th arrondissement, where Paris's younger restaurants are: Rue Oberkampf and Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud have natural-wine bars where a set dinner costs €30-45.
Ignore anyone offering to tie a 'friendship bracelet' on your wrist at the foot of the Sacré-Cœur steps; it is a well-known scam that ends in a demand for money.
Day 4: The Marais and the Seine
Morning. Start at Place des Vosges (1612), the oldest planned square in Paris, and visit Victor Hugo's apartment on its corner (free). Walk 10 minutes to the Musée Carnavalet, the free museum of Paris history, reopened in 2021.
Afternoon. Lunch at the Marché des Enfants Rouges (1628), the oldest covered market in the city, or queue for a falafel pitta at L'As du Fallafel on Rue des Rosiers for about €10. Then cross to Île Saint-Louis for a Berthillon ice cream and the bookstalls along the quays.
Evening. Take a Seine cruise at dusk: the 70-minute loop from Pont de l'Alma passes Notre-Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower and costs around €17-20. Finish with dinner back in the Marais.
Many Marais shops open on Sundays when most of Paris is closed, so this is the best day to put on a Sunday.
Only have 3 days?
With 3 days, keep Days 1 and 2, and squeeze Montmartre into the morning of Day 3 before an afternoon in the Marais. Drop Canal Saint-Martin and Carnavalet.
Got extra days?
Spend a 5th day at Versailles. RER C from Saint-Michel or Champ de Mars takes about 40 minutes. The palace is closed on Mondays; a Passport ticket (palace, Trianon estates and gardens) is around €32. Arrive for the 9:00 opening, because the Hall of Mirrors is unbearable by 11:00.
Where to stay in Paris
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Canal Saint-Martin / 10th | Lively, cheaper than the centre, Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est for airport trains. | €110-160 |
| Mid-range | Le Marais (3rd/4th) | Walk to Notre-Dame, the Louvre and Île Saint-Louis, open on Sundays, great food. | €170-260 |
| Mid-range | Latin Quarter (5th) | Central and on the RER B line from CDG airport; streets around Rue Mouffetard are good value. | €150-230 |
| Comfort | Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th) | The classic Left Bank: cafés, galleries, Luxembourg Gardens on foot. | €280-500 |
Getting around
Paris is compact but the walking adds up: Louvre to Notre-Dame is 1.5 km (20 minutes), Notre-Dame to the Eiffel Tower is nearly 5 km. Use the metro for anything longer. Since 2025 a single metro/RER ticket within Paris costs €2.50, loaded on a Navigo Easy card (€2 for the card) or a phone. From Charles de Gaulle airport the RER B reaches Châtelet in about 35 minutes; taxis charge a fixed fare of about €56 to the Right Bank and €65 to the Left Bank.
Best time to visit
April to June and September to October are best, with highs of 16-24°C. July and August are hotter (around 25-26°C and occasional heatwaves) and in August many independent restaurants close for holidays. December brings Christmas lights and short days; January and February are the cheapest months for hotels.
Month-by-month weather for Paris →
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €60 | €110 | €220 |
| Food & coffee | €30 | €60 | €130 |
| Sights & tickets | €15 | €35 | €60 |
| Local transport | €5 | €10 | €25 |
| Total per person, per day | about €110 | about €215 | about €435 |
Approximate 2026 prices. Paris adds a city tax of roughly €2.60-15 per person per night depending on the hotel's star rating, usually added at checkout.
Before you go
Common questions
Is the Paris Museum Pass worth it?
For 4 days with the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe and Versailles, it usually pays for itself, but you still need a timed reservation for the Louvre and Versailles. If you only plan two museums, buy single tickets.
Which day are the big museums closed?
The Louvre closes on Tuesdays; Orsay and Versailles close on Mondays. Plan Day 1 and Day 2 around that, which is why the Louvre is not on a Tuesday and Orsay is not on a Monday in this plan.
Should I go up the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe?
The Arc de Triomphe (284 steps, about €16) has the better view because the Eiffel Tower is in it. Do the Eiffel Tower for the experience, the Arc or Galeries Lafayette's free rooftop for the photo.
Is Paris safe for tourists?
Generally yes, but pickpocketing on Metro line 1, at the Louvre and around Sacré-Cœur is common. Keep phones out of back pockets and zip your bag.
How this guide was made
Written by hand, without AI, from experience planning Paris trips. Prices and opening days are approximate for 2026 and change often; confirm on the official Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Château de Versailles and RATP websites before booking.
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