Hello Paris! The City of Love 💗
Paris has so much to offer and it’s such a unique destination. It is a city that never sleeps and never fails to impress. With iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Lourve, this city is a living canvas of art and culture. Whether you’re a lover of art, a connoisseur of cuisine, a romantic at heart, or simply seeking a slow paced vacation, this city promises an unforgettable adventure. Join us as we navigate the winding streets and scenic bridges of Paris in just 4 days!
When I am researching activities and things to see in a new city, I wish I found more itineraries that ranked the list of activities they recommend. Everyone’s time is different in a new city and it’s important to be able to prioritize activities that are a MUST versus activities that are nice, but could possibly be skipped. I like to schedule my days and build an itinerary with one MUST item, one TRY TO DO item, and one SKIP item a day in case something happens or we are too tired, we can always hit the MUST item and SKIP the item that’s not as important.
★★★ MUST SEE
★★ TRY TO DO
★ SKIP (BUT WORTH IF YOU HAVE TIME)
★★★ Eiffel Tower
★★★ Lourve Museum
★★★ Sainte Chapelle
★★★ Versailles
★★ Arc De Triomphe
★★ Opera Garnier
★★ Boat Ride on the Seine
★★ Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb
★ Rue Cher Walk
★ Galleries Lafayette
★ Pont Neuf
Use these jumps to navigate to a specific day or just keep scrolling to read the full itinerary!
When: June 2019
Who: My Family and I (so we purchased 5
adult tickets and 1 teenager ticket)
Where we stayed: 4th arrondissement (near
the Notre Dame)
We decided to take the Chunnel to Paris from London. It is a complicated process so I definitely recommend reading these tips and tricks.
You will need to book a Rail Europe ticket linked above. You will need to schedule a day and time. It’s important to realize the Chunnel is like a flight; you must go through extensive baggage checks, security checks, and it will leave you behind if you are late so I recommend getting there a few hours early.
It took ~2 hours to get from London to Paris. The Chunnel dropped us off at Gard du Nord. From here, we took the Metro to our Airbnb which was about a 20 minute ride.
After we arrived, we checked into our Airbnb.
Paris Museum Pass ~ This is what we purchased to visit the museums we went to in Paris. I will link the website HERE; you can purchase the pass online or when you arrive in Paris. You can get the 2 day, 4 day or 6 day, but they all give you a one time access to over 50 museums and monuments. I recommend getting this if you are going to multiple museums across Paris.
Day 2 information ~
⚠ Arc De Triomphe – can buy a ticket ahead of time; or when you arrive
★Rue Cher Walk: We did the Rick Steves Rue Cler Walk. Unfortunately you have to pay for his book to get the walk which we did. HERE is the link to the book.
If you don’t want to pay, HERE is a free guide you can follow. The Rue de Cherche-Miri is a charming street located near the Eiffel Tower in Paris; it has a selection of boutiques, cute Parisian cafes, etc.
Lunch: We actually ate lunch here off the Rue Cher at a restaurant named Cafe du Marche. We got some yummy crepes, salads, and sandwiches.
★★★Eiffel Tower: After lunch, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower and took some pictures. We hung out on the Champ de Mars which is the park connected to the Eiffel Tower.
★★Arc De Triomphe: After taking pictures at the Eiffel Tower, we took the Metro over to the Arc De Triomphe. It is free to view from the street, but if you want to climb to the top for beautiful Paris views it costs ~13 euros (or free with the Paris Museum Pass) and they are open from 10AM-11PM.
Snack: My mom, sister, and I didn’t want to spend too much time at the top of the Arc de Triomphe as it was very very hot so we went and split a pizza at a nearby restaurant named Cafe De Paris Friedland.
Rest/Dinner: We went to a grocery store near our Airbnb and bought decently priced groceries to make dinner. We made delicious spaghetti/meatballs with salad and homemade french bread. I recommend getting local ingredients and cooking on your vacations (if you are staying somewhere with a kitchen); this helps save money
Day 3 information ~
⚠ Louvre – buy tickets ahead of time; timed entry
⚠Boat Ride on the Seine – buy tickets ahead of time; timed entry
★★★Louvre: We got up early and made some bacon and eggs for breakfast. Afterwards we took the Metro to the Louvre. We used our Paris Museum Pass, but one adult ticket cost ~17 euros and you must secure a ticket online with a timed entry day and time. The Louvre opens at 9AM and I recommend getting there around 8AM to start standing in line (be aware the museum is closed all day on Tuesdays). Since we arrived early, we used the main entrance, but if you want to come later in the day there are two other entrances you can try that are less crowded: Carrousel entrance and the Porte des Lions entrance. You could definitely spend a whole day here, but I recommend exploring only the Denon (rooms 700-734) area of the museum to see the most famous artworks in the world like the Mona Lisa (also don’t forget to pick up a map or download a map on your phone).
Lunch: After the Louvre, we got lunch at a restaurant nearby named Cafe De Paris. It was pretty substandard, but bust due to its location to the Louvre. We also went to McDonalds for some free AC and ice cream after.
★Galleries Lafayette: We took the Metro over to the Galleries Lafayette (8 minutes). Galleries Lafayette is a famous upscale department store or mall in Paris. It has a beautiful glass dome ceiling and it’s free to walk around and take pictures. There’s also an awesome rooftop terrace at the top floor where you get amazing city views. They use the terrace for fashion shows, etc so it might be closed, but if it’s open to visitors, definitely check it out!
Rest/Dinner: Again, we were exhausted from the heat so we went back to the Airbnb to rest and cook dinner.
★★★Boat Ride on the Seine: One of the best things we did was the boat ride on the Seine at night to watch the Eiffel Tower light show. The sparkles are free and happen every evening after dusk for 5 minutes at the beginning of each hour. As the lights are switched off at 11:45PM, they will sparkle for the last time at 11PM.
Day 4 information ~
⚠ The Army Museum – buy tickets ahead of time or when you arrive
⚠ Sainte-Chapelle – buy tickets ahead of time or when you arrive
⚠ Eiffel Tower – MUST buy a timed entry ticket ahead of time
★★The Army Museum: Again, this morning the girls and boys of the family split up. The boys went to the Army Museum and Napoleon’s Tomb. They used the Paris Museum Pass, but one adult ticket cost ~15 euros and the museum opens at 10AM. The boys recommend at least 3 hours to explore as the museum is extensive. *I believe the museum is under renovation until Summer 2024 so some exhibits might be temporarily closed*
★★★Sainte-Chapelle: The girls decided to walk over to Sainte-Chapelle which is a gorgeous chapel in Paris near the Notre Dame. Even though the chapel opens at 9AM, we didn’t arrive until after 10AM so there was a little line, but it moved quickly. We used the Paris Museum Pass, but one adult ticket cost ~11 euros and you can reserve tickets online with a timed entry.
★Lunch/Pont Neuf: The girls stopped at a crepe stand on the way back to the Airbnb. We also walked around the Ile de La Cite and Pont Neuf for some pretty pictures and views.
Rest/Dinner: We were pretty tired so we rested up and ate dinner at the Airbnb.
★★★Eiffel Tower: We did research and learned sunset was the best time to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Sunset in June in Paris was pretty late; around 9PM-10PM. This is not apart of the Paris Museum Pass so we reserved time entry tickets online ahead of time. We chose the 8:00PM time slot since we wanted to get there a little before sunset and I highly recommend this. There are different ticket options you can purchase; we purchased the elevator ride all the way to the top (but you can purchase an elevator ride just to the second level or walking up to the top/second level). Our ticket cost ~28 euros. We really enjoyed the views and taking pictures with the gorgeous sunset. After we got to the bottom, it was night and they were doing the sparkles show so we sat on the floor under the Eiffel Tower and watched that. It was a pretty late night with us not getting home until after 11PM.
Day 5 information ~
⚠ Versailles – MUST buy a timed entry ticket ahead of time
★★★Versailles: For our final day in Paris, we went to Versailles. It was pretty epic and I definitely recommend it.
Transportation: You can’t take the usual Paris Metro to get here. You have to take the RER (more info linked HERE). You will want the RER C and it takes about one hour to get there. Once you arrive in the town, it’s about a 10 minute walk to the actual Versailles Palace (just follow the crowds).This will also require an extra ticket (~3 euros each person each way).
Once we arrived in Versailles Palace, we immediately stood in line. Versailles is open everyday starting at 9AM (closed on Mondays!); we arrived before 8:30AM and I really recommend this if you don’t want to stand in line for too long once the Palace opens. We used the Paris Museum Pass which gained us entry into the actual Palace itself, BUT DOES NOT give access to the amazing Versailles Gardens. Once we were done with our Versailles Palace tour, we paid for Garden tickets which set us back about ~10 euros each. One adult ticket to see the Palace and Gardens is called a “Passport” and costs ~29 euros. Even though we used the Paris Museum Pass, we still had to reserve a day/time ticket so don’t forget to do this!
Lunch: We ended up eating lunch as soon as we arrived at the Gardens. We ate at a restaurant named La Girandole. It was pretty good and had beautiful Garden views. We also got orange juice a few hours into walking around the Gardens at an orange juice stand and it was phenomenal.
We spent the whole day here, the actual Versailles Palace was only about 2 hours inside. We spent the rest of the time wandering around the MASSIVE Gardens. My mom and brother were feeling lazy so they actually rented a small electric vehicle to explore the grounds (cost ~40 euros an hour). It was a marvelous way to end our trip to Paris.
Either head to Charles de Gaulle Airport and go home OR head off to another city in Europe like we did.
We took the train to Amsterdam, Netherlands. We used the Europe Rail Pass and we had a small train change in Brussels, Belguim. We spent ~$150 total for the 6 tickets. It did take most of the day; we left at 8AM and arrived around 2:30PM.
I will link the Europe Rail Tickets HERE. You will need to purchase the tickets online ahead of time.
Paris experiences a temperate maritime climate year round, which means it has relatively mild temperatures.
Spring: Highs will be around 60-66℉
Spring: Lows will be around 40-50℉
Summer: Highs will be around 77℉
Summer: Lows will be around 55-61℉
Autumn: Highs will be around 50-70℉
Autumn: Lows will be around 40-50℉
Winter: Highs will be around 45℉
Winter: Lows will be around 30-37℉
Choosing where to stay in Paris for your vacation depends on your interests, budget, and the type of experience you want to have. Paris is divided into several neighborhoods, each with its own unique charm. Here are some popular areas to consider:
I 100% recommend using public transportation to get around Paris.
The main public transportation method is called the Metro (subway). It is the most popular and efficient way to navigate the city. It consists of 16 lines that cover the entire city and its suburbs. Trains are frequent, making it easy to get around quickly.
Another method of public transportation to get into the outskirts of Paris is the RER. It is a commuter rail system that connects Paris to its suburbs and neighboring regions. It’s a faster way to travel longer distances within the city and nearby attractions like Versailles and Disneyland Paris.
To use the tube, contactless payment credit cards make using public transit effortless. Before using your smartphone for contactless travel in Paris, ensure that your payment card is compatible with contactless payments and that your mobile wallet is set up correctly. You can also get a physical single fare ticket called a Billet Simple or a pack of 10 single tickets called a Carnet for a discounted price.
