Stories · France
5 days in Paris
The story I wish I had read before going.
I lived in Paris long enough to know it gives itself up by neighbourhood, on foot, with a baguette under your arm. The monuments are there, splendid and photographed a thousand times; what matters is how you move from one to the next: along the quays, through the covered passages, via a bench in the Luxembourg gardens.
Day 1 · Museums and culture
Early in the morning, it’s Louvre Museum. Enter through the Richelieu passage, head for the Near Eastern antiquities before giving in to the Mona Lisa. Two hours, then out through the Tuileries gardens. 4.7 out of 5 across 380,776 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, get your tickets in advance or compare on Tiqets.
Then, head to Les Passages Couverts de Paris 1. It’s the kind of place that makes you go quiet for a moment, even when you thought you knew it all. Travellers give it 4.6 out of 5 (332 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: the public-transport route; skip-the-line book your tickets, otherwise go through Tiqets.
Lunch without a plan: the first noisy room you pass is often the right one.
In the afternoon, meet me at Conciergerie. Give it a good two hours, and leave before you are full: that is the secret to wanting to come back. Practical: how to get there, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
Keep the evening free. Paris is a city that tells itself better at night.
Day 2 · The icons
To start, I make my way to Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris. Notre-Dame restored, the Sainte-Chapelle next door for its stained glass, then the flower market. The exact heart of the city. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (102,382 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: how to get there; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
Late morning, meet me at Sainte-Chapelle. You’ve seen it a hundred times in pictures; in person it is bigger, closer, more alive. 4.6 out of 5 across 50,696 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
For lunch, trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
After lunch, head to Tour de l'Horloge du Palais de la Cité. I always pick two or three rooms rather than seeing everything. You walk out light. 4.6 out of 5 across 418 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: how to get there · what visitors say.
In the evening, A night at the Moulin Rouge or the Opéra Garnier: Two Parises in one city: the feathers and champagne of Pigalle, or the gold and the Chagall ceiling. Choose by mood. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, get your tickets in advance or go through Tiqets.
Day 3 · Day trip
In the morning, it’s Palace of Versailles. The RER C gets you there in forty minutes. See the palace early, then lose yourself in the gardens and the Trianon estate, far from the crowd. Getting there: how to get there. To get a feel for it: travellers’ reviews.
Around noon, it’s Disneyland Paris. RER A, thirty-five minutes from the centre, and the kids are already running. A full day, two if you love parks. Practical: here is the route by public transport, and if you’d rather skip the queue, get your tickets in advance or compare on Tiqets.
Day 4 · The icons
In the morning, I make my way to Eiffel Tower. From the Trocadéro at sunrise, then under the iron feet: free and dizzying. Go up to the second floor rather than the top; the view still has a human scale there. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (498,637 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: how to get there; skip-the-line book your tickets, otherwise also check Tiqets.
Then, I make my way to Jardins du Trocadéro. This is the breath of the trip. Even one hour changes the day. Travellers give it 4.6 out of 5 (153,069 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: how to get there; skip-the-line book your visit, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
For lunch, trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
Later, it’s Fontaine du Gros Caillou. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or go through Tiqets.
In the evening, let go: a terrace, a walk, and Paris does the rest.
Day 5 · The icons
In the morning, head to Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. Climb the rue Foyatier steps, not the funicular; come down rue Lepic. At the Sacré-Cœur the view is free and Paris is at your feet. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (169,547 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: the public-transport route · what visitors say.
Late morning, I make my way to Vue de Paris. You’ve seen it a hundred times in pictures; in person it is bigger, closer, more alive. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (794 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: the public-transport route; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise also check Tiqets.
For lunch, trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
Later, head to Swed Oner Mural. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. To get organised: how to get there; skip-the-line book your visit, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
Keep the evening free. Paris is a city that tells itself better at night.
If you’re still hungry
I still have a few up my sleeve: Hôtel des Invalides, Pont Alexandre III, Le Marais, Arc de Triomphe, Palais de Chaillot and Seine river cruise. Your call.
My advice
A book of tickets or a weekly Navigo pass: the metro closes around one, nights end on foot.
National museums are free on the first Sunday of the month: arrive at opening time.
A good bistro has a chalkboard, not a laminated menu.
There. The rest is yours: the detours, the encounters, the café that becomes your own.
A Triovol story · written by someone who would go back tomorrow
Opening hours, prices and closures change: a quick look at the venue’s website before you go avoids bad surprises.