THE ONLY FIVE-DAY ITINERARY YOU NEED FOR PARIS

Traveling to a new country and attempting to see everything you can in just under a week can be scary, nerve-wracking, and an incredibly fun experience. This past Spring Break, I traveled with two friends for a five-day, five-night trip to Paris, France. While Paris is certainly not a city you can fully explore in a week, creating an itinerary can help you navigate and see iconic landmarks while making you feel like you got the most out of your trip. I loved Paris and the itinerary I created, so I thought I could share with others how to get the most out of Paris in just five days. 

Day 1: Arc De Triomphe & Champs-Elysées

The first full day of any vacation should focus on walking around the area your hotel is in and exploring the city. To start your monument checklist in Paris, begin with the Arc De Triomphe. You can check out the bottom of the arch and the surrounding areas for free. While here, you can admire the incredible structure and visit the Tomb of the Unmarked Soldier. After spending some time there, begin your stroll down the Champs-Élysées. Here you’ll experience luxury shops, patisseries, and restaurants. At night, return to the Arc De Triomphe and buy a ticket to climb to the top. You’ll experience breathtaking views of the city from the terrace, and if you time it right, a sparkling Eiffel Tower. 

Day 2: Notre Dame, Latin Quarter, Panthéon, Luxembourg Palace & Gardens

There is nothing better than starting your second day exploring the stunning cathedral, Notre Dame. The Notre Dame recently reopened its doors and is available for tours inside. During the weekdays in spring, if you arrive around noon, you can hear the church bells and tour while there is Mass. The sculptures and stained glass windows will keep you there for a while. After spending time in and around the cathedral, make your way to the Panthéon. You’ll walk past the universities and college students in the streets of the Latin Quarter. The Panthéon, while stunning, also provides great distance views of the Eiffel Tower and the Luxembourg Palace & Gardens, the next stop in your itinerary. The Luxembourg Palace & Gardens provide beautiful scenery of sculptures and plants for a serene stroll and end to Day Two’s landmarks. 

Day 3: Palace of Versailles & Seine Boat Ride

You’ll want to block off an entire day for the Palace of Versailles and Gardens. Taking a train is the cheapest and scenic option. It takes you to a station just around the corner from the Palace, near many gift shops you could hit on the way back. Once you arrive at the Palace, you can explore the garden for free or purchase a ticket in advance to go inside. This excursion has so much to see, and you’ll be blown away by the artistry of the Palace and the groomed garden grounds. While this excursion takes up a lot of your day, I recommend buying tickets for a scenic Seine boat tour if you have time later in the evening. This tour sails past some of the monuments on this itinerary and gives gorgeous views of the Eiffel Tower. 

Day 4: Louvre, Musee d’Orsay

Of course, no trip to Paris would be complete without exploring the Louvre and seeing the Mona Lisa. Start your day off with a trip to the Louvre, the largest museum in the world by size, and remember to book timed tickets in advance. Take the Carrousel du Louvre entrance after checking out the pyramid to avoid standing in the heat and possibly experience a quicker wait time than the main entrance. After a few hours of exploring the Louvre, take a break and grab some lunch before heading to Musee d’Orsay. There you can see some of the beautiful paintings made by the famed artists, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. 

Day 5: Sacré-Cœur, Montmartre & Eiffel Tower

For your final day in Paris, spend it seeing the Sacré-Cœur Basilica and stroll through the streets of Montmartre for some shopping, art, and tourist attractions. You can do so many things in this area that will keep you busy for hours. To end your trip right, buy tickets to ascend the Eiffel Tower at sunset and see breathtaking views of Paris, where you may also recognize the structures in the city from earlier in the week. 

This itinerary for a trip to Paris helped my friends and me have an incredible time exploring the city and left us all with fond memories. We saw everything we wanted to see and managed to do it all thanks to planning. Hopefully, this itinerary can make your trip to Paris as magical as it was for us.