Paris in Four Days

The perfect itinerary for seeing Paris in four days

Day 1 in Paris

Take a tour
If you prefer an expert guide, here are some guided tours from our partners at Viator.com that cover some of the sights featured on day 1:

• Eiffel Tower dinner & Seine River cruise
• Paris city tour with Seine River cruise and Eiffel Tower lunch
• Paris minivan tour, Seine River cruise, & Eiffel Tower lunch
• Paris in One Day sightseeing tour
• Paris walking tour: Classic Paris
• Paris city tour & Eiffel Tower
By the time you arrive in Paris and check into your hotel, it'll be time for lunch.

Afterwards, head to the Rodin Museum to gaze upon The Thinker and dozens more of the master sculptor's works in his former studo and garden.

Then hustle on over to the Eiffel Tower before sunset to get your requisite picture and drink in the panorama of Paris.

Take an evening cruise along the Seine River, then treat yourself to a first-class dinner to celebrate your arrival in one of the world capitals of cuisine.

To save time (and add romance), you could actually eat in one of the Eiffel Tower restaurants. In fact, you can kill three sightseeing birds with one tour that includes all three: dinner at the Eiffel Tower followed by a Seine River cruise.

Day 2 in Paris

Take a tour
Guided tours covering Day 2 sights:

• Paris Walking Tour: Classic Paris
• Paris in One Day Sightseeing Tour
• Paris City Tour by Minivan, Louvre Museum and Seine River Lunch Cruise
Be at the cathedral of Notre-Dame early (8am) to beat the hordes, then clamber up the cathedral towers when they open to examine the famed gargoyles up close and enjoy a much more intimate view across Paris than the Eiffel gets you (don't buy a regular ticket for the towers, but rather ask for the 3-day Paris Museum Card, which you then validate on the spot and it will get you into every sight we'll be visiting for the rest of your stay).

When you get back to ground level, cross the square in front of the cathedral and descend into the Archaeological Crypt to puzzle out Paris's earliest origins. Continue to the far end of the square for the jewel box chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, hidden amidst the government buildings. Grab some lunch on your way to the Picasso Museum.

Don't stay too long with the works of this 20th century master (leave by no later than 2:30pm), since one of Paris biggies lies ahead: the impressionist treasure trove of the Musée d'Orsay. Stay in there as long as they'll let you before heading off to dinner.

Day 3 in Paris

Take a tour
Guided tours covering Day 3 sights:

• Skip the Line: Louvre guided tour
• Skip the Line: Louvre walking tour including Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa
• Paris minivan tour & Walking tour of Montmartre
• Montmartre & Sacre Coeur walking tour
• Photography walking tour of Montmartre
• Paris in One Day sightseeing tour
• Paris minivan tour, Louvre Museum, Seine river lunch cruise
This morning it's off to the Louvre, which is French for "ludicrously huge museum." Pay your respects to Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, and have lunch in the cafeteria.

By mid-afternoon, give up on trying to see it all and take the Metro out to the original Bohemian quarter of Montmartre.

Spend the rest of the afternoon and early evening wandering the streets.

Peek at windmills and vineyards, visit the Moulin Rouge (if you must), and people-watch and write postcards at a classic Parisian café.

Make sure you make your way to the steps of Sacre-Coeur church at sunset to watch the Paris below come to life as dusk falls and live up to the name "City of Lights."

Day 4 in Paris

Take a tour
Guided tours covering Day 4 sights:

• Versailles small group day trip
• Versailles and Giverny day trip
• Versailles by Bike day tour
• Versailles guided tour with optional fountain show
• Versailles independent day trip
• Giverny and Versailles small group day trip from Paris
• Versailles, Paris tour, & Seine River cruise day trip It's day trip time. Catch the RER out to Versailles to spend a day exploring the palace to end all palaces, where a string of King Louis's held court in the powdered wig exuberance of 18th-century über-elegance.

Take at least one guided tour—and be sure to save time to wander the acres anc acres of gardens and grounds.

You should return to Paris in time for a pleasant stroll down the quais of the River Seine before picking the perfect spot for one last dinner in Paris.

1 day in Paris | 2 days in Paris | 3 days in Paris | 4 days in Paris



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This article was last updated in June 2011. All information was accurate at the time.

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