How many days do you need in Paris?

Four days is enough for two or three museums, three neighbourhoods and a proper unstructured day. A first-time checklist trip can be squeezed into three.

Is the Louvre worth it?

Yes, if you go with a plan and a timed ticket, and accept you'll see one wing. If you only want impressionists, the Orsay is the better visit.

What's the best area to stay in Paris?

The 11th and 3rd for food and value, the 5th and 6th for classic Paris, the 18th for cheaper and livelier. Avoid the 8th unless you want quiet and shops.

Is Paris good for a couples trip?

It's the obvious choice for a reason, but the version that works is low-density: one museum a day, long lunches, and evenings walking rather than queueing.

Paris Travel Guide: What to Do, When to Go

Paris travel guide: what to do, when to go, how long to stay

Better on the second visit, when you stop trying to see everything.

How long to stay

4–5 days

Best time to go

April to June, and September to October

Rough daily budget

Mid-range: roughly €130–190 per person per day

Paris disappoints people who treat it as a checklist and rewards people who treat it as a place to sit down. The museums are as good as advertised, but the trip most people remember is bakery-park-market-wine, repeated in different neighbourhoods for four days.

Pick two or three museums, not six. Stay somewhere with a bakery on the corner. Walk between arrondissements rather than metro-ing between monuments, and the city clicks.

Italy

Rome

Three thousand years of layers, and the best carbonara within a mile of anywhere.

Paris travel guide: what to do, when to go, how long to stay

When to visit Paris

Paris travel guide: what to do, when to go, how long to stay

When to visit Paris

Places to visit in Paris

A 3-day Paris itinerary

Getting around

Planning Paris with a group

Paris FAQs

Pairs well with

Rome

Lisbon

Amsterdam