Paris itinerary: 4 days for a first visit

Four days is a good first visit to Paris. It gives you time for the big sights without queueing at all of them in one afternoon, and room for the things people remember afterwards: a long lunch, an hour on a bench in a garden, a walk home along the river. Two days is a rush, and a week lets you start on the quieter neighbourhoods.

This plan keeps each day in one part of the city, so you spend your energy on walking through streets rather than on the metro. Paris is flatter and smaller than it feels, and most of the centre is within a 30-minute walk of the river. Wear comfortable shoes, because you will use them.

Before you go: the short version

• How long: four days. Add a fifth for Versailles or another day trip.
• Where to stay: the Marais or the Latin Quarter for a first visit, both central and walkable; Saint-Germain-des-Prés for a calmer Left Bank base; Montmartre for views and steps.
• From the airport: the RER B train from Charles de Gaulle reaches the centre in about 40 minutes. A taxi takes 30 to 60 minutes depending on traffic.
• Getting around: walk first, then the metro, which is dense and quick. More in the France travel guide.
• Book ahead: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower's summit, the Sainte-Chapelle and anywhere you want to eat dinner on a weekend.

Day 1: the islands, the Latin Quarter and the Left Bank

Morning. Start on the Île de la Cité, the island where Paris began. See the cathedral of Notre-Dame from the square in front, then walk to the Sainte-Chapelle, a small royal chapel whose upper room is walled with stained glass. Go early; the queue builds fast. Cross to the smaller Île Saint-Louis, where the streets are quiet and the ice-cream shops draw a line along the pavement.

Afternoon. Cross the bridge to the Left Bank and into the Latin Quarter, the student district around the Sorbonne. Walk up the Rue Mouffetard, an old market street, for lunch and picnic food, then on to the Panthéon, where many of France's great writers and scientists are buried. From there it is a short walk into the Luxembourg Gardens. Hire a chair by the pond, as the Parisians do, and rest.

Evening. Walk west to Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the old literary quarter, and sit at a café terrace to watch the street. Dinner is best in the small streets behind the boulevard, away from the main crossing. If you still have energy, walk back to the river and along the quays, where the green stalls of the booksellers are shutting up for the night.

Day 2: the Louvre and the grand boulevards

Morning. Book a timed entry to the Louvre and arrive when it opens. The museum is far too large to see in a day, so choose a few things in advance: the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo for the famous names, plus one wing that interests you, whether that is Egyptian antiquities, Italian paintings or the sculpture courts. Two or three hours is plenty. Leave before you are tired of it.

Afternoon. Walk out through the Tuileries Garden, which runs from the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde, and stop for lunch at one of the park's kiosks or at a café in the Palais-Royal gardens, a quiet arcaded square just north of the museum. From there, explore the covered passages nearby, nineteenth-century shopping arcades with mosaic floors and glass roofs. Passage des Panoramas and Galerie Vivienne are the best known.

Evening. Walk on to the Opéra Garnier, whose gilded façade is worth seeing even if you don't go in, and along the grand boulevards to the Place Vendôme and back through the Tuileries as the lamps come on. For dinner, head to the 2nd arrondissement, where the streets between the Bourse and Montorgueil have a lively mix of bistros, wine bars and cheese shops. Try a classic: steak frites, onion soup, or duck confit.

Day 3: the Eiffel Tower, Orsay and the Invalides

Morning. Go to the Eiffel Tower first thing, on a ticket booked in advance, and decide beforehand whether you want to climb or take the lift, and whether you want the top or the second level. The view from the Trocadéro, across the river, is the classic photograph, and there is a good café nearby. Walk down to the river and cross to the tower, then stroll along the Champ de Mars, the long lawn that stretches away behind it.

Afternoon. Walk along the Left Bank to the Musée d'Orsay, in a former railway station. Its collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist painting, with Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh and Cézanne, is the reason to come, and it is far easier to take in than the Louvre. If you prefer sculpture, the Musée Rodin is a short walk away, and its garden is lovely in good weather. The golden dome of Les Invalides, where Napoleon is buried, is nearby too.

Evening. Take a boat on the Seine at dusk. Several companies run them from near the Eiffel Tower and Pont de l'Alma, and an hour on the water is a restful way to see the bridges and the lit-up monuments. Afterwards, eat in the 7th or 6th arrondissement, or walk back to Saint-Germain.

Day 4: Montmartre, the canal and the Marais

Morning. Take the metro to Montmartre, the hill in the north of the city, and walk up before the crowds. The white basilica of Sacré-Cœur has the best view over the rooftops, and the steps below it are a good place to sit. Wander the cobbled streets behind it: the Place du Tertre, where artists work at their easels, and the quieter lanes around the Rue des Abbesses, with their bakeries and small shops.

Afternoon. Walk or take a short metro ride east to the Canal Saint-Martin, a tree-lined waterway with iron footbridges, where locals meet on the banks with a picnic and a bottle of wine. The area around it has independent cafés, bookshops and vintage stores. Walk south along the canal towards the Marais.

Evening. The Marais is the old Jewish and aristocratic quarter, with narrow streets, courtyards and the arcaded Place des Vosges, one of the most elegant squares in the city. Browse the boutiques and have falafel on the Rue des Rosiers, a Marais classic, or save yourself for dinner. It is a lively place to spend a last evening, with wine bars staying open late.

With more time

• Versailles: the palace and gardens are about 40 minutes by RER C from the centre. Go early, and give it most of a day.
• Giverny: Monet's house and water garden, about an hour and a half out by train and bus, best between spring and early autumn.
• Père Lachaise: the large hillside cemetery where Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf and Jim Morrison are buried, quiet and good for a slow walk.
• Further on: the high-speed trains reach Lyon, Brussels and London in a few hours. The train travel in Europe guide explains how to book them.

Where to stay

• The Marais: central, full of restaurants and shops, and walkable to most of Day 1 and Day 4. A good first base, though it gets busy.
• The Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés: the traditional Left Bank, with cafés, bookshops and gardens close by. Calm in the evenings.
• Montmartre: romantic and hilly, with views, but further from the main sights and with lots of stairs.
• Near the big train stations: convenient if you're arriving late or leaving early, but not the most pleasant streets to wake up in.

For a group, a flat with a living room in the 3rd, 4th or 6th arrondissement often costs less per person than hotel rooms and gives you somewhere to meet. See where to stay with a group.

Getting around

The centre is small enough that you'll walk a great deal, and the metro covers the rest quickly, with a station nearly every few hundred metres. Buy a rechargeable transit card rather than single tickets if you plan to ride more than a couple of times a day. Buses are slower but let you see the city, and the Seine's riverside paths are good for walking between sights. Keep your bag zipped and in front of you on the metro and around the major monuments, where pickpockets work the crowds.

Planning Paris as a group

Paris is easy with friends if you settle a few things in advance. Book the timed tickets for the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Sainte-Chapelle for everyone at once, since they are the ones that sell out. Reserve dinner for the whole group on Friday and Saturday evenings, because tables for six or more are hard to find on the spur of the moment. And agree early where you meet if you split up, because the museums take longer than you think.

What to pack

Comfortable, broken-in walking shoes are the one thing that matters; you will cover many kilometres on stone pavements. Bring layers, because Paris weather changes within a day, and a small umbrella. Shoulders and knees covered for churches, and a bag that closes securely for the metro. The packing list for a city break covers the rest.