Quick answer: For a 4-day trip to Paris, budget about EUR 150 per day (mid-range). Best time: April-June and September-October - pleasant walking weather and lighter museum lines than July-August. Visa: France is in the Schengen Area - visa-free up to 90 days for US/UK and many other passports, but always check current rules for your passport.
Paris rewards slow wandering as much as sightseeing: mornings at the Louvre or Musee d'Orsay, afternoons drifting through Le Marais with a jambon-beurre in hand. Climb Montmartre for the Sacre-Coeur view, then finish with the Eiffel Tower sparkling on the hour after dark.
Best timeApril-June and September-October - pleasant walking weather and lighter museum lines than July-August
Budget / day~EUR 150
Suggested length4 days
VisaFrance is in the Schengen Area - visa-free up to 90 days for US/UK and many other passports, but always check current rules for your passport.
4-day Paris itinerary
- Day 1: Louvre (book a timed slot), Tuileries Garden, Seine riverbank walk to Pont Neuf
- Day 2: Musee d'Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Pres cafes, Eiffel Tower at dusk from Trocadero
- Day 3: Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur in the morning, Le Marais for lunch and shopping, Ile de la Cite and Notre-Dame
- Day 4: Versailles half-day trip, evening along Canal Saint-Martin
Where to stay: neighborhoods that make sense
- Le Maraismedieval lanes, falafel and galleries, central and lively, the best all-round base
- Saint-Germain-des-Presclassic Left Bank cafes and bookshops, elegant but pricier
- Montmartrehilltop village charm and views, touristy by Sacre-Coeur but quiet on the back slopes
- Canal Saint-Martin (10th/11th)young, local, great bars and bakeries, better value for longer stays
What to eat in Paris
- Croissant from an award-listed boulangerieabout 1.50 EUR, best before 9am
- Jambon-beurre baguette sandwichthe classic 6 EUR lunch
- Falafel on Rue des Rosiers in Le Maraisabout 9 EUR, expect a line at L'As du Fallafel
- Steak frites at a neighborhood bistro18-25 EUR
- Crepe from a street stand5-7 EUR with nutella or ham and cheese
Mistakes most first-timers make
- Not booking the Louvre and Eiffel Tower online in advancewalk-up lines waste half a day in peak season
- Eating at cafes directly on major squares like near the Champs-Elysees - a coffee can cost double what it does one street back
- Trying to see more than two museums in a daythe Louvre alone is exhausting; pick wings, not the whole building
- Only using taxisthe metro is faster for most cross-town trips and a single ticket costs about 2.50 EUR
Worth leaving the city for
- Versailles (45 min on RER C)the palace and gardens need at least half a day, book the palace slot ahead
- Giverny (about 1 hr 15 min via Vernon)Monet's house and lily-pond gardens, best April-October
- Fontainebleau (about 40 min by train)a grand royal chateau with a fraction of Versailles' crowds
Getting around
From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B train reaches central Paris in about 35 minutes for around 13 EUR. In town, walk plus the metro covers everything; a single ticket is about 2.50 EUR and contactless works at the gates.
Why this plan won't send you to a closed café
Almawander is an AI travel planner that remembers you across trips - it learns your pace, budget, diet and taste, checks places are still open, and bakes in your passport's visa rules.