Updated June 2026 · Real prices · Verified places · Visa-aware
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 Marais - medieval lanes, falafel and galleries, central and lively, the best all-round base
Saint-Germain-des-Pres - classic Left Bank cafes and bookshops, elegant but pricier
Montmartre - hilltop 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 boulangerie - about 1.50 EUR, best before 9am
Jambon-beurre baguette sandwich - the classic 6 EUR lunch
Falafel on Rue des Rosiers in Le Marais - about 9 EUR, expect a line at L'As du Fallafel
Steak frites at a neighborhood bistro - 18-25 EUR
Crepe from a street stand - 5-7 EUR with nutella or ham and cheese
Mistakes most first-timers make
Not booking the Louvre and Eiffel Tower online in advance - walk-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 day - the Louvre alone is exhausting; pick wings, not the whole building
Only using taxis - the 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
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