What to see in Paris in five days
Paris, France’s capital, is a place that requires no introduction. From the famed Eiffel Tower to the picturesque neighborhoods of Montmartre, this city offers something for everyone. But, with so much to see and do, some will say that five days are not enough and that you do not have time to see everything that Paris has to offer. In our experience in Paris, we managed to see all the important sights, eat and drink in Montmartre, see the sunset in one of the tallest buildings in Paris, feel children again in Disneyland, feel the awe of Versailles, and much more. We have compiled a list of what to see in Paris for the tourist looking to experience the finest of the city in a unique way. But let’s take them in order.
We will tell you how you can catch everything in five days. All we need from you is your good mood and your thirst for exploration and walking.
Day 1.
We landed at Beauvais airport early in the afternoon. There are buses that depart from each other in a short time and which leave you at Paris Porte Maillot. After leaving our things in the hotel which was about twenty minutes on foot from the bus stop, we started our adventure.
We had not booked tickets for any attractions on the first day, as we wanted to take walks in the city and see things that do not need a ticket such as the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero.
We first took a short walk in the neighbourhood Le Marais also known as “Old Paris”. It is located between the 3rd and 4th district of Paris and is one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods to take a walk, enjoy your coffee or lunch. With a vibrant gay community, great restaurants, cozy bars and trendy shops, the Marais neighbourhood has a unique atmosphere. It is worth saying that Le Marais is not only famous for its monuments and exhibits but also for its cultural diversity. It is a place where a Chinese community, as well as a Jewish one, coexist peacefully.
There are many popular attractions there. Il de la Cite is an islet on the Seine in central Paris. It is one of the two natural islands of the Seine and is considered to be the ancient centre of the city. Notre Dame de Paris, which is one of the most magnificent architectural monuments of the so-called Gothic style. The Pompidou Centre, which houses the Public Information Library and the National Museum of Modern Art the City Hall of Paris. The magnificent Place des Vosges which during the 17th and 18th centuries was a modern and expensive square where the Parisian aristocracy lived and many other monuments of great historical and cultural interest.
Next destination was Eiffel Tower. There is a street, well known especially to those who use social media. There, in my opinion is the second best place where you can photograph yourself with background the Eiffel Tower. We will talk below about the first best part. The Eiffel Tower is quite impressive due to its size. You feel very small near it. We then headed to Trocadero, which is a must-visit for the best views of the Eiffel Tower. Situated alongside the Eiffel Tower, the Trocadero is a square full of gardens, sculptures and museums. There you have the opportunity to take a lot of beautiful pictures and there is also a spot that you can capture the whole Eiffel Tower.
The sun had started to set and we were very tired so we decided to take a short walk in the Latin Quarter and have something to eat before going to the hotel for rest. The Latin square is a famous and popular quarter in Paris and is one of the city’s oldest districts. It is a picturesque neighbourhood on the Left Bank of the Seine River that features countless eateries and some lovely architecture that is a great match to the Parisian atmosphere. It is quite a place that attracts many tourists but is a must if you are a first time visitor in Paris.
Day 2: Museums
Two weeks before travelling we had booked our museum tickets for Louvre and Musée d’Orsay. It may have been somewhat unnecessary that we booked tickets so early, but we did not want to risk not seeing the exhibits at the Louvre Museum. Keep in mind when organizing your trip that Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. Louvre is huge and a day is absolutely not enough for seeing everything. Choose an audio guide to help you understand what you see. Some rooms may be closed, so if you are searching for a specific exhibit and you cannot find it, you better ask someone who works there before wasting time. We were at Louvre for about something less than four hours. We had booked for the same day the visit to Musée d’Orsay. So we then headed to it. The one from the other is very close, about ten minutes walking.
Musée d’Orsay is not as big as the Louvre, but it also houses very important exhibits. The history of the museum, of its building is quite unusual. In the centre of Paris on the banks of the Seine, the museum was installed in the former Orsay railway station, built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. It displays collections of art from the period 1848 to 1914. We had done a little research before going to the museum about what we wanted to see more, so the visit lasted about two hours.
Next stop was Pont Alexandre III, one of the most emblematic bridges in Paris due to its location and architecture. It connects the Champs Elysees with the Invalides and there you will see many bronze statues (nymphs, winged horses) that have golden details. It was the perfect opportunity for our walk on the Champs Elysees. We bought some macarons and we walked the Champs Elysees until we reached at the Arc De Triomphe. Built between 1806 and 1836 on the orders of Napoleon I to honour the victories of his Grande Armée, Arc de Triomphe still retains the essence of the powerful and unified symbol of France.
Being a little tired, we wanted to sit somewhere for a while and we ended up completely by accident in Tuileries Garden. Known as The Jardin des Tuileries, it is one of Paris’s most popular green spaces. Benches and seats are provided there and walks are punctuated by several ponds and sculptures. Between Champs-Élysées and the Tuileries Garden, is situated The Place de la Concorde one of the city’s most representative public squares. You can stop there for a while before going to Tuileries Garden.
Αfter regaining our strength he headed to Palais Garnier, known as Opéra Garnier and historically known as Opéra de Paris, as it was the primary opera house in Paris, but also the seat of the Paris Opera Ballet until 1989. Here is the house of the famous Phantom of the Opera. It is said that the sound of water passing under the building created the phantom legend, which later fuelled the imagination of author Gaston Leroux, who throughout his life supported the view that the phantom was real.
Before arriving at Palais Garnier, you will pass by Place Vendôme, one of the city’s most beautiful neoclassical squares. It now houses the most exclusive jewellery stores, best hotels and stores such as Dior and Chanel. Even if your intention is not to buy something, you have to go there.
We had little time before sunset and we went up to the roof of Galeries Lafayette. Many people were waiting to see the setting sun there. The colors of the sky were magical and in the background the Eiffel Tower was fading.
Last stop to close this so full day and after it was already dark we decided to take a walk again in Le Marais so that we can see the night life in this so famous district.
Day 3: Disneyland!!!
On the third day we had booked tickets for Disneyland. You can book tickets for two parks or for one of the two. We decided to see both. Τhere are attractions that you need to wait a long time in the queue and others that you do not. A day is enough in my opinion but keep in mind that you will not see everything because of the queues. In addition, if you have problem with speed or you get easily dizzy you have to choose wisely where to go. The most visited rides are Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, Tower of Terror, Crush’s Coaster, Ratatouille, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, It’s a small world, Phantom Manor.
As already said we visited both parks and stayed until 6 pm. We went almost to all of the above rides except for “Peter Pan’s Flight” due to long waiting time and “it’s a small world” because it was closed. We enjoyed our stay so much. It was a day full of adrenaline and adventure.
We took the bus and arrived back in centre. Since we did not have enough time and energy to do things, we headed to Sacré-Cœur Basilica for a small walk. The Cathedral is located at the top of Montmartre Hill in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It is the second most popular monument in Paris after the Eiffel Tower and receives over 10 million people every year. The bell tower of Sacre Coeur has 5 bells, one of them is the largest bell in France and weighs about 19 tons. You will see a lot of people sitting on the steps, talking, singing, eating and drinking while enjoying the view of the whole of Paris.
Last stop since it was already dark was Moulin Rouge. You can book tickets and enjoy the show, but this was something that we did not. We just wanted to see up close this famous cabaret. The Moulin Rouge cabaret was founded in 1889. Its trademark is a red windmill on its roof. Some information if you choose to watch the show: It is forbidden to take pictures, film or record. Sport clothes and sport shoes are not allowed. You have to be there 30 minutes before the show.
The day for us there was over, but we will return again for more walks in Montmartre.
Day 4.
During the planning of our trip we had blown hot and cold about whether we should visit Versailles or not. We decided to book tickets and then decide if it was worth it. The Palace of Versailles had some impressive things such as the room Hall of Mirrors. It extends more than 70 metres and is characterized by 17 wide arcaded mirrors opposite 17 windows that overlook the gardens below. Gilded statues and reliefs border its marble walls. In general, if you happen to visit other palaces in other cities, we think it is not something so different. What we can say was worth it were the gardens of Versailles. Planned by André Le Nôtre, it is perhaps the most famous and influential landscape architect in French history. Work on the gardens was started at the same time as the work on the palace and lasted for 40 or so years. Water features are an important part of French gardens, even more so than plant designs and groves. There are 386 works of art in Versailles (including 221 decorating the gardens) made of bronze, marble or lead and at the foot of the Palace on the garden side there are three large parterres. North Parterre, South Parterre and Water Parterre. You can spend many hours strolling in the gardens. They are organized around two axes, north-south and east-west. The first starts at the Neptune Fountain, passes along the Water Walk, and continues on to the Orangery and the Lake of the Swiss Guard. The second, the Grande Perspective, bisects the gardens, passing Leto’s Fountain and following the Royal Way as far as the Grand Canal.
We did not stay many hours in Versailles because we wanted to do more important things during the day. We continued in the same pattern and visited Luxembourg Gardens. Situated on the border between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, they cover 25 hectares of land. The garden has also 106 statues spread throughout the park, the monumental Medici fountain, the Orangerie and the Pavillon Davioud. Many people enjoying the sun are gathered there.
We wanted to spend the rest of the day in Montmartre, the picturesque village in the heart of Paris. Before arriving there you can make a stop to see the wall where “I love you” is written in over 250 languages. This is the famous Wall of Love. After that, we visited once again Sacré-Cœur Basilica as we wanted to see it in daylight. It was just as majestic both night and day. We then started strolling in the most famous Parisian district. Lovely houses, cobbled streets, live music by street artists, artists who painted portraits and more, people laughing and enjoying their wine, beer or maybe an Aperol Spritz in bistros. It was such a magical atmosphere that we could not get enough of it. We decided to sit in a so called brasserie, which is a typical Parisian restaurant. Remarkable décor with flowers all over the place. We tasted traditional food and we really felt for a little like Parisians.
Day 5.
The fifth day was actually a half day since we were leaving at afternoon. We always like to leave a day on our travels where we have nothing in the plan and just take walks and go where the road takes us. So we started walking and we found ourselves in an alley with colourful pastel houses. Ιt is Rue Cremieux Paris. If you want to see the largest cemetery in the city of Paris, visit Pere Lachaise Cemetery. There, are tombs of celebrities and epitaphs and is estimated that more than 300.000 people are buried in it.
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