5 Days in Paris – A Relaxed Itinerary for Anyone Who Loves Art, Cafés & Champagne

This 5-day Paris itinerary is for women like us – curious, independent, and loving the magic of art, history, and quiet café corners. You want to see the highlights without needing a vacation from your vacation, and you want to feel confident doing it!

I returned to Paris for the first time in 30+ years recently, with my friend from high school who had never been to Europe. The goal on this trip was to balance admiring iconic landmarks with plenty of time for exploring and just soaking in the atmosphere. It was an amazing trip and I'm excited to share it with you!

Before You Go to Paris

Day 1: Art & Gardens

Ease into your first full day with these sites which are beautiful, probably on anyone's “must see in Paris list”, and located close to each other.

Musée de l'Orangerie

Start your trip at the dreamy Musée de l'Orangerie, where Monet’s water lilies wrap around you in two oval galleries which Monet himself designed as a place for meditation.

It was pretty crowded when I was there with lots of people taking selfies. I imagine if you could be there in a less crowded time it would be a very calm and meditative space, surrounded by those beautiful paintings with the soft natural light from above.

There is another gallery with rotating exhibits on a lower level.

This small, manageable museum is perfect for easing into the art scene without feeling overwhelmed, and still seeing one of the artistic treasures of Paris.

What to know:

• How long will it take to see it? 1 hour or less.
• Musée de l'Orangerie is closed on Tuesdays.
• Can I eat there? Yes, there is an outdoor snack cafe at the back of the building.
• Do I need a ticket? Yes, get your ticket here in advance.

Tuileries Garden

Afterward, stroll through the Tuileries Garden to the other side where the Louvre is located. Take your time, this is an “I’m really in Paris” moment. Grab a bench, watch the locals walk their dogs, and let the jet lag melt into the gravel paths and statues.

What to know:

• How long will it take to see it? About half an hour.
• Tuileries Garden is a lovely 15 minute walk between Musée de l'Orangerie, and The Louvre.
• Can I eat there? Yes, there are 3 restaurants there.
• Do I need a ticket? Nope.

Café Marly

One of my favorite moments from my trip was arriving an hour or so early for my Louvre entry time and finding the chic terrace of the Café Marly, which overlooks the people queued up waiting for tickets around the Pyramid in the Louvre's courtyard. I splurged on a glass of champagne (and a toasted baguette with jam!), people-watched and totally marinated in the “squeal… I am in Paris!” feeling!

Louvre

Save the Louvre for afternoon when crowds thin slightly, even better plan to go late afternoon on a Wednesday or Friday when it's open until 9PM. You don’t need to see everything, just choose a few wings or let the Mona Lisa draw you in if it's your first time.

Wondering what to see at the Louvre on a first visit? Sign up for a tour that matches your level of interest like this top rated private tour, or this top rated group tour.

Here is an alternate suggestion if you want to do it at your own pace. Head to the room where Mona Lisa lives and see the icon from a distance if you don't want to wait in the (probably huge) line. You will also see the Winged Victory statue on the way there, so two birds with one stone!

Then take a look at list of all of the other wonders housed at the Louvre and decide your next focus(es). I chose to see the Napoleon III Apartments exhibit. Gorgeous!

✨ Beauty tip: The Louvre lights up at night. Even if you’re done inside, walk the courtyard and soak in the ambiance.

What to know:

• How long will it take to see it? Minimum of a couple of hours.
• The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.
• Can I eat there? Yes, there are 2 restaurants within the Louvre, and you can see nearby restaurants here.
• Do I need a ticket? Yes! Buy in advance here.

Day 2: Cathedrals & Calm

Sainte-Chapelle

Start at Sainte-Chapelle, once French royalties private chapel on the Île de la Cité. I promise you’ll gasp when you see the stained glass. It feels like stepping inside a jewel box. This dazzling chapel was built in 1248. How did they build things like this back then?!

Sainte-Chapelle was commissioned in order to house Christ's Crown of Thorns, but that ended up being stored a 10 minute walk away at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

What to know:

• How long will it take to see it? About half an hour.
• Closed on January 1, May 1 and December 25.
• Do I need a ticket? Yes! Buy in advance here.
• Check here to see if there is a classical concert at Sainte-Chapelle while you're in Paris!

Notre Dame Cathedral

Next, walk 10 minutes over to Notre Dame Cathedral. This 1163 Catholic church on the Il de la Cite (one of the islands in the Seine) is a symbol of Paris. It suffered grave damage in a 2019 fire related to it's ongoing renovation work. Who remembers watching that happen live on TV, and finding your self suddenly shedding tears for this building? 🙋🏻‍♀️

Happily in December 2024 it had been rebuilt and reopened!

Entry is free, but you can reserve a time slot for entry to avoid the long line. Reservations open a couple of days in advance.

Full disclosure: I tried while I was in Paris, but the timed entry reservations were snapped up before I got to them. Even when I tried first thing in the morning. Honestly, the line to get in without a reservation didn't look too insane the couple of times I walked by, but I decided to save the Notre Dame interior for my next visit.

What to know:

• How long will it take to see it? About an hour and a half.
• Open year round, every day of the week.
• Do I need a ticket? No, but you can reserve a timed entry here.
• Check here for the Service schedule of this active Catholic church.
• Check here for the Notre Dame concert schedule.
• The cafe right next Notre Dame ended up not being an insane tourist trap! Check out “Aux Tours de Notre Dame Cafe”.

Île Saint-Louis

Cross the bridge to Île Saint-Louis, a quiet idyllic neighborhood in the middle of the Seine. This is the Paris of novels: flower boxes, classic cafés with little bistro tables, and caramel-colored shutters. It’s a lovely place to journal or just marinate in Paris.

After enjoying wandering around aimlessly, I stopped at Le Saint-Regis Restaurant for brunch. Perfect setting for your main character in Paris movie scene you create in your head. (you do that too, right?)

Musée d’Orsay

In the afternoon, head to Musée d’Orsay, my favorite museum in Paris. If you're feeling super motivated you can walk the 1.5 mile distance from Le Saint-Regis Restaurant in about 35 minutes. (If you’re feeling tired, it’s perfectly fine to linger longer on Île Saint-Louis and save Musée d'Orsay for another day. Paris isn’t going anywhere.)

The Musee d' Orsay building alone, an old train station, is worth the visit. But this museum houses the Impressionist Masters! Renoir, Manet, Monet, Degas, Cezanne, Van Gogh and more. Tell me you didn't have a print of one of these paintings in your first apartment! Stand under the massive clock window and look out over the river. It’s magic.

Another highlight of my Paris visit was discovering the Terrasse, a rooftop bar/cafe open in the warm weather seasons. Though pricy, sitting there with a glass of champagne, a view of the Seine, the magnificent Parisian architecture and statues, and the Sacre Cour in the distance was one of those pinch me moments!

What to know:

• How long will it take to see it? About 90 minutes.
• Musee d'Orsay is closed on Tuesdays.
• Do I need a ticket? Yes, prebook your ticket here.

Day 3: Local Life

Rue Mouffetard

Today’s all about Rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement, a market area which happens to be Paris's oldest street. It's bustling, charming, and delicious.

Wander the shops, try a pastry (or two), and sit at a sidewalk table for people-watching. This was one of Hemingway’s haunts, and was also featured in the movie “Midnight in Paris”.

This day is intentionally light. You might want to revisit a favorite museum, stop by the Jardin des Plantes Botanical Garden nearby, or simply let Paris lead.

More Left Bank spots nearby to check out

• Shakespear and Company: Famous 1951 bookstore with books in English. It’s packed floor to ceiling with books, old typewriters, and charm. This is on many “top sights in Paris” lists, and is Insta-famous now, often with queues to get in.
• The Pantheon: The Panthéon is this massive, elegant building in the Latin Quarter that was once a church and is now basically France’s hall of fame. Inside, you’ll find famous names like Marie Curie and Victor Hugo resting in style. Climb up to the dome for one of the best panoramic views in the city.
• Les Deux Magots: This is one of Paris’s most iconic cafés, around since 1884. It once hosted our buddies Hemingway, Picasso, and Simone de Beauvoir. These days, it’s the perfect spot to sip a café crème, people-watch in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and pretend you’re working on your next great novel. It’s a little touristy ($$$) but might be on your Paris bucket list.
  

✨ Confidence booster: Not every day has to be packed. Slower days are often where the coolest memories happen.

Day 4: Fashion & Glamour

Today will be a busy day, and honestly when I followed this itinerary it was my favorite day of the trip,and honestly one of my favorite days ever!

Fashion History Guided Walking Tour

Begin with this 2 hour Fashion History Private Guided Walking Tour! It was so fun to have a private tour guide tell me about the history of fashion, with all of the inside stories, as we walked by the past and present places where at all happened. It was so interesting to learn about how fashion is a great representation of what is happening in the world/culture at any given time.

My favorite part was at the end when I learned about Coco Chanel in front of her block of shops. Apparently she had an apartment above her first shop, but never lived there, just used it for meetings. Instead she lived at the Ritz Hotel right down the street.

Bar Vendôme at the Ritz Hotel

After hearing about our old pal, Coco, living at the Ritz, it feels natural to stop by to experience the ambiance. Just walk down the street from the Chanel shops about 5 minutes to the Ritz. I was a little nervous going in, seeing a dress code sign, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. But as Holly GoLightly would say, “The staff were just divine! The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there.”

I asked if there was a place to get a glass of wine and I was escorted into the Bar Vendôme. They promptly brought over a small stool for me to place my Chanel shopping bag and purse upon, to my delight and amusement!

I asked the waiter for a recommendation of a glass of Chardonnay and he congenially explained the difference between the white wines they had by the glass. I, of course, ordered the cheapest one for 34 euros 😀

It was delicious and came with complimentary olives, chips and warmed nuts.

I'm not sure what it was about the atmosphere in there, but it just felt sort of magically calm and wonderful. I guess that's what having lots of money to blow can buy you. I was happy to get a little taste of it. 🙂

✨ If you really want to splurge you can stay at the Ritz! Room start at 2,100 Euros/night. ✨ 

Opéra Garnier

The next step of today's magical Parisian day is to walk 10 minutes to visit the Opéra Garnier, a stunning, golden-hued opera house that drips with glamour. This was another absolute highlight of Paris for me! Jaw-droppingly gorgeous!

Galeries Lafayette

Next it's time to gradually lower your awe-level… walk 3 minutes up the street to Galeries Lafayette. This is the flagship store of this historic French department store. You can shop if you want, but go to see the gorgeous art nouveau dome roof and a rooftop bar/restaurant with a panoramic view of Paris. (Unfortunately on the day I visited the rooftop was closed for a private event, but still worth a visit to see the interior)

Galeries Lafayette hosts a weekly fashion show every Friday at 3PM. Be sure to go for an easy way to check “attend Paris fashion show” off your bucket list!

Montmartre and Sacre Coeur

In the evening, take a 15 minute cab/Uber ride to Sacre Coeur Basilica, then slowly make your way downhill through it's Montmartre neighborhood, and chose from a bevy an unbelievably charming restaurants for dinner.

The area in front of Sacre Coeur has an amazing view of the city, and is particularly beautiful at sunset. Sacre Coeur Basilica is open every day from 6.30am to 10.30pm, and admission is free. You can climb the 300 steps to the Dome for an even more birds-eye-view of Paris between 10:15 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The area around the church is touristy for sure, but go in knowing that and then just eat it up! It is charming as hell, have some fun wandering through this French fairy tale!

Le Consulat Restaurant

Without realizing this was a historic restaurant, we decided to take a seat at an alley-side table at Le Consulat Restaurant in Montmartre. Turns out this place was a fave of folks like Picasso, Van Gogh, and Monet. It was even relatively reasonably priced, and the food we ordered hit the spot!

But the most amazing part was the entertainment! There were two men sitting at a table at the restaurant across the alley from where we sat. One played the guitar and sang, the other played percussion on the glassware at their table. There was also an adorable older gentleman in a beret at a nearby table who delighted in the music and stood up often to dance. Passers by would also stop to dance and sing along! Fun and magical doesn't even describe it 🙂

Of course the videos I took didn't capture the best of it, but here's one to give some of the vibe.

BTW, as we watched more, we realized these guys didn't just happen to be there “spontaneously” but it was an act or show. Still super entertaining and charming!

Day 5: Dior & the Eiffel Finale

La Galerie Dior

Spend your final morning at La Galerie Dior, and see the history of the Christian Dior fashion line in all of its elegance and beauty. The tour takes about an hour to walk through many “showrooms” of different creative displays of the most beautiful Dior designs over the years.

Buy your ticket online in advance to make sure you can get in and have a shorter wait.

Le Café Dior

Le Café Dior, with a new menu created by our good friend Yannick Alléno, is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., except Tuesdays.

You can only get to this cafe if you buy the La Galerie Dior tour. Honestly, I would have appreciated the pastry case and walked on through, except my friend hadn't bought a ticket in advance so he was in the longer line and I was done with the tour when he was starting it. Cue my great sacrifice of sipping chardonnay and nibbling ridiculously tiny, expensive sandwiches and enjoying every minute of it waiting for him.

Le Cafe Dior somehow reminded me of the pristine, white Sees Candy Store (West Coast Americas are now nodding, knowingly). Cool, calm, and first-class all the way.

Cruise the Seine

Next, walk about 10 minutes to the Seine and take a one hour Seine boat cruise, a perfect mid-day pause to reflect on the city from the water. I recommend a daytime Bateaux-Mouches Seine Cruise for the views, less crowding, and no the mediocre dinner cruise food! Grab some delicious snacks and champagne before you board.

There are indoor and outdoor bench seating. You’ll pass the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and finally the Eiffel Tower, where the anticipation builds for your grand finale.

The Eiffel Tower

For your big Paris finale, walk the short distance across the bridge from the boat dock straight to the Eiffel Tower. Whether you climb to the top or relax on the Champ de Mars lawn, this is your “pinch-me” moment.

We skipped going up the tower because I'd rather have the Eiff in my pictures not from it. It was a wonderful, festive atmosphere with people lounging on the lawn, vendors walking by selling bottles of champagne and wine, and musicians doing their thing while kids danced and played! Every once in a while cheers would go up because someone got engaged! 💕

More Paris Tips

• Paris is safe, but keep your bag zipped up and close to you in crowded spots.
• Walk as much as you can. The beauty and fun is often between the destinations.
• Say “bonjour” EVERY TIME you enter a shop. It goes a long way. The ONLY time I experienced a “rude Parisian” was when I forgot to say bonjour when I entered a small store!

So How Was It?

Five days in Paris goes fast, but it’s the perfect taste of the city…enough to see the legends and still enjoy a lazy coffee by the Seine. Whether you’re traveling solo or with a friend, this itinerary proves you can fit art, style, and champagne into one unforgattable trip.

If this guide helped you plan your own Paris adventure, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Or pin it for later (because Paris dreams deserve a place on your board).