09:00 – 10:00
Le Ju'
€10Breakfast
4.8(13K)· Paris
Convivial sidewalk brasserie popular for breakfast & brunch, plus daily lunch & dinner sets.
5 Days in Paris: The Perfect First-Timer's Itinerary
Paris · 5 days · First trip
Paris rewards a first visit that moves at a human pace, and five days is the sweet spot: enough to see the icons without turning your trip into a checklist sprint. This is the classic, can't-miss version of the city — the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Montmartre — arranged so each day has one big anchor, a couple of gardens to slow down in, and food stops chosen to feel like meals rather than refuelling.
The route is built around neighborhoods you can walk, so you spend your time in the city instead of on the métro. Days are sequenced to reach the busiest sights when they are calmest, to break long museum mornings with green space, and to end on something relaxed. There is zero FOMO here: everything essential is on the list, and nothing is padding.
Everything below is a real, ready-made itinerary. You can open this exact trip in the Wayfaro app and regenerate it for your own dates — the same shape, tuned to when you are actually going and how you like to travel.
This is a real itinerary generated by Wayfaro. Open it in the app to regenerate it for your own dates and preferences.
Day 1 — The Louvre, the Tuileries and the Seine
Start with breakfast at Le Ju', a convivial sidewalk brasserie, then give the whole morning to the Louvre while your legs and attention are fresh. It is the largest museum of the trip and far more pleasant before the midday crowds build, so don't try to see everything — pick a wing, find the Mona Lisa, and let the former palace do the rest. When you surface, Café Saint Honoré is an easy, casual lunch of galettes and crème brûlée nearby.
From there the day threads toward the river. Cross the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, the open square with its long sightlines, into the Tuileries Garden — a formal, 17th-century layout dotted with statues, including the Maillol bronzes, and made for slowing down. Carry on to Pont Neuf, the arched stone bridge opened in 1607 and crowned by a bronze statue of King Henri the 4th, where you board a Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat to see the city from the water. Wind down over organic crêpes at La Petite Bouclerie, all exposed stone walls and outdoor tables.
Day 1
8 stops- 20 min walk · 1.5 km
10:30 – 13:00
Louvre Museum
€644.7(371K)· Paris
Former historic palace housing huge art collection, from Roman sculptures to da Vinci's "Mona Lisa."
- 5 min walk · 395 m
13:15 – 14:15
CAFE SAINT HONORÉ
€20Lunch4.6(4K)· Paris
Classic French cuisine like galettes & crème brûlée in a casual brasserie with outdoor tables.
- 7 min walk · 506 m
14:30 – 15:45
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
Free4.7(2.2K)· Paris
This spacious square, once the site of a 16th-century palace, offers views of iconic buildings.
14:30 – 15:45
Tuileries Garden
Free4.6(118K)· Paris
Expansive, 17th-century formal garden dotted with statues, including 18 bronzes by Maillol.
16:00 – 16:45
Pont Neuf
4.6(23K)· Paris
Arched stone bridge, opened in 1607, with 2 spans & a bronze, equine statue of King Henri IV.
- 2 min walk · 152 m
17:15 – 18:00
Vedettes du Pont Neuf
€174.4(6.8K)· Paris
- 11 min walk · 821 m
19:00 – 20:00
La Petite Bouclerie
Dinner4.8(7.1K)· Paris
Organic crêpes & classic dishes served in a quaint haunt with exposed stone walls & outdoor seating.
Day 2 — Musée d'Orsay, Jardin du Luxembourg and the Panthéon
Grab a quick breakfast at Happy Caffé — crêpes and filled baguettes to go — and head to the Musée d'Orsay early, while it is still light on visitors. Its 19th- and 20th-century collections live inside a monumental former railway station, and it is a gentler, more manageable museum than yesterday's Louvre. Break for a traditional lunch at La Jacobine, tucked into a historic passageway, where onion soup and coq au vin are the move.
The afternoon is deliberately green and unhurried. Stroll the Jardin du Luxembourg, a formal 17th-century park of patterned trees and pedestalled statues — the classic Parisian sit-and-watch spot. A short walk away, the Panthéon, an 18th-century mausoleum behind a colonnaded facade, holds the remains of France's notable citizens. Close the day with dinner at Brasserie des Prés.
Day 2
6 stops08:30 – 09:00
Happy Caffé
Breakfast4.9(11K)· Paris
Casual cafe serving up sweet & savory crepes, plus filled baguette sandwiches & pastries to go.
- 13 min walk · 990 m
09:30 – 11:45
Musée d'Orsay
€204.8(115K)· Paris
Major 19th- & 20th-century European art collections housed in a monumental, former railway station.
- 18 min walk · 1.3 km
13:00 – 14:00
La Jacobine
€30Lunch4.6(5.4K)· Paris
Traditional French dishes like onion soup & coq au vin in a snug setting in a historic passageway.
- 13 min walk · 957 m
14:15 – 15:30
Jardin du Luxembourg
Free4.7(127K)· Paris
17th-century park with formally laid-out gardens, trees planted in patterns & statues on pedestals.
- 12 min walk · 898 m
15:45 – 16:30
Panthéon
Free4.6(69K)· Paris
18th-century mausoleum with colonnaded facade, housing remains of notable French citizens.
- 15 min walk · 1.1 km
18:00 – 19:00
Brasserie des Prés
€20Dinner4.7(8.9K)· Paris
Day 3 — The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe
Fuel up at Kozy Bosquet, then go straight to the Eiffel Tower — Gustave Eiffel's 1889 landmark is calmest early, and beating the day's queues is worth the alarm. Take the steps or elevators to the observation decks, then drop into the Jardin de la Tour Eiffel at its feet for the view from below. Lunch is a treat: Francette, a refined restaurant on a barge moored on the Seine, serves revisited French cooking with the tower in the window.
This is the fullest day, sequenced to save the best light for last. The Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, devoted to the arts and civilizations of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, is an absorbing indoor contrast for the afternoon. After a pause at Les Jardins du Presbourg, climb the Arc de Triomphe — built to mark Napoleon's victories — to its observation deck for the view down the avenues as the day turns. Dinner is at Chez Gabrielle.
Day 3
8 stops09:00 – 09:30
Kozy Bosquet
€10Breakfast4.7(14K)· Paris
- 14 min walk · 1 km
10:30 – 11:45
Eiffel Tower
Free4.7(493K)· Paris
Gustave Eiffel's iconic, wrought-iron 1889 tower, with steps and elevators to observation decks.
10:30 – 11:45
Jardin de la Tour Eiffel
Free4.5(2K)· Paris
13:00 – 14:00
Francette
€20Lunch4.5(8.6K)· Paris
Refined restaurant on board a barge on the Seine with Eiffel Tower views & revisited French cuisine.
- 9 min walk · 674 m
14:15 – 15:45
Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac
4.6(20K)· Paris
Engaging museum displaying the arts and civilizations of Africa, Asia, Oceania & the Americas.
- 24 min walk · 1.8 km
16:00 – 16:40
Les Jardins du Presbourg
€50Café break4.4
- 3 min walk · 218 m
17:10 – 18:25
Arc de Triomphe
€324.7(295K)· Paris
Iconic triumphal arch built to commemorate Napoleon's victories, with an observation deck.
- 7 min walk · 524 m
19:00 – 20:15
Chez Gabrielle
€40Dinner4.8
Day 4 — Montmartre and the Buttes-Chaumont
Ease into the day with brunch at Kozy South Pigalle before climbing into Montmartre. Take the steps up through Square Louise Michel, a leafy garden of fountains and city views, to the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre — the domed white church completed in 1914, with its mosaics and stained glass. Just behind it, Place du Tertre is the cobbled, café-lined square where artists paint visitors' portraits; it is touristy, and it is also unmistakably Paris. Lunch at Le Poulbot, a characterful hole-in-the-wall, leans into the classics: French onion soup, duck confit and snails.
The afternoon trades the hilltop crowds for one of the city's loveliest parks. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, laid out in the 19th century in a former quarry, has tall trees, a lake, waterfalls and an old iron railway bridge — a proper escape from the sightseeing. Round things off with dinner at Les Frères Laumière nearby.
Day 4
7 stops08:30 – 09:00
Kozy South Pigalle | All-week Brunch & Coffee
€10Breakfast4.9(2.2K)· Paris
- 10 min walk · 745 m
09:30 – 10:15
Square Louise Michel
Free4.5(8.2K)· Paris
Leafy square & gardens offering city views & fountains with steps leading up to Sacre Coeur church.
- 4 min walk · 281 m
10:30 – 11:15
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
Free4.7(165K)· Paris
Iconic, domed white church, completed in 1914, with interior mosaics, stained-glass windows & crypt.
10:30 – 11:15
Place du Tertre
Free4.5(20K)· Paris
Small, cafe-lined cobbled square & a hangout for buskers & artists painting visitors' portraits.
13:00 – 14:00
Le Poulbot
€20Lunch4.7(7.6K)· Paris
Characterful hole-in-the-wall for traditional fare like French onion soup, duck confit & snails.
- 12 min by transit · 3.8 km
15:00 – 17:30
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
Free4.6(27K)· Paris
19th-century park in former quarry, with tall trees, lake, waterfalls and old, iron railway bridge.
- 8 min walk · 632 m
19:00 – 20:00
Les Frères Laumière
€20Dinner4.7
Day 5 — Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Marais
Begin with breakfast at Loulou, a vintage-style diner, then head straight for the day's two great landmarks. Notre-Dame Cathedral, the towering 12th-century church of flying buttresses and gargoyles that Hugo made famous, is the anchor; a short walk away, Sainte-Chapelle rewards the visit with its 13th-century Gothic interior and walls of biblical stained glass. Refuel over burgers or steak at Union Square, an unfussy, warm diner.
The last afternoon is for wandering rather than ticking boxes. Browse the Marché couvert des Enfants Rouges, a covered market dating to 1615, for cheese, produce and eclectic street food, then decompress in the Jardin des Plantes, a vast botanical park with alpine gardens and restored 19th-century hothouses. Send yourself off with a proper Burgundy dinner — escargot and beef bourguignon — at Au Bourguignon du Marais.
Day 5
7 stops08:15 – 08:45
Loulou
€20Breakfast4.6(11K)· Paris
Bustling, vintage-style diner featuring traditional Australian comfort food & outdoor seating.
- 8 min walk · 585 m
09:00 – 10:00
Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris
€504.7(96K)· Paris
Towering, 12th-century cathedral with flying buttresses & gargoyles, setting for Hugo's novel.
- 8 min walk · 601 m
10:15 – 11:00
Sainte-Chapelle
Free4.6(49K)· Paris
Ornate, 13th-century, Gothic chapel with relics & notable stained-glass windows of biblical scenes.
- 5 min walk · 381 m
12:30 – 13:15
Union Square
€10Lunch4.5(11K)· Paris
Unfussy, warm diner specializing in burgers & steaks, plus draft beer & signature cocktails.
- 28 min walk · 2.1 km
14:00 – 15:00
Marché couvert des Enfants Rouges
4.4(5.1K)· Paris
Covered market dating to 1615 with produce, cheese & flower stalls, plus eclectic street food.
- 9 min by transit · 2.9 km
15:30 – 17:30
Jardin des Plantes
Free4.6(51K)· Paris
Vast park with plant species grown in botanical & alpine gardens & restored 19th-century hothouses.
- 24 min walk · 1.8 km
19:00 – 20:00
Au Bourguignon du Marais
€20Dinner4.6(4.4K)· Paris
Escargot, beef bourguignon & other traditional Burgundy cuisine in a polished restaurant.
- That's the trip — time to head home. Safe travels!
Good to know
- Book the big-ticket sights ahead. Timed-entry tickets for the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Sainte-Chapelle and the Arc de Triomphe spare you the longest queues and lock in your mornings.
- Wear shoes you can walk all day in. This plan is built around walkable neighborhoods, from the Tuileries to Montmartre, so comfort beats style on the Sacré-Cœur staircase.
- Do the biggest museum while you are fresh. The Louvre lands on Day 1 for a reason — pace yourself and pick a wing or two rather than trying to see it all.
- Reserve dinner where you can. Smaller spots like La Jacobine and Au Bourguignon du Marais fill up, and a booking spares you the wait.
- Use the gardens to reset. The Tuileries, the Jardin du Luxembourg and Parc des Buttes-Chaumont are there to slow the pace between sights.
Best time to visit
Paris is at its most golden in the shoulder seasons — spring and autumn — when the light is soft, the gardens look their best, and the crowds are thinner than at the height of summer. Summer is warm and lively but busiest at the big sights, while winter is quiet, atmospheric and often the best value, with the museums a welcome refuge on colder days. There is no wrong time to come: this itinerary is built to work year-round, leaning on indoor icons and covered stops as much as on parks and river views.
Questions travelers ask
Is 5 days in Paris enough?
Yes — five days is enough to see the classics without rushing. This itinerary gives each day a single major anchor, from the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower to Sacré-Cœur and Notre-Dame, plus gardens and unhurried meals, so you cover the essentials at a humane pace with room to breathe. It is paced for a first trip, not a sprint.
How much walking does this itinerary involve?
A comfortable amount. It is built around walkable neighborhoods, with green breaks like the Tuileries and the Jardin du Luxembourg between the sights, and the Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat trip gives your legs a rest. The one real climb is the steps up through Square Louise Michel to Sacré-Cœur.
Do I need to book museums and attractions in advance?
For the busiest ones, yes. Reserving timed entry for the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Sainte-Chapelle and the Arc de Triomphe means you skip the longest lines and keep the day on schedule. The gardens, markets and squares need no tickets.
Can I use this exact itinerary for my own trip?
Yes. Open this trip in the Wayfaro app and regenerate it for your own dates — it keeps the same shape and pacing while tuning the plan to when you are travelling and what you like.
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