Day 1
Arrive Paris | Eiffel Tower | Rue Cler Market Street | Canal Saint-Martin
Arrive at Charles de Gaulle Airport and transfer to your hotel. Afternoon at the Eiffel Tower for the view from the Champ de Mars lawn and the second floor observation deck. Walk along the Rue Cler, the most beautiful food market street in Paris, lined with fromageries, charcuteries, patisseries, and wine merchants. Evening along the Canal Saint-Martin, Paris's most authentic neighbourhood canal lined with iron footbridges, lockside cafes, and independent boutiques. Dinner at a canal-side bistro. Overnight Paris.
💡 Tip: Rue Cler is open every day except Sunday afternoon and Monday. Go between 10 AM and 1 PM when the stalls are fully stocked and the neighbourhood is alive.
Day 2
Louvre Early Entry | Covered Passages | Palais Royal Gardens | Oberkampf Evening
Early Louvre entry at opening for the essential works without overwhelming crowds. Focus on three or four rooms rather than attempting the whole museum. After the Louvre, walk through the 19th-century covered passages of the 2nd arrondissement, the glass-roofed shopping arcades that were the world's first malls and are now full of antique book sellers, stamp dealers, and tearooms. Afternoon at the Palais Royal gardens. Evening in the Oberkampf neighbourhood for some of the best bistro cooking in Paris. Overnight Paris.
💡 Tip: The covered passages include Galerie Vivienne, Passage des Panoramas, and Passage Jouffroy. All are free to enter and connect to each other through side streets for a magical rainy-day walk.
Day 3
Versailles Full Day | Trianon Gardens | Potager du Roi | Return for Marais Evening
Full day at the Palace of Versailles. Visit the Hall of Mirrors and State Apartments in the morning before the crowds build. Spend the afternoon in the less-visited areas: the Petit Trianon, the Grand Trianon, and the Hameau de la Reine, Marie Antoinette's fantasy pastoral village. Visit the Potager du Roi, the royal kitchen garden from 1683 still growing vegetables and fruit trees in extraordinary geometric parterres. Return to Paris for dinner in the Marais. Overnight Paris.
💡 Tip: The Versailles estate gardens are free to enter on most days. Even visiting just the gardens and Trianons without the main palace gives an extraordinary afternoon.
Day 4
Montmartre Morning | Flea Market at Saint-Ouen | Sacre-Coeur | 11th Arrondissement
Morning in Montmartre before the tourist crowds arrive, walking the vineyard and the artists' ateliers and the old windmills of the Moulin de la Galette. Visit Sacre-Coeur Basilica for the panoramic Paris view from the steps. Afternoon at the Saint-Ouen flea market, the largest antique market in Europe with 2500 dealers spread across 15 interconnected markets. Dinner in the 11th arrondissement, the most vibrant neighbourhood in contemporary Paris for natural wine bars and neo-bistro cooking. Overnight Paris.
💡 Tip: The Saint-Ouen flea market is open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Monday mornings have fewer visitors and some of the best dealers. Take Line 4 metro to Porte de Clignancourt.
Day 5
Sainte-Chapelle | Latin Quarter Market | Last Pastries | Departure
Final morning at Sainte-Chapelle, the 13th-century royal chapel with floor-to-ceiling stained glass that many consider the single most beautiful interior in Paris. Walk through the Latin Quarter to the Rue Mouffetard morning market, one of the oldest market streets in Paris. Last croissant and cafe at a local boulangerie. Transfer to CDG Airport. End of tour.
💡 Tip: Sainte-Chapelle is right next to the Conciergerie on the Ile de la Cite. A combined ticket covers both and is better value. Go as early as possible as queues can be long by 10 AM.
