How many days do I need in Paris?

5 days is the ideal first visit — it covers the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Versailles day trip, Montmartre, and Le Marais without rushing. 3 days is the minimum but forces hard choices. Extend to 7+ days if you want Giverny, the Champagne region, or deeper neighbourhood exploration.

When is the best time to visit Paris?

April–June and September–October. Spring brings chestnut blossoms, outdoor café culture, and moderate crowds. September is arguably the best month — summer heat gone, tourist volumes down 30%, the city returns to locals.

Is Paris safe for tourists?

Paris is generally safe. The main practical risks are pickpockets at the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Sacré-Cœur, and on Métro line 1. Use an anti-theft bag or keep wallets in front pockets. Women travelling solo report Paris as safe with standard precautions.

How do I get from CDG Airport to central Paris?

The RER B train is the best option: €12.10, runs every 10–15 minutes, takes 35 minutes to central Paris (Châtelet-Les Halles, Luxembourg, Saint-Michel). A taxi costs €50–70 fixed fare to Paris.

What should I eat in Paris?

A croissant from a proper boulangerie, steak frites at a classic bistro like Le Relais de l'Entrecôte, French onion soup at a brasserie, crêpes in Montmartre, macarons from Pierre Hermé, and at least one supermarket picnic on the Seine.

Paris Eiffel Tower reflected in the Seine river at golden hour France

Home/Blog/Paris 5 Days

EuropeApril 2026·15 min read·Surya Pratap

Paris in 5 Days: Eiffel Tower, Louvre & Versailles

Five days of croissants, monuments, hidden courtyards and the Seine at golden hour. Real euro costs, Louvre strategy, and the Paris only locals know.

Surya PratapFounder

Delhi · Visited: Kedarnath, Gangotri, Manali, Shimla, Rishikesh & more · April 2026 · 15 min read

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🇫🇷 France·🗓 5 Days·💰 From €60/day

Paris at 7am — the Eiffel Tower catching the first light over an empty Champ de Mars, a still-warm croissant from the boulangerie on the corner, the Seine glittering silver before the tour boats begin — is one of the genuinely great travel experiences on earth. Five days gives you the Louvre without the panic, Montmartre before the crowds, Versailles in an afternoon, and enough time left over to simply sit at a café and watch the city move.

⚡ What Paris Actually Is

Paris is a city that genuinely lives up to its reputation — but only if you know how to approach it. The Eiffel Tower is as striking in person as every photograph suggests. The Louvre is overwhelming in the best possible way. Montmartre at dawn is achingly beautiful. But the city also has edges: the tourist traps near every landmark charge triple for mediocre food, the Métro smells exactly how you've heard, and pickpockets operate professionally at every major site.

What makes five days ideal is breathing room. You can spend a full morning at the Louvre instead of sprinting through it in two hours. You can dedicate an entire day to Versailles without feeling like Paris is slipping away. You can wander Le Marais, discover your own café, and eat your way through Rue Cler — the things that actually make Paris feel like Paris, not a checklist.

The city is organized into 20 arrondissements spiralling clockwise from the centre. Most of what you want to see falls within the 1st through 7th, with Montmartre in the 18th and the best restaurants in the 11th. The Métro connects everything in under 30 minutes. The real Paris revelation: it is a remarkably walkable city, and almost everything looks better on foot.

✈️

CDG

Main Airport

🌡️

Apr\u2013Jun

Best Months

🗓

5 Days

Duration

💰

\u20AC60/day

Budget From

🌡️ Best Time to Visit Paris

🌸

Apr–Jun — Spring — Best Season

Recommended

15–22°C. Chestnut blossoms along the Seine, outdoor café culture in full swing, long evenings. Tourist numbers are manageable until mid-June. The Tuileries and Luxembourg Gardens are at their most beautiful. This is when Paris is at its absolute best.

🍂

Sep–Oct — Autumn — Excellent

Excellent

14–20°C. Arguably the best-kept secret: summer heat gone, tourist volumes down 30%, the city returns to Parisians. September light is exceptional for photography. The rentrée brings energy back to restaurants, galleries, and cultural life.

☀️

Jul–Aug — Summer — Hot & Crowded

Busy season

20–35°C, sometimes 38°C+. Peak tourist season. Every major site has long queues. Many Parisian restaurants close for August as locals leave the city. The upside: Paris Plages (pop-up beaches on the Seine) and 16+ hours of daylight.

❄️

Nov–Mar — Winter — Atmospheric

Budget-friendly

2–10°C. Cold and grey, but magical in December when Christmas markets light up the Champs-Élysées and Tuileries. Museums are blissfully uncrowded. Hotel prices drop 30–40%. The trade-off: short days (sunset at 4:30pm in December) and occasional rain.

✈️ Getting to Paris

Key detail: Paris has two main airports — Charles de Gaulle (CDG) for most international flights, and Orly (ORY) for European budget carriers. CDG is 25km northeast of the city centre; Orly is 13km south.

🚆

RER B from CDG (recommended)

Best option

The fastest and cheapest option from CDG to central Paris. €12.10, runs every 10–15 minutes, takes 35 minutes to Châtelet-Les Halles, Luxembourg, or Saint-Michel stations. Catch it directly from Terminal 2 or from Terminal 1 via the CDGVAL shuttle. Runs 5am to midnight.

🚕

Taxi from CDG

€50–55 flat

Fixed-fare taxi to Paris: €50 to Right Bank, €55 to Left Bank (legally mandated flat rate). Journey takes 40–75 minutes depending on traffic. Only use taxis from the official rank outside arrivals — unlicensed drivers will charge €100+. Good option for late arrivals when the RER stops.

🚌

Orlybus / Orlyval from Orly

€11–14

Orlybus runs to Denfert-Rochereau Métro station (€11.50, 30 min). Orlyval automated train connects to RER B at Antony (€14.10, 35 min to city centre). If you flew a European budget carrier (easyJet, Vueling, Transavia), you likely land at Orly.

🇮🇳

From India

8–9 hrs direct

Direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai to CDG on Air France and Air India (8–9 hours, €400–800 return). One-stop options via Dubai, Doha, or Istanbul are often cheaper (€350–600). Book 2–3 months ahead for the best prices. Apply for a Schengen visa at VFS Global at least 4–6 weeks before travel.

🚇

Métro Passes in Paris

€30/week

Single Métro journey: €2.15. The Navigo Découverte weekly pass costs €30 and covers unlimited travel on Métro, RER, bus, and tram — including the RER C to Versailles and RER B to CDG airport. Buy at any Métro station with a passport photo. The Paris Visite tourist pass exists but is worse value — skip it.

📅 5-Day Paris Itinerary

This itinerary is built for the budget tier (\u20AC60\u201390/day). Each day card is expandable with real prices in euros. The mid-range and luxury options are detailed in the full planning section below.

●7:00am — Walk to Champ de Mars for sunrise views of the tower before the crowds arrive. The tower faces northeast — morning light hits the ironwork beautifully.
●9:00am — Buy your Eiffel Tower ticket online in advance (essential). Stairs to the 2nd floor: €11.80 ($13). Lift to the summit: €29.40 ($32). The stairs take 20 minutes and the views from each landing are just as dramatic.
●10:30am — Cross to Trocadéro esplanade for the best full-tower photograph in Paris. The fountain pools make a natural foreground — arrive before 11am for clean shots.
●12:30pm — Picnic on Champ de Mars: baguette (€1.10/$1.20), a wedge of Comté or Brie (€2–3/$2.20–3.30), and a small bottle of rosé (€4/$4.40) from the Franprix on Rue du Commerce.
●3:00pm — Walk the Left Bank along Quai Branly to Pont d’Iéna. Cross the river and explore the 16th arrondissement residential streets — calm, elegant, un-touristy.
●6:00pm — Return to Champ de Mars for the tower sparkling at dusk (every hour on the hour after dark for 5 minutes, until 1am).
●8:00pm — Dinner on Rue Cler market street (7th arr.) — one of Paris’s best food streets. Rotisserie chickens for €12 ($13), or sit at Café du Marché for steak frites and a glass of house red for €20 ($22).

💰Est. cost: €35–50 (~$38–55)

●8:30am — Buy Louvre tickets online (€22/$24) — never buy at the gate. Arrive at 9am on a Wednesday or Friday when the museum stays open until 9:45pm.
●9:00am — Strategic Louvre: go directly to the Denon Wing. Mona Lisa → Winged Victory of Samothrace → Venus de Milo → Dutch/Flemish Masters → Egyptian Antiquities. That’s 5 rooms, 3 hours, everything essential. The museum has 35,000 works — don’t try to see everything.
●12:30pm — Lunch at Café Marly inside the Louvre courtyard (€18–25/$20–27 for a plat du jour) or walk to Rue de Rivoli for a croque-monsieur from a brasserie (€9/$10).
●2:00pm — Tuileries Garden — free, beautiful, the best public garden in Paris for a walk or to sit in a green metal chair.
●3:30pm — Palais Royal arcades and garden — completely free, architecturally stunning, almost no tourists. Daniel Buren’s black-and-white column installation in the courtyard is worth 15 minutes.
●5:30pm — Walk across Pont Neuf to the Left Bank. St-Germain-des-Prés neighbourhood — Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots are tourist traps; have a coffee for the history but eat elsewhere.
●8:00pm — Dinner in St-Germain: Le Relais de l’Entrecôte (no reservations, queue from 7pm, one dish: steak frites with secret sauce, €28/$31 — worth every euro).

💰Est. cost: €40–60 (~$44–65)

●8:00am — Montmartre before the tourist buses: take the Métro to Abbesses (line 12), not Anvers. The small square with the Art Nouveau Métro entrance is the real Montmartre.
●8:30am — Sacré-Cœur basilica (free entry) at opening — the mosaic Christ in Majesty is one of the largest in the world. The panoramic view over Paris from the parvis is exceptional.
●10:00am — Place du Tertre artist square — touristy by 11am, but at 10am you can see artists working. Walk the vineyard path behind the basilica.
●11:00am — Moulin Rouge exterior (Rue Lepic side street for the windmill view). Walk down Rue Lepic — the market street where Amélie was filmed.
●1:00pm — Lunch at a bistro in the 9th arrondissement — one step from Montmartre and prices drop 40%. Try Le Bon Bock (Rue de Douai) for classic French fare at €12–15 ($13–16).
●3:00pm — Canal Saint-Martin (10th arr.) — Paris’s coolest neighbourhood. Iron footbridges, boutiques, cafés, independent bookshops. The canal walk from République to Jaurès takes 45 minutes.
●7:00pm — République neighbourhood for dinner — local, diverse, affordable. Le Galopin for modern French bistro cooking at €15–20 ($16–22) mains.

💰Est. cost: €30–45 (~$33–49)

●9:00am — Le Marais: start at Place des Vosges (free) — Paris’s oldest planned square, arcaded walkways, Victor Hugo’s house (free museum). Coffee at Ma Bourgogne under the arches.
●10:30am — Centre Pompidou exterior — the inside-out building is as photogenic as any classic monument. Museum entry €15 ($16); the rooftop view (included) is Paris at its most industrial-beautiful.
●12:00pm — Marais lunch: L’As du Fallafel (Rue des Rosiers, €7/$8) — Paris’s most famous falafel. Expect a queue but it moves fast. The Jewish Quarter has some of the city’s best street eating.
●2:00pm — Walk to Île de la Cité across Pont Marie. Notre-Dame de Paris — the cathedral reopened in December 2024 after reconstruction from the 2019 fire. Check current visiting hours.
●3:30pm — Sainte-Chapelle (€13.50/$15, book online) — the upper chapel’s 15 stained glass windows covering 600m² of Gothic tracery are among the most extraordinary interiors in Europe.
●5:00pm — Shakespeare and Company bookshop (free, Rue de la Bûcherie) — the most famous English-language bookshop in Paris, facing Notre-Dame across the Seine. Buy a book, get it stamped.
●7:30pm — Latin Quarter evening: Rue Mouffetard market street for dinner — crêpe stands, traditional brasseries. Budget €12–18 ($13–20) for a full meal.

💰Est. cost: €35–55 (~$38–60)

●7:30am — Leave Paris early. Take RER C from Gare d’Austerlitz or Pont de l’Alma to Versailles-Château-Rive Gauche (€7.30/$8 return, 35 minutes). Trains every 15 minutes.
●9:00am — Palace of Versailles opens at 9am (€20/$22, book online). Arrive at opening to beat the 11am tour groups. Hall of Mirrors is the centrepiece — 357 mirrors, 20,000 candles when lit.
●10:30am — Royal Apartments, King’s Chamber, Queen’s Chamber. Budget 2 hours for the interior. The Baroque excess is deliberately overwhelming — that’s the point.
●12:30pm — Gardens of Versailles (free entry except fountain show days). The Grand Canal extends for 1.5km. Rent a rowboat (€9/$10 per hour) on the canal.
●2:00pm — Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon palaces — included in the Passport ticket (€32/$35) or €12 ($13) separate. Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet (the fake farm village) is 20 minutes’ walk through the gardens.
●4:30pm — Return RER C to Paris. Back in the city by 5:30pm.
●7:00pm — Final Paris dinner: the 11th arrondissement for the best value dining. Le Servan (Rue Saint-Maur) for exceptional modern bistro cooking at €18–25 ($20–27) mains.

💰Est. cost: €40–55 (~$44–60) incl. transport + entry

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🏛️ Paris Landmark Guide

The essential landmarks in order of priority. Entry fees and hours as of early 2026 — book every single one online to skip ticket queues. The Paris Museum Pass (\u20AC52/2 days) covers most of these.

Eiffel Tower

€11.80 stairs / €29.40 summit lift ($13/$32)Must see · 2–3 hrs

Book at tour-eiffel.fr at least 2 days ahead — slots sell out weeks in advance in summer. Stairs to the 2nd floor take 20 minutes and are genuinely enjoyable. The summit lift adds the top platform at 276m. Best times: 9am for morning light or 7pm for golden hour. The tower sparkles every hour after dark for 5 minutes.

Musée du Louvre

€22 ($24) — book onlineMust see · 3–4 hrs

60,000 square metres of art. Don’t try to see everything. Strategic route: Denon Wing ground floor then first floor — Mona Lisa (Room 711), Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, Dutch Masters, Egyptian Antiquities. Set a 3-hour limit. Open Wednesday and Friday until 9:45pm — evening visits are less crowded.

Notre-Dame de Paris

Free entry (reopened Dec 2024)Must see · 1–1.5 hrs

The cathedral reopened after the 2019 fire with a restored interior. The Gothic façade, rose windows, and flying buttresses remain among the most recognised architecture in the world. Check the official website for current opening hours and any access restrictions.

Palace of Versailles

€20 palace / €32 Passport ($22/$35)Full day trip · 6–7 hrs

RER C to Versailles-Château-Rive Gauche (35 min, €7.30 return). Arrive at 9am opening. Hall of Mirrors, Royal Apartments, then the gardens. The Passport ticket includes Grand and Petit Trianon. Budget a full day — the grounds alone are 800 hectares.

Sainte-Chapelle

€13.50 ($15) — book onlineMust see · 45 min

The upper chapel’s 15 stained glass windows cover 600 square metres of Gothic tracery and are among the most extraordinary interiors in Europe. Visit when the sun is shining for maximum light through the glass. On Île de la Cité, 5 minutes from Notre-Dame.

Musée d’Orsay

€16 ($17) — book onlineHighly recommended · 2–3 hrs

The Impressionist collection in a converted railway station. Monet’s water lilies, Renoir’s Moulin de la Galette, Van Gogh’s self-portraits. Give it 2–2.5 hours. The clock window on the top floor frames a postcard view of Sacré-Cœur across the river.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica

Free entry — dome climb €7 ($8)Must see · 1–1.5 hrs

The white basilica crowning Montmartre hill. Free entry to the main nave with its enormous mosaic of Christ in Majesty. The dome climb (300 steps, €7) provides one of Paris’s finest panoramic views. Best visited early morning before the tourist buses arrive at 10am.

Paris — Monuments, Caf\u00E9s & the Seine

The city of light at its most photogenic.

📸

Eiffel Tower at Golden Hour

📍

Eiffel Tower at Golden Hour

The Eiffel Tower catching the last light over the Champ de Mars — the defining image of Paris.

💰 Budget Breakdown

Paris is not cheap, but it is far more affordable than its reputation suggests — particularly if you master the supermarket picnic, the Navigo weekly pass, and the Museum Pass. These three things alone save \u20AC200+ over five days compared to the tourist-trap approach.

Category	💰 Budget	✨ Mid-Range	💎 Luxury
🏨 Accommodation	€30–60/night	€100–180/night	€400–1,500/night
🍝 Food	€15–25/day	€40–70/day	€100–300/day
🚇 Transport	€5–10/day	€15–25/day	€30–80/day
🎫 Activities	€15–30/day	€30–60/day	€100–300/day
TOTAL (per person)	€65–125/day ($71–136)	€185–335/day ($201–365)	€630–2,180/day ($686–2,376)

💰 Budget (\u20AC60\u201390/day)

Hostels or budget hotels, supermarket picnics, Navigo weekly pass, free museums. Paris on a budget is entirely achievable and still deeply enjoyable. The baguette + cheese + wine picnic on the Seine is genuinely one of the best meals you will have.

✨ Mid-Range (\u20AC150\u2013250/day)

3-star hotels in the 7th or 11th arr., bistro lunches, guided museum tours, Seine cruise. This is the sweet spot for most travellers \u2014 comfortable without losing the city\u2019s authenticity.

💎 Luxury (\u20AC400+/day)

Palace hotels (Le Bristol, Crillon, Shangri-La), Michelin-starred dinners, private museum tours, luxury car transfers. Paris is one of the great luxury destinations and delivers accordingly at the top tier.

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🏨 Where to Stay in Paris

Location matters enormously in Paris. The right neighbourhood saves you hours of commuting and puts you in walking distance of the best restaurants and sights. Here are the five best areas for visitors, each with a different character.

Le Marais (3rd & 4th arr.)

Central · Historic · Walkable to everything

€100–250/night ($109–272)Best overall

Paris’s most charming central neighbourhood. Walking distance to Notre-Dame, the Louvre, Place des Vosges, and Centre Pompidou. Excellent restaurants, vintage shops, and the city’s best falafel on Rue des Rosiers. The gold standard for first-time visitors.

Latin Quarter (5th arr.)

Student area · Budget-friendly · Near Notre-Dame

€70–160/night ($76–174)Best for budget

The historic university district on the Left Bank. Affordable hotels, excellent Rue Mouffetard market street, Shakespeare and Company bookshop, and a 10-minute walk to Notre-Dame and the Île de la Cité. Lively in the evening without being overwhelming.

Montmartre (18th arr.)

Artistic · Hilly · Romantic views

€60–150/night ($65–163)Most atmospheric

The hillside village-within-a-city. Cobblestone streets, Sacré-Cœur at your doorstep, the vineyard walks, artist studios. Cheaper than central Paris with a completely different character. The trade-off: it’s uphill and 15–20 minutes by Métro from the main attractions.

Near Gare du Nord (10th arr.)

Transit hub · Budget · Canal Saint-Martin

€50–120/night ($54–131)Best transit access

Practical for Eurostar arrivals and CDG airport (RER B direct). Walking distance to Canal Saint-Martin — one of Paris’s coolest neighbourhoods. Hotels are 30–40% cheaper than the central arrondissements. The area has improved dramatically in recent years.

7th Arrondissement / Rue Cler

Elegant · Near Eiffel Tower · Market street

€120–300/night ($131–327)Near the tower

The residential Left Bank at its most Parisian. Rue Cler is one of the city’s finest market streets, and the Eiffel Tower is a 10-minute walk. Quieter and more refined than central tourist areas. Good mid-range and boutique hotel options.

🍽️ Where to Eat in Paris

The single most important Paris dining rule: walk 5\u201310 minutes away from any major landmark before eating. Restaurants within 200 metres of the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, or Notre-Dame charge triple for food that is significantly worse. These recommendations are all real neighbourhood spots.

Le Relais de l’Entrecôte

Classic bistro · St-Germain (6th arr.)

Must visit

No menu, no reservations, one dish: steak frites with a legendary walnut-herb secret sauce, green salad starter, and unlimited frites refills. €28/$31 per person. Queue from 7pm — the line is part of the experience. This is the quintessential Paris bistro meal and the steak frites by which all others are measured.

L’As du Fallafel

Street food · Le Marais (4th arr.)

Best value

Paris’s most famous falafel, at Rue des Rosiers in the Jewish Quarter. €7/$8 for a stuffed pita that is genuinely enormous. Expect a queue at lunch but it moves fast. Closed Saturdays (Shabbat). The surrounding Marais streets have excellent street eating of every kind.

Rue Cler Market Street

Market street · 7th arr.

Local favourite

Not a single restaurant but an entire food street near the Eiffel Tower. Fromageries, boulangeries, rotisserie chicken shops (€12/$13), charcuteries, and wine merchants. Assemble a picnic for €10/$11 per person or eat at Café du Marché for steak frites and wine at €20/$22. This is how Parisians actually eat near the tower.

Bistrot Paul Bert

Modern bistro · 11th arr.

Best dinner

The definitive Paris neighbourhood bistro. Bone marrow, entrecôte, Paris-Brest dessert. €45–55/$49–60 per person for a three-course dinner with wine. Book 3–5 days ahead. The 11th arrondissement has Paris’s best concentration of serious restaurants at reasonable prices.

Pierre Hermé

Patisserie · Multiple locations

Best pastry

Better macarons than Ladurée (locals will tell you this without prompting). The Ispahan (rose, lychee, raspberry) is the signature. €2.50/$2.70 per macaron, box of 12 for €28/$30. The Rue Bonaparte shop has the full range. Go mid-afternoon when batches are freshest.

🏨

Where to Stay in Paris France

Verified prices · Instant booking

All hotels →

Great value★★★★

Hôtel des Arts Montmartre

Boutique 3-star · Montmartre views

From €120/nightBook →

Best location★★★★

Hôtel Jeanne d’Arc Le Marais

Charming 3-star · Le Marais

From €160/nightBook →

Most luxurious★★★★★

Le Bristol Paris

Palace 5-star · 8th arrondissement

From €900/nightBook →

Best budget★★★★

Generator Paris

Design hostel · Canal Saint-Martin

From €35/nightBook →

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🎯

Things to Do in Paris France

Tours & experiences · Instant confirmation

All tours →

Skip-the-Line Eiffel Tower Summit

Must do

⏱ 2 hrsFrom €45/person

Louvre Guided Tour (Small Group)

Best seller

⏱ 3 hrsFrom €65/person

Versailles Full Day from Paris

⏱ 8 hrsFrom €55/person

Seine River Evening Cruise

⏱ 1 hrFrom €17/person

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❌ Mistakes to Avoid in Paris

🎟️

Buying Eiffel Tower Tickets at the Gate

The queues to buy tickets at the Eiffel Tower are routinely 2–3 hours long in peak season. Book online at tour-eiffel.fr at least 2 days ahead (often 1–2 weeks in summer). Slots sell out. This is not optional advice — it determines whether you actually go up.

🗺️

Visiting the Louvre Without a Plan

The Louvre is 60,000 square metres — larger than the Vatican. Without a plan, visitors wander for 3 hours and see nothing memorable. Pick five anchors: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, Egyptian Antiquities, Dutch Masters. Set a 3-hour limit and leave satisfied.

🍽️

Eating Near Tourist Landmarks

Restaurants within 200 metres of the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, or Notre-Dame charge 3x the price for food that’s 3x worse. Walk 5–10 minutes in any direction. The Rue Cler market street (7th arr., near the tower) has excellent neighbourhood restaurants at normal Paris prices.

🚶

Not Building in Enough Walking Time

Paris’s greatest moments happen between destinations — the perfect cheese shop, the courtyard you stumbled through, the conversation in a square. Google Maps says 12 minutes between sites; budget 20–25. The city rewards slow travel far more than efficient itinerary-ticking.

💡 Pro Tips for Paris

🎫

The Paris Museum Pass Is Genuinely Worth It

The Museum Pass (€52/2 days, €67/4 days, €78/6 days) covers the Louvre (€22), Versailles (€20), Sainte-Chapelle (€13.50), Musée d’Orsay (€16), and 50+ other museums — and critically, lets you skip the ticket queue at every one. If you visit 3+ sites, it pays for itself and saves 30–45 minutes per site.

🚇

The Navigo Découverte Weekly Pass Beats Individual Tickets

A single Métro journey costs €2.15. The Navigo Découverte weekly pass costs €30 and covers unlimited travel on Métro, RER, bus, and tram — including the RER C to Versailles and RER B to CDG airport. Buy it at any Métro station with a passport photo (or use the photo machine, €5).

🏛️

Paris Has Excellent Free Museums Most Visitors Miss

Three free permanent collections worth an afternoon each: Musée Carnavalet (Paris city history, Le Marais), Petit Palais (fine arts from antiquity to 1914, gorgeous building), and Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris (20th century, Matisse and Picasso). Free every day, no booking required.

🥖

The Supermarket Picnic Strategy

Franprix and Monoprix are everywhere. A baguette costs €1.10 by law (regulated price). Excellent cave-aged cheese: €2–5. Decent wine: from €4 a bottle. Jambon de Paris: €2. A picnic at the Trocadéro, Champ de Mars, or along the Seine costs €10 per person and beats every tourist restaurant near the landmarks.