Amsterdam & Paris — two capitals, one direct train, 7 days
Two capitals that sit close enough to treat as one trip: a direct Eurostar links Amsterdam Centraal to Paris Gare du Nord in a little over three hours, city centre to city centre, with none of the airport time that makes the same distance by plane no faster. Amsterdam first — the concentric canals, the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh at one end of a single square, the rooms where a family hid for two years. Then Paris, at the scale that actually rewards walking. One neighbourhood a day in each, every stop chosen from human-verified places, and the plan opens offline once saved.
· generated from the verified catalog · regenerated with every release
Amsterdam · 3 days
Stay near Grachtengordel & Jordaan Hotels on Klook ↗
Grachtengordel & Jordaan & nearby — a sights day
The seventeenth-century canal ring and the working-class quarter beside it, now the city's most photographed streets — a house where a family hid for two years, a church tower you can climb, and nine little shopping lanes between the canals.
- 08:0008:30BreakfastSuggested
- 08:3008:50
Viewpoint20 minOnce the working harbour for the old brewers' warehouses, now the canal ring's quietest and most photographed stretch — houseboats moored end to end, converted warehouse gables on both banks, and a bridge every couple of hundred metres where four canals meet. Better walked slowly than treated as a single stop; the corner where Brouwersgracht meets Prinsengracht is the classic postcard angle, especially in the low light of early morning or evening.
canalphoto spotfree - 08:50~10 min walkroute
- 09:0510:20MuseumAnne Frank Huis75 min
The canal house where Anne Frank and seven others hid for two years during the German occupation, preserved behind the revolving bookcase largely as they left it. Tickets go on sale every Tuesday at 10:00 CEST for a visit exactly six weeks later, and none are sold at the door — book the moment a slot opens if specific dates matter, since the museum itself says this is the tightest ticket window in the city. Online payment is by bank transfer or credit card. Open daily 9:00-22:00, with a handful of closures through the year (King's Day and Yom Kippur among them) — check the calendar before locking in a date. The house has steep, narrow stairs and a high step at the entrance and is not step-free; anyone with mobility difficulties should read the museum's own accessibility page before booking.
Cards OKmuseummust seehistory - 10:20~5 min walkroute
- 10:3511:05
Church30 minAmsterdam's largest church, completed in 1631 in Dutch Renaissance style, its Westertoren bell tower long the tallest point in the city and the reference line much of the Jordaan's street grid runs from. Rembrandt is buried somewhere inside, though the exact spot is unknown since he was interred in a rented grave. Visiting the nave is free (cash or card donations welcomed) Monday-Friday 11:00-15:00; it isn't set up for general sightseeing on weekends outside of services. The Westertoren climb is currently closed for restoration work — when running it normally only reaches the first balcony, and a carillon concert plays most Tuesdays around midday. The main entrance on Prinsengracht is wheelchair accessible.
Cards OKStep-freechurchfreeclosed this day — verify before going - 11:05~5 min walkroute
- 11:2011:35
Landmark15 minThree connected pink-granite triangles set into the paving of Westermarkt, unveiled in 1987 as the first public monument anywhere built to remember people persecuted for their sexuality — one triangle points toward the Anne Frank House, one toward the former headquarters of the Dutch gay rights movement, and one out toward the wider city. Open all the time and free, it doubles as an everyday gathering spot and a stage for Remembrance Day and Pride events. Wheelchair access is fine on the upper level, but the lowest triangle is reached by steps rather than a ramp, and the monument sits in open traffic space, so watch for trams and cyclists passing close by.
Step-freememorialfreelgbtq - 11:35~10 min walkroute
- 12:0013:00LunchSuggested
- 13:0014:30
LandmarkDe Negen Straatjes90 minNine short cross-streets — Berenstraat, Wolvenstraat, Oude Spiegelstraat, Runstraat and the rest — laid across the three main canals between Raadhuisstraat and Leidsegracht, packed with independent boutiques, vintage shops, concept stores and small cafés rather than chain retail. It rewards wandering without a fixed plan more than treating it as a single ticked-off stop; hours vary shop to shop, so treat any one boutique's opening time as worth double-checking rather than assumed. One of the few Amsterdam shopping areas that still feels local rather than built for tourists.
shoppingboutiquesphoto spot - 14:30Transit ~15–25 minroute
- 14:4516:00Viewpoint75 min
The observation deck sits on the roof of A'DAM Tower, a three-minute free ferry ride (Buiksloterweg line) from behind Centraal Station, and gives a 360-degree view over the IJ, the station and the old city skyline. Open Monday-Thursday 11:00-19:00 (last entry 18:00) and Friday-Sunday 11:00-21:00 (last entry 20:00); the tower takes cards only, no cash. The optional Over The Edge swing, billed as Europe's highest, costs extra on top of the roughly EUR 16.50-19 entry ticket. Getting up involves a stretch of steep stairs partway through the route, which the venue itself flags as unworkable for visitors with limited mobility — plan around that if it matters for your group.
viewpointpanoramaferry access - 17:3018:45DinnerSuggested
Alternatives for Day 1
Swap something out, or add another verified stop nearby — 5 available
A small (well under a hectare), free, gateless park a couple of minutes from Hortus Botanicus, worth a five-minute detour for the Auschwitz Monument ("Gebroken Spiegels" / Broken Mirrors) by Jan Wolkers, the site of an annual remembrance ceremony on the last Sunday of January. Note this is a different, smaller memorial from the National Holocaust Names Monument by Daniel Libeskind, which sits a few streets away on Weesperstraat rather than in this park.
The Netherlands' national museum opens every day of the year, 09:00-17:00, with no weekly closure day. Adult admission is 25 euro; under-18s go free. Rembrandt's Night Watch anchors the Gallery of Honour, alongside Vermeer's Milkmaid and a dense run of Golden Age painting, Delftware and ship models. The museum states step-free access throughout with lifts to every floor and welcomes assistance dogs, so a wheelchair or buggy is no obstacle here. The building doesn't say whether same-day tickets are sold at the door, so book online ahead rather than risk a walk-up queue, especially in summer.
The Dutch national maritime museum, a 10-15 minute walk east of the Plantage core on the old naval island of Kattenburg, built around roughly 400,000 maritime objects and a full-size replica of the 18th-century VOC ship Amsterdam moored outside. Open daily 10:00-17:00, adult admission EUR 20. It's pin and credit card only everywhere on site — entrance, restaurant and shop alike — no cash accepted anywhere. All exhibitions and facilities are reached by lift, and the historic ship itself has partial access via a dedicated lift; visitors needing assistance may bring a companion for free.
A ground-level museum on how ordinary Dutch people responded to the WWII occupation — collaborate, comply or resist — with a free English audio guide included (also available in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish). Open daily 10:00-17:00, adult entry EUR 17.50; closed three days a year — 1 January, 27 April (King's Day) and 25 December. The whole museum is step-free and the display cases are wheelchair accessible, with gender-neutral toilets and a baby-changing table available.
Amsterdam's oldest tasting room, pouring jenever and Bols liqueurs straight from the barrel since 1650, tucked a few steps behind the Nieuwe Kerk. The house order is a kopstootje — a small glass of jenever next to a freshly poured beer — and staff will walk you through styles (jong versus oud, fruit-infused options) if you don't already have a favourite. It still runs the only working drinks organ left in Amsterdam, a 50-barrel mechanical curiosity worth asking to see in action. Vegetarian bar snacks — olives, peppadews, banderillas, nuts — sit alongside the classic Dutch bittergarnituur platter. Open Sunday 15:00-19:00 and Monday-Saturday 14:00-20:30.
Centrum & De Wallen & nearby — a sights day
The medieval core and the oldest streets in the city — a royal palace facing a working square, a fourteenth-century church with a red-light district grown around it, and a hidden almshouse courtyard two minutes from the crowds.
- 08:0008:30BreakfastPick a spot nearby — not booked yet
- 08:3009:00
Landmark30 minAmsterdam's historic centre point, ringed by the Royal Palace, the Nieuwe Kerk, and the department stores and wax museum along its northern edge. The Nationaal Monument, a 22-metre obelisk unveiled in 1956, honours the Dutch dead of the Second World War and stands at the square's eastern end. Street performers, pigeons and cyclists share the open cobbles, and the square doubles as the city's default stage for demonstrations, concerts and King's Day parties. Trams cross along the northern side, so look both ways before stepping off the pavement.
freemust seelandmark - 09:00~10 min walkroute
- 09:1509:45
Landmark30 minA wide-open square built around De Waag, a turreted 1488 city gate that later served as a guild hall and public weigh house and is now a restaurant — one of the few surviving pieces of Amsterdam's medieval fortifications. An organic farmers' market sets up on Saturdays, and the square sits exactly on the seam between Chinatown to the south and the old lanes of De Wallen to the west, ringed by terraces that are busiest once the market stalls pack away.
markethistoricfree - 09:45~15 min walkroute
- 10:0011:30Garden90 min
One of the world's oldest botanical gardens (founded 1638), tucked behind a modest gate on Plantage Middenlaan — open daily 10:00-17:00 (closed only 25 December and 1 January), adult entry EUR 14.75. It's card-only; the garden states plainly that cash cannot be used anywhere on site. The paths are gravel-covered but wheelchair-passable, free wheelchairs are available with an advance email, and the Climate House greenhouse has automatic doors — the older greenhouses have a manual door with a threshold, so allow a little extra time or ask staff for a hand there. The on-site cafe has an accessible toilet reached via a ramp behind the terrace.
Step-freegardengreenhousehistoric - 11:30~20 min walkroute
- 11:5012:20
Historic site30 minA walled courtyard of almshouses dating to the 14th century, built for the Begijnen — a lay religious sisterhood — and still home to a small residential community today, so voices stay low and the central lawn is looked at rather than walked on. Holds Amsterdam's oldest surviving wooden-fronted house (Het Houten Huys, number 34) and a hidden Catholic chapel facing the English Reformed Church. Free to enter, open daily 10:00-18:00, closed only on King's Day (27 April). The entrance gate off the Spui side is easy to walk past without noticing — look for a plain wooden door between the shopfronts.
historicgardenquiet - 12:20~10 min walkroute
- 12:3513:35LunchSuggested
- 13:3514:50
MuseumKoninklijk Paleis Amsterdam75 minBuilt in the 17th century as Amsterdam's city hall on 13,659 wooden piles sunk into the marsh, and still King Willem-Alexander's working reception palace today — used for state visits and royal functions, so opening days vary through the year and the palace's own calendar is worth checking before planning a visit around it. Adult admission is 13.50 euro and includes an audio tour. The entrance has a sloping ramp on the right side facing Dam Square, a lift to every floor, no interior thresholds, and a wheelchair-accessible toilet on the ground floor; a wheelchair or walking stick can be borrowed free of charge by writing ahead, and lightweight folding stools are available to rest on partway through.
Step-freemuseummust seelandmark - 14:50~5 min walkroute
- 15:0516:05Church60 min
No longer used for regular services — Dutch monarchs are inaugurated here instead, most recently Willem-Alexander in 2013 — and the nave now hosts rotating art and history exhibitions under a soaring Gothic wooden ceiling. Open daily 10:00-17:00 with last entry at 16:30; adult admission is 25 euro. It runs as a fully cashless museum, debit and credit cards only, no cash accepted at all. All galleries and facilities are wheelchair accessible, with a lift down to the toilets in 't Nieuwe Kafé on the basement level. Closed on 27 April, 3-5 May, 28 May, 8 July, 25 December and 1 January, so don't count on it landing on those dates.
Cards OKStep-freechurchmust see - 16:05~10 min walkroute
- 16:2017:05Church45 min
Amsterdam's oldest surviving building, consecrated in 1306, with a soaring wooden ceiling, carved medieval misericords, and contemporary art installations woven into the historic fabric — still a working church alongside the museum visit. Open Monday-Saturday 10:00-18:00 and Sunday 13:00-17:30; general admission is 14.50 euro, or 22 euro for a combined church-and-tower ticket when the tower is running (seasonally, roughly late April to October). It's a fully cashless venue — debit, credit and digital payment only. The square outside fills with sightseers by day and sits at the centre of the working red-light district after dark; it remains a normal, functioning part of the city rather than anything to steer around.
Cards OKchurcharthistoric - 17:3018:45DinnerSuggested
Alternatives for Day 2
Swap something out, or add another verified stop nearby — 5 available
A square in front of the Noorderkerk that turns into two very different markets: a Monday-morning flea market (9:00-14:00) for vintage clothing, fabric, books and secondhand odds and ends, and a Saturday organic farmers' market (9:00-16:00) for artisan bread, Dutch cheese, olives and fresh juice, with stalls spilling into the surrounding streets. Outside those windows it's just a quiet, café-lined corner of the Jordaan, so time a visit for Monday or Saturday morning if the markets are the point.
The angular white building on the IJ waterfront is both an arthouse cinema and a film-history exhibition space; the exhibition runs 10:00-19:00 daily, standard entry EUR 16 (free for under-18s). Screenings run later — roughly 10:00-22:00 Monday-Thursday and Sunday, 10:00-23:00 Friday-Saturday. On Mondays outside school holidays the exhibition is closed and the box office only opens at 18:00 for evening screenings, so check the day before visiting on a Monday. Eye takes credit or debit cards only — no cash anywhere on site. Every floor is reached by lift, cinemas have reserved wheelchair spaces, and hearing loops are available on request; dogs are allowed in the restaurant but not the exhibition or cinemas.
A seated 5D flight-simulator ride over Dutch landmarks, right next to A'DAM Tower and reached by the same free ferry. Open daily 10:00-19:00; standard tickets start around EUR 22, family and combination tickets are also sold. Riders must be at least 4 years old and 100 cm tall and able to sit stably in the seat unassisted or with a carer. Electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters up to 90 cm wide are welcomed, a lift is on site and staff will assist; a carer accompanying a visitor who needs help gets in free with advance notice. Budget about an hour including the wait and gift shop.
An 18,000 sqm former Shell canteen turned cultural garden a few minutes' walk from the Buiksloterweg ferry landing — concert halls, an artists' incubator, a reading house and a garden you can wander for free; specific concerts and events are separately ticketed and their hours vary, so check the agenda for what's on. The on-site restaurant, THT, is open daily 11:00-24:00 with lunch served 12:00-16:00 and dinner from 17:30 (kitchen closes 21:00 Sunday-Monday, 22:00 Tuesday-Saturday) — arrive by those windows, since Dutch kitchens close early. THT takes electronic payment only, no cash.
The Netherlands' national museum opens every day of the year, 09:00-17:00, with no weekly closure day. Adult admission is 25 euro; under-18s go free. Rembrandt's Night Watch anchors the Gallery of Honour, alongside Vermeer's Milkmaid and a dense run of Golden Age painting, Delftware and ship models. The museum states step-free access throughout with lifts to every floor and welcomes assistance dogs, so a wheelchair or buggy is no obstacle here. The building doesn't say whether same-day tickets are sold at the door, so book online ahead rather than risk a walk-up queue, especially in summer.
Museumkwartier & Vondelpark — a museum day
Three major collections and a concert hall around one grassy square, with the city's biggest park behind them — the Dutch Golden Age in one building, Van Gogh's own hand in the next, and modern art across the plaza.
- 08:0008:30BreakfastSuggested
- 08:3009:30Park60 min
Amsterdam's best-known park, entered here from its northeastern corner a few minutes' walk from the museums via Constantijn Huygensstraat. There are no gates and no entrance fee — it's open around the clock, every day of the year. Inside: a historic 1937 open-air theatre with free summer programming, a rose garden, ponds full of herons, and paths thick with cyclists (stay off the cycle lanes — bikes have the right of way and won't stop for a distracted pedestrian). The city's own visitor guide lists a wheelchair-accessible entrance, provisions for reduced mobility and accessible restrooms. Skip renting a bike just for the park — walking or a short tram ride in is easier than fighting rental queues for a 90-minute loop.
Step-freeparkfreepicnic - 09:30~10 min walkroute
- 10:0011:30
MuseumStedelijk Museum Amsterdam90 minThe Netherlands' modern and contemporary art museum, open all 365 days of the year, 10:00-18:00, with last entry at 17:45. Adult admission is 22.50 euro, students and CJP cardholders pay 12.50 euro, and under-19s go free. The bathtub-shaped 2012 extension (Amsterdammers call it "the bathtub") sits behind the original 1895 building and holds a rotating collection running from Mondrian and Chagall to Warhol and current Dutch design. The museum states it has elevators, wheelchair-accessible restrooms and barrier-free passageways, and lends wheelchairs, walkers and folding chairs free at the information desk. Buying online in advance is recommended over turning up cold.
Step-freemuseummodern artdesign - 11:30~5 min walkroute
- 12:0013:00LunchPick a spot nearby — not booked yet
- 13:0015:00Museum120 min
Open daily 09:00-18:00, holding the world's largest Van Gogh collection including Sunflowers and The Bedroom. Adult tickets are 25 euro and under-18s go free, but every ticket is online-only with a mandatory timed entry slot — there is no door sale at all, so this has to be booked before you leave the hotel, not decided on the day. Buy only through vangoghmuseum.nl or the museum's named resellers. The museum has lifts to every floor, an accessible main entrance and adapted toilets, and lends wheelchairs and folding seats free of charge if you email ahead.
Step-freemust seemuseumart - 15:00~5 min walkroute
- 15:1516:15Museum60 min
A private contemporary-art museum in Villa Alsberg, a 1904 mansion on Museumplein, showing Banksy, Warhol, Basquiat and Kusama in a much shorter visit than its neighbours — plan on about an hour. Open daily 09:00-20:00. Tickets start around 19.95 euro online (booking ahead is noticeably cheaper than paying at the door, and early or late time slots knock off up to 5 euro more). The museum states plainly that it is not wheelchair accessible: the historic villa has stairs throughout and no lifts, and the building's protected status means one can't be installed. Staff can offer a carry-chair with assistance if needed, but this isn't a step-free visit.
museumcontemporary artstreet art - 16:15~5 min walkroute
- 16:3017:00
Landmark30 minThe long grass lawn and reflecting pool framed by the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk and Concertgebouw — free, open, and the natural place to regroup between museums. It's used for picnics, pick-up football and, in winter, a temporary ice rink; the famous "I amsterdam" letters that used to sit here were removed by the city in 2018 after they became a photo-crowding bottleneck, so don't plan a stop around finding them. It's flat, paved and street-level throughout, though no operator statement covers formal accessibility since this is open municipal ground rather than a ticketed site.
squarefreephoto spot - 17:00~5 min walkroute
- 17:3018:45DinnerSuggested
- 18:4521:15EntertainmentConcertgebouw150 min
One of the world's most acoustically celebrated concert halls, home to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, on the square of the same name a short walk from the museums. There's no single ticket price — a listing on the calendar can start from 25 euro for an orchestral or chamber programme up in the balcony, climbing well past that for premium seats or headline names — so check concertgebouw.nl for the specific date rather than assuming a figure. The hall states it has seven disabled parking spaces by the main entrance, loanable wheelchairs, lifts to the Recital Hall and to the Main Hall balconies, and reserved wheelchair seating arranged in advance through the box office; infrared and induction-loop hearing systems are available at the cloakroom. Guide dogs are welcome. This is a formal room — smart-casual dress and quiet phones are the norm, and latecomers are held until a natural pause in the programme. There are no general visiting hours — you come for a performance or a guided tour, so check the programme and book before building a day around it.
Step-freeconcert hallclassical musiclandmarkclosed this day — verify before going
Alternatives for Day 3
Swap something out, or add another verified stop nearby — 5 available
An interactive tour through Heineken's original 19th-century brewery building, ending with tastings and a rooftop bar. Doors run 10:30-21:00 with last entry at 18:45; the standard tour is roughly 25 euro, the tour-plus-rooftop combo about 30 euro, and a VIP tour 65 euro. The company's own accessibility guide is candid about limits: the historic building is "not the most wheelchair-friendly" — the Brew Room has a lower level reached only by stairs, and the canal-boat add-on isn't accessible — but lifts of at least 1000x669mm reach every floor otherwise, loanable wheelchairs are available on arrival, and it recommends visiting Sunday-Thursday 10:30-14:00 for a quieter, easier route. Under-18s get a tour without alcohol tastings.
Continental Europe's largest daytime street market, running the length of Albert Cuypstraat through the heart of De Pijp. Stalls run Monday-Saturday, roughly 09:00-17:00, and close entirely on Sundays and public holidays — turning up on a Sunday means an empty street. Expect cheeses, fabric, flowers, phone cases, and a long run of food stalls: raw herring, warm stroopwafels, fresh-cut fruit, and Surinamese and Moroccan snack counters shoulder to shoulder. It's a market of small independent stallholders rather than a single business, so payment habits vary stall to stall — carrying cash or a debit card is the safer default, since plenty of stalls don't take credit cards at all. The street is flat and stroller/wheelchair-passable, but it gets genuinely packed midday, so early morning is calmer.
De Pijp's neighbourhood park, a compact green oval a few streets from the Albert Cuyp market — the spot locals actually use rather than a tourist stop, with a pond, a play area, and a fountain-monument to Samuel Sarphati at its centre. Free, no gates, no set hours; grab a herring or stroopwafel from the market and eat it on the grass. It's flat and street-level throughout, though there's no operator statement to formally confirm accessibility since it's open municipal parkland rather than a ticketed site.
A classic Amsterdam "brown café" on the corner of Ferdinand Bolstraat and Stadhouderskade, directly across from the old Heineken Brewery — the kind of all-day room where breakfast, lunch, dinner and an evening borrel all happen under the same antique-cluttered ceiling. Open long hours every day: 09:00-01:00 Sunday through Thursday, stretching to 03:00 on Friday and Saturday. Walk-ins are welcome any time; only larger groups need to message ahead to hold a table. A dependable option for a proper Dutch-hours dinner on the way between the Heineken Experience and Albert Cuyp market. The menu labels its chicken burger halal, though it names no certifying body, so ask at the counter if certification matters to you.
A small, unpretentious Surinamese-Javanese warung on Gerard Doustraat, one of De Pijp's food streets a couple of minutes from the market. Regulars come back for the soto soup, bara, saoto, and roti with chicken and bone — canteen-style plates from Amsterdam's biggest immigrant food tradition, in a neighbourhood that concentrates much of the city's Surinamese and Indonesian cooking. Exact hours, payment and dietary specifics weren't independently confirmed this pass — this is a cash-friendly, low-frills kind of place, so carrying some cash is a sensible backup regardless of what the card terminal accepts. A small Surinamese-Javanese counter that has been here since 1978; it keeps its own short hours and does not post them reliably, so check on the day rather than planning an exact time around it.
Paris · 4 days
Stay near Île de la Cité & Latin Quarter Hotels on Klook ↗
Île de la Cité & Latin Quarter — an old-town day
Two Seine islands cradle Notre-Dame's rebuilt spire and Sainte-Chapelle's stained glass, while the steep, market-lined lanes of the Left Bank climb past the Panthéon's dome to Rue Mouffetard's crêpe stands and the Sorbonne's oldest bookshops.
- 07:3007:47Check out of your stayUsually due by 10:00–12:00 — most stays hold your bags if you ask.
- 07:4711:00Flight3h 13mArriveAmsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
- 11:0011:30Drop your bags at your stayRooms usually open from 15:00 — leave luggage and start exploring.
- 11:3012:30
Historic siteCathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris60 minReopened in December 2024 after the 2019 fire and five years of restoration, the cathedral's stone and stained glass look brighter than they have in generations. Entry is free but requires a timed slot booked online or on-site the same day — arrive early or come Thursday evening, when it stays open until 10pm.
Step-freecathedrallandmarkgothic - 12:30~10 min walkroute
- 12:4513:45LunchSuggested
- 13:4514:30
Historic site45 minFifteen towering stained-glass windows depicting over a thousand biblical scenes wrap the upper chapel in jewel-toned light — best on a sunny morning. Book a timed slot in advance; the chapel sits inside the working Palais de Justice, so every visitor passes through airport-style security.
Cards OKStep-freestained glassgothic - 14:30~10 min walkroute
- 14:4516:15MuseumMusée de Cluny90 min
Home to the six 'Lady and the Unicorn' tapestries in a purpose-built rotunda, plus a Gallo-Roman frigidarium — one of the best-preserved Roman bath halls in France — built right into the medieval mansion. Closed Mondays; the ticket desk shuts at 17:30 though the galleries stay open to 18:15, and the museum stays open until 21:00 on the first and third Thursday of each month. Full price is €12 (free the first Sunday of the month and for under-18s). The frigidarium closes for a few weeks in July–August 2026 for an exhibition changeover — check ahead if that hall is your main draw.
Cards OKStep-freemuseummedieval - 16:15~10 min walkroute
- 16:3017:45
Historic site75 minVoltaire, Rousseau, Curie and Hugo rest in the crypt beneath Soufflot's neoclassical dome, reached via a steep spiral or monumental staircase that isn't wheelchair-friendly. The rooftop colonnade view is currently closed for restoration work, but the nave and crypt alone are worth the visit.
Cards OKmausoleumneoclassicalmonument - 18:0019:15DinnerSuggested
Alternatives for Day 4
Swap something out, or add another verified stop nearby — 5 available
Paris's second-largest church, its mismatched twin towers looking out over a fountain-and-lion square. Free to enter, with three restored Delacroix murals — including Jacob Wrestling with the Angel — on view in the first chapel on the right. Far quieter than Notre-Dame, with a working gnomon (astronomical meridian line) set into the floor; step out during Sunday Mass times if you want the nave to yourself.
The former apartment, studio and private garden of Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix, tucked off the tiny Place de Furstenberg just steps from the church square — a quiet contrast to the Louvre's crowds, with sketches, small paintings and personal effects from his final years. Closed Tuesdays; the studio and garden are reached by an outdoor staircase, so step-free access covers only the first-floor apartment (lift available).
Paris's oldest standing church, parts dating to the 11th century, with a hushed Romanesque nave right on the square that gave the whole neighbourhood its name. Free to enter; the wheelchair-accessible side door (168bis Bd Saint-Germain) needs a call ahead to open.
The free pedestrian bridge Pont des Arts frames the Institut de France's domed palace across the Seine — a romantic river viewpoint open around the clock. The dome's interior can only be seen on a reserved, ticketed Saturday tour.
Russian-French sculptor Ossip Zadkine's home and studio from 1928 to 1967, now a quiet free museum built around his own sculpture garden — a genuine hidden gem a few steps from the Jardin du Luxembourg. Closed Mondays; a free loaner wheelchair is available on request, and garden paths are step-free except around the small Birth of Venus grotto.
Eiffel Tower & Trocadéro — a sights day
The Eiffel Tower rises straight from the wide lawns of the Champ de Mars while, across the Seine, the Trocadéro's terrace and the Palais de Chaillot's twin curved wings frame the postcard view every visitor comes for.
- 08:0008:30BreakfastPick a spot nearby — not booked yet
- 08:3009:15
Park45 minA long green lawn running from the Eiffel Tower's feet to the École Militaire — Paris' go-to spot for a picnic with a tower view, especially in the early evening when locals spread out blankets. Unlike most Paris gardens it's never gated, so it stays open day and night.
Step-freeparkpicnicoutdoor - 09:15~15 min walkroute
- 09:3010:00
ViewpointPlace du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre30 minThe terrace between the Palais de Chaillot's two curved wings delivers the classic head-on Eiffel Tower photo, especially at sunset and after dark when the tower sparkles on the hour. The palace itself houses the Cité de l'Architecture and the Musée de la Marine; the esplanade and gardens below are free and open around the clock.
Step-freeviewpointlandmarkphoto spot - 10:00~20 min walkroute
- 10:2011:05MarketRue Cler45 min
A three-block pedestrian street lined with butchers, fishmongers, cheesemongers, greengrocers, bakeries and wine shops — the quintessential Paris market street to graze rather than sit down at. Busiest (and most photogenic) on Saturday mornings and Sunday until early afternoon, when Parisian families shop for the week's lunch; many stalls close or run reduced hours on Mondays. There's no entry fee — just wander, snack, and watch the neighbourhood at work.
marketfood marketstrolling - 11:05~10 min walkroute
- 12:0013:00LunchSuggested
- 13:0015:15
MuseumMusée de l'Armée – Hôtel des Invalides135 minOne ticket covers the full complex: the Army Museum's armour, artillery and World Wars galleries, the Charles de Gaulle Historial, and the gilded Dôme des Invalides, under which Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb sits in a monumental red quartzite sarcophagus. Open daily 10am–6pm (until 10pm on the first Friday of the month; Napoleon's tomb stays open until 7pm in July and August). On the first Monday of most months, only the Dôme, Saint-Louis Cathedral and the current temporary exhibition are open — the main Army Museum galleries close that day. The museum galleries are fully wheelchair accessible with lifts and loanable wheelchairs, but the Dôme itself has steps and is not accessible to wheelchair users.
Cards OKStep-freemuseumhistorical - 15:15~5 min walkroute
- 15:3017:00
MuseumMusée Rodin90 minAuguste Rodin's former mansion and sculpture garden hold The Thinker, The Gates of Hell and The Kiss among roses and clipped hedges. Closed Mondays; last entry is 45 minutes before closing. The garden alone, dotted with bronzes, is worth the ticket.
Step-freemuseumartgarden - 17:00Transit ~15–25 minroute
- 17:3018:45DinnerSuggested
- 18:4520:45
LandmarkTour Eiffel120 minParis' 330-metre iron icon rises straight from the Champ de Mars; ride the lift to the summit or climb the stairs to the 2nd floor for skyline views over the city. Tickets sell out same-day in high season — book online well ahead for a specific time slot. Floors 1 and 2 are wheelchair accessible by lift; the summit is not.
Cards OKStep-freelandmarkviewpoint
Alternatives for Day 5
Swap something out, or add another verified stop nearby — 5 available
An intimate museum built to house Monet's Water Lilies (Nymphéas) — two oval rooms of monumental panels the artist donated and installed here himself, plus the Walter-Guillaume collection of Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse and Modigliani downstairs. Closed Tuesdays; occasional late-night Friday openings run until 9pm during special exhibitions. Buy a timed ticket online to skip the queue at the Concorde end of the Tuileries.
The world's first modern department store (opened 1852), now a hushed luxury emporium — its adjoining gourmet food hall, La Grande Épicerie, is worth the browse even without a purchase.
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterworks (Monet, Van Gogh, Degas) inside a converted Belle Époque train station; closed Mondays, and timed-entry booking is now required in advance for everyone, with last entry an hour before closing.
Paris's oldest and largest formal garden, laid out for Catherine de' Medici in 1564 and redesigned by Le Nôtre in the 1660s — gravel allées, chestnut trees, round and octagonal ponds, and a vintage carousel and Ferris wheel near Place de la Concorde. Free entry, open daily from 7am; closing time shifts with the season (as late as 11pm in summer, 7:30pm in winter). Paved main paths are wheelchair-friendly; some side paths are loose gravel.
Sculptor Antoine Bourdelle's studio-museum, its permanent collection free to enter — bronze giants like Héraklès Archer fill the sculpture garden around the artist's original atelier. Closed Mondays; the on-site Rhodia café-restaurant is a good lunch stop on visit days. Wheelchairs can reach the studio and garden by lift, though the painting studio is stairs-only (a 360° virtual tour covers it instead).
Opéra & Grands Boulevards & nearby — a museum day
Charles Garnier's opulent opera house anchors a quarter of glass-roofed 19th-century shopping passages — Galerie Vivienne's mosaic floors, Passage des Panoramas' oldest gaslit arcade — and the domed, stained-glass tea room atop Galeries Lafayette. By day it's Haussmann-era grand boulevards and department-store window shopping; by evening, the opera crowd fills the surrounding brasseries.
- 08:0008:30BreakfastPick a spot nearby — not booked yet
- 08:3009:05Historic site35 min
Paris's oldest covered passage (built 1800), and the first public space in the city lit by gas, back in 1817. Wander past stamp and postcard dealers, engravers, and small restaurants tucked into its branching side-galleries (Feydeau, Montmartre, Saint-Marc). Free to enter and open long hours daily, but many of the individual shops close on Sundays.
arcadescovered arcadehistoric - 09:05~10 min walkroute
- 09:2009:45Historic site25 min
The most elegant of Paris's 19th-century covered passages, its mosaic-tiled floor and skylit glass roof dating to 1826, with Jean Paul Gaultier's boutique among the tenants since the 1980s revival. Free to walk through at any time during opening hours; quietest in the early morning before the passage's cafés and bookshops open.
arcadeshistoricheritage site - 09:45~5 min walkroute
- 10:0010:45
LandmarkJardin du Palais-Royal45 minA quiet arcaded garden one block north of the Louvre, framed by uniform 18th-century galleries and shopping arcades. In the entrance courtyard, Daniel Buren's 1986 Colonnes de Buren — 260 black-and-white striped columns of varying height — is one of the most photographed contemporary art installations in Paris. Free entry, open daily from 7am.
gardenart installationcolonnes de buren - 10:45~5 min walkroute
- 11:0012:30MuseumMusée des Arts Décoratifs90 min
One of the world's largest decorative-arts collections — over a million objects of furniture, fashion, glass, jewellery and graphic design — housed in the Louvre's own Marsan wing on Rue de Rivoli. Closed Mondays; Thursday evenings run late until 9pm. All galleries are elevator-accessible and wheelchairs are available free at the cloakroom on request.
Cards OKStep-freemuseumdecorative arts - 12:30~10 min walkroute
- 12:4513:45LunchSuggested
- 13:4515:45
MuseumMusée du Louvre120 minThe world's most-visited museum, home to the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and I.M. Pei's glass pyramid entrance in the Cour Napoléon. Closed every Tuesday; book a timed-entry ticket online well ahead, especially in high season, to skip the queue at the pyramid.
Cards OKStep-freemuseumworld class art - 15:45~5 min walkroute
- 16:0017:30
MuseumBourse de Commerce – Collection Pinault90 minFrançois Pinault's contemporary art collection inside the domed 18th-century former grain exchange, its glass rotunda and circular fresco restored around rotating installations by artists like Urs Fischer and David Hammons. Closed Tuesdays; open until 9pm on Fridays, with a free late opening the first Saturday of each month. Fully wheelchair accessible with equipment (wheelchairs, folding stools) available at the welcome desks.
Cards OKStep-freemuseumcontemporary art - 17:4519:00DinnerSuggested
Alternatives for Day 6
Swap something out, or add another verified stop nearby — 5 available
The free pedestrian bridge Pont des Arts frames the Institut de France's domed palace across the Seine — a romantic river viewpoint open around the clock. The dome's interior can only be seen on a reserved, ticketed Saturday tour.
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterworks (Monet, Van Gogh, Degas) inside a converted Belle Époque train station; closed Mondays, and timed-entry booking is now required in advance for everyone, with last entry an hour before closing.
The flagship department store's Art Nouveau glass dome, unveiled in 1912, is worth the visit alone — and the open-air rooftop terrace on the 8th floor above it is completely free, no purchase or reservation needed, with a 360-degree view taking in the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur. Go an hour before sunset for the best light; the rooftop can close temporarily in rain or strong wind.
The former apartment, studio and private garden of Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix, tucked off the tiny Place de Furstenberg just steps from the church square — a quiet contrast to the Louvre's crowds, with sketches, small paintings and personal effects from his final years. Closed Tuesdays; the studio and garden are reached by an outdoor staircase, so step-free access covers only the first-floor apartment (lift available).
Paris's oldest standing church, parts dating to the 11th century, with a hushed Romanesque nave right on the square that gave the whole neighbourhood its name. Free to enter; the wheelchair-accessible side door (168bis Bd Saint-Germain) needs a call ahead to open.
Montmartre — a sights day
A hilltop artists' village of steep cobbled stairways and café terraces, crowned by the Sacré-Cœur's white domes and Paris's finest skyline view.
- 07:4008:00Check out of your stayUsually due by 10:00–12:00 — most stays hold your bags if you ask.
- 08:0008:30BreakfastSuggested
- 08:3008:50
Landmark20 minThe square at the foot of the Montmartre hill, framed by one of only two surviving original Hector Guimard Art Nouveau glass canopies on the whole Paris Métro network (Abbesses station) — instantly recognisable from countless postcards and from the film Amélie. A vintage carousel, a Wallace drinking fountain and café terraces make it an easy, free spot to pause on the way up or down the Butte. The square itself is flat and paved and reachable step-free from street level; the Métro platforms below are among the deepest in Paris and only reachable by the two lifts, not the spiral stairs.
Step-freephoto spotart nouveaulandmark - 08:50~5 min walkroute
- 09:0509:35
Landmark30 minMontmartre's old village square, ringed by around 140 licensed street artists sketching portraits and painting canvases at their easels, much as they have since the Belle Époque. Go early morning to see the artists set up before the tour groups and restaurant touts take over the square.
artists squarelandmarkpeople watching - 09:35~5 min walkroute
- 09:5010:35
ChurchBasilique du Sacré-Cœur45 minParis's second-most-visited landmark, its white travertine domes crowning the Butte de Montmartre with a free panorama over the whole city from the front steps. Entry to the basilica itself is free; climbing the 300 steps to the dome costs extra and keeps separate, shorter seasonal hours.
Step-freechurchviewpointlandmark - 10:35~5 min walkroute
- 10:5012:20
MuseumMusée de Montmartre90 minThe 17th-century manor house where Renoir and Utrillo once lived and painted, telling Montmartre's bohemian art history around a garden the Impressionists themselves painted. Open every day, unlike most Paris museums; steps at the main entrance mean only the garden and temporary galleries are reachable for wheelchair users (ask staff to open the side door).
Cards OKmuseumgardensart history - 12:20~5 min walkroute
- 12:3513:35LunchSuggested
- 13:3513:55LandmarkRue de l'Abreuvoir20 min
Widely considered Montmartre's prettiest lane: a cobbled slope of ivy-covered walls and old street lamps leading past La Maison Rose, with Sacré-Cœur's dome visible over the rooftops. The Clos Montmartre vineyard runs along the parallel Rue des Saules — its vines are visible over the fence but the plot itself is locked and only opens to visitors during the October grape-harvest festival or on Heritage Days, otherwise via a paid guided tour booked through the Musée de Montmartre. The cobbles and slope make this a walk best done in flat shoes; there's no step-free route.
cobblestonephoto spothistoric street - 13:55~10 min walkroute
- 14:1015:40
Museum90 minAn iron-and-glass 19th-century market hall at the foot of the Montmartre butte, now Paris's home for art brut (outsider art), naive art and pop-culture-themed exhibitions — a striking contrast to the neighbourhood's Impressionist-tourist image. Unusually for a Paris museum it opens every day of the year with no weekly closure; the ticket desk and café stop serving an hour before closing time, so arrive with that in mind. Step-free access and an accessible restroom are available, and disabled visitors get a reduced rate.
Cards OKStep-freemuseumart - 15:40~15 min walkroute
- 15:5516:15
Landmark20 minThe red windmill and can-can cabaret that has anchored Pigalle's nightlife since 1889 — most visitors just photograph the illuminated facade from the boulevard. The dinner-and-show inside is a separate, pricey, book-ahead affair (from around €100 per person; doors from 19:00, shows at 21:00 and 23:00).
Cards OKcabaretlandmarknightlife - 17:3018:45DinnerSuggested
Alternatives for Day 7
Swap something out, or add another verified stop nearby — 4 available
The flagship department store's Art Nouveau glass dome, unveiled in 1912, is worth the visit alone — and the open-air rooftop terrace on the 8th floor above it is completely free, no purchase or reservation needed, with a 360-degree view taking in the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur. Go an hour before sunset for the best light; the rooftop can close temporarily in rain or strong wind.
Charles Garnier's opulent 1875 opera house — climb the Grand Staircase, wander the mirrored Grand Foyer, and look up at Marc Chagall's 1964 ceiling mural above the auditorium's giant chandelier. The self-guided day visit covers all public areas but not performances; book the timed ticket online ahead. The auditorium is sometimes closed to visitors during rehearsals, so access isn't guaranteed even with a ticket, and last entry is an hour before closing.
An old-fashioned tea room tucked into the Passage Jouffroy, with a team of pastry chefs baking everything on-site — the thick, spoon-worthy hot chocolate and the seasonal fruit tarts are why regulars keep coming back, at prices well below the grander salons de thé near the Opéra. Weekend mornings bring a full brunch menu; arrive outside the lunchtime rush for a table.
A Belle Époque dining hall from 1896 — brass hooks, mirrors, and a soaring hall-of-mirrors ceiling — serving full French classics (leek vinaigrette, veal blanquette, egg mayonnaise) for a few euros a course. No reservations: expect a queue at the door most evenings and possibly a shared table once seated; the bill still gets scrawled straight onto the paper tablecloth. Open non-stop, 365 days a year.
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