Paris for two — 4 unhurried days
- 4 days
- Balanced pace
- About 45 min walking a day
Four Paris days built for a couple: the Louvre at opening before the queues, the Marais and Latin Quarter on foot, Sainte-Chapelle's stained glass and a slow hour by the Seine, and Montmartre for the last golden light. Every place is human-verified — hours, closures, ticketing — and the whole plan works offline on the street.
Day by day
Day 1Montmartre — a sights dayParis, 10 stops
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.
- 08:00Breakfast Ten Belles
The original outpost of one of Paris's best-regarded specialty coffee roasters, a corner spot a block from the canal with a handful of pavement tables. Single-origin espresso, sourdough pastries, and a small daily menu of salads and focaccia sandwiches with a genuine vegan option most days. Small and often standing-room only at weekend brunch hours.
- 08:30
The 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.
- 09:05
Montmartre'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.
- 09:50
Paris'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.
- 10:50
The 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).
- 12:35Lunch Du Pain et des Idées
One of Paris's most celebrated bakeries, in the same wood-fired oven since 1875 — famous for its pistachio-and-chocolate escargot pastry and a dense, naturally leavened baguette that regularly wins city-wide taste tests. Open Monday to Friday only, closed entirely on weekends; it also shuts for a few weeks around mid-July and again later in summer, so check current dates before a July or August visit. Expect a queue at peak morning hours.
- 13:35Rue de l'Abreuvoir & the Montmartre Vineyard
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.
- 14:10
An 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.
- 15:55
The 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).
- 17:30Dinner Hôtel du Nord
The canal-side café-restaurant that gave Marcel Carné's 1938 film its name and its listed 1930s façade — still the address most associated with Canal Saint-Martin's cinematic reputation, though the building stopped operating as a hotel decades ago. Live jazz fills the dining room most Friday and Saturday evenings; book ahead for a canal-view table, especially then.
Day 2Eiffel Tower & Trocadéro — a sights dayParis, 7 stops
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.
- 09:00
Paris' 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.
- 11:15
A 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.
- 12:15Lunch Les Cocottes
A cast-iron 'cocotte' bistro a few doors from where the original Café Constant used to be (that spot has since changed hands and names). Hearty South-West-leaning dishes — braised beef cheek, veal blanquette, country pâté — arrive in the pot they were cooked in. Open continuously all day, every day, from noon to around 11pm, so it's a reliable option outside the strict French lunch/dinner windows. Reservations are recommended for dinner, but walk-ins are generally accommodated.
- 13:15Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (World Cultures Museum)
Jean Nouvel's building holds an outstanding collection of indigenous and non-Western art and artefacts from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, displayed thematically along one long suspended gallery above a lush garden. Closed Mondays (it opens on Mondays only during spring school holidays); Thursday evenings run until 10pm, the rest of the week until 7pm. Timed-entry tickets are best booked online in advance; the museum is fully step-free with lift access throughout.
- 15:30
The 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.
- 16:20Rue Cler (Market Street)
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.
- 17:30Dinner La Fontaine de Mars
A red-and-white-check-napkin bistro open since 1908, tucked on a small square just off Rue Cler, serving South-West French classics like duck confit, cassoulet and foie gras. Popular enough that a reservation is essential, especially for dinner.
Day 3Opéra & Grands Boulevards & nearby — a museum dayParis, 8 stops
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.
- 08:30Passage des Panoramas
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.
- 09:20Galerie Vivienne
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.
- 10:00
A 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.
- 11:00Museum of Decorative Arts
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.
- 12:45Lunch Chez Georges
A wood-panelled, mirror-lined classic bistro near Place des Victoires, serving rich standards like veal head, herbed poultry liver terrine, and a well-known grilled turbot — best paired from the deep wine list. Reserve ahead, as tables are tight and the small dining room fills fast; closed Saturday and Sunday, plus roughly three weeks every August.
- 13:45
The 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.
- 16:00
François 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.
- 17:45Dinner Caffè Stern
A refined Italian trattoria inside the former Stern engraving workshop, its gilt-framed mirrors, painted ceilings, and marble counter left largely untouched since the 19th century. The seasonal, Venetian-leaning menu (risotto, house-made pasta) draws a Michelin Guide mention. Closed Sunday and Monday, plus a few weeks in August — book ahead regardless.
Day 4Île de la Cité & Latin Quarter — an old-town dayParis, 9 stops
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.
- 07:40Check out of your stay
- 08:00Breakfast Shakespeare and Company Café
Tucked beside the legendary English-language bookshop facing Notre-Dame across the Seine, this small café pairs specialty coffee with a mostly vegetarian and vegan menu of soups, salads and daily-changing lunch specials. Grab a window seat for a view of the cathedral, or carry your coffee upstairs to read among the shop's stacks.
- 08:30
Reopened 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.
- 09:45
Fifteen 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.
- 10:45Musée de Cluny (National Museum of the Middle Ages)
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.
- 12:30Lunch Au P'tit Grec
A walk-up window on Rue Mouffetard turning out oversized savory galettes since 1981 — try the feta-and-eggplant or the classic ham-egg-cheese, folded thick enough to eat one-handed while you keep browsing the market street. Cash only, and there's almost always a short queue after dark.
- 13:30
Voltaire, 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.
- 15:00
Paris's oldest structure — a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre that once seated 15,000 for gladiator fights — sits genuinely free and unfenced inside a quiet garden (Square Capitan), complete with a children's playground and pétanque pitches where locals play most afternoons. Gate hours shift with the season: as early as 08:00 on weekdays / 09:00 weekends, closing as early as 17:30 in winter and as late as 21:30 in high summer, so check the posted board if visiting at the edges of the day. There's no on-site signage explaining the history, so a quick read-up beforehand helps.
- 15:40
Non-Muslim visitors can walk the marble Grand Patio and the gardens daily 9:00–18:00 (closed Fridays and Muslim holidays) for a small entry fee (€5, €3 reduced); cover shoulders and knees, and women should bring a headscarf. The mint-tea salon and hammam sit around the corner at 39 Rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire and run on their own separate hours: the tea room serves mint tea and pastries like baklawa daily until midnight, no booking needed. The hammam (10:00–21:00 daily, walk-in only, no reservations) is women-only most days — men only Tuesday afternoon and Sunday. 2026 is the mosque's centenary year (inaugurated July 1926), so expect occasional extra closures around anniversary events on top of the usual Friday/holiday closures.
- 17:30Dinner Brasserie Balzar
An Art Nouveau brasserie steps from the Sorbonne, serving daily since 1894 — order the choucroute (from €25) or a grilled entrecôte (from €26), and expect the house's famously brusque-but-fond waiter banter as part of the experience. Continuous service from 08:00 to 23:45 every day of the week, so it's a reliable fallback outside the usual French lunch/dinner windows. A vegetarian plate (€15) is on the menu, but this is classic Alsatian-brasserie cooking built around pork and cured meats, so options are narrow. Reserve ahead, especially for dinner and weekends.
