What does a perfect 5-day Paris itinerary look like?
One neighborhood cluster per day, icons at opening or at night, dinners booked 30 days out. Day 1: Eiffel Tower and Trocadéro, then the Seine. Day 2: the Louvre early, Tuileries and Palais-Royal. Day 3: Le Marais and the islands. Day 4: Montmartre in the morning, Musée d'Orsay in the afternoon. Day 5: Versailles, or Saint-Germain and the Latin Quarter if you prefer to stay in the city. The order matters less than the clustering: cross-town backtracking is what kills Paris days.
The five days, with the timing that matters
Day 1, arrival day: keep it light, Trocadéro for the first Eiffel view, a Seine walk, an early bistro dinner near your hotel. Day 2: Louvre at opening (timed entry booked 2-3 weeks out, closed Tuesdays), Tuileries, Palais-Royal, dinner in the 1st or 2nd. Day 3: Le Marais morning (Place des Vosges, the boutiques), Notre-Dame and the islands after lunch. Day 4: Montmartre before 10am while it is still a village, Orsay after lunch, sunset from the Eiffel summit if you caught tickets when they opened 60 days out. Day 5: Versailles full day (closed Mondays, book about 3 weeks out), or a slow Saint-Germain and Latin Quarter day with a market morning.
Adapting to 4, 6 or 7 days
With 4 days, drop Versailles, not a Paris day. With 6, add a food day: a morning market, a pâtisserie crawl, a wine-bar apéro, one destination dinner. With 7, add a second day trip, Giverny in season or Champagne, and build in one morning with nothing planned at all, which veterans will tell you is the best booking in Paris.
The deadlines that decide whether this itinerary happens
Eiffel summit tickets: open about 60 days ahead, sunset slots go first. Destination restaurants: books open 30 days out and fill in days. Louvre and Orsay timed entries: 2-3 weeks. Versailles: 3 weeks. This is why the same itinerary works brilliantly booked six weeks out and falls apart improvised on arrival. Chic Trip builds this plan around what you love and books every slot at the right moment, from $620 flat, or start with the free Paris trip planner.
Related questions
Is 5 days enough for Paris?
Five days is the sweet spot for a first visit: all the icons at a human pace, one day trip, and enough meals to understand why people move here. Three days sees the highlights; five days sees Paris.
Should Versailles be part of a 5-day Paris itinerary?
If it is your first trip, yes, it is genuinely worth a full day. Skip it only if palaces bore you or you would rather go deep on food and neighborhoods. It is closed Mondays and needs tickets about 3 weeks ahead.
What is the biggest mistake in a 5-day Paris plan?
Scheduling by sight instead of by neighborhood. A list of ten attractions scattered across the map turns Paris into a metro tour. Cluster each day in one area and the city does the work.
About Chic Trip
Chic Trip is a Paris-based trip planning and booking concierge for American travelers. Founder Frederic Canesso and his Paris team design day-by-day itineraries and book every reservation, restaurant tables, timed museum entries, tours and airport transfers, with tickets and tables at face price, for a flat fee. Start at Plan Your Trip, estimate your budget with the free Paris trip cost calculator, or read our client reviews.
