Louvre – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

We love France, where we spent several months of our lives. France is a complete country. It presents attractions for everyone. And Paris? It is wonderful!! Read here a 5 days in Paris itinerary. We selected, specially for you, the best things to do ! This posts is only the first part of it, with 15 spectacular attractions! 

We were blessed to know many other interesting places in Paris, but for a 5 days in Paris itinerary, it is difficult to do more than what we are already suggesting. And they will be very busy days!

5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

Take the opportunity to visit a city so rich in history and culture.

Stay at least 5 days. If it is not possible, remove some of the suggestions from this itinerary according to your preference. Invest in your dreams!

Find out and do whatever makes you happier! This is the most important!

People always ask us what to do, where to go, best attractions, tips, and so on…So we decided to prepare this basic guide for things we believe you cannot miss in a 5 days in Paris itinerary.

DAY 1

1) HÔTEL DE VILLE – CITY HALL – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

Hôtel de Ville – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

Subway: Line 1 – Hôtel de Ville station.

Don’t be fooled: in every French city, Hôtel de Ville is the City Hall. In Paris, it’s facade is wonderful. In the square located in front of Hôtel de Ville, a beach volley court is mounted during the summer, while in the winter, you will find an ice skating ring. The merry-go-round is permanent! 

Cross the Pont d’Arcole and go directly to Notre Dame Cathedral. 

2) NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

Notre Dame Cathedral is the most famous church in France. It is as important nowadays as it was 700 years ago, when it was built. The objective then, was to inspire the love and the fear to God. It is a highlight of this 5 days in paris itinerary.

Notre Dame Cathedral – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

Start your visit by the left side of the Notre Dame Cathedral. There is a small entrance where, probably, there will be a line…try to get there as early as possible. From there, you will have access to the towers, a magnificent view of Paris and the famous gargoyles of Notre Dame.

It is not possible to buy tickets in advance, so relax…You pay when it is your turn to climb. You need to be in good physical conditions to do it, since there are many steps in a narrow stairway. There are no elevators…

From the top, try to find everything possible. It is cool. Definitively one of the best views of Paris!

TIP OF THE 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY: MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITIONS TO CLIMB NOTRE DAME STAIRWAY!

After the towers, go inside. It is an unique sensation. The stained glass rosaceas are spectacular, even more beautiful when it is a sunny day and the lights make the colors more vibrant. 

Notre Dame Cathedral – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

To finish the visit, walk around the exterior of the Cathedral. We love its architecture. 

OUTSIDE NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL

Notre Dame Cathedral – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

Depending of the season, you will see a garden exposition, with beautiful flower beds.

The view of Jean XXIII Square is very nice and you will probably see some French guys playing pétanque, an old local game.

It would be the time to put your padlock at the Pont L’Archevêché to keep your love sealed forever…But currently, it is good to avoid to do it,  since it was affecting the structure of the buildings given its weight. 

When it was allowed, we could not resist and placed 2 padlocks on the bridge…it is working! 

Notre Dame Cathedral – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

3) SAINTE CHAPELLE – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY 

Sainte Chapelle – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

The Sainte Chapelle is a marvellous church, built to store the Christian relics brought from the Middle East in the crusades of the 13th century. We have been there several times, because this is a place you always want to return.

The chapel of ordinary people, where you will start, is already very beautiful. And then you go upstairs and gawk. There are practically no walls, only stained glass. It’s something unique. On a clear day, it looks even more beautiful. And there is the “floating” crown of Christ. Unmissable. Just seeing to understand.

Walk to the Conciergerie.

4) CONCIERGERIE – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

Conciergerie – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

The Conciergerie was a palace transformed in a prison, where Maria Antonieta and Robespierre were hold before they were guillotined.

We did the guided visit, but for this 5 days in Paris itinerary you will not have time to do it. Maybe in your next visit! 

However, don’t miss the facade clock close to Sena River. Magnificent. Here, in 1371, it was installed the first public watch in France. In 1585, it was replaced by the one you see in the picture beside. Only small repairs on its decorations were made until today!

Walk through the Quai de L’Horloge and go to the Square du Vert Galant.

5) SQUARE DU VERT GALANT –  5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

Square du Vert Galant – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

The square du Vert Galant is located at the edge of the Ile de la Cité. You will have to go down the stairs behind the equestrian statue of King Henry IV to access it. From its side, the boats leave to sail by the Sena River. Right next to the famous Pont Neuf, the oldest in Paris.

Since you will be walking all day, we recommend the boat trip at Sena after dark, to enjoy the “light city”  with the beautiful buildings lit.

Square du Vert Galant – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

At the edge of the square there is a beautiful tree. If you are tired, very probably, sit down there, close to the water and spend some time resting and waving to the people on boats in the river. You will also have a nice view of the side of Louvre Museum, your next destination.

Cross the Pont Neuf, walk by the Quai du Louvre and enter by the Collonade de Perrault.

 6) LOUVRE MUSEUM PATIO – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

Louvre Museum – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

This is the less known entrance. It is really wonderful and gives access to the Cour Carré. Cross the square and from the stairs you will have an incredible view of the Cour Napoleón and the Pyramides. Take your time, enjoy and use your camera! It is a cool place to relax too!

Continue walking until your next stop, that you can see in the picture above, further back.

7) ARC DE TRIOMPHE DU CARROUSEL – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel was commissioned by Napoleon to celebrate his victories and to be the entrance for the Tuileries Palace, that doesn’t exist anymore.

In the top of the arch, there is a beautiful statue of Napoleon in a carriage drawn by 4 horses. 

Nowadays, the arch marks one of the entrances of the next attraction.

8) TUILERIES GARDEN – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

Tuileries Garden – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

Obviously, during the spring and summer, the Tuileries Garden is more beautiful and it is when the ferris wheel is mounted there. The flower beds are blossoming and the parisians sit on the chairs to read and enjoy the weather. At the end of the park, you will find a spectacular museum of Paris: L’Orangerie.

8) L’ORANGERIE MUSEUM – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

You will be very tired at this point, but here you can relax, rest and enjoy some of Monet’s masterpieces.

L’Orangerie Museum – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

It is here, in this small museum, previously a citrus greenhouse, that the Monet’s Great Decorations are shown. For us, this is one of the best museums in Paris. Don’t miss it!

From the entrance, go straight to the top floor. The space is full of natural light, with large benches in the middle of the 2 rooms and fabulous 8 huge paintings of Monet for you to admire. In the total there are 90 meters of masterpieces. Sensational!

You should go to the underground to look at the collection of the parisian dealer Paul Guillaume. It counts with paintings from Renoir, Cézanne, Rousseau and others. We’ve been there 3 times. It is very interesting. Leave the guided visit for the next opportunity, since for the 5 days in Paris itinerary is a tight one.

9) PLACE DE LA CONCORDE – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

Place de la Concorde – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

Exiting the L’Orangerie, you will be at Place de la Concorde. Here you can see the Luxor Obelisk, a present from the Egyptian government in the century XIX. In the winter, the ferris wheel is mounted here and not at the Tuileries Garden.

DAY 2 

10) LOUVRE MUSEUM – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

Subway: Line 01 – Palais Royal Musée du Louvre Station

Apollo Gallery -Louvre Museum – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

The great day! Louvre’s day! But it comes with a big dilemma: What to see at Louvre? Try to study and think about what do you want to see, because the museum is gigantic and is always crowded. So let’s give you some tips to facilitate your visit.

Buy your ticket at FNAC. We never faced a line, neither any additional fee. 

Napoleon’s Apartment – Louvre Museum – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

Don’t waste your time in the big line at the main entrance! Entry using the Louvre Carrousel entrance. This is for sure the easiest way, with the smaller line at the X Ray surveillance. We did this some times already and it worked very well: Don’t use the entrance at the patio you visited yesterday in the Cour Napoleón and the large pyramid. 

TIP 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY: AVOID LINES AND USE THE MALL ENTRANCE IN THE UNDERGROUND!

LOUVRE HIGHLIGHTS

Cupid e Psyche – Louvre Museum – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

If you are fluent in English, do the Masterpieces guided visit. We did it twice and it is well worth. Be aware that is made in a fast pace, so children and elderly people may have some issues to follow.

Soon we will post a detailed article about this guided visit. 

For us, you can’t miss the Apollo Gallery, Napoleon’s apartment, the Canova sculptures such as Cupid and Psyche (photo beside) and the Cour Marly. We know everyone want to see the Monalisa! The only lowlight is that there hundreds of people trying to do the same.

Even limiting your visit to the basics, I am sure you will be very tired…

Exit by the Louvre Carrousel, admire the inverted pyramid, buy some macarrons at Ladurée, stop at the museum shops and go to the next stop: La Defense.

Take the subway line 1 to La Defense and go until the last stop. Rest during the ride! 

11) LA DEFENSE – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

La Defense – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

La Defense is the only modern neighborhood in Paris and we love it.

La Defense – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

Leave the subway and exit through the mall Le Quatre temps.

We like some stores: 

Decoration – Maisons du Monde, in the underground and the Gato Preto Store at the 2nd floor. They have reasonable prices.

Clothing – Uniqlo(casual, day to day) and Desigual.

Now go to the streets. Walk along the terrace, climb up the stairs underneath the arch, look at the colorful pool and the several statues in the way…

CURIOSITY: DID YOU KNOW THAT THE ARCH OF LA DEFENSE IS A COMMERCIAL BUILDING WITH MORE THAN 1000 OFFICES?

Next stop: Subway line 1 direction Chateau de Vincennes – get off at Etoile Station

12) ARC DE TRIOMPHE – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

La Defense seen from L’Arc de Triomphe – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

The Arc de Triomphe is decorated with scenes of battles won by Napoleon and is a must to visit in Paris. 

5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY TIP: USE THE PEDESTRIAN UNDERGROUND TUNNEL TO GET TO THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE! 

You must go up to the top. The view is spectacular. Don’t even think of crossing the 8 lines by foot! We saw many people trying to do it….! There is a pedestrian tunnel that you can use safely! 

13) AVENUE  DES  CHAMPS – ÉLYSÉES – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

Avenue des Champs – Élysées – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

Some people believe that the Avenue des Champs – Élysées is one of the most beautiful avenues in the world and we agree! It is a very cool place to stroll and enjoy Paris atmosphere. 

There are several bars and shops on both sides. We like Celio shop for men clothes at good prices. If you want to find beauty products, there is a drugstore at the left in the La Boétie St with an unbelievable variety of brands and a great service.

Continue going down the Avenue des Champs – Élysées and turn right at Winston Churchill Avenue.

14) PETIT AND GRAND PALAIS – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

Petit Palais – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

Both palaces were built to the World Exposition in 1900.

Entry in the Petit Palais. Nowadays, it is the Fine Arts Museum of Paris. They don’t charge any fee to enter, but you need to stop at the entrance to pick up the ticket for free. 

If you are tired of looking at paintings and sculptures just enjoy the architecture and the environment.

We love the entrance hall and the internal patio. The ceiling with frescoes and the mosaic floor are fabulous. You feel like being at an oasis in the middle of Paris frenzi.

On the other side of the avenue, you will see the Grand Palais. Look at the exterior, since it is used more for conventions and temporary exhibitions. Doing a 5 days in Paris itinerary, you will not have time to enter.

15) PONT ALEXANDRE III – 5 DAYS IN PARIS ITINERARY

5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

The final of a long day, in a perfect style! This will be a gift for your eyes and your heart. The bridge itself is wonderful, for us, the most beautiful of Paris and the Eiffel Tower view is astonishing.

Ideally, you should get there before the dark and enjoy the changing lights of the day at the sunset, but we know that it will be a hard task to do! 

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Ópera Garnier – 5 days in Paris itinerary – Best attractions!

See you soon!

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