Paris 4 day itinerary: Weekend away to Paris

Paris 4 day itinerary: weekend away to Paris.

If you are planning a weekend away to Paris then this 4 day itinerary is just what you need. Here’s an easy way to see all the best things to do in Paris. Below is a guide on travelling to Paris from London. Some travel tips, where to stay in Paris, some of the best restaurants, cafes and top attractions to visit. Finally what it was like and any advice. So read on for this Paris 4 day itinerary!

L’Howea

Travel to Paris: london to paris

If you are travelling to Paris, you have the option of the train (Eurostar), tunnel (Eurotunnel) or by booking a flight.

Some Paris travel advice:

Eurostar: I’d suggest booking the Eurostar as you can depart from London St Pancras Int and arrive in Paris Gare du Nord. How long does it take? 2hrs 16 mins. And gets you straight into Paris city centre.

Eurotunnel: If you decide to travel via Eurotunnel, potentially with a car it’s only 35 minutes from Folkestone to Calais. However you’ll need to drive from Calais to Paris which is 3hrs 20 mins.

Flight: Finally if you fly it’s usually only 1hr 20 mins. However if you fly into Charles de Gaulle you’ll need to take the train to get you into the city centre which will take around 30 mins. You’ll need to get the RER B and these trains run every 10 minutes between the airport and the city centre and even stop at the main stations in Paris, like Paris Gare du Nord.

TRAVELLING AROUND IN PARIS

I’d suggest using the Metro (their equivalent of the tube) or booking Ubers. This is what we did.

Paris Travel Pass: You can get a metro pass in Paris and it costs €13.20 / €6.60 for travel in-between zones 1-3 for the day. You can look here at timetables and other prices.

We did this in the day to see the sights and would book ubers/taxis at night.

Where to stay in Paris

OUTSIDE OF CENTRAL PARIS

Waldorf Astoria Versailles: This is in Versailles and is only a 15 minute walk from the Versailles palace. We decided to stay here as I had some Hilton points left up to use.

The hotel when I looked to book costs £400 each night at the weekend. The hotel reflects the price, it looks like a palace from the outside and it smells like a spa. Also, the night we stayed, the chef had a special BBQ buffet selection served outside with expensive meats.

The hotel has an inside pool, sauna, steam room and spa facilities as well. We decided to stay here overnight so we could head to the Versailles palace early to avoid the heavy crowds, plus we wanted to treat ourselves to a luxurious night, while I had points to use up!

Credits: hospitality.com

Paris near Eiffel Tower hotels

Hotel Passy: We stayed here for two nights. This hotel isn’t far from the Eiffel Tower, so while it’s not central in Paris, it is close to all the touristy spots. It cost £154 a night without breakfast included. To stay in a decent area in Paris close to the attractions you’ll struggle to find any cheaper.

Credits: agoda.com

4 DAY ITINERARY- SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR WEEKEND AWAY TO PARIS

4-Day Paris Itinerary: Your Weekend Away

Day 1: Thursday

Morning: Arrive in Paris. Head to Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur for stunning views.
Lunch: Dine at Pink Mama, a popular Italian-inspired spot.
Evening: Travel to Versailles for an overnight stay.

Day 2: Friday

Morning: Tour the Palace of Versailles, then return to Paris.
Lunch: Enjoy lunch at Coco Paris near the Eiffel Tower.
Evening: Dinner at Mattignon, followed by drinks at Soho House.

Day 3: Saturday

Morning: Explore the Musée d’Orsay and stop by a local bakery for breakfast.
Lunch: Have a chic lunch at Lou Lou.
Afternoon: Walk along the Champs-Élysées, visit the Louvre, and enjoy frozen yogurt at Yogurt Factory.
Evening: Dinner at Peruche and drinks at Kong. Watch the Eiffel Tower light up at sunset.

Day 4: Sunday

Morning: Visit the Eiffel Tower and stroll to L’Howea flower shop for Instagram-worthy photos.
Lunch: Dine at the historic Le Train Bleu at Gare de Lyon.
Evening: Depart via Eurostar from Gare du Nord.

Thursday:

Morning – Arrive. Metro to Montemarte. Visit Montemarte and Sacre Coeur viewpoint.

Lunch- Pink Mama (in this location).

Dinner- Headed to Versailles to stay over night.

Friday:

Morning- Versailles Palace then Metro near Eiffel Tower checked into Hotel Passy

Lunch- Coco Paris

Dinner- Mattignon for dinner and Soho House for drinks

Saturday:

Morning- Local bakery near Hotel Passy. Then headed to Musée d’Orsay.

Lunch- Lou Lou. Walked around Champs Elysees avenue and explored the sites of the Louvre, headed to the inside shopping mall right next to the Louvre for frozen yoghurt at Yoghurt Factory (under 5 euros) and stopped for coffee at Cafe Kitsunne. We then headed to view the Notre Dame.

Dinner- Peruche for dinner and Kong for drinks, back to Eiffel Tower for sunset pictures.

Sunday:

Morning- Local bakery. Headed to Eiffel Tower and then walked to L’Howea flower shop for different type of Eiffel Tower shot for instagram (see below!).

Lunch- Headed to Le Train Bleu at Gare du Lyon which was on line on the metro for 20 stops, so not close to the Eiffel Tour. Explored the area.

Dinner- Headed to Gare du Nord to pop on the Eurostar back to London.

Must-See Attractions in Paris

Eiffel Tower: Visit at sunset or midnight for the best photos with fewer crowds.
Louvre Museum: Arrive before noon to avoid long lines.
Versailles Palace: Book tickets online to skip queues.
Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur: A charming, artistic neighborhood.
Musée d’Orsay: Ideal for art lovers, with fewer crowds in the morning.

Things to do and see in paris

Visit the world famous Louvre Museum, home to the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Then head to the Eiffel Tower, one of the most recognizable structures in the world. Afterward, take a stroll through the Tuileries Garden, where you’ll find the beautiful Palais Royal. Finally, visit Notre Dame Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in the world.

Where to Eat in Paris: Top Recommendations

Pink Mama: Trendy Italian-inspired restaurant.
Lou Lou: Elegant French dining near the Louvre.
Café Marly: Perfect for a coffee break with views of the Louvre.
Le Train Bleu: A historic dining experience at Gare de Lyon.

Louvre: Come before noon is the best time to avoid heavy crowds. The first Sunday of the month entry is free for all for some popular museums in Paris. So it’ll be busy then. You can get a pretty decent picture with the Louvre in the background if you dine in Cafe Marly. But be prepared to pay for overpriced food and drink. You can just stop here for drinks though (Iced latte 8 euros, coke 8 euros).

Eiffel Tower: Next up is the Eiffel Tower, followed by the Musee d’Orient at the Jardin des Tuileries not far away. For the best Insta shots head to either L’Howea or Cafe de Flores for a background shot of the Eiffel Tower. I’d also suggest heading to the Eiffel Tower in the evening. If you’re still up around midnight this would be a good time to head and snap a picture without a lot of people in the background.

Arc de Triomphe: At the top of the Champs Elysees, head down to the famous shopping street, the Champs Elysées. Finally, we finish up with a visit to the Musée d’Orsay. I’d try to head over early as there’s less traffic and fewer people so you can get a decent shot. We arrived around lunchtime on a Friday and while it was somewhat busy, we managed fine. If you stand in front of the barriers by the road, you can get a decent picture with limited people in your backdrop— although watch out for vans.

Versailles Palace: It’s only 7 euros from Paris and it’ll take around 30/40 minutes. It is then a short-ish walk to Versailles. Depending on the train station you get into. I’d recommend booking on getyourguide, they offer reduced prices for tourist attractions. It was really easy to get our tickets and we avoided having to queue at Versailles (not sponsored). If you want a picture like below, come early as it gets busy midday. I’d head straight to the hall of mirrors as it’ll take a good 5-10 minutes walking here. We headed at 10am and there were still several people here. It becomes near to impossible later to get a picture without loads of bystanders in the background.

Sacre Coeur/Montmartre: I like to think of this as the quirky part of Paris. You’ll find marketplaces and artists offering to sketch a portrait painting of you. The prices vary from around €40 upwards, but they make a charming souvenir. For those intent on losing themselves in scenery, Montmartre is only a short walk to the Sacre Coeur Basilica viewpoint.

Le Maison Rose: Whether for food/drinks or just an Instagram hot spot- this cute little pink house is a must see. I have read on some blogs that the owners can be quite unpleasant if you simply stop for a long time outside to take pictures, but I didn’t find this.

What it was like

I lived in Paris for a semester during University and it was so nice to come back and visit more tourist spots. We found it difficult to get Ubers here, so to save on time and cost we resorted to the Metro. The Metro in Paris is still quite outdated but for under €2 for a one way trip it’s worth it for a short journey— but beware of pickpockets. A lady even stopped me and told me you should never have your bag open in Paris.

The restaurants and cafe’s we went to were, you can see in a blog post here. These restaurants were similar to London prices and we failed to find many cheap highly recommended spots. Apart from some lunch spots like Pink Mama. But given these places are sort after dining locations, expect to literally pay the price for that. Paris isn’t cheap for a short break but you can make it cheaper by visiting a local bakery for breakfast or packing a pre-made lunch to have in one of Paris’s gorgeous parks.

Any Advice

Accommodation: Be careful with booking accommodation. While you may want to save some money, we were told some of the cheaper and nicer looking accommodation on the likes of booking.com were cheaper for a reason. They’re usually situated in unsafe areas/arrondissements, so for that reason it’s worth paying a little more for a decent area.

Eurostar: Head here with more than an hour before your train goes. We arrived here an hour before and the queue was massive. We nearly missed our train. There was a delay from an earlier train meaning the queue circled around the station. Despite our train leaving 25 minutes later we spent the majority of our time waiting in a queue. If you can get through security and onto the Eurostar part of the train station there are bakeries e.g Paul, Costa and seating area you can chill at. We nearly made the mistake of sitting in a cafe before going to the Eurostar queue.

Paris Travel Tips and Advice

Accommodation Safety: Stick to well-reviewed hotels in safe arrondissements.
Budget Dining: Opt for local bakeries for affordable breakfasts.
Eurostar Travel: Arrive early (at least an hour) to avoid long queues.
Public Transport: The Metro is budget-friendly, but always be mindful of your belongings.

FAQs About Paris Travel

Q: What’s the best time to visit Paris?
A: Spring (April-June) and Fall (September-October) offer pleasant weather and fewer crowds.

Q: How can I save money in Paris?
A: Visit free attractions, use the Metro, and dine at local bakeries for breakfast.

Q: Is Paris safe for solo travelers?
A: Yes, but stay vigilant against pickpockets, especially in crowded areas.

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