Day 1 — The Eiffel Tower & Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Start with the Eiffel Tower — book timed tickets in advance and go for the second floor rather than the summit unless the day is exceptionally clear. From the Champ de Mars, cross into Saint-Germain-des-Prés for the afternoon: literary cafés, small galleries, and the Musée d'Orsay's Impressionist collection, which for most visitors is more rewarding than the Louvre.
Evening: dinner in Saint-Germain, then a walk along the Seine past the bouquinistes toward Île de la Cité as the bridges light up.
Day 2 — The Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle & the Marais
The Louvre opens at 9am — book ahead and focus on the Denon wing (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Italian Renaissance) rather than trying to see everything. Walk through the Tuileries afterward for air.
Cross to Île de la Cité for Sainte-Chapelle, whose 13th-century stained glass is one of the most beautiful interiors in Europe and consistently less crowded than the Louvre. Notre-Dame's exterior and plaza are worth the stop even with restoration ongoing.
Afternoon into evening: Le Marais. Place des Vosges, the Musée Carnavalet (free, and the best introduction to the city's history), Rue des Rosiers for falafel, and a natural wine bar after dark — Le Mary Celeste is reliable.
Day 3 — Montmartre & Canal Saint-Martin
Morning: Sacré-Cœur and the quieter streets of Montmartre — Rue Lepic, the Montmartre vineyard, the residential lanes where Picasso and Van Gogh once lived. Avoid Place du Tertre's tourist trap and eat lunch on Rue des Abbesses instead.
Afternoon: Canal Saint-Martin for a change of pace — iron footbridges, secondhand bookshops, and a stretch of natural wine bars where Parisians actually spend their Sundays. In the evening, pick a bistro nearby rather than heading back into the centre.
Day 4 — The Latin Quarter, Luxembourg Gardens & the Panthéon
Spend the day on the Left Bank's academic side. The Latin Quarter around the Sorbonne is full of bookshops (Shakespeare and Company, opposite Notre-Dame, is essential) and affordable restaurants on Rue Mouffetard. The Panthéon, resting place of Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie Curie, and Victor Hugo, has a dome you can climb for one of the best rooftop views in the city.
The Luxembourg Gardens next door are the best place in Paris to simply sit — rent a chair by the octagonal fountain, watch the toy sailboats, and slow down for an hour or two. In the evening, walk to Île Saint-Louis for dinner and Berthillon ice cream.
Day 5 — Versailles Day Trip
The Palace of Versailles is 30 minutes from central Paris on the RER C line. Go early — ideally a Tuesday or Wednesday, since the palace is closed Mondays and weekends draw the heaviest crowds. The Hall of Mirrors is the obvious highlight, but the gardens are free to wander and, for many visitors, the better half of the visit — the Grand Canal, the Marie-Antoinette estate, and the Petit Trianon are all worth the extra walk.
Bring a picnic or eat at one of the garden cafés; the on-site restaurants are mediocre and overpriced. Return to Paris by early evening for a final dinner — this is the moment to book somewhere you've been saving, whether that's a classic bistro or a natural wine spot in the Marais or Canal Saint-Martin.