3.5 Days in Paris — First-Time Solo Student

Arrive at CDG — RER B into the city

Take the RER B from Charles de Gaulle directly to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame station. It costs about €11.80 and takes 35–40 minutes — skip the overpriced taxis and airport shuttles entirely.

Check into hostel, drop bags

If you're staying in the Latin Quarter or Marais area, most hostels will hold your luggage even before check-in. Get settled, grab a metro carnet (book of 10 tickets), and orient yourself.

Notre-Dame Cathedral exterior & Île de la Cité

Notre-Dame's interior is still closed post-fire restoration (reopening late 2024, but access may still be limited in early April 2025 — check ahead). The exterior and the viewing area around it are genuinely moving, and the surrounding Île de la Cité is the oldest part of Paris. Walk the island slowly.

Sainte-Chapelle

Arguably the most underrated monument in Paris — a 13th-century Gothic chapel with floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows that are genuinely jaw-dropping. It's right next to Notre-Dame on the same island and almost always has shorter queues. Book online to save time.

Walk across Pont Neuf & explore the Left Bank

Cross Paris's oldest bridge on foot, then wander south into Saint-Germain-des-Prés. This stretch of the Left Bank has some of the best medieval street layouts still intact — rue de la Huchette and rue Saint-Séverin are worth ducking into.

Musée de Cluny (National Museum of the Middle Ages)

One of the most undervisited museums in Paris for history lovers — it sits on top of actual Roman baths from the 1st century AD and houses the famous Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. Under 26 and EU citizen? Free. Otherwise around €12. Give it 90 minutes.

Evening walk along the Seine

Walk the Seine embankment westward at golden hour — the light on the bridges and Haussmann buildings is exactly what you've seen in photos. Low effort, high reward, zero cost.

Louvre Museum — opening time entry

Be at the Pyramid entrance by 8:45 AM for the 9:00 AM opening — this is non-negotiable if you want to see the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory without wall-to-wall crowds. Book timed-entry tickets online in advance (no queue skipping otherwise). Under 26 EU citizens enter free.

Louvre — curated highlights walk

Don't try to see everything — it's impossible and will exhaust you. Prioritize: Denon Wing for Italian Renaissance and Greek antiquities, Sully Wing for Egyptian antiquities and medieval Louvre foundations. Give yourself 3 hours max and leave before you're museumed-out.

Jardin des Tuileries walk

Exit the Louvre into the Tuileries Garden — a formal French garden stretching toward Place de la Concorde. In early April it's quiet and green. Sit by one of the round ponds for a few minutes; it's a genuine decompression after the Louvre crowds.

Place de la Concorde & Champs-Élysées walk

Walk the full length of the Champs-Élysées from Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe — about 1.9km. Historically it's one of the great urban axes in Europe. The shops don't matter; the scale and the axis toward the Arc are the point.

Arc de Triomphe — rooftop

Climb to the top for a panoramic 360-degree view of Paris's famous radial street layout — twelve avenues converging on a single point. Under 26 EU citizens free; otherwise €13. Book online. The view down the Champs-Élysées and toward La Défense is a genuine Paris moment.

Palais Royal gardens & arcades

Metro back toward the Louvre and walk through the Palais Royal — the colonnaded courtyard (with Buren's striped columns) is a beautiful, calm contrast to the Champs-Élysées. The 17th-century architecture and history as a revolutionary gathering point make it worth 45 minutes.

Le Marais — evening wander

Head east to Le Marais, Paris's best-preserved medieval and Renaissance neighborhood. Walk rue des Francs-Bourgeois, cut through Place des Vosges (Paris's oldest planned square, built 1612), and soak in the scale and stonework. This is the kind of thing that makes Paris feel different from other European capitals.

Eiffel Tower — early summit entry

Book the summit ticket online well in advance — they sell out days ahead in spring. Arriving by 9:00 AM gets you the tower before the worst crowds. The views from the second floor and summit over Paris's arrondissement layout are spectacular and make the city's scale make sense.

Champ de Mars walk

Walk back through the Champ de Mars — the long green axis stretching away from the tower. In early April it's fresh and uncrowded. Take your time; you've just done the big one.

Les Invalides & Napoléon's Tomb

Walk 15 minutes northeast to Les Invalides — Louis XIV's military hospital complex, now housing the Musée de l'Armée and Napoléon's enormous red porphyry tomb. If you have any interest in French military history, this is a serious museum. The tomb itself is genuinely theatrical in scale. Budget 1.5–2 hours.

Musée d'Orsay exterior & Pont de la Concorde

Walk along the Left Bank of the Seine toward the Musée d'Orsay — the converted Beaux-Arts railway station is worth seeing from outside even if you don't go in (Impressionism is not in this itinerary's focus, so skip the interior unless time allows). The riverside walk here is superb.

Metro to Montmartre — Sacré-Cœur Basilica

Metro to Abbesses or Anvers, then climb (or take the funicular — 1 metro ticket) to Sacré-Cœur. The basilica is free to enter and the hilltop view over Paris is one of the best in the city. The building is late 19th-century Romano-Byzantine and polarizing architecturally — but the setting is undeniable.

Montmartre village walk — Place du Tertre & rue Lepic

Wander the cobbled streets of old Montmartre — Place du Tertre (the artist square, touristy but atmospheric), rue Lepic market street, and the vineyard on the hillside. This neighborhood genuinely looks different from the rest of Paris and has a 19th-century village feel that's historically significant.

Dusk from the Sacré-Cœur steps

Return to the Sacré-Cœur steps for dusk — the light across the Paris rooftops as the sun drops is exceptional in early April. Bring a cheap bottle of wine from a nearby supermarket (Nicolas or Franprix) and sit on the steps with other travelers. It's a classic Paris moment at zero extra cost.

RER C to Versailles-Château Rive Gauche

Take the RER C from central Paris (Gare d'Austerlitz, Saint-Michel, or Invalides station) to Versailles-Château Rive Gauche — about 40 minutes, €3.65 each way on a standard Navigo zone 1–4 ticket. Aim to be at the gates before 9:00 AM when they open.

Palace of Versailles — State Apartments & Hall of Mirrors

Focus on the State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors — the suite of rooms leading to it tell the story of Louis XIV's absolute monarchy in architectural and artistic terms better than any textbook. The Hall of Mirrors itself (73 metres long, 357 mirrors) is one of the genuinely staggering rooms in European history. Book tickets in advance.

Gardens of Versailles — main axis walk

Walk the central axis of Le Nôtre's gardens toward the Grand Canal — the formal geometry and scale are as much a statement of royal power as the palace. In early April the gardens are coming to life. You don't need to walk the full estate — 45 minutes down the main axis and back is enough.

RER C back to Paris

Head back to Paris on the RER C — gives you a comfortable buffer before your 5:00 PM departure. If flying from CDG, you'll need to be back in central Paris by around 2:00 PM to allow transit time.

RER B from Gare du Nord or Châtelet to CDG

Take the RER B northbound from Châtelet-Les Halles or Gare du Nord to CDG Terminal 2 — 35–40 minutes. For a 5:00 PM departure, arriving at the airport by 2:45–3:00 PM is sensible for EU/Schengen flights, 2:30 PM if international.