If you’re planning a four day trip to Paris there’s going to be a lot of attractions vying for your attention. Unfortunately you’ll find that you won’t have time to see them all.

To make the most of our time in the French capital we devised this simple four day itinerary. By telling you about our recent visit we hope that it also works for you.

Our schedule took in all the main attractions of Paris such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre Museum. It also includes one or two attractions that aren’t as well known to visitors.

Day One: Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, River Seine boat trip, Rue Cler, Pont Alexandre III, Petit Palais and Les Invalides

We started the day by visiting one of the main Parisian landmarks, the Arc de Triomphe. Not only is it imposing from the ground but the views from the top are simply amazing.

From here we walked down the famous Champs-Élysées. This boulevard is known for its exclusive shops, cafes and theatres. Unfortunately for my wife our budget didn’t extend to buying anything here!

We then took a walk to Port de la Bourdonnais where we took a boat trip on the River Seine. This was a really relaxing trip and we really enjoyed watching some of the city’s main attractions pass us as we sailed by.

After disembarking from the boat we were starting to get a little hungry. So we took a 10 minute walk to Rue Cler. This charming little street is bristling with cafes, food shops, patisseries and vendors. If you’re a fan of cheese then you’ll be at home here.

Next on our schedule was Pont Alexandre III. This is a French historical monument and is considered to be the most beautiful bridge in all of Paris. We found it to be a great spot for photos as we could see the Eiffel Tower and Grand Palais. The sculptures of lions and angels on the bridge itself were also fascinating.

Les Invalides is directly next to this bridge. It is a large complex of buildings with museums and monuments chronicling the military history of France.

Day Two: Panthéon, Notre Dame, Hôtel de Ville, Pont des Arts, Louvre Museum, Palais Garnier and Tuileries Garden

Our second day started at the Pantheon in the Latin Quarter. This is a mausoleum that contains the remains of some of France’s most high profile people.

It was then off to Notre Dame Cathedral, a must visit for us. It certainly lived up to the hype, it was striking inside and out. We didn’t see the hunchback though!

Crossing Pont d’Arcole we arrived at the City Hall. But it’s more commonly known as Hôtel de Ville. We couldn’t help but stand and gaze at this building. It’s definitely one of the best looking city halls I’ve ever seen.

After a short walk west along the Seine we arrived at Pont des Arts. This bridge was once known for all the ‘love padlocks’ that were attached to it by visitors. They have since been removed.

We then arrived at the Louvre Museum. After queuing for about 30 minutes we made our way inside. We saw a lot of the treasures of the collection here. The highlights included Venus de Milo, the Seated Scribe and of course the Mona Lisa.

From the Louvre we walked to Palais Garnier, a famous opera house. We didn’t go inside but that didn’t stop us from appreciating it from the outside.

For our final stop of the day we retraced our steps back to Jardin de Tuileries. After a busy day of sightseeing it was a perfect place to get away from the crowds. It was really nice to walk in these gardens to unwind.

Day Three: Jardin du Luxembourg, Pont-Neuf, Sacré Cœur, Canal Saint-Martin and the Eifel Tower

Day three started with a relaxing walk around the gardens of Luxembourg Palace. The gardens are spread over more than 20 hectares and contain tree-lined paths, flowers and of course the Medici Fountain.

A short walk north from these gardens is Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris. After crossing the bridge and admiring the views we set off to Montmartre.

Sacré Cœur was our destination in Montmartre. This church is absolutely stunning, as are the views of the city from outside it. We then walked down the steep steps of the church to Anvers station where we got the metro to Republique.

Once we got a few photos of Republique Square we walked east to Boulevard Richard Lenoir. We followed this boulevard south to Canal Saint-Martin. It was a lovely walk in area of Paris which seems to be off the beaten track.

With the day drawing to a close we set off to the Eifel Tower. After ascending to the viewing platform we sipped a cold beer while watching the sun go down over the city.

Day Four: Musée Rodin, Marché des Enfants Rouges and saying goodbye to Paris

Our final day began with a visit to the Musée Rodin, a museum dedicated to the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Many of his sculptures are displayed in the museum’s gardens including his famous sculpture ‘The Thinker’.

We then got the metro to Filles du Calvaire and walked to Marché des Enfants Rouges. This food market is the oldest covered market in Paris. There’re a variety of delicious local and international food stalls here to tempt your taste buds with. It reminded us of San Miguel Market in Madrid.

After eating our fill we only had a few hours left before flying home. So we decided to have a final walk along the Seine to say goodbye to the French capital.

As expected we simply ran out of time to see everything in this great city. But we’ll no doubt be back one day to see some more and take a trip to the Palace of Versailles.

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