Who does not fancy a walk along the Seine, a tasty croissant and just relaxing at any of the cosy restaurants in the French capital? It is a dream destination for many. Paris is among the most visited European cities with millions of visitors every year.
Interesting fact: France broke tourism records in 2025 with over 102 million international visitors, becoming one of the world’s most visited countries.
Many Europeans and expats, currently living in the Benelux region or other neighbouring countries, choose Paris for long weekends – whether during bank holidays or simply for a short getaway from the routine. And it is understandable. Flixbus and Eurostar often offer affordable travel options with reasonable travel times.
For example, from Brussels, the Eurostar takes just one hour and 40 minutes to Paris, while from Amsterdam and Cologne, it is 3.5 hours. Taking Flixbus, though, is a different story. While it is relatively cheaper, the travel times can be twice or three times longer. From Brussels to Paris by bus is about 4 hours, while from Amsterdam and Cologne it is approximately 6-6.5 hours. Depending on your budget and time. everyone can choose the option that best suits their wallet and agenda.
Once in Paris, you often have to pick and choose what to do. Of course, the city is full of amazing landmarks – the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre museum, Notre Dame, the Palace of Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre and the Panthéon, among others.
However, if you are there for just a few days, this is my advice:
• Mix your landmarks
If you want to experience as much from the city as possible, opt to visit one big museum such as the Louvre or Versailles. Each takes a full day, and if you are keen on visiting both, then there is a high chance you might miss out on other, more subdued activities, such as relaxing in a park or just strolling down the Seine. Obviously, both museums are remarkably beautiful with an incredible range of paintings, sculptures and artifacts, and rushing is just not worth it. You will not only get super tired from hurrying from one location to the other but will also likely not see the whole exhibition.
If you are visiting for a long weekend of four days, I would suggest picking one big museum, while leaving some space to visit other locations such as the Luxembourg Gardens and the Pantheon, local cafes, spend time just relaxing in the Champ de Mars and going to other notable sites such as the Arc de Triomphe and checking out the arrondissements around it – the 8th, the 16th and the 17th.
• Why mix and match?
One of the reasons I think it is good to combine the different activities is the sheer size of Paris. For instance, reaching Versailles from the center of Paris takes between 30 minutes to one hour, depending on where your hotel or Airbnb is located. It makes sense to visit nearby attractions to avoid wasting time on public transport.
I would suggest deciding on landmarks before you book accommodations.
Take the Louvre, the Pantheon and Notre Dame as an example. It’s convenient to stay in that area of central Paris including the 1st arrondissement if you plan to visit them. On the other hand, if you are keen on seeing the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and strolling along Avenue des Champs-Élysées, then, as mentioned above, it is especially useful to stay in this area in the 8th arrondissement if you an afford it.
It would play a key role not only with regard to travel times but also in choosing restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course, you don’t want to travel 40 minutes just to grab dinner in a nice place, so finding a hotel or an Airbnb that is close to both the top landmarks and to good cafés and restaurants is also important.
• Travel cost in Paris
If you end up staying in an area that is not very close to the sites you’re interested in visiting, then you have to take into account travel costs in the city. While walking is nice, healthy and free, reaching certain places can take a while. On the other hand, a one-way public transport ticket costs 2.55 euros. If you intend to use the metro or another means of transportation more than once, maybe it would be wise to calculate whether a day pass, which costs 12.30 euros, makes more sense.
Taxi rates are fixed and less expensive than in Amsterrdam and London, but still relatively expensive.
Minimum fare: 8 euros.
Per kilometer (Monday–Saturday, daytime): About 1.27 euros.
Per kilometer (Night, Sundays, and holidays): 1.61 euros to 1.74. euros
Look for them to rise substantially due to the Iran War.
Below you’ll find three example itineraries similar to what I did during the times I have visited Paris.
• Example itineraries
Version 1
Day 1 (Versailles)
Day 2 (Visit Arc de Triomphe + stroll along Champs-Élysées + 1 hour cruise on the Seine)
Day 3 (Visit the Eiffel Tower + visit Champ de Mars Park Trocadero + Moulin Rouge show)
Day 4 (See the Eiffel Tower at night + walk around the Seine)
Version 2
Day 1 (Louvre)
Day 2 (Notre Dame + Shakespeare and Co (if you like books) + Kozy for brunch + walk along the Seine)
Day 3 (Pantheon + Luxembourg gardens)
Day 4 (Visit the Eiffel Tower + cruise on the Seine)
Version 3
Day 1 (Montmartre + visit of Sacré-Cœur)
Day 2 (Versailles, Louvre, Musee d’Orsay)
Day 3 (Walk along the Seine + Petit Palais)
Practical tips
- Book tickets in advance to avoid queues.
- Notre Dame is free to visit. Make sure you go early in the morning to avoid the huge crowds
- April and May are good times to visit, especially because Paris is extremely beautiful during spring.
- If you want to book Eurostar tickets, make sure to book several months in advance
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Read more about Paris here in Dispatches’ archives.
See more from Polya here.
Polya Pencheva
Polya Plamenova Pencheva is a young Bulgarian journalist based in Brussels, Belgium. Polya holds a Master's degree in journalism from Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and loves writing and telling the untold stories of interesting people. You can find her dining at cute café, shopping at markets, scouting second-hand shops or just chillin' at home with something great to read.
