Day 1
Departed London Gatwick on an 8 AM flight to Paris Orly Airport.
The plane was nearly empty, so I had a window seat and a whole row to myself—thank you, Vueling! I traveled with underseat baggage only, but be careful—Vueling’s size limit is 40 x 30 x 20 cm. My bag was slightly oversized, but luckily, they didn’t check. I even managed to store it in the overhead compartment, which was a nice bonus.
The flight was delayed by about 20 minutes due to some technical issues, but after 50 minutes, we began our descent into Paris. You can just about spot the Eiffel Tower in the photo!
Paris Orly is closer to the city center than CDG, making it a great option—plus, it’s much quieter.
After landing, I took a bus to the terminal, then went through a short security queue and got a passport stamp (as London is no longer in the EU). But hey, it’s always nice to collect those stamps! There were a few duty-free shops, but I didn’t stop to look.
Next, I had to get to my hotel, Le General. Google Maps estimated an hour’s journey. Uber was quoting €40—probably a good option for a family of four, but a bit pricey for me. So, I decided to take the metro. It’s just a 2-3 minute walk from the airport, making it a convenient choice.
I bought the 5-day travel pass for €76, which gives access to all public transport—unfortunately, there’s no 4-day option. Maybe it would have been cheaper online, but at the time, I had no idea, ha! The ticket machines have an English translation option, making it easy to use, though there was a 15-minute queue.
Once I got the pass—just a simple paper ticket, not as fancy as I expected—I took the metro to my hotel.
The journey took around 50 minutes with one change, but the Paris Metro is superbly signposted, and with Google Maps, it was easy to navigate.
I arrived at Le General about two hours before check-in.
I thought I could at least drop my bags and then explore or relax in the lobby, but luckily, the room was ready. I was greeted with a welcome drink and some snacks, which was a nice touch.
By now, I was really hungry. I’ll admit, I’m pretty lazy when it comes to traveling—I’m not one of those people who likes to go off the beaten track. The hotel was in a lovely area, near Republic Square, and there was a McDonald’s nearby. I checked the menu and found they had a veggie option—a soy patty. Perfect! It was a little dry, but I didn’t mind. I also picked up a McFlurry. It had so much more chocolate sauce than in London, ha!
I still had more than half a day left, and with clear blue skies, I thought—let’s see how much I can fit in!
I took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe. Tickets to go to the top were €16, and I had to queue for around 30 minutes. Since this was off-peak season, I’d definitely recommend booking in advance if you’re visiting in summer.
There are 284 narrow steps to reach the top, so only take this route if you’re fit—I saw plenty of people struggling! There are lifts available as well. At the top, there’s a small gift shop, but it doesn’t sell water, so make sure to drink plenty of fluids beforehand.
The view was incredible—perfect for admiring the city and watching the chaos of the roundabout below!
Next, I visited Galeries Lafayette, just a 10-minute metro ride from the Arc.
Near Galeries Lafayette is the Palais Garnier, so I took a quick photo before heading inside.
Galeries Lafayette has all the designer shops—you name it, it’s there.
Think Harrods, but on a bigger scale, even the roof is nice. It’s also free to go up to the rooftop for a stunning city view. If you can’t make it up the Arc, this is a great alternative—and it’s free! Plus, there are public toilets inside, which is always a bonus.
Opposite Galeries Lafayette, there’s a food court under the same name.
Feeling hungry, I decided to check it out. If you love croissants, pastries, éclairs, or babka, this is the place for you. For me, all the sweet treats were delicious—rich but not overly sweet. Prices ranged from €5-€7 per treat.
I decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel to relax.
It had been a hectic day, so it was good to take a break and avoid burning out. But if I’d been feeling more energetic, I probably would have gone out to eat and see the sights.
Day 2
Today I had pre-booked the Louvre for the afternoon.
It was €22 for a timed entry ticket. I thought booking ahead would help avoid queues—more on that later, ha. The journey from the hotel only took about 20 minutes. I checked Google Maps and decided to see a few sights along the way since it was a lovely sunny day.
I walked along Rue de Rivoli, passed Hôtel de Ville, and a few other beautiful buildings—I wasn’t exactly sure what they all were, but I really think exploring Paris on foot is worth it. I then strolled along the Seine, and from the outside, saw the Monnaie de Paris, Sainte-Chapelle, Notre-Dame, and crossed the Pont des Arts (a scenic bridge over the Seine).
There was about a 30-minute queue to go inside Notre-Dame, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the time.
I walked over to the Louvre and was seriously thirsty, but couldn’t find anywhere selling water.
Ended up paying €3 at Subway just for a bottle. I didn’t realise how massive the whole area around the Louvre was, but it was actually really nice to wander around and take it all in.
At the entrance, there were queues everywhere. Signs showed which line to join depending on your ticket time. I thought having a timed entry would mean less waiting, but I still had to queue for almost an hour—so just keep that in mind if you’ve got other stuff planned.
That said, the glass pyramid entrance is definitely worth seeing. If you’re in a rush though, there’s a quieter entrance around the back with much shorter lines.
Inside the Louvre, it was packed—and absolutely massive.
I was in awe of how many portraits and sculptures there were. Honestly, even a full day wouldn’t be enough to see it all. I was in full tourist mode, so I grabbed the free map and went exploring. Each painting has a short description, which is helpful, but there was also a 20-minute queue for the audio guide. In hindsight, I wish I’d picked that up.
After a while of browsing, I went to see the Mona Lisa. There wasn’t a proper queue, just a huddle of people taking photos. Once you get your snap, you’re kind of ushered out—but you can go back for another look. Funny thing though, the Mona Lisa I saw in person looked different to the one I captured in my photo. Maybe it’s just my perception.
Also—just a heads up—this is my first blog, so apologies if my writing style is a bit waffly! I’ll try and be more concise as I go.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t spend too long inside the Louvre—it was just so busy.
I spoke to a couple of people at the ticket desk, and they said it’s much quieter early in the morning, later in the evening, or in winter. Might try one of those times if I visit again.
Once you exit the Louvre, you actually walk straight into a shopping centre. I stopped off at Ladurée for some macarons—and wow, they were amazing. The flavours and customer service were top notch. I’d recommend orange blossom and jasmine tea if you’re into floral flavours. I also grabbed a passion fruit and mango bubble tea which was really refreshing.
There was a beautiful crystal shop too—nice for a quick browse, but very expensive. From inside the shopping centre, there are signs pointing towards the Jardin des Tuileries. Definitely worth a visit. It’s also a great viewpoint to see the Place de la Concorde. From here, you can also walk to the Musée de l’Orangerie.
From here, I decided to walk to Westfield.
I’ve been to the one in Barcelona, so I wanted to see how the Paris version stacked up. It was about a 25-minute walk, and honestly, totally worth it—you get to see some unexpected sights along the way.
On my walk, I passed a Christian Louboutin boutique, the Sculpture Écoute, and the Musée du Louvre metro entrance. Westfield itself is pretty big, spread out over three floors. I popped inside mainly to find something to eat, but the food options were a bit disappointing.
I ended up getting a veggie “Naanwich” from KFC—I’d seen the advert back at the hotel and thought I’d give it a go. There was a deal so ended up getting two haha. Also grabbed some tacos while I was there. Bit of a random combo, but it did the job.
I checked my phone and had already done around 17,000 steps, so I decided to head back to the hotel and chill for an hour—I had an evening tour booked to go up the Eiffel Tower and see the lights in the dark. I paid €36 to go all the way to the top. Just a heads up: don’t bring any large luggage with you as there’s no storage. You can save the ticket to your phone too, so no need to worry if you can’t print it out.
The Eiffel Tower sparkles for five minutes at the start of every hour after dusk—definitely worth seeing. I left the hotel two hours before my start time since the tower isn’t in the centre of Paris and I wanted to enjoy the journey. I got off at Alma–Marceau Metro stop to see the Flame of Liberty, which has become an unofficial Princess Diana memorial. There’s a great photo opportunity here too. From there, it’s about a 15-minute walk to the entrance of the tower. It’s a really scenic walk with so many amazing photo spots. Just make sure to wrap up warm—it was so windy, ha.
Once I got to the entrance, there was a security stop where bags are checked. You don’t need tickets for this—it just allows you to see the feet of the tower and look up. The ticket booths are here too if you haven’t purchased in advance. There are also unofficial street sellers offering light-up Eiffel Towers for €1. I purchased one—just a small souvenir. You can haggle; it all depends how much you want to. There are separate queues depending on what ticket you’ve bought, as there are stairs too. I went to the correct queue, passed through more airport-style security, and then queued for 30 mins to take the lift to the first floor. There are some nice Eiffel Tower guides you can pick up while waiting for the lift too.
Once you reach the top floor, your guide will either give you the option to visit the first floor—there are some nice views, a restaurant, toilets, and a gift shop—or take you to another lift to the very top. I decided to go to the top straight away (I’m quite impatient!). It’s actually really fun going up in the lift and seeing the inside of the Eiffel Tower. There was a short queue and another scan for tickets.
Once you reach the top floor, the views are amazing but mostly covered—you need to go up a short flight of stairs to see the incredible open views. It’s super windy, so wrap up warm—you’re really high up! Honestly, going to the top is soworth it. There isn’t much space, so take it all in slowly. You can even put your hand out over the edge (safely!).
There was a small shop selling champagne, and I had to get the Moët glass for €23—mainly for the souvenir glass and to say I drank champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I also visited the bathroom at the top too, ha. Just be careful you don’t drop your phone when taking pics!
I decided to take the elevator back down and stop at the first floor before leaving. If you can, try to get to the front of the elevator—the views of the tower from inside are amazing. I snapped a few photos on the first floor too, and honestly, I think they turned out great.
You can take the stairs down from here—a total of 647 steps. At that moment, my legs were definitely not up for that challenge, so I stuck with the lift. Just a heads-up: there can be a long queue to get back down to the ground floor via the lifts. I ended up waiting about 30 minutes
Once I got down to the ground, I exited the tower. As it was late, everything had quietened down, which made for excellent photo opportunities. I decided to take the metro back to the hotel since I had a busy day ahead tomorrow. But if you fancy staying and soaking up the atmosphere, I wouldn’t blame you.
Thanks for reading Day 2—hope it wasn’t too long or boring! 😊
Day 3
There are so many things to do in Paris. I thought 4 days would be plenty, but it still wasn’t enough! Today was a shopping day—I did want to pick up a few things. I’d read about outlet shopping in Paris, and the reviews seemed positive. It’s called La Vallée Village, and it has many designer brands like Gucci, Prada, Kenzo, Stone Island, and Moncler, just to name a few. It’s about an hour’s journey from my hotel, and the train (RER) was included in my pass. Paris has these double-decker trains, which is pretty cool to see.
When I got to La Vallée, it was huge—it even backs onto a shopping mall. If you’re familiar with Bicester Village in Oxford, I’d say this is similar. The great thing is you can claim the tax back at the airport, so it’s a nice little saving.
Shopping is a personal preference, but I spent about 3 hours there and found a few bargains. I also had lunch at Pret, and the roasted vegetable sandwich was great. After that, I took my bags back to the hotel, wondering how on earth I was going to fit it all into my underseat luggage! 😊
After a quick freshen-up at the hotel, I took a short 5-minute walk to a lovely little sandwich and dessert spot I’d noticed earlier. As I got closer, I saw the name—Pépite Boulangerie—and it looked super popular with lots of people sitting outside. Always a good sign! I treated myself to a hot chocolate, a chocolate-covered bread, a pistachio bun, and an almond croissant. Honestly, I’d definitely recommend it if you’re nearby—everything I tried was delicious.
After that sweet pit stop, I headed out to see another of Paris’s iconic landmarks: the Sacré-Cœur. I took the Metro and got off at Barbès–Rochechouart, followed by about a 15-minute uphill walk. The station was really busy, so I made sure to keep my belongings close. There are plenty of signs around warning about pickpockets—while I didn’t experience anything, it’s always good to stay alert.
The walk up to Sacré-Cœur is quite steep, but once you get close, you’ve got two options: take the cable car or climb the stairs. The queue for the cable car was short, and since it was included in the travel pass I bought a couple of days ago, I hopped on. I definitely think it’s worth taking, even just for the experience and the beautiful views of Paris behind you as you rise. You can always take it back down too—or walk if you’re up for it. No limit!
Once I reached the top, the atmosphere was amazing—so lively and full of energy. Tourists were snapping photos, buskers were playing music, and everyone just seemed genuinely happy to be there. There are a few more steps you can take to get even higher for some closer shots of the basilica, which I did, of course. Admission is free if you want to go inside, but unfortunately, I didn’t have time. Totally my fault for spending a bit too long shopping earlier—no regrets though, ha!
I then took the same cable car back down—you also have the option to take the stairs if you prefer. I saw lots of runners using the stairs as part of their workout! Once I got down, I decided to explore the local area. There were so many gift shops, and I ended up buying a Paris bag with a zip for €5 as a little present to take back home.
I also popped into the Lindt shop to check if they had any flavours we don’t usually see in the UK. Just around the corner was a chocolate shop called Le Petit Musée du Chocolat, where you can take a photo with an Eiffel Tower made entirely out of chocolate. I asked for permission to take photos, and they were more than happy for me to snap as many as I liked.
I then took the Metro to Blanche to see the Moulin Rouge from the outside. I thought it would be slightly bigger, but it was still nice to see in person. I’d read that this area used to be part of Paris’s former red light district, and you can still spot a few sex shops around. They seemed more geared toward tourists than anything else.
It started to rain quite heavily at this point, so I decided to stop for dinner. There were loads of restaurants to choose from, but I ended up going to New Jawad Longchamp, an Indian restaurant with some decent reviews. I took Bus No. 30 from Moulin Rouge, and to my surprise, it drove right around the Arc de Triomphe. Going around that crazy roundabout and trying not to bump into any cars was such a highlight—I loved it!
By the time I got off the bus, the rain was really coming down. Luckily, the restaurant was only a short walk from the stop. I hadn’t made a booking, but they were very accommodating. There were plenty of vegetarian options on the menu, and I went for a chickpea curry, mixed vegetable curry, and a paneer dish. All of them were pleasant—maybe they could’ve used a bit more flavour, but that’s just me being picky.
After finishing my food, I decided to call it a day and took the Metro back to the hotel. It was still raining, and I figured it was the perfect time to just unwind and recharge for tomorrow.
Day 4
Unfortunately, today was my last day in Paris, with an evening flight back to London. I decided to make the most of it by visiting the Musée d’Orsay. After checking out of my hotel, the staff were more than happy to hold onto my bags while I explored a bit more. I’d definitely recommend Le Général Hôtel — no issues at all, and they really go the extra mile with the little touches.
I hadn’t pre-booked tickets for the museum since no time slots were available, so I was hoping the queue wouldn’t be too long. I’d read that without a booking, the wait can be anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, so if you can, definitely book in advance to save time.
I took the Metro to Havre-Caumartin because I wanted to grab a quick photo of Gare Saint-Lazare station, then walked to the Musée d’Orsay.
When I arrived, there was indeed a long queue — but I’ll say this, it was much more organised compared to the Louvre. There were separate lines for people who had pre-booked. I asked one of the stewards about the wait, and they said around an hour, so I joined the back of the line. The sun was beating down, so be sure to bring sunscreen and a hat — there’s no shade at all. In the end, I waited around 90 minutes before going through airport-style security to get my ticket.
paid €16 for the ticket, and once I got inside, I was just amazed. The museum used to be a train station, and you can really see that in the grand architecture — it’s such a unique setting for an art gallery. Just like at the Louvre, I grabbed a free map and headed straight for the paintings. There are also some brilliant photo opportunities inside — especially the big clock window with views overlooking Paris
Honestly, a couple of hours isn’t enough to see everything and truly take in the art. The Van Gogh and Monet galleries were definitely the busiest — there aren’t any formal queues to view the paintings, but you do have to weave your way through the crowd and find a good spot to stand. Totally worth it, though.
As I had an evening flight and still needed to collect my bags from the hotel, I decided to leave the museum and make my way back. On the walk, I passed the Assemblée Nationale — the grand building caught my eye, so I stopped for a quick snap.. But when I got near my hotel in République Square, I realised all the roads were closed due to a protest. Protests are quite common on weekends in Paris, so it’s worth checking in advance if you’re planning anything in that area.
There were so many people packed onto the pavements that at times you couldn’t even walk — I had to squeeze through the crowds just to get anywhere. It was a bit overwhelming. I ended up going back to the same McDonald’s I visited on my first day — surprisingly quiet, maybe because everyone else had already heard about the protest! The upstairs seating had a great view for people-watching and seeing everything unfold from a distance.
There was about a 50-minute journey from République Square to Paris Orly Airport, so make sure to leave plenty of time for departure. Once I arrived at Orly, I headed straight to the Customs Desk to get my receipts stamped for the items I purchased — just a heads-up, this is located before security, so don’t miss it. The airport itself is small but quite nice. I grabbed some Dubai chocolates from Lindt (unfortunately, not great), and noticed some deals on macarons you could take home as gifts — though honestly, I wouldn’t recommend them either. If you’re planning to bring back treats, it’s much better to buy them in the city before you get to the airport.
I arrived about an hour early for my flight, which gave me a chance to relax at the airport and reflect on all the memories I made during my trip. Time flew by — I must’ve had a lot to think about — because before I knew it, it was time to board and head back to London Gatwick.
Thank you so much for reading my itinerary. I hope it gave you some inspiration or ideas for your own adventure!