Paris in Five Days

Check in at Hôtel Lutetia, Left Bank — Art Deco grandeur, freshly restored, with views over the Boulevard Raspail.

Settle in. Unpack slowly. The room smells faintly of cedar and fresh linen.

Walk the Jardin du Luxembourg as the afternoon light softens. Find a green iron chair near the Medici Fountain.

Aperitif at Bar Joséphine — the hotel's own cocktail bar. Order the Lutetia Sour.

Dinner at Le Grand Véfour, Palais Royal — one of Paris's oldest restaurants. Candlelit, theatrical, with painted ceilings from the 18th century. The pigeon Prince Rainier III is legendary.

Evening stroll along the Seine. The bridges glow amber. Paris is yours.

Breakfast at the hotel — warm croissants, café crème, fresh-pressed orange juice at the marble counter.

Private guided tour of the Louvre before the crowds thicken. Focus on the Italian Renaissance wing and the Galerie d'Apollon — your guide knows the stories behind each frame.

Step out into the courtyard. The glass pyramid catches the midday sun.

Lunch at Café Marly — under the arcades overlooking the pyramid. Tartare de bœuf, a glass of Sancerre, and nowhere to be.

Walk through the Tuileries to Place de la Concorde. Golden hour light begins early in the gardens.

Browse at Galignani — Paris's oldest English-language bookshop, on Rue de Rivoli.

Return to the hotel. Rest. A bath, perhaps.

Evening Seine cruise with champagne — board near Pont de l'Alma. Watch Notre-Dame's scaffolding turn gold in the fading light.

Dinner at Septime, 11th arrondissement — Bertrand Grébaut's tasting menu is precise, seasonal, and quietly thrilling. Book months ahead; we already have.

Coffee and a pain au chocolat at Café de Flore — yes, it's a cliché. It's also perfect.

Explore Le Marais on foot — start at Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris. Victor Hugo lived at No. 6.

Gallery-hop along Rue de Turenne — Perrotin, Thaddaeus Ropac, and smaller spaces that change monthly.

Falafel at L'As du Fallafel, Rue des Rosiers — eat standing up, napkin in hand, like everyone else.

Cross to Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Browse concept stores — Merci, for homewares that make you rethink your entire apartment.

Macarons at Pierre Hermé, Rue Bonaparte. The Ispahan — rose, lychee, raspberry — is non-negotiable.

Champagne tasting at a private cave in Saint-Germain — a sommelier walks you through six grower champagnes in a 17th-century cellar.

Golden hour walk along the Left Bank quais. Bouquinistes are closing up. The light is impossible.

Dinner at Frenchie — Gregory Marchand's intimate bistro on Rue du Nil. Five courses, natural wine pairings, and a room that hums with quiet satisfaction.

Early breakfast at the hotel — today starts before the crowds.

Private car to Versailles — 40 minutes through the western suburbs. Your guide meets you at the gate.

Private access to the gardens before the public arrives. The Grand Trianon in silence is worth the early start alone.

Tour the Hall of Mirrors and the King's State Apartments. Your guide brings the politics, the scandal, and the furniture to life.

Lunch at Ore — Alain Ducasse's restaurant inside the palace. Roast chicken, garden vegetables, and a view of the parterre.

Wander the Hameau de la Reine — Marie Antoinette's fantasy village. Thatched roofs, a working dairy, improbable charm.

Return to Paris. Rest at the hotel.

Cocktails at Bar Hemingway, Ritz Paris — dark wood, leather, and one of the best martinis on earth. Colin Field may be behind the bar.

Dinner at Le Cinq, Four Seasons George V — two Michelin stars, soaring ceilings, and Christian Le Squer's cooking at its most refined. The lobster is transcendent.

Final Parisian breakfast — take your time. Order a second coffee. Watch the boulevard wake up.

Montmartre — climb to Sacré-Cœur for the view across all of Paris. The steps are steep; the reward is complete.

Wander the artist studios behind Place du Tertre — skip the caricaturists, find the quiet ateliers on the back streets.

Coffee at La Maison Rose — the pink café on the corner, painted by Utrillo, still standing.

Farewell lunch at Taillevent — one of Paris's grand dining rooms. Burgundy on the walls, Burgundy in the glass. The cheese trolley alone is worth the visit.

A last walk through Saint-Germain. Buy something small — a candle from Cire Trudon, a notebook from Papier Tigre.

Private transfer to airport. Paris recedes in the rear window.