Paris in 5 Days with Versailles: A First-Timer’s Plan
One hotel, five nights, and every big visit placed on a day it is open: the Louvre on a late evening, Versailles on any day but Monday, Orsay off its Monday closure.
For a first trip to Paris when you want the essential museums and Versailles without rushing, and no hotel changes.
Paris · Saint-Germain or the Left Bank5 nights
A Left Bank hotel puts Sainte-Chapelle, Orsay and the RER C to Versailles within easy reach. Check the walk from the station with your bags before you book.
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Dots show geographic locations. Blue connects rail stops. Versailles is a day trip by RER C or SNCF train from Paris. Check dated directions with the operator. Land: Natural Earth.
The daily route
Day by day
Day 01 · Paris
Land, take the €14 airport ticket, and stay outside
Take RER B from Charles de Gaulle or Métro 14 from Orly on the €14 Paris Region–Airports ticket, which covers two hours of connections. With heavy bags or four travelers, the official taxi rank charges a flat 2026 fare. Watch out: inside the terminal, ignore anyone who offers a ride. Drop your bags and keep the first evening to a walk by the Seine and an early dinner.
The Louvre is closed on Tuesday and stays open until 9 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday, so put this day on one of those. Americans pay the €32 non-EEA rate; under-18s enter free. Book a time slot (tickets are non-refundable), take the morning slowly in the Tuileries or the Palais-Royal, and use the evening opening.
Sainte-Chapelle, the Left Bank and the Eiffel Tower at dusk
Book a morning slot at Sainte-Chapelle (€22 at the non-EEA rate). Walk the Left Bank to Saint-Germain for lunch. Book the Eiffel Tower for early evening: tickets go on sale up to two months ahead, and the summit by lift costs €36.70 in 2026. Watch out: buy tickets on the official site rather than from anyone offering them in the street.
Versailles is closed on Monday. Book the earliest Passport slot you can; it is the only ticket with a timed Palace visit, €25 from November to March and €35 from April. Take RER C to Versailles Château–Rive Gauche, a 10-minute walk from the Palace; trains from Montparnasse (Chantiers) and Saint-Lazare (Rive Droite) are 17 to 18 minutes on foot. Palace in the morning, gardens and Trianon in the afternoon. Do not drive: the A13 is closed toward Versailles until August 31, 2027.
Orsay is closed on Monday and opens until 9:45 p.m. on Thursday; tickets are €16 online. Give it the morning, then rest. In the evening go up to Montmartre: the Sacré-Cœur basilica is free and open every day until 10:30 p.m. Watch out: if someone at the steps asks you to sign a petition or watch a card game, keep walking; the Paris police describe both as distraction scams.
Read the airport code and terminal from the airline confirmation. Plan the journey from the hotel door and use the airline’s check-in guidance. Look up any engineering work or service changes before you go to bed.
Chantiers from Montparnasse, 18 min on foot; Rive Droite from Saint-Lazare, 17 min. Useful if your hotel is near one of those stations.
Before paying
What to book first
Book the hotel first, with free cancellation, then set the Versailles day on any day but Monday.
Book the Eiffel Tower as soon as tickets open, up to two months ahead.
Book the Versailles Passport time slot, then Louvre and Sainte-Chapelle slots. Weigh the Paris Museum Pass only if you add more museums.
Free printable
The France Trip Checklist for Americans
Three pages to save before you fly: passport and EES/ETIAS status, the proof the border police can ask for, cards and phones, driving rules and the bookings worth making early. Every line links an official source, checked November 9, 2026.
