Paris Travel Guide – 5-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Musée d’Orsay – Rodin Museum – Les Invalides – Eiffel Tower 1️⃣ Musée d’Orsay: Perhaps its most famous piece is Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait. 2️⃣ Rodin Museum: The garden is home to The Thinker, The Kiss, and other Rodin sculptures 🗿. 3️⃣ Les Invalides: Besides Napoleon’s tomb, many other monarchs and marshals are buried here. 4️⃣ Eiffel Tower + Seine River Cruise: I didn’t climb to the top of the tower—tickets need to be booked at least a month in advance, I heard. Book the Seine cruise in advance on Taobao! It’s super cost-effective at around 40 RMB. Queue to board around sunset, and remember to line up 15 minutes early! In one hour, you can enjoy the pink sunset glow + Paris’ blue hour + the sparkling Eiffel Tower ✨. Along the way, you’ll pass Musée d’Orsay, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame—and you can warmly interact with people on the bridges and shores, waving and cheering together! Day 2: Louvre Museum – Tuileries Garden – Musée de l’Orangerie – Galeries Lafayette 1️⃣ Louvre Museum: Must go early—preferably with tickets for opening time. First, follow the signs straight to the Mona Lisa gallery on the second floor. There were only five or six people there, letting me truly appreciate the famous painting. I stayed with the "Mona Lisa’s smile" for 15 minutes, quietly locking eyes with her, trying to spot Da Vinci’s secrets in her charming grin—until the crowd surged and I had to give up the best viewing spot. Later, I rented an audio guide at the entrance and slowly admired Venus de Milo, The Grand Odalisque, The Four Seasons, and other masterpieces 🎨. 2️⃣ Tuileries Garden: Isn’t coming to Paris all about chilling on those green chairs, soaking up the sun, and enjoying the leisurely vibe? ☀️ 3️⃣ Musée de l’Orangerie: What left the deepest impression was a huge Monet Water Lilies painting. 4️⃣ Shopping at Galeries Lafayette: You can also buy delicious Michelin-level Napoleons and macarons here 🧁. Day 3: Paris Disneyland It was overcast when I went, so there were few people. As a solo traveler, I could use the single rider line—wait times for each ride were under 10 minutes, and some I could hop on right away! I had super tasty ribs with a sweet sauce—a huge portion. The whole set, from appetizer to drink and ice cream, was 25€. I left after the fireworks at 10:30 PM 🎆. Day 4: Palace of Versailles – Notre-Dame de Paris – Arc de Triomphe – Champs-Élysées The Palace of Versailles is resplendent from the outside, and the Hall of Mirrors is simply the highlight—crystal chandeliers and large mirrors are perfect for photos ✨. The weather was great, so the gardens were beautiful too; the musical fountains and neatly trimmed trees were the most interesting parts of the garden for me. On the way back, I got off at Notre-Dame to visit. Looking at the bell towers and stained glass windows, I couldn’t help but think of Quasimodo the bell-ringer and the gypsy girl 📖. As a kid, the first book in the children’s literature series I bought—The Secret of Leonardo—was set in Paris. It had stories about Leonardo, tales of Montmartre (which I didn’t have time to visit), and all sorts of Renaissance stories that felt like they were quietly flowing around me. Suddenly, I felt a rush of emotion: "The paper airplane of childhood has finally flown back into my hand." #Paris #ParisTravelGuide #ParisTrip #TravelGuide