Five Days in Paris: Marais, Left Bank, and Montmartre

Landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport was straightforward, and the transfer to the city center took about an hour. We checked into the Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais in Le Marais, which felt like a quiet, well-positioned base for our first few days. After dropping our bags, we walked straight to L'As du Fallafel. The queue moved quickly, and eating the pita on the sidewalk was a simple, effective way to start the trip.

On our second day, we left the Marais and headed toward the Louvre Museum. We strolled through the Tuileries Garden before stopping at Café Marly for a view of the pyramid. Later, we grabbed a coffee at Le Nemours. The museum itself was massive, and we learned quickly that it is better to pick a few specific wings rather than trying to see everything in one go.

Our third day focused on the Left Bank. We started at the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Abbey and spent some time browsing the shelves at Shakespeare and Company. Lunch at Les Deux Magots was a classic tourist experience, but the people-watching was excellent. We spent the afternoon at the Musée d'Orsay, which is much easier to navigate than the Louvre due to its open, former railway station layout.

The Musée d'Orsay is much easier to navigate than the Louvre due to its open, former railway station layout.

Day four was for Montmartre. We headed up to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica early in the morning to beat the worst of the heat and the crowds. We wandered through the Place du Tertre and visited the Musée de Montmartre, which has a surprisingly quiet garden. Lunch was at Le Consulat, followed by a stop at Le Moulin de la Galette before heading back down the hill.

On our final morning, we took a slow walk through the Luxembourg Gardens. It was a nice way to decompress before checking out and heading back to Charles de Gaulle Airport for our flight home. Five days felt like a good amount of time to cover these specific areas without feeling like we had to rush between neighborhoods.