Paris itinerary — 4 days

Also known as the 5th arrondissement, the quaint Latin Quarter is home to the Sorbonne University and student-filled cafes. It's also famed for its bookshops, including the landmark Shakespeare & Company. Family-friendly attractions include the Jardin des Plantes botanical gardens and the National Museum of Natural History. The stately Panthéon building holds the remains of notables like Voltaire and Marie Curie.

A walk along the banks of the Seine is an activity as beloved and ancient as the city itself. On both sides of the river, roughly from Île Saint-Louis to the Louvre, are the city's bouquinistes, independent sellers of secondhand and antique books, old maps, postcards, and all kinds of souvenirs. It's an activity that rewards patience — you may find a vintage film poster or a first-edition book to take home. Along the banks of the Seine, in central Paris, you'll encounter the bouquinistes: traders in secondhand books, old maps, posters, and souvenirs. Sometimes you'll find only touristy items, but patience can occasionally yield treasures, such as old posters or first-edition books.

Resting twenty meters beneath the streets of Paris, this subterranean ossuary occupies a network of former limestone mining galleries. Created in the late 18th century to resolve health crises from overflowing parish cemeteries, it houses the skeletal remains of over six million Parisians. Visitors descend 131 spiral steps to explore a 1.5-kilometer underground circuit lined with neatly stacked walls of skulls and tibias.

Originally built for Cardinal Richelieu and later home to the House of Orléans, this historic palace sits opposite the Louvre. Its Cour d'Honneur is renowned for Daniel Buren's playful contemporary installation, 'Les Deux Plateaux', featuring striped black-and-white marble columns of varying heights alongside Pol Bury's kinetic fountains. Beyond lies a serene garden bordered by neoclassical arcades with artisan shops and cozy bistros.

Completed in 1607 under King Henry IV, Pont Neuf is the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris. Linking the Left and Right Banks through the western tip of Île de la Cité, it broke medieval tradition as the first Paris stone bridge built without houses lining its span and the first to feature elevated pedestrian sidewalks. The bridge's stone cornices are ornamented with 381 expressive mascarons depicting grotesque faces.

A pinnacle of Rayonnant Gothic architecture on the Île de la Cité, consecrated in 1248. King Louis IX commissioned the two-story royal chapel as a monumental reliquary to enshrine Christ's Crown of Thorns. In the upper chapel, stone walls almost disappear into jewel-toned light pouring through fifteen 15-metre-high stained glass windows depicting 1,113 biblical scenes, crowned by a flamboyant western rose window of the Apocalypse.

A neoclassical masterpiece crowning the Latin Quarter, designed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot as the Church of Saint Genevieve before the French Revolution transformed it into a secular mausoleum. Beneath its 83-metre dome swings Foucault's Pendulum, famously demonstrating the Earth's rotation, while the crypt holds the tombs of French icons including Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie.

The chic Champs-Élysées neighborhood is defined by its broad namesake avenue, which links the grand Arc de Triomphe and the chaotic traffic circle of Place de la Concorde. Upscale shops and shiny offices fill the area, along with stylish restaurants and casual takeout eateries. The district is also home to the elegant Champs-Élysées Garden, and art museums like the Grand Palais with its high-profile exhibitions.

Paris is the world capital of fashion and shopping, and if you want to spend an entire day browsing, buying, and dreaming about luxury items and clothing, you should head to Galeries Lafayette for luxury shopping. This Art Nouveau Parisian department store houses leading brands as well as small boutiques, restaurants, bakeries, salons, and spas, which make a visit appealing to almost anyone. You'll find plenty of luxury stores worth visiting, from Chanel and Christian Dior to Armani and Prada. The ultimate shopping in Paris can be found here, at the dazzling Galeries Lafayette. This department store is located in the prestigious Opera district and offers you 3 blocks of buildings featuring some of the most luxurious stores, including Chanel, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton. Don't forget to go up to the top floor of the building to enjoy a stunning view of Paris.

Paris's most famous avenue runs almost two kilometres in a straight axis from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, laid out in the 17th century and lined with mansions in the 19th. Today it is the city's showcase of cafes, cinemas, flagship stores and luxury headquarters. The Tour de France finishes here, the Bastille Day parade marches along it, and tens of millions of visitors walk it every year.

Legend has it that the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen is the largest antiques and secondhand market in the world. Even if that's not the case, its vast area (seven hectares) and number of vendors (around 1,700) suggest it should have its own postal code. And it certainly helps explain the 5 million visitors who come here every year in search of rare treasures, from household items to textiles — although finding a bargain is becoming harder and harder. The Puces de Saint-Ouen is a must-visit, especially if you love treasure hunting. Considered one of the largest markets in the world, this sprawling bazaar beyond the city's northern border is a vintage lover's dream. Wander through a maze of more than 15 markets, home to around 2,500 stalls and shops offering everything from vintage furniture and clothing to rare antiques and collectibles.

A legendary cabaret at the foot of Montmartre hill, founded in 1889 by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler. Famous for the iconic red windmill on its roof, it is the birthplace of the modern French cancan dance, immortalized by painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Today, visitors from across the globe gather here to enjoy the spectacular 'Féerie' revue, featuring acrobats, lavish sets, and dancers adorned with thousands of sequins and feathers.

A prominent 210-metre skyscraper in central Paris, completed in 1973. High-speed elevators whisk visitors to the 56th floor in just 38 seconds. The glass-enclosed observation floor and the open-air rooftop terrace deliver sweeping 360-degree vistas across the entire capital, offering the most spectacular direct view of the Eiffel Tower across the Champ de Mars, with visibility extending up to forty kilometres on clear days.

A breathtaking modern art museum on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, envisioned by renowned architect Frank Gehry. The building evokes a soaring sailboat with twelve monumental glass sails crafted from 3,600 curved panels. Inside, visitors discover world-class rotating contemporary art exhibitions, an auditorium, and stepped roof terraces offering sweeping views of the Paris skyline, Eiffel Tower, and La Défense.

The fashionable Marais district in the 4th arrondissement, also known as SoMa (South Marais), is filled with hip boutiques, galleries, and gay bars. Once the city's Jewish quarter, the area still hosts numerous kosher restaurants. The grassy Place des Vosges is home to elegant arcades and the Musée Victor Hugo, where the writer lived. Streets around Saint-Paul metro lead to the Maison Européenne de la Photographie.

Commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, this 4.6-kilometre canal connects the Bassin de la Villette to the River Seine. Flanked by century-old plane trees and arched cast-iron footbridges, Canal Saint-Martin is a favorite bohemian retreat for locals enjoying waterside picnics and watching canal boats navigate historic locks. The surrounding Quai de Valmy and Quai de Jemmapes boast a lively scene of specialty cafes, boutiques, and bistros.

The oldest covered food market in Paris, founded in 1615 in the Marais district under King Louis XIII. It owes its evocative name to a nearby 16th-century orphanage whose children wore red clothing symbolising charity. Today, the bustling market stalls are a renowned foodie destination, offering artisan cheeses alongside freshly cooked Moroccan tagines, Lebanese sandwiches, Japanese bento boxes, and traditional French crepes.

Paris's most famous cemetery, opened in 1804: hills, winding lanes and tens of thousands of tombs ranging from modest slabs to chapel-like mausoleums. Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf, Chopin, Modigliani and Balzac are buried here, and the Communards' Wall commemorates the defenders of the Paris Commune of 1871. Pick up a plan at the gate — it is easy to get lost.