Paris is absurdly dense with things worth seeing, which is exactly why most people waste their time there. They try to do it all — the Louvre, Versailles, the Eiffel Tower queue — and end up exhausted, having seen nothing properly. The trick is to pick two or three neighbourhoods and actually live in them. Le Marais, Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Montmartre, Canal Saint-Martin — each one is a full weekend on its own.
The food is still the best in Europe if you know where to eat. The walking is extraordinary. And the light in the late afternoon does something to the buildings along the Seine that no photograph has ever captured. Two days is enough to fall in love with it. Which is, of course, the problem.
Day 1
Saturday: The Marais, the river, and a long dinner
Morning
Start in Le Marais. Get a croissant and a coffee at Cafe Charlot on Rue de Bretagne — it's a scene, but the croissants are good and the people-watching is better. Then walk south through the neighbourhood. The streets around Rue des Rosiers and Rue Vieille du Temple are some of the oldest in the city: medieval townhouses, hidden courtyards you can duck into, tiny galleries. Stop at Place des Vosges — the oldest planned square in Paris, from 1612, and still the most beautiful. Sit under the arcades for ten minutes. No agenda.
Afternoon
Walk across Ile Saint-Louis — the smaller of the two Seine islands, and one of the quietest spots in central Paris. Grab an ice cream at Berthillon (the queue moves fast, the salted caramel is the one to get). Cross to the Left Bank and wander through Saint-Germain-des-Pres. The bookshops along Rue de l'Odeon are worth browsing, and Jardin du Luxembourg is a fifteen-minute walk south — bring a book, claim a green metal chair by the pond, and stay longer than you planned.
Evening
Dinner at Le Bouillon Chartier in the 9th — a historic Parisian brasserie that's been serving since 1896, with prices that are almost comically reasonable for what you get. The room itself is the draw: mirrored walls, brass luggage racks, white-aproned waiters writing your order on the paper tablecloth. Go for the poireaux vinaigrette to start and the confit de canard. No reservations — just queue. It moves fast. After dinner, walk down to the Seine and cross Pont des Arts at night. The view of the lit-up Ile de la Cite from the middle of the bridge is one of those moments.
Day 2
Sunday: Montmartre, markets, and the canal
Morning
Take the metro to Abbesses (not Anvers — Anvers drops you at the tourist side) and walk up through the backstreets of Montmartre. Before you climb, stop at Le Grenier a Pain on Rue des Abbesses for what might be the best baguette in Paris — they've won the city's Grand Prix de la Baguette. The streets behind Sacre-Coeur — Rue Lepic, Rue Cortot, Place du Tertre before 10am — still have the village feel that drew artists here a century ago. The Musee de Montmartre is small, uncrowded, and has Renoir's garden. Skip the basilica interior unless you're curious; the view from the steps is the real attraction.
Afternoon
Head to Canal Saint-Martin for lunch. The stretch between Rue du Faubourg du Temple and Place de la Republique is lined with cafes and independent shops — it's where young Parisians actually spend their Sundays. Lunch at Chez Prune on the canal bank: simple food, good wine, and a front-row seat to the iron footbridges and plane trees. If the weather's good, grab a bottle from a cave a vin and sit on the canal edge. Sunday afternoon in Paris is not about doing things. It's about not doing things, deliberately.
Evening
For your last evening, head to Rue Oberkampf in the 11th for a drink — it's lively without being exhausting. Then dinner at Le Servan nearby if you booked ahead (French-Asian fusion, inventive and unfussy), or walk-in at Cafe du Coin on Rue Camille Desmoulins for natural wine and excellent small plates. If your flight is Monday morning, you'll want to stay in the 11th — it's close to Gare du Nord for the RER B to CDG.
Where to Eat
The short list
Le Bouillon Chartier is the essential Paris dinner — historic, affordable, and genuinely delicious in a way that most "classic brasseries" stopped being decades ago. Chez Prune on Canal Saint-Martin is your lazy Sunday lunch spot. For a proper bistro meal, Le Servan in the 11th is doing some of the most interesting food in the city right now — book a few days ahead. Breakfast is simple: find any bakery displaying the "Artisan Boulanger" sign, order a croissant and an espresso, and eat it standing at the bar like everyone else does. For pastries specifically, Du Pain et des Idees near Canal Saint-Martin does a pain des amis (a flaky, escargot-shaped pastry) that people cross the city for. It's closed weekends, so go Friday if you arrive early.
The local trick
Don't buy individual metro tickets. Load up a Navigo Easy card at any metro station for €2 — it's a reusable contactless card, and you top it up with a carnet of 10 tickets for around €16.90, which works out to €1.69 per ride instead of €2.15. Even better: if you're arriving Saturday morning, buy a Navigo Decouverte weekly pass for €30 — unlimited metro, bus, RER, and tram across all of central Paris for the whole week. It runs Monday to Sunday, so a Saturday arrival means you only get two days, but if you're taking more than about 8 rides each day (and you will), it still pays for itself. Both cards work by tapping on the turnstile reader — no paper tickets to lose.
When to Go
Best time to visit
April–June and September–October are the sweet spots. Paris in late spring is almost offensively beautiful — the chestnut trees along the boulevards bloom, the parks are green, and the light is soft and warm without the summer heat. September is arguably even better: the city comes back to life after August (when half of Paris decamps to the south), the terraces are full, and the light turns golden. Avoid the last two weeks of July and all of August — many of the best restaurants and shops close entirely for les vacances, and the ones that stay open are overrun. Winter has its charm if you like grey skies and empty museums, but dress for it.