Four days in Paris, with a day trip to Versailles

Three days is enough to get a feel for central Paris without rushing. A fourth day changes the shape of the trip: it is the first time this itinerary leaves the city at all. Everything through day three happens on foot or by metro inside Paris. Day four is a round trip to Versailles, out by train in the morning and back to the same Paris hotel by evening.

What the fourth day changes

The first three days of this itinerary sit entirely inside Paris: the same base, short metro rides, no train tickets to plan around. Day four is different in one specific way — it is a day trip, not a relocation. You keep the same hotel, pack nothing extra, and are back in the city by dinner. Versailles itself is a full destination in its own right, but on this itinerary it functions as a single excursion from a Paris base, not a place to spend the night.

That distinction matters for planning. Versailles closes on Mondays, a constraint that never came up on the three days spent inside Paris, where nothing on this list closes for an entire day. If day four of your trip falls on a Monday, move the Versailles day to a different slot in your week rather than showing up to closed gates.

Day 1: Notre-Dame, the Seine and the Latin Quarter

Start on Île de la Cité & Notre-Dame. Notre-Dame de Paris reopened on 7 December 2024 after the 2019 fire, and entry to the cathedral itself is free; reserving a free time slot in advance is worth doing so the morning is not spent waiting at the door. The Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie sit on the same island and reward an hour each if stained glass and medieval architecture interest you.

a guided walk through Notre-Dame’s art, history and symbolism is a useful way to get context on the rebuilt cathedral rather than just photographing the facade.

Cross to the Latin Quarter & Saint-Germain for lunch and an afternoon of wandering — narrow streets, bookshops, and the Rive Gauche atmosphere that gives the area its name. In the evening, walk or take a short metro ride to the Seine River for a cruise past the riverbanks between the Eiffel Tower and the Île Saint-Louis, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991.

a dinner cruise on the Seine with a glass of champagne turns that evening into the day’s main event rather than an add-on; book a table position with a view if that matters to you.

Day 2: The Louvre, the Champs-Élysées and the Eiffel Tower

Morning at the Louvre & Tuileries. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, never another day of the week, and a reserved time slot is required to enter even if you already hold a Paris Museum Pass.

a guided visit to the Louvre is worth considering if you want the collection’s highlights explained rather than navigated alone; the museum is large enough that a plan beats wandering.

If you would rather bundle several major sights under one pass, the Paris Museum Pass covers the Louvre alongside more than fifty museums and monuments across Paris and the wider region over two, four or six consecutive days — useful across this whole four-day stretch, though it does not remove the need to book a Louvre entry slot.

Walk through the Tuileries garden toward Champs-Élysées & Opéra for the afternoon — the avenue itself, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Palais Garnier opera house are all within this stretch. In the late afternoon head to Eiffel Tower & Trocadéro. The tower was built for the 1889 World’s Fair and stands roughly 330 metres tall including its antennas; booking a timed entry in advance is strongly recommended rather than queueing on arrival. The Trocadéro esplanade across the river is the more reliable spot for a photo of the full tower, especially if the lift lines look long.

Day 3: Montmartre and Le Marais

Spend the morning in Montmartre: the Sacré-Cœur basilica, the Place du Tertre, and the streets around them. It is a hilly, crowded district, and also one where pickpockets are known to work the steps up to the basilica — keep bags closed and be wary of anyone offering a “free” bracelet.

In the afternoon, cross to Le Marais for a different register of Paris: narrower streets, historic mansions, and a dense concentration of small shops, galleries and places to eat. If military history interests you, a four-hour tour of Les Invalides and its Napoleon collections can be slotted into this day or swapped in for part of day two, depending on your pace. This is the last day entirely inside Paris — day four is where the itinerary crosses the city limits for the first time.

Day 4: Versailles, a day trip from Paris

This is the day that separates the four-day version of this itinerary from the three-day one: a full day out to Versailles and back, with the same Paris hotel room waiting in the evening.

Versailles sits about 20 kilometres southwest of central Paris. The most direct route is RER C to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche station, a short walk from the palace entrance; trains from Gare Saint-Lazare or Gare Montparnasse are the alternative, depending on where in the city you start. Either way, this is a round trip on the same day, not an overnight stop — pack nothing more than you would for a normal day in Paris.

The chateau, its gardens, and the Trianon estate have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. The site is closed on Mondays, a fact worth checking against your calendar before you commit day four to this plan, since nothing else on the first three days closes for a full day the way Versailles does on Mondays.

a combined tour covering Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and the Louvre is worth booking earlier in the week instead — save day four for Versailles itself rather than mixing in central Paris sights you have already covered.

Inside the estate, budget the bulk of the day for the palace interior and the main gardens; the full Trianon and Marie-Antoinette’s estate add real walking distance and are easy to underestimate on a first visit. A reserved entry time for the palace is worth arranging in advance, since it removes one variable from a day that already runs on a train timetable in both directions.

Getting to and from Versailles

Route	From	Notes
RER C	Multiple stations across Paris	Direct to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche, closest station to the palace gates
Train	Gare Saint-Lazare or Gare Montparnasse	Alternative depending on where you are staying
Return	Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche	Same lines back into central Paris, same evening

Day-by-day at a glance

Day	Focus	Base for the night
Day 1	Notre-Dame, Île de la Cité, Latin Quarter, Seine cruise	Paris
Day 2	Louvre, Champs-Élysées, Eiffel Tower	Paris
Day 3	Montmartre, Le Marais	Paris
Day 4	Versailles, day trip only	Paris

How this fits with the shorter and longer versions

This four-day plan builds directly on the three-day Paris itinerary, which covers the same central districts but stops before adding any day trip — everything in those three days stays inside the city. Adding Versailles as a fourth day is the first point where this itinerary steps outside Paris intra-muros.

If you have a fifth day available, the five-day Paris itinerary keeps this exact Paris-plus-Versailles structure and adds one further day trip beyond the city, rather than doubling back to Versailles or adding an overnight stop. Versailles remains the only excursion in this four-day version.

For the RER and train network more broadly, including how the ticketing changed under the January 2025 reform, see the guide to Paris RER and trains.

Four days in Paris with a Versailles day trip: FAQ

Is Versailles worth a day trip from Paris?

Most readers find it worth one full day: the chateau, the gardens and the Trianon estate are extensive enough to fill a day, and the site has been a UNESCO World Heritage listing since 1979.

What day is Versailles closed?

Versailles is closed on Mondays. This itinerary only works if day four does not land on a Monday, so check the calendar before booking anything else around it.

How do you get from Paris to Versailles?

The most direct option is RER C to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche station, a short walk from the palace gates. Trains from Gare Saint-Lazare or Montparnasse are an alternative depending on where you start your day.

Do you sleep in Versailles or stay in Paris the whole time?

You keep the same Paris hotel for all four nights. Versailles is a round trip, not a stop on the way somewhere else, so there is no reason to pack a bag or check out.

Can this four-day plan work as a shorter three-day trip?

Yes: drop day four and you are left with the three-day version of this itinerary, which stays entirely inside Paris and skips Versailles.

What changes on the five-day version of this itinerary?

The five-day itinerary keeps this same Paris-plus-Versailles structure and adds one more day trip beyond the city, rather than a second Versailles visit or an overnight elsewhere.

Do you need to book Versailles tickets in advance?

Booking ahead is strongly recommended, especially for the palace interior, since it reduces time spent queueing on a day that already has a fixed return train to catch.

Is one day at Versailles enough to see everything?

One day covers the palace and the main gardens comfortably. Seeing the full Trianon estate and the Marie-Antoinette estate in the same visit means a longer day and less time for anything else.