Paris

Grouping Paris sights by arrondissement, from one day to five

Three or four days suit a first visit to Paris if you group sights by neighbouring arrondissements. One day covers Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, the Latin Quarter, the Orsay and the Eiffel Tower; two add the Louvre and the Marais; three or four add Montmartre and a day at Versailles, which needs a reservation.

The arrondissements are numbered 1 to 20 in a spiral that begins at Notre-Dame. Group sights that sit side by side and use the Métro only to jump between clusters.

• One day: Île de la Cité for Notre-Dame and the stained glass of Sainte-Chapelle, a wander through the Latin Quarter, then west along the Seine to the Musée d'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower after dark, when it sparkles on the hour.
• Two days: add the Louvre and the Tuileries (the Louvre shuts on Tuesdays, the Orsay on Mondays), then the Marais, whose shops mostly open on Sundays when the rest of the city is shuttered.
• Three or four days: give Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur a morning, Père-Lachaise or the Canal Saint-Martin an afternoon, and one whole day to Versailles.
• Five days or more: choose between Fontainebleau, Chantilly, Monet's garden at Giverny and the cathedral town of Chartres, an hour by train from Montparnasse.

Anything with a timed slot needs booking. Versailles has required a reservation since June 2020, even for visitors who get in free, and the Eiffel Tower summit and Sainte-Chapelle sell out in spring and summer. The national museums are free on the first Sunday of every month, which also makes it the day of the longest queues. Pick a central base near a Métro stop: hotels on the Left Bank in the 5th and 6th put most of this plan within walking distance.

Car hire is worth it only for Giverny or the Loire.

Spring, autumn, the French Open and the quiet of August in Paris

April to June and September to October are the most comfortable months in Paris, with highs of 17 to 23°C and every restaurant open again in autumn.

Spring is the least predictable season. From the last Sunday in May the French Open is played at Roland Garros for two weeks, and tennis fans add to the spring crowds.

Bastille Day on 14 July ends with fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. August is a strange month. About half of Parisians leave for the coast, so the streets go quiet, yet plenty of family bakeries and bistros close for weeks while the headline sights stay crammed.

Autumn is the city at full strength. After la rentrée in early September, galleries hang new shows, concerts restart and every restaurant is open again; September averages a pleasant 22°C. From November to February skies turn grey and highs sit between 8 and 11°C. Queues at the Louvre and Orsay are then at their shortest, and December strings festive lights along the boulevards. The February school holidays send many locals to the Alps, a good week for long, calm museum days.

Prix-fixe bistros, market picnics and a bonjour at the door

Eat well in Paris by choosing restaurants in advance, away from the big sights, and ordering a three- or four-course prix-fixe in a neighbourhood bistro. Markets such as Boulevard Richard Lenoir and Rue Mouffetard supply picnics, and a bonjour on entering any shop or café matters more than fluent French.

Streets around the big sights are lined with places that live off passing trade, so be ready to cross town for a tip-off. At lunch, keep moving with a crêpe from a stand or a falafel pita in the Marais.

Markets are where Parisians shop. The open-air market on Boulevard Richard Lenoir near the Bastille is the largest; Rue Mouffetard in the 5th and the stalls around Place Buci are smaller and easier to browse. Buy a baguette and a wedge of cheese, pick up a bottle from a caviste, then join the students picnicking on the Seine quays on a warm evening. Brasseries all over the city serve moules frites and oysters, and pâtisseries sell coffee and sandwiches for a cheap breakfast.

Greet with bonjour madame or bonjour monsieur as you come through a shop door. Strangers are vous, never tu. To catch someone's attention, start with excusez-moi. Service is already in the bill, so a tip is a small rounding up. On the Métro, give up the folding seat when the carriage fills, and if you stand by the door, step onto the platform at stops to let people off.