**Our 5-Day November Paris Itinerary for November
Note: My wife and I are both 70 and preferred to walk to most places. We walked about 8-10 miles per day. You can easily take cabs or the Metro to sites as well.
Travel dates: November 3–7
Hotel: Hôtel Odéon Saint-Germain, 13 Rue Saint-Sulpice (6th Arr.)
We arrived around 11:30 a.m. and immediately liked both the hotel and the location. It’s an easy walk to many major sights, cafés, and restaurants. Staff was friendly, and we found Paris overall to be welcoming—most people we interacted with spoke English.
Monday, November 3 — Arrival Day
We spent the afternoon wandering through Saint-Germain, visiting Notre-Dame (exterior) and nearby highlights like Shakespeare & Company Bookstore. A relaxing first day and a perfect way to shake off travel fatigue.
Tuesday, November 4 — Saint-Germain, Orsay, Rodin & the 7th
- We walked from the hotel to:
Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church
Musée d’Orsay
Basilique Sainte-Clotilde
Le Jardin du Musée Rodin
Through the 7th Arrondissement to
Cathédrale Saint-Louis des Invalides to see Napoleon’s Tomb
Rue Cler for a stroll
Sainte-Chapelle — our favorite site of the day
Palais de Justice
Seine River Cruise near the Eiffel Tower
Dinner: La Ferrandaise — One of our two favorite meals of the trip.
Family-run, warm atmosphere, and Sophie speaks excellent English.
*Wednesday, November 5 — *
- Walked to Pont des Arts
Through the 1st Arrondissement past the Louvre to
Palais Garnier — absolutely worth a visit
Galeries Lafayette — great panoramic rooftop view
Pastry stop in the 2nd Arrondissement
Musée Carnavalet (History of Paris Museum)
Tuileries Garden
Louvre — 5:00 p.m. timed entry; walked right in with no lines
Wine and cheese near the hotel to end the night
*Thursday, November 6 — *
- Took the train to Versailles for a 9:00 a.m. entry — surprisingly uncrowded
Returned to Paris and walked through Luxembourg Garden (5 minutes
from the hotel)
Éternelle Notre-Dame virtual-reality experience — we loved it
Dinner: Hestia in the 5th — our best meal in Paris. Pricey, but
memorable.
Friday, November 7 — Saint-Germain Morning & Departure
- Coffee at Café de Flore — iconic, a bit touristy, but fun
Strolled through Saint-Germain’s shops and market
Checked out and headed to the airport for our flight to Spain to
start our Camino walk
Final Thoughts
Paris is a city best enjoyed by sitting in cafés and wandering through neighborhoods. We felt very safe the entire time, and the people were friendly and helpful. The sheer number of bakeries, chocolate shops, cafés, wine bars, and street-food stands is incredible.
For planning, I used the Rick Steves Paris guide, Paris in My Pocket, and Les Frenchies videos—an excellent combination for building an itinerary.