5 full days in Paris

I haven't been to Versailles in 10 years but then it was SO crowded inside the palace I decided I was done. At some point I might go back to see more of the gardens and the other buildings but it's not high on my list. Unless you have a particular need to see Versailles (and many do) I'd do a "quieter" venue like Chantilly, Fontainebleau or Vaux-le-Vicomte. All are easily reached with a day trip from Paris.

editing to add: Rats, hit post and then thought of the Hotel de la Marine on the Place de la Concorde. I visited it last October and it really has a "big palace" feel. It has an excellent audio guide with interpretations/stories from people who would have worked or visited there. IF you decide this might be a substitute for you, look in to getting the Passions Monuments Subscription as it is included on that along with the Pantheon, Saint-Chapelle, the Conceirgerie and a number of other sites in Paris. It might be worth your while.

I, too, would avoid Versailles. Maybe go instead to Fountainbleau or Vaux le Vicomte. Also, some much less crowded but wonderful museums are: Arts et Metier, Carnavalet Museum (Marais), Jacquemart-Andre Museum.

I have to jump on the bandwagon. Versailles 10 years ago was my "never again." I'm referring to the main palace. Perhaps other areas are worth exploring? The palace is dangerously crowded. Never so happy to escape to the gardens, which were lovely enough. Last spring we visited the small gardens at the Rodin Museum. What a wonderful, unexpected experience! Enjoy Paris!

In case you're not convinced yet, I'll echo everyone's ix-nay on Versailles. So crowded, you can't enjoy yourself anyway, just trying to shoulder your way through.

I love both the Canal St. Martin and République areas, but will say the métro connections through République are superior. There are so many good restaurants in the upper 11th that you'll be spoiled for choice. Enjoy your trip!

If you are looking to simply see opulent interiors, try the Palais Garnier (Opera House). It's local in Paris and extravagant.

Ha! Thanks everyone, I will be showing this to my wife so she can have a good laugh as well. As a BTW, we aren't necessarily interested in seeking out a period home/castle/mansion - I was thinking of a nice day trip to break up our days in the city (if we want to do that); so forgetting any grand homes/palaces - any thoughts of a nice day destination that you've found worthwhile to visit?

Don

For an easy day trip with a chateau, consider Château de Sceaux. It’s easy to get there on RER B. The chateau is free. The grounds are beautiful. Not crowded at all.

https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/domaine-departemental-de-sceaux-p1064

Well, I like Chartres for a day trip if you enjoy ancient churches. Gorgeous stained glass in the Gothic cathedral and a nice center to walk thru from the train station to the cathedral area.

Do you or your wife have an interest in gardens? Monet's house at Giverny is crowded but the gardens are spectacular if you enjoy his paintings and well worth it. In May they will be gorgeous. It's a very easy day trip and you don't need to plan too far ahead. You will want to buy your entrance ticket online a few days ahead from the official ticketing site. The train ticket can be bought that morning using the SNCF app. You'd leave from the Gare Saint-Lazare station in Paris to the Vernon train station. From there a shuttle bus is provided for a fee (8E, I think) to Giverny which is about 15 minutes away. See the house and gardens, Have lunch, see the church where Monet is buried and where there is also a memorial to an RAF Lancaster bomber crew that crashed a few days after D-Day, wander a bit and catch a late afternoon train back to Paris.

Don,
A worthwhile day trip from Paris would be Monet's house and gardens at Giverny. In May the gardens will be especially beautiful. I recommend an early train to get there when they open, to avoid the crush when the tour buses arrive later. 3-4 hours there is plenty of time to enjoy the gardens and visit the (small) house. You could be back in Paris mid-afternoon to visit another location, take a cruise on the Seine (about one hour, sit up top for best views, inexpensive), or stroll along the Seine where the bouquinistes have their bookstalls. Maybe an evening concert. There are many at various churches, for example.
A longer day trip would be to Reims. The cathedral there is where nearly every king of France was crowned, and it is beautiful as well. There is also the Musee de la Reddition, where the WWII surrender was signed by Germany. Lots of interesting displays within. There are some good champagne houses and tastings and tours within the city as well, or you could take a half-day tour of some of the champagne vineyards. Most of these tours are 6 hours, though, but doable in one day with time for the cathedral and maybe the museum, returning on a later train to Paris.
Pam's suggestions of the three smaller castles/chateaux are good ones as well. You have lots of options for day trips from Paris.

Amusez-vous ien!

The Paris suburb of St Denis (where some Olympic events were held) boasts the first gothic church in Europe - St Denis. It is where 33 kings and queens were buried. It sits on a much older church. It and its history are fantastic. It is a metro line 13 or RER D ride,

If you’ve only been to Paris twice, for 2 to 3 days each time, there is still much to see and do. Since you don’t say where you’ve been or what interests you, it’s hard to make suggestions. Suffice to mention ….

• Smaller museums, both art and history
• Parks
• Neighborhood walks - on your own or walking tours
• Passages Couvertes
• Smaller churches other than Notre Dame and St. Chapelle
• Cafes, boulangeries, patisseries
• Maison Balzac, Victor Hugo House
• Church concerts, jazz clubs, opera
• Fashion; shopping

Versailles and Giverny will both be very crowded. If you go to Chartres, consider spending a night there and see Chartres en Lumieres.

Large museums you may have seen in Paris before may still be worth a second visit … perhaps to see what you missed the first time … or special exhibitions that will occur when you visit in May.

As regards République, I agree with this 100%:

the métro connections through République are superior. There are so many good restaurants in the upper 11th that you'll be spoiled for choice.

One warning is that in Reims, the Surrender Museum (Musée de la Reddition) is currently closed. Its website says that it “plans to reopen” in Spring 2026, so maybe it will be back open by time of your visit. Knowing how these things usually go, though, I would check to be sure as it gets closer to time. It really is a cool place.

Oh, Kim, that is a great suggestion! I have added that onto my continuing "to-do" list, hahaha!

Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris is one of my favorite low-crowd, hidden gems. This is a free city museum with a very nice permanent collection of 20th and 21st century art (Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Chagall etc) and special exhibits that do require purchase of a timed ticket.

The building itself is a lovely example of 1930s architecture with spectacular views of the Seine and the Eiffel Tower from inside. I’ve visited the museum several times, most recently this past May, and the permanent collection galleries have never felt crowded. The popular Matisse special exhibit we visited was full, but didn’t feel stuffy or over-crowded, even at mid-day. As an aside: I read in the news yesterday that the Matisse descendants just gifted the museum the contents of that special exhibit.

The museums solid collection is nowhere near the spectacle of Musée d’Orsay’s, however it’s a calm alternative if you just need a hit of great modern art without the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.

We were in Paris last year for 8 days in May. Re-visiting Versailles was on my husband’s wish list. There are definitely things I would have planned differently if I had known ahead of time. I might have gotten one of the earliest private tours. I would have booked the earliest timed-entry and then recognized if we didn’t arrive early for that we’d be standing in line for security for about 15 minutes. We did make sure to use the restrooms near the entrance after security before starting our visit. We would have skipped the Queen’s Bedroom crush (a scary bottleneck) and stuck to the Hall of Mirrors and The Gallery of Battles and other less popular areas. We would have hit the garden area early, rented a golf cart and been prepared to pay extra for extra time. We used the tram which was too squishy for my husband, unpredictable and didn’t back track to sites. I would have double-checked opening time for the Petite Trianon. I would have watched videos and studied the maps more closely. I’m glad we went but I wished I’d done better research.

Don,
Could you tell us attractions you have already seen? That would make it easier to suggest things to see and do that are new to you. And what do you particularly like or dislike? Art, churches, museums, markets, music, history, architecture, oddities., food......?

Mbh-
First time I’ve seen a recommendation regarding St. Denis! Such a beautiful church!!! I went there last time I was in Paris and will be returning next month.

St. Denis has been mentioned in other threads. It is worth the subway ride. It's a beautiful church! I wouldn't call it a day trip away from Paris. To me it is like going from Hollywood to Long Beach California....quite close. It is also nice, if you had time to visit it Reims on the same trip. Almost every king of France was crowned there, over 1000 years of history.....so you have the beginnings and the endings of many monarchs. It's a really good set of bookends! (Of course Reims is really a full day trip away.)
Amusez-vous bien!

At this point, it feels like piling on, but I would consider skipping Versailles. I made my 4th trip to Paris in April 2022 and decided it was time to finally see the place. I could not believe how crowded it was--and this was at a time when US travelers needed to take covid tests to fly and Chinese would-be travelers weren't allowed to leave the country! My friends and I fled outdoors to the gardens quickly. This trip was in the most perfect spring weather and the gardens were gorgeous, so if you love gardens and walking, that could tip it into "yes" territory.

I'd vote for Chartres! I went there on that April trip and it was so, so beautiful to walk around the town, let alone the beauty of the cathedral.

On previous trips, I also enjoyed Rouen (long as a day trip), and Chantilly (a different palace option).

Wow everyone, I am surprised you're advising to skip Versailles completely. Easy to say if you've already been there maybe? I loved our visit to the Palace and yes of course there are crowds but where aren't they? We opted for a private tour which really helped. It was a beautiful day when were there so walking the grounds was our favorite part. I do worry about the future of European travel, does anyone else? So many crowds, everywhere. I suppose everyone wants to see the same amazing cities!

"Wow everyone, I am surprised you're advising to skip Versailles completely. Easy to say if you've already been there maybe?"

Ouch.

I generally try to tailor my advice based on what information a poster has given the forum. In the OP, Don said this "This visit we were hoping to stay away from the crowds," and this "but still would appreciate any suggestions you might have (especially, whether we "need" to go to Versailles!)."

To me that sounds like Don and Mrs. Don, hahaha, are on the fence about visiting Versailles. IF someone is really wanting to see the palace, then sure, go.

BUT if I were wanting to avoid a crush I would steer clear of the palace. They are also visiting in May and while I have not been there in May I have been in mid-Sept and the interior of the palace was stifling, made worse by the crowds.

So, yes, certainly go if this is something YOU want to see, not something listed in the "Top 10" in a guidebook.

To be transparent, I HAVE been to Versailles twice. I went in 1973 on my first trip to Paris and it was hot and crowded on that August day but my roommate and I thought we "HAD" to see it because well, it was famous. The next time I went was mid-Sept 2014 during a Rick Steves Best of Paris tour so we had a private guide. I got more out of it that time with the guide and the whispersets (including to watch for pickpockets in the crowded rooms) but it was hot and crowded and miserable inside.

I personally would not avoid Versailles, primarily because the gardens are IMO spectacular. The interior of the palace doesn't appeal to me, but many people love all the glitz, and the tours do include some enjoyable music performances.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to all for your insightful comments. It's one of the reasons I enjoy coming back to this forum - so many friendly folk! I am sorry I haven't written back sooner than this but I think I caught an easier strain of whatever it is that is going around these days. It's given me time though to pick up an RS France book from the library to pour through.

Some have asked what it is that we have seen in Paris on prior visits. A good question. We have been through the Louvre (completely, no! but that's fine for us), The Orsay and Orangerie. The Rodin Museum. The Eiffel Tower. Notre Dame and St Chapelle (both before the fire). The Luxembourg Gardens. Invalides. Shakespeare Book Store. Picnic near the Eiffel. The musical Jaques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at a small theater (whose name I have forgotten). Of course, some time sitting about and people watching, tasting some of the best food on the planet, all while enjoying the special light that Paris has which has made it a magnet for great artists and art.

Both prior visits we have stayed in St Germain des Pres. This visit we have picked out a boutique hotel on the canal in the Canal Saint Martin neighborhood. A little out of the way so we can, hopefully, get a more Parisian flavor. We have plans to visit the Picasso museum (we have been fortunate in the last two years to have visited the Picasso museums in Antibes, Malaga and Barcelona and have seen Guernica at the Reina Sofia in Madrid), the Marmottan, Giverny (1/2 day trip - thanks to mentions from this post), the collection at the Pompideau and the Lachaise cemetery (maybe??). We are looking at attending either an opera or ballet but May is near the end of the season so we shall see if we get tickets. Oh, a cruise on the Seine and walks along its banks. Our son is on a "best cocktail bars around the world kick" so he will send me those that are located in Paris. We have enjoyed nominees in NYC, London, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid; hey, it's a reason to travel too!!!

This trip we arrive Paris and go that same day to Bordeaux, then Saint Jean de Luz, San Sebastian, Spain, Bilbao and back to Paris for 6 nights and 5 days. It seems like a lot but we travel light, see a few things and enjoy what we can.

Thanks again - (you may see a post from later asking for advise about Bordeaux!) - Best to all and have a wonderful new year! Don

I don't see the Opera Garnier in your list. If not, it is a beautiful stop, maybe even the chance to attend a performance. It's a short walk from there to Galeries Lafayette with the fantastic ceiling. Just a thought.

Don,

The Pompidou Center is now closed and will be for several years. Now to March 15, 2026, 300 works from its collection will be at the Grand Palais (see link), but that exhibit closes before your May visit. Apparently much of the Pompidou’s collection will be in storage for several years. Tant pis.

The link above does identify some other modern art museums and you already plan to see the Picssso museum.

You also mention opera. A day or two ago, I saw that the Musee Jacquemart-Andre is having a series of Verdi opera performances while you’re in Paris. La Traviata and Rigoletto. Saturday evenings. See, Jacquemart-Andre events. Might be worth exploring.

We quite enjoyed a daytime visit to the museum last fall for its art, the mansion itself (which is its own work of art), and a wonderful lunch in its elegant dining room.