Paris for 10 Days

The RS Guidebooks are a great resources for your questions. Do note that you are there for Easter, so may have to make adjustments for closures on Easter Sunday and Monday, and the increased crowds.
Have a great trip!

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Help us help you.

Who are We? A couple, family, a group of friends? What is your nightly budget in Euros? Have you been to Paris before? Do you plan on supplementing your walking with an occasional metro or bus? Or are you taxi/Uber travelers?

A very simplistic suggestion, for a first visit, find a hotel within about 15-25 minutes of Notre Dame, the center of Paris.

And visit your local library or bookstore for a good guidebook, Rick Steves' or any other that catches your eye. That will help you understand what is where. There is a lot of food, art, history... in Paris.

I agree with Jean's questions and will add...you need to get moving TOday on a place to stay! This is a busy time of year. I'm going later in April than you and even booking early January one of my go-to hotels was already fully booked for some of my days.

Do that first and let us know what your interests are.

My visits are museum heavy so what I like to do you might not enjoy. For my 3-week visit I'll do the Louvre (several times), the Orsay (special Renoir exhibition), the Orangerie (have passes to all 3 of those museums that I bought last October). I'm going to work in several other museums (Musée Marmottan Musee, Musee Bourdelle, Musee Cluny if the Roman Bath area is open, Musee Montmartre, Musee Jacquemart-Andre, Musee Carnavalet (free admission and I will just nip down to the basement to see the Neolithic artifacts), Musee Cernuschi, Petit Palais and others as time and energy permit). The gardens should be awesome so Tuileries, Luxembourg, Jardin des Plantes. I may do a few walks with guides thru www.Paris-Walks.com or another guide.

Some of the museums need to have timed entries purchased. IF you are interested in the Louvre, I just checked and they have not opened April up for purchase yet. Be SURE you are on the official website for any museum ticket purchases. There are a couple of travel agent sites that mimic the official museum websites so don't be distracted when you book things.

This also goes for hotel websites. Make sure you are on the official hotel websites for booking and have not been shunted off to some shadow site.

Dear Dale,
I stayed at the Hotel Cler, on Rue Cler. I had 10 days in Paris. I've been there before. Yes, get Rick Steves Guide it's good. You will get a discount at Hotel Cler if you bring your book....free breakfast. Hotel Cler is on Rue Cler which is a market street, so you can buy fruits/veggies, deli, cheeses and bread and picnic and save money. The room will have a small refrigerator so you can munch when it suits you.
I bought the Museum Pass, as I knew I'd want to see many of the museums on it's list. You can find a list of museums in Paris and beyond that are covered by the pass. Some of the museums are so popular that they require you to book a day and time, you won't have to buy twice, but you'll need a time slot. The Louvre is a must see, Museum D'Orsay, L'Orangerie (if you like some impressionists), Saint Chappelle is one of the most beautiful Churches i've ever seen, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe (the museum pass will let you climb up it), Eiffel Tower, Opera House (not covered by the museum pass), Rodin museum (sculpture), Musee D'Armie/Invalides (Napoleon's Tomb) and the largest collection of suits of armor I've EVER seen. Pantheon was wonderful. One museum that is a must see is the Cluny it's a museum of the middle ages. I stayed there for hours and it's covered by the museum pass. I wanted to see the museum of Architecture and Patrimoine, which is next to the Trocadero (best views of the Eiffel Tower). I probably missed something. Restaurants on Rue Cler that I recommend Breizh Cafe ***** (organic crepes and gallettes), Le Petit Cler, Cafe Central **** and Amorino **** for gelato. I went to an Asian Restaurant cheap and so so.

Hi Dale,

10 days in Paris in Spring will be amazing. You have already received good feedback on leveraging the Rick Steves Guide to help plan your itinerary. Some other good resources are Les Frenchies and Jay Swanson, especially to give you a flavor of the different neighborhoods.

I have visited Paris many times and staying central, I prefer Le Marais or Le Latin Quarter, close enough to the major sites to walk, nice local vibe, good food options at all price points. I have stayed before in the Rue Cler neighborhood near the Eiffel Tower. I love the local markets, proximity to the Eiffel Tower, but now I prefer to stay more centrally.

I have a trip report on Paris that might be helpful. It is from May last year. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-paris-june-2025. It is not a full list of everything we did, just some of our favorite finds and some lessons learned. With 10 days, you may also consider a Day Tour based on your interests—this time we visited Versailles.

Let me add a YouTube resource: Paris Top Tips. The vlogger who puts it on is French and a long-term Paris resident. Excellent for restaurant recommendations.