Imagine a city where art and fashion are part of the daily life! It is definitely Paris! It is not possible to not to be mesmerized with the old buildings, large streets, enjoyable cafes and restaurants. Buildings are full of fascinating details where you find yourself trying to imagine how each and every detail are thought so perfectly. We share our 4 days plan for Paris in Winter. How to spend 4 days in Paris in Winter!
How to Spend 4 Days in Paris in Winter
In this article, you will find information on Travel to Paris, Staying in Paris, plan for 4 days in Paris in Winter.
Travel to Paris
By car
As Paris has become a limited traffic zone, all cars require Crit’Air sticker in order to drive to the city. You can request a Crit’Air sticker from Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion official website. It costs around 4 Euro.
By train
Paris is easily accessible by train. It is approximately 2 h 30 min to Brussels, 3 h 30 min to Stuttgart, 3 h 45min to Amsterdam, 4 h to Zurich by train.
There is a direct train connection from Stuttgart Hbf to Paris Gare de l’Est with different trains like ICE or TGV. These trains are highly comfortable with the seats and ventilation. There is even plugs which could be very useful as well. This route has two stops in Karlsruhe and Strasbourg respectively. Once we bought the tickets in November to travel in January it costed around 80 Euro per person for two-way ticket.
By plane
There are several international airports in Paris where different airlines are operating. In the northeast of the city there is Aéroport de Paris-Charles de Gaulle, which is 40 min to Gare du Nord. Moreover, in the south of the city, there is Aéroport de Paris-Orly and you can access the city center in 1 h.
Staying in Paris
Paris has many options for stay in hotel and Airbnb. Some of the options might too pricey. So you might think to find a balance somehow.
Hôtel du Plat d’Etain
We stayed in Hôtel du Plat d’Etain and were pleased from the location and the room in general. It is 15 min walking distance to Gare de l’Est and only 3 min walking distance to Strasbourg Saint-Denis metro station.
Booking: Hôtel du Plat d’Etain
Google Maps: Hôtel du Plat d’Etain
4 Days in Paris in Winter
There are several things that you can do in Paris in winter. The city still keeps the fame of being a romantic city and offers several enjoyable options for your visit. You can see our selection below. Also we should not forget to emphasize the importance of warm clothes in your winter visit to Paris.
4 days in Paris: Day 1
Musée du Louvre
After arriving around 13:00 to the hotel, we took a rest shortly. Then started to the day with Louvre museum. Luckily we found online tickets and bought before going to the museum for easier entrance. If you don’t have online ticket, you might need to wait in the long queue. Ticket costs 22 Euro per person.
Former French palace has been converted to Louvre museum, which then became the world’s largest museum. There is a great garden near to the historical buildings, which we find very much enjoyable in summer. In 1980s in order to modernize the museum a pyramid has been installed in the center of the buildings which then became a symbol the Louvre museum. The pyramid was designed with an extra-clear glass sides to still enjoy the fascinating facades of the Louvre palace.
Moreover, this museum has incredible atmosphere with its gold ceiling decorations and hosts the world’s most famous painting Mona Lisa from Leonardo da Vinci. An incredible painter who gave life to his paintings. This painting is exhibited in the largest salon in Louvre. You can expect a big crowd in front of this painting every time. Honestly I was expecting a large painting and once I have seen this painting, I was very much surprised due to the size of it.
The museum is huge so you should think of at least four hours for visiting the museum in Paris plan.
Google Maps: Musée du Louvre
Les Piétons
This is a great Spanish Tapas Bar with an authentic style. We have tried several kind of tapas and you should definitely try Champignons frais persillés, Gambas à l’ail and Patates sautées sauce pignante.
Google Maps: Les Piétons
4 days in Paris: Day 2
Tour Eiffel
We started the 2nd day with the Eiffel Tower. In order to by-pass the crowd, best would be to go there very early in the morning.
This Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for radio broadcasting in 1889 and was originally planned to stand for 20 years only. Despite criticism of hundreds of people, Eiffel Tower is an important symbol of Paris. In order to preserve this beauty, every 7 years the tower is painted entirely, which can be only done manually. Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in Paris with a height of 300 m and it is possible to enjoy the view in its restaurants.
Google Maps: Tour Eiffel
Kozy Bosquet
This is great brunch restaurant in Paris and very close to Eiffel Tower. There are several options in the menu. Everything is so delicious! Our favorites are Sexy Benny Egg, Avocado Halloumi Benny and Croissant. It is possible to find a table by waiting around 15 min but definitely worth it!
Google Maps: Kozy Bosquet
Immeuble Lavirotte
Lavirotte building is an Art Nouveau architectural beauty. It is located at 29 Avenue Rapp and if you are close to the Eiffel Tower, you should not miss it. The facade of this building even won a prize for being the most beautiful facade of Paris in 1901. There are so many details in this building and it is so enjoyable to discover them.
Google Maps: Immeuble Lavirotte
Rue de l’Université
Rue de l’Université provides a great angle for taking photo with the Eiffel Tower. In summer you can directly see the Eiffel Tower between the trees. We would suggest you to come very early, as this street is full of people during the day.
Google Maps: Rue de l’Université
Arrivederci Pizzeria
Arrivederci Pizzerie is a lovely Italian restaurant. We would suggest the Planche de charcuterie, Diavola and Tiramisu. Don’t forget to try the homemade hot chili sauce with olive oil, but it’s really hot! Also you would need a reservation here otherwise it would be very challenging to find a table 🙂
Google Maps: Arrivederci Pizzeria
4 days in Paris: Day 3
We started the day with breakfast in a small famous brunch restaurant. However as we didn’t find this place very charming, we didn’t want to share the name.
Montmartre
Montmartre is one of the most famous district of Paris. You can reach here by climbing the stairs, using funicular or driving by car. We chose the first option and it was a long climb tho! But it worthed for the amazing view of Paris from Montmartre.
Google Maps: Montmartre
Moreover, you can also visit Basilique du Sacré-Cœur in this area. This great building has been enhancing the charm of Montmartre since 19th century.
Google Maps: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur
Montmartre was an inspiration to several painters such as Picasso and Van Gogh. If you walk towards the Place du Tertre then you would see that even nowadays there are several painters in this area to enjoy the atmosphere and create art. There are also several cafes and restaurants to appreciate this district.
Google Maps: Place du Tertre
La Compagnie du Café
Once you enjoyed the time in Montmartre, you can walk to this cafe on the way down. This cafe has breakfast and cakes, which looked pretty delicious. Our recommendation for the cakes would be cheescake and carrot cake.
Google Maps: La Compagnie du Café
Château de Versailles
Versailles Palace is an amazing and well preserved palace with its massive and impressive garden. The building was used for the family of the French Monarchy at the time. While the women was accommodated in the first floors, the men was located in the second floors. Once you walk through to the inner rooms, the level of privacy was increasing. Naturally the people who can enter the private areas would be even more limited. Every palace resident of French Monarchy would have a bedroom, workroom and a reception room.
The palace was decorated based on the spring and winter time differently. As the French Monarchy has left the palace in Spring with the start of French Revolution, the Spring decoration of the palace has been kept for the visitors.
Moreover, Hall of Mirrors is the most captivating saloon at Versailles Palace. It was originally designed as a terrace however due to high exposure to bad weather it was then decided to be converted to a mirror hall. In total 357 mirrors and several ceiling paintings have given a remarkable atmosphere to this hall.
There are several events organized in Château de Versailles through the year. If you want to feel the atmosphere of this palace even more, you can book for an event from the Château de Versailles events website.
Versailles Palace is 1 h away from the city center and you can easily reach the palace by C line metro. We highly recommend you to buy your entrance tickets online so that you wouldn’t wait on the long queue. Tickets cost between 21-24 Euro.
Google Maps: Château de Versailles
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame Cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic Architecture. Due to bad weather conditions and French Revolution, the cathedral was threatened to collapse in 19th century. The world classic novel of Victor Hugo brought back the deserved attention to this cathedral and played an important role for its renovation.
It is possible to climb up in this cathedral for the amazing view of Paris and Gothic details of sculptures. Due to the unfortunate fire in 2019, the cathedral is temporarily closed at the moment.
Google Maps: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
4 days in Paris: Day 4
For the last day of 4 days in Paris, we planned a relaxed day to enjoy the places we liked a lot once more.
Kozy Notre Dame
We couldn’t resist to go another Kozy location, this time closer to Notre Dame. So once again we can confirm that this brunch restaurant offers amazing taste!
Google Maps: Kozy Notre Dame
The Abbey Bookshop
This is a bookshop where you can find both used and new books in different areas in English. The owner of the bookshop is very friendly. Spending some time between the books was really good feeling in this place. Also you can enjoy free coffee and tea in front of the bookshop offered by owner!
Google Maps: The Abbey Bookshop
Afterwards we walked towards Eiffel Tower once more and enjoyed the streets along the way. The streets are truly full of beautiful architectural buildings therefore walking in the streets always a good idea in Paris!
Our article for How to Spend 4 days in Paris in Winter ends here. If you have different ideas for a Winter visit to Paris, can you share in the comments? We would love to hear your thoughts.
You might be also interested in Strazburg’da Gezilecek Yerler, Gent Gezi Rehberi.
Come and join us on Instagram! 🙂
