Paris City Break

09:00 – 10:30·1h 30m

Notre-Dame and the Île de la Cité

The restored cathedral is open again — book the free timed entry the night before. Walk the flying-buttress side along the river for the view the postcards use.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

10:45 – 11:30·45m

Sainte-Chapelle

Fifteen metres of 13th-century stained glass that turns the upper chapel into a lantern. Go on a bright morning; the reds and blues need direct sun to burn.

11:45 – 12:45·1h

Île Saint-Louis and a Berthillon stop

One bridge over to the calmer island: 17th-century townhouses, one main street, and the city's most famous ice-cream maker. Salted caramel, even in November.

Berthillon

13:15 – 14:45·1h 30m

Lunch in the Marais

Falafel on Rue des Rosiers if you'll queue, Marché des Enfants Rouges if you want every cuisine under one 400-year-old market roof. Browse the vintage shops after.

Marché des Enfants Rouges

15:15 – 17:15·2h

Centre Pompidou and the view

The inside-out museum's escalator ride is half the ticket's value — Paris rooftops unrolling behind glass. Level 5 holds the Matisses and Kandinskys.

Centre Pompidou

18:00 – 19:30·1h 30m

Golden hour at Place des Vosges

Paris's oldest square glows pink-brick at dusk. Take a bottle and sit on the grass with everyone else, or duck under the arcades to Victor Hugo's old apartment.

Place des Vosges