Darker cells are stronger weather or travel-fit months. The second row is crowd pressure.
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Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
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Quick answers
When is the best time to go?
Start with April, May, June, September & October. Choose August only with a written reason.
Is this a good honeymoon pick?
Romance score 96/100 sits next to crowd 86/100 — read both.
How crowded does it get?
On red months, empty midday or change region.
What should I budget per day?
Use bands in EUR. Mid is the baseline. Not a live fare.
Do I need a visa?
Schengen short-stay rules apply for many passports.
How many days do I need?
Countries breathe at 7–12 days, honeymoon islands at 5–8. Continents: pick one region.
Read Paris as regions such as Louvre / Right Bank, Left Bank / Saint-Germain, Montmartre, not as a pin.
Seine walk-Louvre-Orsay is the spine.
Regions
- Louvre / Right Bank — Louvre / Right Bank is stop 1 in a Paris map. Give it a night, not a cameo.
- Left Bank / Saint-Germain — Left Bank / Saint-Germain is stop 2 in a Paris map. Give it a night, not a cameo.
- Montmartre — Montmartre is stop 3 in a Paris map. Give it a night, not a cameo.
- Marais — Marais is stop 4 in a Paris map. Give it a night, not a cameo.
- Versailles day — Versailles day is stop 5 in a Paris map. Give it a night, not a cameo.
- Seine islands — Seine islands is stop 6 in a Paris map. Give it a night, not a cameo.
Routes
- Seine walk-Louvre-Orsay — Seine walk-Louvre-Orsay — budget a day for the transfers, not a half-day fantasy.
- Montmartre-Sacre-Coeur — Montmartre-Sacre-Coeur — budget a day for the transfers, not a half-day fantasy.
- Versailles day — Versailles day — budget a day for the transfers, not a half-day fantasy.
- day trip Loire or Champagne — day trip Loire or Champagne — budget a day for the transfers, not a half-day fantasy.
Icons
- Louvre / Right Bank — Why Louvre / Right Bank photographs well, and why it closes in the afternoon.
- Left Bank / Saint-Germain — Why Left Bank / Saint-Germain photographs well, and why it closes in the afternoon.
- Montmartre — Why Montmartre photographs well, and why it closes in the afternoon.
- Marais — Why Marais photographs well, and why it closes in the afternoon.
- Versailles day — Why Versailles day photographs well, and why it closes in the afternoon.
Pairings
- Slow pair — Pair Louvre / Right Bank with Left Bank / Saint-Germain; drop a third stop before you add one.
- Weather pair — Do not force a wet coast and a dry highland into the same week.
- Honeymoon pair — Two city nights plus three quiet nights recover better than a trophy circuit.
Dropping the third city is usually a gain.
When to goPlacesHow to travelCultureCostHoneymoon notesToday