Planning activities during your vacation can be stressful, it is good practice to plan out your visits throughout your stay.

Welcome to Part 4 and Final Article of Trip Planning. In this article we will explain our fourth step on planning our next vacation. We have already selected our flights and our hotel, decided we do not need a rental car as our hotel is close to the train station and is centrally located. We have a remaining budget of $525.22. It is okay to go over this budget. Remember the remaining is part of the rough budget and we will need to adjust accordingly.

We are staying in Paris for 4 nights. Although it looks like a lot of time, time flies during a vacation and the last thing you want to do is be running left and right making your appointment times. I have done so before and its not an enjoyable experience.

First, we want to get a rough idea of what we want to do. After all, its Paris. Let’s think out of the top of our heads must do activities.

• The Eiffel Tower
• The Louvre
• Arc de Triomphe
• Notre Dame
• Paris Catacombs
• Wine & Champagne Tours

This is a very short list of the many activities you can do in Paris. There are much more activities available but for the sake of the article lets keep this short to more common attractions.  Remember we are planning for 2 people, so to keep consistency, I will provide pricing for 2 people for each attraction.

Now that we have made this list, we need to start looking at information regarding each activity. Depending on time of season, activities could be heavily congested with tourists, it is important to avoid peak times and purchase tickets in advance. Not only it will be cheaper, but it also reserves you a time slot for your visit.  We will plan 2 activities a day in order to maintain our sanity. You may be able to squeeze 3 in one day if you are lucky and if you have the energy.

Friday, Day One – The Start, The Arrival

We are arriving on Friday afternoon at 2:30PM, we need to take public transport and check into our hotel. Considering how tired you usually are after a long haul flight, it is recommended to take it easy and not plan anything with a timed visit, you never know about possible delays that you may experience and it is good to have some cushion. Check in to our hotel is our priority, to store our bags and take a shower. I would recommend for the first night, taking it easy. Having a nice dinner and walking around is a perfect way to relax after a long flight. Considering that we are landing on Friday, if you have the energy you can definitely go to some nice bars or clubs to enjoy the night. Just don’t go too crazy as Saturday will be a little bit more heavy.

Saturday, Day Two

Hoping to be well rested, it is time to start our true Parisian adventure and have breakfast between 9-10AM. We have a lot of walking to do, so make sure not to skip meals. We will solely be using public transport within Paris. Our afternoon will consist of a brief visit to Notre Dame, lunch, guided tour to the Eiffel Tower and finishing off at the Arc of Triomphe before returning to the hotel and continuing with dinner.

• Breakfast 9-10AM
• Late Morning 10:30AM – Noon Notre Dame. (Due to recent events, please check before planning a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral.) FREE! (Entrance is free, tickets to towers are available for purchase)
• Quick Lunch at Noon
• Eiffel Tower visit between 2pm-5pm $125.60 (Skip the Line, Tour with Guide)
• Arc de Triomphe between 5pm-6pm FREE (Tickets to top of Arc available for purchase)
• Return to Hotel 6pm-8pm to rest and freshen up.
• Dinner after 9:30pm (be prepared for really long dinners in France)
• LateNight Adventures after midnight (optional)

We have now done 3 of our things in our list! And we still have time to do the rest.

Sunday, Day Three

Day 3 will consist of more timed activities like in Day 2. We will be going to the Catacombs and a Wine, Champagne Tasting tour before returning to the hotel and preparing for dinner and late night activities.

• Breakfast 9-10AM
• Late Morning Catacombs $60 (Skip the Line, AudioGuide)
• Quick Lunch at Noon
• Wine and Champagne tour with cheese and meats at 5pm-7pm (2hr tour) $157.72 (Tour with Guide)
• Return to Hotel 7pm-8pm to freshen up
• Dinner after 9:30pm
• LateNight Adventures after midnight (optional)

We are almost done with our itinerary, with the only one thing remaining, The Louvre!

Monday, Day Four

Day 4, our final day in Paris. This is the crucial one. You are already feeling your vacation is almost done. It is important to not over plan your day, as you still have things to do during the night; shop for souvenirs, walk and explore. But it is also important to relax!

• Breakfast 9-10AM
• Late Morning-Mid Afternoon The Louvre $44 (Entrance and AudioGuide)
• Lunch
• Walk and Explore the city, buy souvenirs. Relax and enjoy your vacation
• Dinner after 9:30PM
• Your last night in Paris, Make it count!

Tuesday, Day Five – The End, The Return

Oh the dreaded day 5, our return. Our trip is coming to an end. It is important to take into account travel time to the Airport and our departure. It is recommended to be at the Airport at least 3hrs before departure time for International flights.

• Sleep in, Relax and Wake up by 8-9AM
• Pack all your souvenirs carefully as they will be thrown around in your flight back home
• Grab something to eat if you can before check out
• Check out of Hotel, ask for an extra hour if possible
• Arrive at the Airport by 11:30AM, and board at 2:30PM

Conclusion of our trip

Our vacation has come to an end, we were able to explore our major points of interest and we have a remaining rough budget of $137.90. Of course, this will not be enough for all the food, transportation costs and miscellaneous. As these are heavily dependant on what type of traveler you are. You will have to adjust this budget to your liking.

In my opinion, these are costs that you otherwise would have incurred whether you were on a vacation or not, that is with the exception of buying souvenirs. Regardless if you traveled, you still have to eat and you still have to move around.

We were able to plan this vacation (as is) for a total of $1662.10! It is up to you to add your food expenses and other costs you incur during your visit.

Remember to buy all your tickets in advance, and research your options in pricing and packages. Skip the line tickets and guided tours. Be on time for your appointments and you will have a flawless vacation. Planning is everything!

If you have made it to our last part of this Trip Planning Series. I thank you for your time in reading and hope that you have learned something from all these articles. I hope to be doing more articles like this in the future and if you have a recommendation please leave a comment below.