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A Travel Diary

Paris 2026

Nine days in the City of Light — May 30 to June 7, 2026

221Photographs

9Days

20Places

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Bonjour from Paris

From the marble halls of the Louvre to the bone-lined Catacombs, the gilded excess of Versailles to a thousand little café tables — this is the trip, day by day, in the order it happened. Tap any photo to view it full size, or open the map to see where each moment was captured.

Day 1

Fri 30 May

Musée du Louvre

A Paris café — A Paris caféFirst things first: a croissant the size of a small accordion. Paris, we have arrived.

A Paris café — A Paris caféAn Aperol spritz catching the afternoon light - the unofficial national beverage of people on holiday.

A Paris café — A Paris caféThat particular shade of sunset-orange that means the day's sightseeing is officially over.

A Paris café — A Paris caféSpritz, flowers, a sun-warmed table. We could have ended the trip right here and called it a success.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreA weathered stone figure, soaking up the day with the rest of us.

Streets of Paris — Streets of ParisA grand old facade on an ordinary street - Paris doesn't really do plain.

A Paris café — A Paris caféStudying the menu with the seriousness it deserved.

Day 2

Sat 31 May

Musée du Louvre · Along the Seine · Jardin des Tuileries · Place de la Concorde

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousStreet-side dessert, eaten faster than it could melt. No regrets.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreThe Cour Carree of the Louvre - once a royal palace, now the world's most photogenic place to get lost.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreA courtyard built for kings, currently hosting roughly the population of a small country.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreMarble that has been quietly judging visitors for about two thousand years.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreThe Louvre, where you could walk for days and still miss most of it.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreA bronze big cat mid-prowl - frozen, but somehow still the most alive thing in the room.

Along the Seine — Along the SeineA lone bird drifting down the Seine, utterly unimpressed by Paris.

Jardin des Tuileries — Jardin des TuileriesGreen chairs, a still pool, and the sound of the whole city slowing down for an afternoon.

Place de la Concorde — Place de la ConcordeThe Luxor Obelisk on Place de la Concorde - 3,000 years old and shipped here from Egypt, because why not.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreEye contact with the most famous painting on Earth. She's seen this exact look about ten million times.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreMarble so smooth it looks poured rather than carved.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreCeilings at the Louvre are a full exhibition in themselves - remember to look up.

A Paris café — A Paris caféTwo spritzes glowing in the late sun. Cheers to that.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreStanding room only, even for the sculptures.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreReading the little plaque like the responsible museum-goers we briefly were.

A Paris café — A Paris caféChampagne, naturally. When in France.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousPasta plated like it was auditioning for a magazine cover.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreAnother corner of the world's most-visited museum.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreEndless galleries, endless masterpieces, endlessly sore feet.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreGolden hour over the Louvre - the stone practically glows.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreThe Louvre, where you could walk for days and still miss most of it.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreWhen the sunset hits the palace just right, every photo looks like a postcard.

Jardin des Tuileries — Jardin des TuileriesA slow stroll through the Tuileries.

Jardin des Tuileries — Jardin des TuileriesThe Tuileries, made for aimless wandering.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreThe sky putting on a show above the world's largest art museum. Show-off.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreOld arch, modern pyramid, same courtyard - Paris doing its centuries-collide thing.

Streets of Paris — Streets of ParisA modern silhouette breaking up the old skyline.

Streets of Paris — Streets of ParisDusk settling over the rooftops, the lights just beginning to come on.

Musée du Louvre — Musée du LouvreAnother corner of the world's most-visited museum.

Day 3

Sun 1 Jun

Tour Eiffel · Arc de Triomphe · Champs-Élysées / Ladurée · La Défense (from afar)

A Paris café — A Paris caféTwo coffees with latte art too pretty to ruin. We ruined them.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousBrunch that looked like it was plated by someone with a fine arts degree.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousThinly sliced, beautifully arranged, gone in minutes.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelFirst proper glimpse of the Iron Lady down the avenue. She has a way of stopping a conversation mid-sentence.

Arc de Triomphe — Arc de TriompheEvery inch of this thing is carved with somebody's idea of glory.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousA bowl of granola that took itself surprisingly seriously. Delicious, though.

Champs-Élysées / Ladurée — Champs-Élysées / LaduréeA Laduree box: arguably the most elegant way to carry sugar ever invented.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousMacarons, photographed before the inevitable.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousThat signature pale-green box. You already know what's inside.

La Défense (from afar) — La Défense (from afar)The towers of La Defense glinting in the distance - Paris's answer to a skyline.

Arc de Triomphe — Arc de TriompheRelief sculpture so detailed you can feel the drama from the ground.

Arc de Triomphe — Arc de TriompheA carved frieze marching across the top of the Arc.

Arc de Triomphe — Arc de TriompheLooking straight up into the coffered underside of the Arc - geometry as architecture.

Arc de Triomphe — Arc de TriompheFramed by the arch, the avenue stretches out toward the rest of the city.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousA bright little pastry, photographed before it stood a chance.

Arc de Triomphe — Arc de TriompheThe Arc de Triomphe, one more time, because it earns it.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousMore excellent food, swiftly demolished.

Day 4

Mon 2 Jun

Musée d'Orsay · Along the Seine

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayTime, beautifully kept, in a building that used to run on train schedules.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayThe Orsay clock from inside - half timepiece, half window onto Paris.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayThe Orsay's sculpture hall, bathed in that famous filtered light.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsaySilhouettes against the clock face - the most photographed view in the building, and rightly so.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayThe old ballroom upstairs, gilded to within an inch of its life.

A Paris café — A Paris caféGreen bottles, good company, and absolutely no plans for the next hour.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayLight pouring through the old station's glass roof onto a century of masterpieces.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousSoup and a glass of something local. The simple lunches are always the best ones.

Along the Seine — Along the SeineLove locks clamped to a bridge railing, the Seine sliding by underneath.

Along the Seine — Along the SeineA wall of locks, each one somebody's grand romantic gesture.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayA classical canvas, all motion and muscle and theatrical light.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayStanding very close to something very famous, very quietly.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayA landscape you could fall right into if you stared long enough.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayVan Gogh, looking back at you across more than a century. Worth the entire ticket on its own.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayA Van Gogh up close - those brushstrokes practically vibrate.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayAnother masterpiece, casually hanging there like it's no big deal.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayGold frame, priceless contents, zero chill from the crowd.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayA quiet landscape in a loud museum.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayA reclining figure carved in stone, cool and composed.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayBronze caught mid-gesture, as if it might move when you look away.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayRodin territory - sculpture that looks like it's still thinking.

Musée d'Orsay — Musée d'OrsayOne last sculpture before being gently herded toward the exit.

A Paris café — A Paris caféCold beers landing on the table at exactly the right moment.

A Paris café — A Paris caféA golden beer, fully earned after a long day of walking.

A Paris café — A Paris caféOne more round, because the evening was being generous.

Day 5

Tue 3 Jun

Catacombes de Paris · Jardin du Luxembourg · Panthéon

A Paris café — A Paris caféCappuccino with a leaf drawn in the foam, because Paris commits to the bit.

A Paris café — A Paris caféCoffee this pretty almost makes you want to stop scrolling and just sit.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisFootsteps echo and the daylight is a distant memory down here.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisFollowing the painted line through the dark. Do not wander off it.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisThe passage narrows, the air cools, and the whole city presses down overhead.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisAnd then, the bones begin. The remains of some six million Parisians line these walls.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisAn entire underground necropolis, arranged almost decoratively.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisWalls of carefully ordered bones, stretching further than the eye can follow.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisSkulls set into the bone wall, staring back across the centuries.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisSomeone arranged these by hand, two hundred years ago, by candlelight.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisA pile of skulls that makes the whole 'memento mori' thing feel very literal.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisBones as far as the torchlight reaches.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisAn archway built entirely of bone. Architecture has rarely been this macabre.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisA single skull, close up, holding several centuries of silence.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisIt's quiet down here in the way only six million people can make a place quiet.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisRow upon row, an underground city of the departed.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisThe bones go on, and on, and on.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisLast look at the ossuary before heading back up into the sun.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisAn urn of bones marking the way out. Cheerful little place, the Catacombs.

Streets of Paris — Streets of ParisA bold red door, because Parisian doors are a genre of photography unto themselves.

Jardin du Luxembourg — Jardin du LuxembourgThe steps and greenery of the Jardin du Luxembourg, the city's favourite place to do nothing well.

Jardin du Luxembourg — Jardin du LuxembourgStatues keeping a stately eye over the gardens.

Jardin du Luxembourg — Jardin du LuxembourgA tree-lined alley with a statue at the end - the Luxembourg does symmetry beautifully.

Jardin du Luxembourg — Jardin du LuxembourgPink blooms and a fountain - the Luxembourg in early-summer form.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousSteak frites, the dish that never, ever lets you down.

Panthéon — PanthéonThe mighty colonnade of the Pantheon, resting place of France's greatest minds.

Panthéon — PanthéonColumns built to make you feel suitably humble.

Jardin du Luxembourg — Jardin du LuxembourgA border of flowers planted with Parisian precision.

A Paris café — A Paris caféA red-awninged terrace, the platonic ideal of a Paris cafe.

A Paris café — A Paris caféBistro chairs spilling onto the pavement, waiting for the evening crowd.

Streets of Paris — Streets of ParisA fountain and a facade on a quiet corner, no famous name required.

Panthéon — PanthéonDown in the crypt, where Voltaire, Hugo, and Curie keep distinguished company.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisSkulls keeping their eternal watch in the gloom.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisOne more face from the city's forgotten millions.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisBones stacked like cordwood, a final reminder before the exit.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisThe ossuary walls, endless and quiet.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisA cluster of skulls, lit just enough to be unforgettable.

Catacombes de Paris — Catacombes de ParisAn urn deep in the quarries, marking another turn in the tunnels.

Streets of Paris — Streets of ParisA carved face above a doorway, frowning gently at the centuries.

Streets of Paris — Streets of ParisAn ordinary block that would be a landmark anywhere else.

Panthéon — PanthéonSoaring stone vaults overhead - the Pantheon does grandeur effortlessly.

Panthéon — PanthéonThe dome and pediment of the Pantheon against a restless sky.

Panthéon — PanthéonThe full facade of the Pantheon, modelled on a Roman temple and twice as imposing.

Streets of Paris — Streets of ParisAn old tower rising over the rooftops, keeping its own counsel.

Day 6

Wed 4 Jun

Trocadéro · Tour Eiffel · Top of the Eiffel Tower · Champ de Mars

A Paris café — A Paris caféAn espresso and a Laduree napkin - a small, perfect pause in the day.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousA burger interlude - even in Paris, sometimes you just want a burger.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousGranola, fruit, and a coffee with a leaf in the foam. Breakfast, elevated.

Trocadéro — TrocadéroThe classic Trocadero view. There's a reason everyone stops here.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousA flaky croissant mid-breakfast, shedding crumbs with abandon.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelStraight up into the lattice of the Eiffel Tower - engineering as art.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerParis from the top of the Eiffel Tower - the whole city laid out like a map.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerRooftops to the horizon. From up here you finally grasp how vast Paris is.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerBoulevards radiating out in every direction, just like the urban planners drew them.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerGrey skies, endless rooftops, zero complaints.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerThe Seine threading through the city far below.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerEverything looks orderly and toy-sized from 276 metres up.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerLooking down on the very spot all those Trocadero photos came from.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerThe green spear of the Champ de Mars pointing into the city.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerParis stretching out under a dramatic sky.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelThe intricate ironwork up close, every rivet of Gustave Eiffel's masterpiece.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerTiny streets, tiny cars, enormous view.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerUp here the whole trip suddenly makes sense, all in one frame.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerNearly straight down - not for those who'd rather not think about the height.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelInside the lattice, where the structure becomes a cathedral of iron.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerOne more sweeping panorama, because how often are you up here.

Top of the Eiffel Tower — Top of the Eiffel TowerThe gardens far below, green and geometric.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelA web of metal against the sky - 1889 never looked so modern.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelThe tower at dusk, gearing up for its hourly sparkle.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelEvening light turning the iron a soft, warm bronze.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelThe tower glowing as the day winds down.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelAnd then it sparkles - the Eiffel's golden light show, on the hour, every hour after dark.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelGolden hour and golden tower, a perfect match.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelThe Iron Lady at night - worth every minute of the wait.

Champ de Mars — Champ de MarsThe tower seen down the Champ de Mars, with the city going about its evening.

Tour Eiffel — Tour EiffelCrowds gathering at dusk to watch the tower light up - a nightly Paris ritual.

Day 7

Thu 5 Jun

Château de Versailles · Gardens of Versailles

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesThe famous golden gate of Versailles, glinting like the Sun King intended.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesThe Royal Chapel, dripping with gold and ceiling frescoes.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesInside the chapel where kings worshipped, looking suitably divine.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesCeiling frescoes that demand you walk slowly and look up.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesA royal bedroom, restored to its full over-the-top glory.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesGold, marble, and paint competing for your attention in every direction.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesThe Galerie des Batailles - a vast skylit hall lined with paintings of France's military glories.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesLight pouring through the skylight of the great Battle Gallery.

A Paris café — A Paris caféAn espresso and a little jug of cream - the full stop at the end of a good meal.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousDessert that arrived looking far too good to disturb.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousA spread of small plates, each one gone before the next photo.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousWhatever this was, it disappeared in record time.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousA vivid red dessert, almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

A Paris café — A Paris caféA small red drink in a beautiful glass, sipped slowly on purpose.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesVersailles, where restraint went to die and grandeur moved in.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesA room dressed in painted flowers and silk - peak Versailles whimsy.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesGrandeur on a scale that's hard to process in person, let alone explain later.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesThe Queen's bedchamber, restored down to the last gilded thread.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesCeilings here are paintings in their own right, all motion and clouds and gods.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesThe chapel's soaring nave, gold and white and impossibly high.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesCool white marble in a palace otherwise drowning in gold.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesLook up: there's an entire mythology painted across the ceiling.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesA gilded salon that makes 'opulent' feel like an understatement.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesThe King's apartments, where even the door handles are works of art.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesGold panelling so detailed you could study one wall for an hour.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesA golden statue at the foot of a sweeping staircase.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesYet another spectacular ceiling. Versailles simply refuses to have a plain surface.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesThe Royal Chapel from below, soaring toward heaven and the monarchy in equal measure.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesA bronze figure reclining beside one of the garden's countless fountains.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesThe gardens of Versailles, landscaped within an inch of their life by Andre Le Notre.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesLawns and hedges arranged with almost mathematical precision.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesAvenues of trees stretching toward a vanishing point somewhere near the horizon.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesThe Grand Canal, where Louis XIV once staged miniature naval battles for fun.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesStill water and big skies along the Grand Canal.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesA fountain mid-display, marble figures rising from the water.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesA garden amphitheatre carved entirely from greenery and stone.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesThe fountains of Versailles, every one a sculpture and a water feature at once.

A Paris café — A Paris caféA bottle of something crisp and local to round out the day.

A Paris café — A Paris caféAn ice-cold Gallia - Parisian craft beer, perfectly chilled.

Château de Versailles — Château de VersaillesThe palace facade with the gardens unrolling in front - the full Versailles postcard.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesFountains and parterres rolling toward the Grand Canal beyond.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousGolden, crisp, and gone in about ninety seconds.

Gardens of Versailles — Gardens of VersaillesA perfectly clipped hedge corridor - getting pleasantly lost in the gardens.

Day 8

Fri 6 Jun

Cathédrale Notre-Dame · Along the Seine · Sainte-Chapelle

A Paris café — A Paris caféPink drinks and good company in the afternoon light.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousFlaky, buttery, and warm - the croissant remains undefeated.

A Paris café — A Paris caféDrinks on the table, feet finally resting, city humming around us.

A Paris café — A Paris caféMore bubbles, more reasons to linger.

A Paris café — A Paris caféCoffee art so good it felt rude to drink it. We managed.

Somewhere delicious — Somewhere deliciousA final croissant, because you can't have too many in a week in Paris.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame — Cathédrale Notre-DameInside Notre-Dame, the cathedral newly reopened and luminous after years of restoration.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame — Cathédrale Notre-DameStained glass throwing colour across ancient stone.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame — Cathédrale Notre-DameNotre-Dame's west facade, back in all her gothic glory after the 2019 fire.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame — Cathédrale Notre-DameEvery saint and gargoyle in its place on the great west front.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame — Cathédrale Notre-DameThe soaring nave of Notre-Dame, stone ribs vaulting overhead.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame — Cathédrale Notre-DameThe South Rose Window, 13th-century glass glowing like a kaleidoscope.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame — Cathédrale Notre-DameThe great rose window - hundreds of panes telling stories most of us can't read anymore.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame — Cathédrale Notre-DameRose window and organ together, the heart of the cathedral's sound and light.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame — Cathédrale Notre-DameNotre-Dame from the lawn, with a meadow of wildflowers planted out front.

Along the Seine — Along the SeineThe Seine on a moody afternoon - grey skies, green water, endless charm.

Sainte-Chapelle — Sainte-ChapelleSainte-Chapelle - fifteen towering windows that turn the whole room into stained glass.

Sainte-Chapelle — Sainte-ChapelleMore glass than wall: the upper chapel feels like standing inside a jewel.

Sainte-Chapelle — Sainte-ChapelleLight streaming through 13th-century windows, telling 1,000 biblical scenes.

Sainte-Chapelle — Sainte-ChapelleSunbeams setting the stained glass ablaze. One of the most beautiful rooms in Paris.

Sainte-Chapelle — Sainte-ChapelleEvery pane glowing - a medieval light show that no photo really captures.

Sainte-Chapelle — Sainte-ChapelleThe vaulted ceiling and rose window of Sainte-Chapelle, dizzying and divine.

A Paris café — A Paris caféCrispy spring rolls and a row of dipping sauces, street life rolling past the table.

A Paris café — A Paris caféA bottle of Gallia catching the light. Cheers to the last full day.

Day 9

Sat 7 Jun

A Paris café — A Paris caféA cappuccino and a slice of cake at a pavement table - the perfect last act.

Where we wandered