From
DUB
Dublin
To
CDG
Paris
AirlinesAer Lingus · Air France · Ryanair
Flight time
1h 45m
Ryanair flies to Beauvais (BVA), about 85km north of the city
France · Western Europe
Paris
Zinc-bar coffees, world-class art and long dinners that drift towards midnight.
- DUB → CDG · 1h 45m
- Best Apr–Jun, Sep
- €€€ Splurge
- City break
- Romantic
- Family
Photo: Chris Karidis / Unsplash
01 · Why go
Why Paris?
Paris lives up to the hype, provided you treat it as two cities: the one you book (the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame) and the one you wander into. Lock in the big sights before you fly, then leave whole afternoons free for side streets, café terraces and the river.
At under two hours from Dublin, a three- or four-night break is easy, and the metro means you can cover a lot of ground without ever hailing a taxi. Lunch is where Paris is kind to your wallet: a jambon-beurre from a proper boulangerie, a two-course formule at a neighbourhood bistro, a falafel in the Marais. Dinner is where the bill climbs.
It suits couples (the clichés exist for a reason), art lovers, first-time city breakers and families with older children who can handle serious walking. April to June and September are the sweet spot: long evenings, full terraces, and none of July’s heat or August’s shuttered local shops.
The honest caveat is cost. Rooms are small and pricey, often €180 or more a night for a decent central double in high season, so look at the 10th and 11th arrondissements if you’d rather spend on dinners than on a postcode. Pickpockets are the other tax: keep your phone zipped away on the metro.
Weighing Paris against other short hops? Our guide to weekend city breaks under three hours from Dublin lines up the options.
02 · When to go
Best time to visit
Best: Apr–Jun, Sep. Also good: Mar, Jul–Aug, Oct, Dec.
- January: Quieter / less ideal, average high 7°C
- February: Quieter / less ideal, average high 8°C
- March: Good time, average high 12°C
- April: Best time, average high 16°C
- May: Best time, average high 20°C
- June: Best time, average high 23°C
- July: Good time, average high 25°C
- August: Good time, average high 25°C
- September: Best time, average high 21°C
- October: Good time, average high 16°C
- November: Quieter / less ideal, average high 11°C (this month)
- December: Good time, average high 8°C
03 · Getting there
Flights to Paris
Typical direct flight times. Schedules change by season, so always check the current timetable.
From
ORK
Cork
To
CDG
Paris
AirlinesAir France
Flight time
1h 40m
Direct
From
LHR
London
To
CDG
Paris
AirlinesBritish Airways · Air France
Flight time
1h 15m
Eurostar from St Pancras takes about 2h 20m
From the airport: The RER B reaches Gare du Nord and Châtelet–Les Halles in about 35 minutes; you need the dedicated airport ticket (€14 at the time of writing), loaded on a Navigo Easy card or your phone. Taxis charge a fixed fare of around €56–65, depending on which bank of the Seine you're staying on.
04 · Where to stay
Where to stay in Paris
Le Marais
01Best for: First-timers who like to walk
Medieval lanes, the arcaded Place des Vosges, falafel on rue des Rosiers and small museums like the Musée Picasso. You can walk to Notre-Dame, the Louvre and the Pompidou, and the bars stay busy late. Hotels are boutique-sized and priced to match, and weekends get crowded.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
02Best for: Couples and classic Paris
The Left Bank of old cafés, bookshops and galleries, with the Luxembourg Gardens on one side and an easy stroll to the Musée d'Orsay on the other. It's polished and quiet at night, which suits couples more than night owls. Expect some of the city's steepest room rates.
Canal Saint-Martin & Oberkampf
03Best for: Food lovers and better value
Iron footbridges over the canal, natural-wine bars and bistros where Parisians actually eat, with rooms noticeably cheaper than in the centre. Gare du Nord is close for the RER B to the airport. The streets right around the big stations feel scruffy at night, so pick your block carefully.
Montmartre
04Best for: Atmosphere on a tighter budget
A village on a hill below Sacré-Cœur, with cobbled streets, small wine bars and some of the city's better-value hotels. The Pigalle side is livelier and seedier. It's a longer metro ride to the Left Bank, and all those stairs add up by day three.
05 · Getting around
Getting around
The metro and RER reach everywhere you'll want to go; a single ticket costs €2.55 at the time of writing, loaded onto a Navigo Easy card or bought in the Île-de-France Mobilités app. Staying Monday to Sunday? A Navigo weekly pass (bring a passport photo) is better value and covers the airport trains too. Central Paris is very walkable, and Vélib' shared bikes are handy along the river.
Skip the car
Store your bags in Paris for the dayLuggage storage · via Radical StorageTraffic is slow and parking is scarce and expensive. Versailles is on the RER C, and fast trains from Gare Saint-Lazare and Gare de l'Est cover Normandy and Champagne, so you won't miss a car.
06 · Things to do
5 things to do in Paris
The Louvre, without the scrum
Book a timed ticket on the museum's official website; everyone needs one, including those who get in free (EEA residents under 26 and all under-18s). It's open until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays and closed on Tuesdays. Go at opening or on a late evening, and leave the Mona Lisa crowd until last.
Musée d'Orsay
The great Impressionist collection, in a converted railway station: Monet, Renoir, Degas and Van Gogh, plus the view of Sacré-Cœur through the giant clock window on the top floor. Book ahead and arrive for the 9.30am opening, or come on Thursday evening when it stays open late. It's closed on Mondays.
Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle
Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 and entry is free; reserve a free time slot on the cathedral's official website to skip the long queue. The towers are a separate paid visit that must be booked ahead. Five minutes away, Sainte-Chapelle's stained glass is at its best on a sunny morning. Allow time for its security check.
Montmartre before the crowds
Climb to Sacré-Cœur early, when the steps are quiet and the view over the rooftops is clearest. Wander down rue de l'Abreuvoir past the little vineyard, then get breakfast on rue des Martyrs. Ignore anyone offering a 'free' string bracelet at the foot of the steps, and keep your phone close around Place du Tertre.
The Eiffel Tower, done smartly
Book summit tickets on the official website as soon as your dates are fixed; summer slots go quickly. Taking the stairs to the second floor is cheaper and usually less of a queue. Or skip the climb altogether: the best views of the tower are from Trocadéro at dusk, and it sparkles for five minutes on the hour after dark.
07 · Stay connected
Phones, data & eSIMs
France is in the EU, so Roam Like at Home applies and most Irish bill-pay plans work as they do at home (at the time of writing, November 2026). Prepay and cheap SIM-only plans often carry a lower fair-use data cap, which a weekend of maps, metro apps and photo uploads can hit. An eSIM is worth it if you're working remotely, tethering a laptop or want to keep your Irish SIM free for calls and banking texts.
More detail in our guide to eSIM vs roaming for Irish travellers.
08 · Insurance
Travel insurance for Paris
Bring your EHIC: it covers state healthcare in France on the same terms as locals, though you may pay upfront and claim part of it back. It won't cover private care, cancellations, lost bags or getting you home, so travel insurance still matters.
Not sure what the EHIC covers? Read do you need travel insurance in Europe?
Practical facts
Paris cheat sheet
- Entry
- Irish citizens: valid passport or passport card
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- Language
- French; English is common in hotels and museums, but always open with 'Bonjour'
- Time zone
- One hour ahead of Ireland
- Plugs
- Type C/E, 230V: bring a Type G adaptor from Ireland
- Tipping
- Service is included by law; round up or leave a few euro for good table service
- Emergency
- 112
- Airport (CDG)
- Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The RER B reaches Gare du Nord and Châtelet–Les Halles in about 35 minutes; you need the dedicated airport ticket (€14 at the time of writing), loaded on a Navigo Easy card or your phone. Taxis charge a fixed fare of around €56–65, depending on which bank of the Seine you're staying on.
Paris: your questions
Is it worth flying into Paris Beauvais instead of Charles de Gaulle?
Only if the fare saving is real. Beauvais is about 85km north of Paris, and the coach to Porte Maillot takes roughly 75–90 minutes each way and adds a fare per person. For a short weekend, a flight into CDG plus the RER B often works out better value once you count the time and transfer costs.
How many days do you need in Paris?
Three nights covers the big sights at a sane pace: one day for the Louvre and the islands, one for Orsay and the Left Bank, one for Montmartre and the Marais. Add a fourth day for Versailles, which takes a full day on its own and is closed on Mondays. Leave gaps in the plan, because Paris rewards aimless wandering.
Is the Paris Museum Pass worth it?
It can be if you'll visit three or more paid sights a day, such as the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe and Versailles. It doesn't include the Eiffel Tower, and you still need to reserve time slots at the busiest museums. EEA residents under 26 already get free entry to many national museums and monuments, so it rarely makes sense for them.
Is Paris safe for tourists?
Generally yes, but pickpocketing is the main hassle, especially on metro line 1, the RER B and around the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur. Keep your phone in a front pocket or zipped bag, ignore petition clipboards and 'found' gold rings, and don't stand by the train doors with your phone in your hand.
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Read before you go
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