Awe Paris, The City of Lights. If you’ve never been, I’m guessing it’s on your list. And I’m guessing that there are a few specific sights in Paris that you know you want to visit. If you’ve made this destination part of your plans this year, you’ll want a good plan to make sure you have enough time to see everything you really want to see, plus be able to relax at a cafe, stroll through a park, or just wander the streets to window shop.

Start your research by picking up a guide book and listing out your top sights. (I’m a big fan of Rick Steves.) Then give yourself a minimum of 1 day for every 1-2 sight you list. For example, if you list 10 things you’d love to see in Paris, give yourself at least a week there.

I have created a sample itinerary for one-week in Paris. Even if you have a little more time or less time to spend, you can still use this sample itinerary to get an idea of how you can break up your days. Before getting into the daily details, let’s look at a few city logistics...

Transportation: The Metro is great in Paris. Pick up a map, download an app with the map, or just use Google maps if you have internet. Instead of buying single tickets, buy a multi-pass “carnet”. You can buy tickets inside most of the stations at a staffed ticket window or kiosk. Your tickets cover you for Metro, RER trains, and busses. If you plan to use a taxi, you need to stand and wait at a taxi stand which are indicated on many maps. Or you can order one using an app. Uber also works in Paris. Additionally, you could bike around the city by either renting a bike or using the bike share program.

Accommodations: The more central you are, the more expensive your accommodations will be. However, you’ll be able to walk to more sights, reducing the cost and time associated with transportation. If you are able to find accommodations in one of the first 7 arrondissements, you’ll be able to walk to almost anything you want. If you prefer to stay a little bit more outside of the center, Montmartre is a beautiful neighborhood. Just be prepared to have to use public transit to get to most city sights.

If you are staying for a full week, renting an apartment could save you a lot of money. Plus, you can have access to a kitchen (especially helpful for cheap breakfasts), and possibly even laundry.

Food: The food in Paris is incredible. Use Tripadvisor to scan out a few places (more popular in Europe than Yelp). I find looking at the food pictures to be the most helpful. Also, of course ask locals for recommendations. Guidebooks can be hit or miss. Some foods you should go out of your way to try while in Paris include macarons, crepes/galettes, croissants (especially the ones filled with chocolate), chocolate mousse, souffle, bread, escargot, beef tartare, foie gras/pate/terrine, cheese, and of course plenty of wine. For lunch, you can’t do much better than a salad. I know, I know, a salad… But seriously, the salads in France are some of the best salads I’ve ever eaten in my life.

Closures: It’s important to know which days certain sights are closed. Be especially wary of Mondays and Tuesdays. These major sights are closed on Tuesdays: Louvre, Orangerie Museum, Cluny Museum, and the Pompidou Center. These major sights are closed on Mondays: Orsay Museum, Versailles, Napoleon's Tomb (closed first Monday of the month), and the Rodin Museum. If your trip is less than a week, it’ll will be best if you can schedule your trip to avoid these two days.

Paris Museum Pass: If you plan to visit multiple museums (and Versailles), this pass might be worth it, especially because you can skip the lines! Look on their website to see which sights they include and do some math comparisons to see if it’s worth the cost for you. The pass works for 2, 4, or 6 consecutive days, so it’s best to plan for those covered sights on consecutive days. On the sample itinerary below you would use the pass on Wednesday, Thursday, and maybe Friday. So you would want the 2 or 4 day pass.  

Monday

If you are flying in on this day, don’t make any clear plans. Just give yourself time to check into your accommodations and wander the streets. Stay outside and active as much as possible during the day if you are struggling with jet lag, and try to go to bed at a decent hour (take sleep aids if necessary).

Tuesday

For your first full day, take the daytime Fat Tire Bike Tour. I love this tour because it keeps you outside and active for 3-4 hours, which helps fight jet lag. Plus, it gives you a great overview of the layout and of the city’s main sites.

After your tour, stop at one of Paris’ many cafes for a relaxed coffee break. If the weather is nice, grab a table outside so you can people watch.

Spend the evening strolling through the Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis. These two islands are at the center of Paris. Choose a restaurant for dinner here, and follow up with some gelato for dessert. The island is the place in Paris that people go to get gelato.

If you aren’t too tired, hop on one of the evening river boat cruises. You’ll have an opportunity to see the City of Lights in all of its glory. Don’t bother with one of the dinner cruises, just do the regular ones. In the evening, they’ll take you to the Eiffel Tower just in time to see the light show.

Wednesday

Paris has a ton of great museums. So today might be a great day to check one out. Here are some options:

Obviously, there is the Louvre. (More about that below.)

If you love Impressionist art, go for the large Orsay Museum and cross the bridge to stop into the small Orangerie (Monet’s Water Lilies), which is right in the lovely Tuileries Gardens.

If you prefer sculpture, the Rodin Museum is a favorite of mine. It’s incredible, and a beautifully peaceful mix of indoor and outdoor displays. Conveniently, this museum is right next to Napoleon's tomb, so you can pop in there afterwards if you want.

If you are more of a modern art fan, the Pompidou is great! When we visited, the floor with the newer installments was my favorite because they all played with our senses. Some were smells, others sounds, etc. This museum places you right by the neighborhood Le Marais, which is fun to walk around in with plenty of shopping and cafes.

Thursday

If you are interested in doing a day trip, a weekday would be easier than a weekend. Your nearest options would be Versailles, other Chateaux, Giverny, or the Champagne region. Let’s discuss each option. (If you prefer to stay in the city, just skip this part.)

Versailles: This will be a full day, so get started in the morning. Getting there by train is very simple. Once you arrive, see how long the line is to get inside. If it’s really long, go around the side and start in the gardens outside. These gardens are enormous and you will spend hours here. Don’t skip on visiting The Queen’s Hamlet. This is Marie Antoinette’s “farm village”, and it was my favorite part of the entire gardens. Hopefully by the time you are done with the gardens, the line to get inside is shorter. Be ready to shuffle through the crowds like cattle.

Other Chateaux: If you’d like the experience of visiting a chateaux, but don’t want to deal with the crowds and hassle of Versailles, you have some more options very close to Paris. Vaux-le-Vicomte is the one that inspired the design of Versailles, so it’s very similar, just on a much smaller scale. Fontainebleau (closed Tuesdays) has a history connecting most members of royalty. Chantilly (closed Tuesdays) was a hunting palace with a pretty pond.

Giverny: This is where lots of tourists go to see Claude Monet’s gardens - you know, the ones that he painted about a million times. If you visit here, don’t miss the Orangerie Museum in Paris with his Water Lily paintings.

Champagne Region: This is fun if you want to taste real Champagne from the source. There are multiple towns within this region. We only visited Reims because it was the easiest to get to as a day trip. Many of the caves require a reservation, so book in advance to ensure you have a good day. Many will ship purchases home. If not, buy a bottle to enjoy as a picnic later on.

Friday

The Louvre. If you didn’t visit the Louvre on Wednesday, now is your chance. I love this 3 hour Louvre Crash Course tour from Context Tours. I recommend this company often because of their small groups (6 people or less), and their docents are PhD or MA level scholar guides. While this tour company offers many different tours in Paris, I love this Crash Course one because the Louvre is incredibly large and overwhelming. Three hours was a perfect amount of time for me. If you want to stay longer after the tour, you are more than welcome to. Having a knowledgeable guide in a small group is extremely valuable because he/she will know just where to go and what to see. With the tour (or with the Paris Museum Pass), you’ll also be able to skip the incredibly long lines to get in.

Saturday

Montmarte is an adorable neighborhood on top of a hill. The highlight to me is the Sacre Couer Basilica. This is my favorite church in Paris (over Notre Dame) because it’s filled with beautiful mosaics and has a fantastic view of the city. After visiting the church, you can stroll through the neighborhood. You’ll likely find some markets, the former homes of writers and artists, and even the diner from the movie Amelie. If you continue down the hill, you can end up walking by the Moulin Rouge.

Sunday

Sunday is a perfect day for lounging in a park. Luxembourg Gardens is the place to be. You can combine this with a walk through the Latin Quarter. Pere Lachaise Cemetery would be another great option if you are interested in seeing the graves of many greats including Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Chopin, and even Jim Morrison. It really is a beautiful cemetery.

A fantastic way to spend your last night in Paris is with an evening picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower. You can pick up some groceries at some open air Sunday markets, or stop into specialty food shops. Rue Cler is a popular street to shop in for food (although some shops might be closed on Sunday). In the evening, head to the big park in front of the Eiffel Tower called Champ de Mars, and claim a spot on the grass. Bring a blanket or towel to spread out and picnic. If you purchased some wine, bring it along. If you didn’t, you can buy some cheaper Champagne (not guaranteed to be cold) from one of the guys walking around selling it. In nice summer weather expect the park to be crowded. Stay for the light show which starts after the sun goes down.

Other popular options:

There are so many things to do and see in Paris. If you end up with some extra time, here are some other sights you may have considered.

Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe: I’m not a huge fan of Champs-Elysees because it’s just a bunch of H&Ms on a busy street with plenty of beggars, but the Arc is pretty cool.

Notre Dame: I didn’t include the popular Notre Dame into any of these days. You’ll most likely walk by it a few times. I suggest checking out the length of the line each time you walk by, and when it looks shorter, get in line.  

Opera Garnier: If you are in the neighborhood and they are open, this opera house is beautiful and has a Chagall-painted dome.

Eiffel Tower: Many people want to climb the Eiffel Tower. If you do, get your tickets in advance so you don’t spend all day waiting in line. Be aware that you will have to walk up some stairs.

Montparnasse Tower: For a better view of the city than the Eiffel Tower offers, I like the Montparnasse Tower. It’s also way less expensive and way less of a wait (if any wait at all).

Galeries Lafayette: This is a gorgeous mall. If you’re nearby, just pop in to look at the design.

Les Puces de Saint-Ouen: This is a giant flea market in the outskirts of Paris. If you want to do some antique shopping, this would be the best place to go (on the weekend). Make sure to read a guide on how to get to the good stuff because on the edges, it looks like just cheap t-shirts and knock-offs, but when you get really inside the shops are incredible - filled with beautiful furniture, textiles, art, and just about anything. It’s a huge market.

It’s easy to enjoy your time in Paris even without a planned itinerary. But if you have specific things you really want to see, it’s smart to have a plan for them. To help plan your trip, pick up my book From Paper to Plane: A Step-by-Step Guide to Efficiently Plan your Vacations Abroad or download my free Travel Planning Timeline.